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CBT - The Great Con
2007-11-17 22:16:00
In my last post I said I thought that CBT (Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for those of you who don't know) was good and worthwhile for anyone with anxiety. I stand by that but today I want to give a different opinion about CBT, I want to argue that it is being missold to us. Try PanicAway to help you in your fight against anxiety and panic - Click Here! First we had psychoanalysis, then we had CBT. Psychoanalysis went out of fashion because it took too long and that made it expensive. It also made it hard to prove worthwhile in terms of efficacy. These days scientists, medical practitioners, psychologists and bureaucrats alike need to be able to prove their brainchildren to a skeptical public. That means they need quantitative data. People like percentages. They like to know that 80% of people found CBT helpful, or that of those people who go through a programme of CBT less than 30% relapse into depression (these statistics are just examples, please don't take them seriously). That...
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Anxiety, Panic and Phobias
2007-11-13 17:55:00
I suffered from Anxiety and Phobia s for a long time, and I tried almost everything to get rid of them. Some of what I tried was rubbish, and some of it was actually very useful. People often write and ask me what I think is best, what works, what is painless and above all what is quick. Here, I will try and expand on the things that helped me and give ideas regarding what might help you.           ;   Easy Calm System for Anxiety and Panic Results - Click Here! 1. CBT. For lucky people Cognitive Behaviour Therapy is made available to them by their doctor when they first present with symptoms of anxiety or panic attacks which have lead to phobias. CBT is good for anxiety and panic related problems because with CBT you learn how to challenge your negative thoughts. This can relatively quickly and painlessly relieve some of the nastiest parts of the condition: fear of going mad, being convinced that you were about to die, be...

NaSSAs - Noradrenergic and specific serotonergic antidepressant
2007-11-11 18:00:00
Noradrenergic and specific serotonergic antidepressant, or NaSSA's as they are known, are a modern type of anti-depressant that is being used in some cases instead of the more traditional anti depressants such as Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors (SSRI's) and Serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI's).         ;       0;      &#x A0;    Conquer Depression - Click Here! To the end user, the patient, there may not appear to be much difference between the three classes of drug. They are all anti-depressants, they are all taken daily over a long period of time, they have all had a bad press at some time or other and can all cause unpleasant side-effects. In fact the drugs work on different receptors, effecting the balance of different neurotransmitters in the brain. NaSSA's work on adrenergic receptors which can help to increase levels of both Serotonin a...
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Alternatives to anti-depressants
2007-11-08 20:14:00
The media is increasingly taking the issue of the over-prescription of anti-depressants seriously. Article after article is being written about how the figures of anti-depressant prescription have doubled, tripled and even increased five-fold, depending on which statistics you believe, which time frame you examine, and how you interpret the data.               ;  7 Steps for a Depression Free Life - Click Here!  The bare most important fact is that anti-depressant prescription has soared, no matter which way you look at it. This is not necessarily bad as this kind of medication (typically Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors or SSRI's or Serotonin-norepinephrine re-uptake inhibitors -SNRIs) can really save lives. The upturn in prescription could show one of two things: either over-prescription by poorly trained or under-resources medics, or an increase in the numbers of people suffering from anxiety, depres...
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Self-discovery - Anxiety, depression and mental disorders
2007-11-01 18:50:00
Anxiety sufferers often look for the deeper meaning and causes behind their anxiety. In recent decades there has been a fad for self-discovery. Not just involving people suffering from anxiety, depression and other mental health disorders, but from almost every quarter. Mostly self-discovery is sought by those who feel some kind of unhappiness, inertia or unknown, un-quantifiable dread. Sadly there has been a lot of rubbish written about self-discovery, and most people never really scratch the surface. The kind of questionnaire's that one comes across in glossy magazines are not much good to anyone, and likewise most of the psychologically derived analytical questionnaire's are aimed at the business market, helping them test employees' aptitude and reliability. Of course many people with mental issues such as anxiety and depression have sought out eastern methods of self-discovery which generally rely on meditation. These may be more or less effective depending on the persiste...
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Mindfulness and Anxiety/Depression
2007-10-29 20:42:00
Just a quick look at some mindfulness methods of tackling negative emotional states like anxiety and depression. Remember that mindfulness meditation, and mindfulness based stress reduction is not a quick fix. It is about a technique you persevere with and see benefits from over time. For a more detailed article on mindfulness and its application for anxiety click here. The typical mindfulness meditation exercise involves watching the breath. Sitting (or lying) and bringing your concentration to bare on your breathing, and gently bringing it back to your breathing whenever you notice that it has wondered off elsewhere. In the seminal texts on the subject by Jon Kabat-Zinn it is suggested that the breath is notices not just as it enters the mouth but also in other places in the body that it reaches - the pit of the stomach, diaphragm, and even the toes! Mindfulness meditation techniques are so good for sufferers of anxiety and panic that they are one of the few things I recommend ...
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Does tap water have an anti-depressant effect?
