An alarming study done in the UK in 2017 and published online in the American Psychological Association’s journal Psychological Bulletin showed that perfectionism is on the rise, especially among h young people. The condition is linked to depression, anxiety, eating disorders, early morbidity, and even suicide. Perfectionism, broadly defined, is a combination of excessively high… Continue reading How to Combat Perfectionism and Lower the Risk of Mental and Emotional Health Problems
Category: Mental & Emotional Health
Your mental health, including your psychological & emotional health, impacts our daily life. Learn more about the most common mental disorders.
Self-Care and Social Ties Can Help Men Recover from the Suicide of a Male Friend or Loved One
Recovering from the suicide of a friend, partner or family member can be emotionally challenging for men, largely due to masculine ideals that dictate men should remain stoic and keep their feelings bottled up. But 2018 research done at the University of British Columbia suggests that other male values–like self-care and protecting family and friends–can… Continue reading Self-Care and Social Ties Can Help Men Recover from the Suicide of a Male Friend or Loved One
Interactive Parent-Child Therapy Helps Kids Who Have Depression
An interactive therapy involving parents and their depressed children can reduce rates of depression and lower the severity of kids’ symptoms, researchers have found. The discovery, by investigators from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, was published in The American Journal of Psychiatry. Experts emphasize the importance of early treatment of depression… Continue reading Interactive Parent-Child Therapy Helps Kids Who Have Depression
Mindful Movement May Help Boost Your Wellbeing
Taking a walk may be a good opportunity to mentally review your to-do list, but using the time instead to be more mindful of your breathing and surroundings may help boost your wellbeing, according to researchers at the University of Southern California. The findings were published in June 2019 in the journal Psychology of Sports… Continue reading Mindful Movement May Help Boost Your Wellbeing
Tips to Get Through a Panic Attack
Suddenly overcome by fear, trembling, sweating, head pounding; heart racing? Don’t panic! Relax – and breathe. A focus on slow, deep breathing can help you get through a panic attack. My comments follow research reported in the April 2018 edition of Psychophysiology by Trinity College Dublin, demonstrating a direct, neurophysiological link between respiration and the brain. The… Continue reading Tips to Get Through a Panic Attack
Debunking Dale Carnegie’s Advice to “Put Yourself in Their Shoes”
Putting yourself in someone else’s shoes and relying on intuition or “gut instinct” isn’t an accurate way to determine what they’re thinking or feeling,” say researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU), the University of Chicago. and Northeastern University. “We incorrectly presume that taking someone else’s perspective will help us understand and improve interpersonal… Continue reading Debunking Dale Carnegie’s Advice to “Put Yourself in Their Shoes”
How to Beat Swimsuit Season Anxiety
Since January we’ve been bombarded with ads urging us to slim down and “Get your body in shape by summer” or “Lose weight by Memorial Day”. While some women manage to meet their weight loss goals in time to feel confident in swimsuit, the majority of us don’t. Although we can disguise unwanted pounds in heavy… Continue reading How to Beat Swimsuit Season Anxiety
Why Being Left-Handed Matters for Mental Health Treatment
Treatment for the most common mental health problems could be ineffective or even detrimental for left-handed and ambidextrous people, according to a radical new model of emotion in the brain based n a 2018 study done at Cornell Uiversity. A release from the university notes that since the 1970s, hundreds of studies have suggested that… Continue reading Why Being Left-Handed Matters for Mental Health Treatment
An Almost Unknown Psychedelic to Kick the Habit
Addiction is a public-health crisis in America today, without many good treatment options. But researchers are looking into ibogaine, an hallucinogenic drug that shows promise for getting rid of both cravings and withdrawal symptoms for a wide variety of substances, including heroin, cocaine, and opioids. Ibogaine, which is derived from a Central West African shrub,… Continue reading An Almost Unknown Psychedelic to Kick the Habit
Possible Causes of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Typically, when we hear PTSD, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, we think of military veterans who experience vivid and often debilitating panic-inducing flashbacks of their time at war. Here are some other common causes of post-traumatic stress disorder and how to cope. Understanding the symptoms of PTSD Typical symptoms of PTSD include distressing nightmares that awaken you… Continue reading Possible Causes of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
It’s a Real Thing: Taking Psychedelic Drugs to Ease End-of-Life Anxiety
*Sheila, a 57-year-old patient diagnosed six months earlier with terminal cancer sat in my office, twisting Kleenex in her fingers. “Sherry, my anxiety is off the charts.” In addition to our once-a-week sessions, she had a loving family, was in a support group for people with cancer, and taking Prozac. None of this made much… Continue reading It’s a Real Thing: Taking Psychedelic Drugs to Ease End-of-Life Anxiety
Treating PTSD with Psychedelics
Even if you’ve never used illegal drugs, you probably have some idea what LSD and other psychedelic substances do to the brain. (The 1960s live on in movies if nowhere else.) This kind of drug triggers the brain to “alter thought processes and disable filters,” according to Science Daily, changing how people perceive everything around… Continue reading Treating PTSD with Psychedelics
I Tried Ketamine for Depression
I’ve been treated for major depressive disorder for my entire adult life. I’ve been lucky enough to respond well to medication and, while the disease never went away entirely, I coped pretty well for nearly 20 years. But then researchers discovered that the drug I’d been taking had long term effects on the heart; my… Continue reading I Tried Ketamine for Depression
To Be Your Own Best Friend, Start by Loving Yourself
The less we care for ourselves, the more unlovable we feel, the less we connect with others, and the easier it is to spiral out into depression and despair. I propose a solution to this painful cycle: Be your own BFF. If you believe you are not enough, you may not be able to handle… Continue reading To Be Your Own Best Friend, Start by Loving Yourself
Considering Microdosing LSD for Treatment-Resistant Depression? Read This First
For years Rachel* found herself battling a recurrent and noxious depression. She tried Zoloft but it had little effect. Nor did regular psychotherapy. In 2010 the then 45-year-old, a life coach, yoga devotee, and single mother began contemplating hallucinogens. She’d tried an LSD tab decades before at a music festival and found the 20-hour experience… Continue reading Considering Microdosing LSD for Treatment-Resistant Depression? Read This First
The Haunting Regret of Failing Our Ideal Selves
Forsaken dreams. Romantic interests not pursued. Securing a job near home rather than an adventurous position overseas. Our most enduring regrets are the ones that stem from our failure to live up to our ideal selves, according to Cornell University research done in 2018 and published in May in the journal Emotion. A release from… Continue reading The Haunting Regret of Failing Our Ideal Selves
Study: African Americans and Latinos Likelier than Whites to Be at Risk for Depression
African Americans and Latinos are significantly more likely than Whites to experience serious depression, but chronic stress doesn’t seem to explain the difference, according to a new study. Dr. Eliseo J. Pérez-Stable, director of the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) and the senior study author, also found that African Americans and… Continue reading Study: African Americans and Latinos Likelier than Whites to Be at Risk for Depression
Why an Upcoming Appointment Makes Us Get Less Done in the Available Time
You’ve got a full hour until your next meeting. But you probably won’t make the most of that time, according to research done at Ohio State University and published online in May 2018 in the Journal of Consumer Research. A release from the university explains that In a series of eight studies, both in the… Continue reading Why an Upcoming Appointment Makes Us Get Less Done in the Available Time