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No one likes to be the butt of jokes and humiliated by being laughed at. But for some people, the fear of being laughed at is so debilitating it can cause isolation. This fear is known as gelotophobia - a disorder that was not named until 10 years ago. Willibald Ruch of the University of Zurich said that studying the negative effects of being laughed at is something entirely new.
A person with gelotophobia can hear a stranger laughing and they automatically assume the stranger is laughing at him or her. With extreme cases of gelotophobia, the affected person can break out into a sweat, have heart palpitations, trembling or even freeze up in social situation.
Ruch and his team of colleagues surveyed 23,000 people in 75 countries and found that gelotophobia was present in each nation. They found it affects between 2% and 30% of the population.
You can read more posts by Sandy Robinson at her other health blogs: Fighting Fatigue & IC Disease. Sandy also writes for the American Idolist site on WebbleYou.
I have panic attacks from time to time and what is scary about having these is that I never know when one will hit. There are certain situations that will cause me to have panic attacks but it doesn’t happen every time that I am in that particular situation. For me it’s unpredictable and that can be very frustrating. I find that I am also more likely to have a panic attack when I haven’t been able to sleep. How do you know if you are having a panic attack? Here are some of the symptoms:
- Heart starts pounding really hard
- Sweating regardless of the weather outside
- Shaky, out of control feeling
- Gasping for breath
- Numbness in the hands and feet
One symptom I often experience when having a panic attack is a disoriented feeling. I feel as though what is going on around me isn’t really happening. It’s a weird feeling and hard to describe.
Women are twice as likely as men to have panic attacks but scientists aren’t sure why that is. It may be due to genetics and the fact that women are more likely to suffer from anxiety and depression. The hormonal changes in women can also be a reason for panic attacks - particularly during adolescence, pregnancy and menopause.
Dr. Lilian Gonsalves, vice chair of the department of psychiatry and psychology at the Cleveland Clinic, says some scientists think that hormonal fluctuation may upset the balance of chemicals in the brain that modulate fear and anxiety, triggering a panic attack.
While some women start having panic attacks during late adolescence, many others don’t have issues until they reach perimenopause. This is the period that can occur years before menopause where a woman’s hormones fluctuate wildly. Hot flashes and lack of sleep are two symptoms of perimenopause.
For those who suffer from frequent panic attacks, they are at a higher risk for depression, substance abuse and suicide. Some research also indicates that women who have repeated attacks are at higher risk of death. This is why it is so important to be treated promptly for repeated and/or frequent panic attacks.
There are different medications available to help those who suffer from panic attacks. Different medications work differently for each person. It may take a combination of medications, antidepressants and anti-anxiety drugs, to help some patients. Cognitive behavior therapy is also used to treat panic attacks. Typically a combination of the two is used for best results. CBT uses relaxation exercises to help people learn how to deal with panic attacks and what causes them.
Many people find that drugs help control the problem until they can find a behavioral therapy that works, after which drugs may no longer be necessary. It’s often advisable to avoid caffeine or alcohol, which can bring on symptoms in some people. Research has also shown that regular exercise and activities such as yoga may reduce the severity and number of attacks.
It may take six to eight weeks for antidepressants to take full effect but many patients may start noticing some relief after just two weeks. For those who don’t respond well to antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications (about 20%), doctors have likely missed an underlying medical condition that is causing the attacks.
Source: Newsweek
You can read more posts by Sandy Robinson at her other health blogs: Fighting Fatigue & IC Disease. Sandy also writes for the American Idolist site on WebbleYou.
Alcoholics and addicts learn during their recovery the importance of avoiding situations that can trigger cravings. While this sounds easy to do, many alcoholics and addicts find that it’s easier said than done. Old habits and lifestyles are hard to break and it takes more than just words to get it done.
Therapists will often use role-playing techniques during the recovery process to help addicts learn the best method of avoidance. The problem with the role-playing techniques, according to the University of Houston researcher Patrick Bordnick, is that this form of treatment can be ineffective and unrealistic because the patient realizes that they are dealing with their therapist - not a real life situation.
What Bordnick has done is to create virtual reality scenarios that helps to mentally prepare alcoholics and addicts for situations that can trigger drinking. The scenarios include people together drinking and a party atmosphere.
Bordnick hopes that this new avenue of research could make addiction therapy a lot more effective. “If we can have a virtual scenario, where we put that person in that bar, or in that social setting, and now have the therapist be able to teach you in real time… I think that will hold up when they are out in these realistic situations in the real world, that these skills should transfer from virtual reality to the real world,” Says Bordnick.
Bordnick developed these virtual reality scenarios with the help of technology company Virtually Better. He’s been using their hardware and software to study addiction in cigarette smokers, cannabis smokers, and now in alcoholics. In his most recent study, published in the journal “Addictive Behaviors,” Bordnick found that alcohol dependent participants reported a greater urge to drink while viewing triggers like a bartender or a favorite cocktail, compared to viewing a neutral scene, such as a room filled with videos of nature scenes.