2007-10-27 01:04:00
Well, of course it doesn't! But tests have confirmed that in the UK tap water does contain levels of the drug Prozac (Fluoxetine) . It appears that sewage and water-treatment systems are not good enough to remove the drug before waste water makes it back into our taps. Although it is thought that the levels of the drug in the water are harmless (and nowhere near a therapeutic dose) it does make you wonder whatever drugs might make it into the water supply. If nothing more it suggests that the drug is woefully over-prescribed in the UK, where records show prescriptions have risen sharply since the early 1990s. The full story as reported by the BBC can be found here. We say that it is time to take the causes of anxiety and depression seriously. Let's start using therapy and stop just treating the symptoms. del.icio.us Tags: prozac , fluoxetine , water supply , over-prescription
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Depression, disease burden and the importance of correct diagnosis
2007-10-22 20:25:00
A recent study found that depression is not only an unpleasant mental disorder, but also a potential physical threat as well. Of course it has long been known that people suffering from depression are more at risk of suicide, but what a recent study by the WHO (World Health Organisation) shows is that in terms of impact on life, depression is worse than angina and asthma. Sufferers of depression should not think that there are inherent physical risks with depression. What is being talked about here seems to be the exacerbation of symptoms which are already present due to a physical condition. The author of the report, Dr Moussavi, said that more needs to be done to stop medical professionals ignoring or failing to see depression when treating patients for other conditions. This is of course a difficult problem to tackle for several reasons. Firstly, those people who are being treated for serious conditions may show some signs of depression. In fact, no one that's in hospital ...
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Fear Fantasy - tackle negative beliefs
2007-10-14 13:37:00
I recently read a book which included this fantastic exercise for dealing with negative thoughts particularly in the area of self esteem, and assertiveness and confidence. The thing is, we criticize ourselves with much harsher words than we would criticize others. We also tell ourselves far more negative things than we would tell others. Imagine telling a friend "Don't go to the supermarket, you won't be able to cope!" we would just never do it! In order to show ourselves how faulty some of our thinking is, we can have a dialogue, either in our heads, out loud, or on paper, in which we play the role of someone who believe is criticizing us, putting us down, or thinks bad of us. Now, what we have to do is, as the other person, tell ourselves the worst possible things to see how ridiculous it is. Let's imagine we are worried about panicking in the supermarket and making a scene in front of lots of people. The dialogue between you and a person that sees you and who you ...
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Celexa questions answered
2007-10-09 11:07:00
Celexa is known to cause weight gain. I was speaking to a doctor recently who told me that Celexa is actually one of the better SSRI's for weight gain, although they all effect people in different ways so you can never really tell which one would be bad for certain people. To some extent the weight gain can be controlled by diet and exercise. The problem is, as I understand it, Celexa seems to lower your metabolic rate and therefore you need to eat less and exercise more to burn the calories that you would normally burn much faster. If you don't want to be on anti-depressants forever then you need to ask yourself what other approaches you are taking to anxiety management/treatment. Are you having therapy? Have you had CBT? Are you doing something to deal with the causes of your anxiety? If you have stopped taking Celexa and now want to start taking it again, did you come off the drugs because you felt better? And if so did you feel better because of the drugs or because of a ...
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Anxiety - accept or fight
2007-10-06 20:18:00
Some people are advised to just accept anxiety. This is a behavioural approach adopted by Australian Claire Weekes several decades ago. I believe this is a good approach still and has benefited many people. It is not the only approach and to make it work you need to understand the paradox. The paradox is that you accept the anxiety, even welcome it, even though you want it to go. It doesn't therefore follow that if you look for a way out you are not accepting properly and thus the anxiety will last longer. Actually, the accepting approach can be combined with other approaches, as long as you try to accept the anxiety while it is being felt. It is true that when you avoid a situation the phobia or fear grows. But by looking for an end to anxiety being a major player in your life you are not going to do any harm. Accept ance is just one approach based on overcoming anxiety that has been "learnt". When you look for solutions to problems -although you may have to try seve...
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Anxiety setbacks email follow up
2007-10-01 21:51:00
Here is the second part of an email dialogue I had with a reader concerning setbacks. ----- Hi! Thanks for your reply. I have indeed been troubled by anxiety in the past, for many years and in many forms. Also often revolving around issues to do with travel. Over the years my anxiety changed a lot before petering out. I put that down to two things: changing life situation (growing up, leaving home etc) and me attacking the anxiety every way I could. I once asked my doctor what he thought was best for anxiety and he replied "I am a fan of whatever works". I think that's important, what works for one person doesn't necessarily work for another. I think Claire Weekes' technique of complete acceptance is great in the short term, especially as it is much better and more empowering than doing nothing. However it does seem to me from what you have said that there are legitimate reasons in your life for you to be stressed and unhappy, and that through tackling those I think you might im...
