Mental & Emotional Health – Page 21

Take Off Your Mask of Depression

The tragic death of Robin Williams has stirred up so much conversation about depression, a difficult topic but one that is underappreciated for its seriousness and its effects on so many people. I have heard several interviews with his friends, and they all said at least one thing in common: Robin was always “on,” trying… Continue reading Take Off Your Mask of Depression

Watch: Fighting the Stigma of Mental Illness

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7 Tips to Maintain Class and Control Through Any Life Challenge

By Sherrie Campbell PhD

We all have moments when we don’t love how we responded to a situation or how we acted. When you are grounded in who you are, you have a certain essence where people can feel that not much can shake you. To be elegant essentially means that you know who you are and are grounded and comfortable in that person. Many of us are emotionally out of control, lacking presence of mind, allowing life to take us on an emotional roller coaster where we feel crazy and at the mercy of our life situations, people, and emotions.

Bad Memories Turned Good

Recalling an emotional experience, even years later, can bring back the same intense feelings. Researchers from the RIKEN-MIT Center for Neural Circuit Genetics n Japan have revealed the brain pathway that links external events to the internal emotional state, forming one memory by engaging different brain areas. The study published in August 2014 the journal Nature also demonstrates that the positive or negative emotional valence of memory can be reversed during later memory recall.

Watch: Do You Have Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder?

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Smartphone-Loss Anxiety

The smart phone has changed our behavior, sometimes for the better because we are now able to connect and engage with many more people than ever before, but sometimes for the worse in that we may have become over-reliant on the connectivity with the outside world that these devices afford us. Either way, there is no going back for the majority of users who can almost instantaneously connect with hundreds if not thousands of people through the various social media and other applications available on such devices as well as through the humble phone call.

Should You See a Shrink?

By Sherrie Campbell, PhD

It is often the assumption that if you go to therapy that you have serious problems you cannot manage on your own and there is something fundamentally wrong with you. In reality, if someone is attending therapy, the person tends to be on the healthier side of self-love and self-awareness. Because seeing a therapist is stigmatized many people who want to seek help, either often they don’t, or they keep their therapy private so they do not invoke judgment.

Older Adults Weathered the Recession Well

The “Great Recession” may have put a dent in many older adults’ pocketbooks, but a study presented at the 109th Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association in August 2014 in San Francisco found that more than 40 percent reported a decrease in “financial strain” between 2006 and 2010.

Depression Often Untreated in PD

In light of the revelation that the late Robin Williams had early Parkinson’s Disease when he committed suicide on August 11th 2014, a study published in the August 2014 issue of the Journal of Parkinson’s Disease is of particular interest. Researchers at Northwestern University in Chicago in collaboration with the National Parkinson’s Foundation (NPF) found that although depression is known to be a common symptom of Parkinson’s disease, the mood disorder often remains untreated for many patients.

Risky Work Scenarios Make Women Anxious & Less Competent

Risky situations at work increase anxiety for women and hurt their job performance, according to a study done at Stanford University and presented at the 109th Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association in August 2014 in San Francisco. On the other hand, study author Susan R. Fisk found that anxiety did not raise anxiety levels for men and that men’s job performance was unaffected.

How to Cultivate Contentment

By Mayo Clinic Staff

Do you know how to be happy? Or are you waiting for happiness to find you?

Prayer Eases Anxiety for Some, But Not All

For many people with anxiety-related disorders, prayer doesn’t ease the symptoms. That’s the finding of research done at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. What seems to matter is the type of attachment a person feels toward God. According to the Baylor study, those who prayed to a loving and supportive God whom they thought would be there to comfort and protect them in times of need were less likely to show symptoms of anxiety-related disorders such as irrational worry, fear, self-consciousness, dread in social situations, and obsessive-compulsive behavior.

Can Fiction Heighten Empathy?

If you read stories to your grandchildren and also read fiction for your own pleasure, you may be improving the ability of both the children and yourself to understand what other people are thinking or feeling. That’s the finding of a study presented on August 7th 2014 at the American Psychological Association’s 122nd Annual Convention in Washington D.C. by psychologist Raymond Mar from York University in Canada.

Depression & Cognitive Decline = Faster Brain Aging

People who develop depression and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) after age 65 are more likely to have biological and brain imaging markers that reflect a greater vulnerability for accelerated brain aging, according to a study conducted by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. The findings were published online in Molecular Psychiatry.

How We Form & Change Habits

Much of our daily lives are taken up by habits that we’ve formed over our lifetime. An important characteristic of a habit is that it’s automatic– we don’t always recognize habits in our own behavior. Studies show that about 40 percent of people’s daily activities are performed each day in almost the same situations. Habits emerge through associative learning. “We find patterns of behavior that allow us to reach goals.

Say Yes to NO!

By Jaime Kulaga, Ph.D., LMHC

No has gotten this bad reputation. “No, you can’t do that.” “No, it’s too hard.” “No, I don’t have time.” “No, I’m too old.” “No, I’ll do it some other time.”

I am sure that you have said some of these statements before. And, yes, when it comes to stopping a life dream, skipping out on a risk, or self-sabotaging with the word “No,” ….YES that IS negative. In fact, saying “No” all the time could skew people’s opinions of you, making them think you are a pessimist or have a negative attitude. I get it.

Watch: Everything You Need to Know About Breaking Habits

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“Experiential Products” Boost Happiness

Material items designed to create or enhance an experience, also known as “experiential products,” can make shoppers just as happy as life experiences. That is the finding of research done at San Francisco State University and published online July 24th 2014 in the Journal of Consumer Psychology.