Brodnick tested his virtual reality creation on 40 alcohol dependent people to see how effective the scenarios were. The participants put on virtual reality headsets and entered into different tempting environments. As they moved around each room, the participants had to rate their desire to drink. The virtual scenarios were extremely real - the participants would even smell beer when they were near it.
Bordnick says he believes that by therapists using the virtual reality scenarios, they will be able to more effectively counsel the alcoholic on avoidance. Watch the video above to learn more.
Source
You can read more posts by Sandy Robinson at her other health blogs: Fighting Fatigue & IC Disease. Sandy also writes for the American Idolist site on WebbleYou.
Depending on how much money you have, it can bring you either relief or stress. For many Americans, debt is causing their health to go downhill. An Associated Press-AOL Health Poll recently found that people who are dealing with a lot of debt report major health issues such as ulcers, severe depression and heart attacks.
People in serious debt attribute the worry of wondering how they are going to survive from one paycheck to the next. A research psychologist, Paul J. Lavrakas, who analyzed the results of the survey, says that most people appear to be managing their finances and debt okay. But there may be 10 million to 16 million who have debt issues affecting their health in a big way. People with high debt stress reported that they suffered from at least three stress-related illnesses.
People who reported having high stress levels due to debt also stated that they had trouble concentrating and suffer from sleeping problems. They also found that they upset easier than they did before the “debt stress”.
Poll Results
The poll findings were as follows:
- Ulcers/digestive tract issues - 27% - compared to those with low debt stress - 8%
- Migraines/headaches - 44% - compared to 15%
- Severe anxiety - 29% - compared with 4%
- Severe depression - 23% - compared with 4%
- Heart attacks - 6% - compared with 3%
- Muscle tension/lower back pain - 51% - compared with 31%
Lavrakas says that it isn’t known for certain whether such stress is causing health problems, but medical research suggests that most of the symptoms reported in this poll are typical of chronic stress.
Source
You can read more posts by Sandy Robinson at her other health blogs: Fighting Fatigue & IC Disease. Sandy also writes for the American Idolist site on WebbleYou.
I am someone who suffers from social phobia at times. Just the thought of having people at my house or having to be around a group of people can send me over the edge. A social phobia occurs when a person has unusually high anxiety before a social situation, such as going to a party, giving a speech, or going to a job interview.
According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, some or all of these symptoms may be present for someone suffering from social phobia:
- Sweating
- Blushing
- Feeling nauseous
- Shaking/trembling
- Difficulty talking
- Difficulty making eye contact with someone
If you have these symptoms, a doctor should evaluate you for a social phobia. The physician can also recommend treatment options, including medication and/or behavioral therapy.
The University of Cambridge researchers have confirmed through research that serotonin, which acts as a chemical messenger between nerve cells, plays a critical role in regulating emotions such as aggression during social decision-making. While serotonin has been associated with social behavior for a long time, its role in impulsive aggression has been controversial. This study by the University of Cambridge has been one of the first studies to show a link between the two.
What their research found may explain why some of us can become aggressive when we haven’t eaten. There is an essential amino acid needed for the body to create serotonin and it can only be found in food. Because of this, serotonin levels decrease when we haven’t eaten. The research also delved into disorders that involve low serotonin levels like depression and OCD and could help explain some of the social difficulties associated with these disorders.
The research suggests that patients with depression and anxiety disorders may benefit from therapies that teach them strategies for regulating emotions during decision making, particularly in social scenarios.
The researchers were able reduce brain serotonin levels in healthy volunteers for a short time by manipulating their diet. They used a situation known as the ‘Ultimatum Game’ to investigate how individuals with low serotonin react to what they perceive as unfair behaviour. In this game one player proposes a way to split a sum of money with a partner. If the partner accepts, both players are paid accordingly. But if he rejects the offer, neither player is paid.
Normally, people tend to reject about half of all offers less than 20-30% of the total stake, despite the fact that this means they receive nothing - but rejection rates increased to more than 80% after serotonin reductions. Other measures showed that the volunteers with serotonin depletion were not simply depressed or hypersensitive to lost rewards.
Source
You can read more posts by Sandy Robinson at her other health blogs: Fighting Fatigue & IC Disease. Sandy also writes for the American Idolist site on WebbleYou.
Adult ADHD can cause a big problem with jobs since it can add up to a month’s worth of lost work per year. It used to be we only heard about ADHD as affecting children but it is becoming more and more apparent that many adults are suffering as well. Researchers from the Netherlands Institute of Mental Health and Addiction found that adult workers inability to concentrate costs the average adult sufferer 22.1 days of job role performance per year, including 8.7 extra days absent. Adult ADHD was also found to be a cause of work accidents as well.
Researchers suggest that it might be cost effective for employers to start screening their employees for ADHD and to provide treatment if necessary.
Linda S. Anderson, president of the Adult Attention Deficit Disorder Association, says that the new study may underestimate the adult rate of ADHD as many adults with ADHD may be unemployed. She also says that workplace treatment and assistance can be vital for these patients.
Employers know that employee absence is part of the territory and is part of the cost of doing business. But what astounded researchers was when they realized that most of the ADHD-related loss occurs on days when the worker is present.
Source
It is estimated that 300 - 400 physicians commit suicide each year. The rate of suicide among physicians is thought to be higher than that of the general population although exact figures and statistics are hard to find. Some doctors believe that to admit to mental illness would be the end of their careers so they suffer in silence.
With all of the medical know-how physicians have, it is also easy for them to get prescriptions when they feel they can’t handle life any longer. They know what amounts they need to take of which drugs in order to commit suicide. The American Medical Association has called physician suicide “an endemic catastrophe,” and pledged two years ago to work to prevent the problem. But the suicides have continued to happen. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention has created an educational campaign to make doctors with mental illness more likely to seek help.
The estimate of 300 - 400 physician suicides yearly is based on estimates from research but further studies need to be done to determine if this count is accurate. The overall suicide rate in the United States among men is four times higher than in women but among doctors, suicide rates are about equal for men and women.
Doctors who suffer from depression will usually self-medicate but they will not seek psychiatric help or counseling of any kind. Dr. Glenn Siegel, who runs a suburban Chicago program that treats doctors with drug abuse, depression and other psychiatric problems, states:
“It’s not a safe topic to be as open about in that profession because you’re responsible for the well-being of others. If you’re admitting something like that, you’re saying maybe you’re not fit to do your job.”
Some studies have suggested depression is more common among doctors, especially women physicians, and that the high demands of a job dealing with life-and-death issues makes them prone.
Source
Sandy Robinson also is the blogger for her own website, Fighting Fatigue. On the WebbleYou Network, Sandy is co-blogger for the American Idolist blog.
As a mother, I couldn’t even begin to imagine the struggle it must be to raise a child with bipolar disorder. I just recently read a story about a young boy, who at the young age of 7, tried to commit suicide for the first time. Do children even really grip what death means at that age? But Max left a 10-page will, bequeathing his toys to his friends. Then he jumped out of his bedroom window and landed on the ground six-feet below. Thankfully he survived. Bipolar disorder is an illness that results in recurring spells of mania then depression.
At the age of 10, Max’s mother was called into her son’s school and this note was given to her by the school counselor:
“Dear Mommy & Daddy. I am really feeling sad and depressed and lousy about myself. I love you but I still feel like I want to kill myself. I am really sad but I just want help to feel happy again. The reason I feel so bad is because I can’t sleep at night. And dad yells at me to just sleep at night. But, I can’t control it. It is not me that does control it. I don’t know what controls it, but it is not me. I really really need some help, love Max!!!!! I Love you Mommy I Love you Daddy.”
Max has had a rough time of it from the very beginning. Max Blake was born with a hole in his heart. Struggling to be born, he lost oxygen, and doctors performed an emergency C-section.
According to the article in Newsweek:
The mothers of bipolar kids often say their babies are born screaming. These are children who live at the extremes: so giddy they can’t speak in sentences, so low they refuse to speak at all. Unlike bipolar adults, they flit rapidly between emotions; sometimes they seem to feel everything at once. At least 800,000 children in the United States have been diagnosed as bipolar, no doubt some of them wrongly. The disease is hard to pin down. The bipolar brain is miswired, but no one knows why it develops that way. There are many drugs, but it’s unclear how they work. Often, they don’t work at all, and they may interfere with normal brain growth. There are no studies on their long-term effects in children. Yet untreated bipolar disorder can be disastrous; 10 percent of sufferers commit suicide. Parents must choose between two wrenching options: treat their children and risk a bad outcome, or don’t treat and risk a worse one. No matter what they do, they are in for uncertainty and pain.
When Max was born, his mother Amy said that he cried all of the time. Max never slept through the night and neither did Amy. He banged his head against his crib and screamed until his face burned red. Nursing, cuddling, pacifiers—none of them helped. At 2 a.m., at 3, at 4 and 5 and 6, Amy cradled her son, trying to believe this was typical infant irritability, the kind her friends with kids had warned her about. By the time Max was 2 years old, he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
You will want to continue reading this 6-page article online, as it provides a lot of startling information on bipolar disorder in children and how it effects families. Click the link below to read more:
Growing Up Bipolar: Max’s World
A White House report released on Friday said that teenagers, depression and pot smoking are a dangerous combination that can lead to mental illness, dependency and suicidal thoughts. The report by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy stated that a teen who has been depressed at some point in the past year is more than twice as likely to have used marijuana as teens who have not reported being depressed — 25 percent compared with 12 percent.
The report cited that using marijuana increases the risk of developing mental disorders by 40%. The report goes on to say that teens who smoke marijuana when feeling depressed were more than twice as likely as their peers to abuse or become addicted to marijuana.
The drug control policy office analyzed about a dozen studies looking at marijuana use, including research by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Overall, marijuana use among teens has decreased 25 percent since 2001, down to about 2.3 million kids who used pot at least once a month.
Sandy Robinson is also the blogger for her own website, Fighting Fatigue and the Fighting Fatigue Forum. On the WebbleYou Network, Sandy is co-blogger for the American Idolist blog.
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