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Anxiety setbacks - reader email
2007-09-30 22:27:00
Hi! I recently received an email from a reader who asked me about setbacks. She kindly allowed me to post my reply on this blog: ----- Hi! Thanks for your email. Nice to know someone's reading! Sorry to hear you are not feeling too good at the moment, I will try to answer your questions as best I can!!! I have also had setbacks in the past and they are irritating nasty things. But strangely they are your friend. It can be tempting for people with anxiety to treat anxiety as something outside of themselves which they have no control over. You often hear people say "My anxiety subsided for a while and then came back" or "it comes and goes". Thinking of anxiety in this way is all well and good if you can let your anxiety do what it wants, and continue with your life regardless. I don't know if you've heard of Claire Weekes, an Australian doctor who advised "acceptance" – just letting your anxiety get on with it and waiting for it to go away while pushing yourself through you...
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Be Set Free Fast for Anxiety and Phobias
2007-09-09 23:48:00
From time to time people ask me if I can recommend a treatment programme for their anxiety, phobias, depression, panic stress related IBS etc etc. For the most part I recommend them the things which I know from personal experience to be helpful but I always advise them that what works for me does not necessarily work for everyone. I suggest they experiment from prescription medicines under the guidance of a sympathetic and knowledgeable doctor. I suggest they seek therapy and also learn some CBT techniques and do Mindfulness Meditation. I also suggest they start to experiment with some alternative solutions, such as acupuncture or EFT. I always add though, that the alternative healthcare sector is awash with charlatans and shrewd business people, who see those people that suffer from issues that may well include low self-esteem as easy prey. I am particularly suspicious of expensive online courses and of techniques with names that sound like they were dreamt up in marketing departme...
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Depression over-diagnosed?
2007-09-01 14:41:00
Last week the BBC reported that a leading British psychiatrist, Professor Gordon Parker, had claimed that depression was being over-diagnosed. He suggested that people who are simply a bit unhappy or suffering from short term low mood are being diagnosed by doctors as being depressed. We should remember that no one feels happy everyday of their lives, and that we the troughs in life, the times which aren't so good, make us appreciate the good times that much more. Life cannot be a constant high, despite the best attempts of the media and celebrity culture to persuade us otherwise. So to some extent I would like to agree with Professor Parker. The word depression has become over used and doctors need to be more careful over diagnosis. Certainly the over use of anti-depressants continues to be a problem. And there does seem to be a trend for people to look for solutions to the problems in their lives outside of themselves, either through drugs or by looking for labels ...
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Coming off Citalopram - reader question
2007-08-14 23:09:00
Hi   A comment on this blog today, which can be read here, asks for advice about quitting Citalopram. The reader is obviously having some difficulties after having quit the drug. The first piece of advice that one has to give is to speak to your doctor.   It is a good idea to start coming off SSRI's like citalopram after you have made some positive changes in your life or dealt with some issues through counseling. These drugs can be incredibly effective, however they treat the symptoms and do not necessarily treat the cause. They can be a great way of stopping the symptoms and can kickstart your recovery...but only with the aid of positive change and or sorting out some of the internal issues (of course in a blog like I can not be too prescriptive; I am not a doctor or a psychologist and in any case everyone is different. I can talk about my own opinions and experiences only).   So when coming off the drugs seems to lead to, or at least coincide with, a recurrence o...
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Depression and Anxiety, a round up of the latest news
2007-08-07 21:01:00
Recent research has found a clear link between jobs which cause tiredness, moodiness, bad temper and irritability and depression. Of course that might not be any surprise to people whose stressful jobs have obviously caused and aggravated their depression and low mood, but an established and proven link is a new thing. According to this study as much as 45% of new cases of depression and anxiety were due to work conditions, with these being the worst triggers:   Long time spent working (hours) Lack of understanding, support or flexibility from managers Continually pressing deadlines High volume of work, with no end in sight. What was surprising was that this did not apply just to office workers in companies with narrow minded bosses. It also affected members of the emergency services, people from the entertainment industry, refuse collectors people in fact from all walks of life. Other patterns shown in the study went along similar lines to what is already known. For some...
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rimonabant - Risks too high
2007-07-23 13:08:00
Rimonabant (also known as Acomplia) is a drug which is used to treat obese patients with a risk of developing diabetes.As I blogged about a month or so ago, the drug is considered controversial. There is now evidence to suggest that one in every ten people that take the drug suffer from some kind of psychiatric side-effect.We say this is too high! Mental health issues are not taken seriously enough, and any drug which has this much potential to cause psychiatric side-effects should be banned (as it is already in the USA).Treating diabetes and obesity related cardiovascular disease is important, but not at the risk of causing suicidal thoughts, depression, and, in one known case, self-harm.It is time for some joined up thinking when it comes to medication which effects how our brain functions. The organisations and bodies that licence drugs need to be better prepared to stop harmful drugs reaching patients. This habit of stopping drugs which have now been used , and done harm, for so...
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Anti-Depressants: When Should You Withdraw?
2007-07-17 21:46:00
A large proportion of people who have suffered from anxiety and depression have been offered anti-depressants such as Prozac, lexapro and Celexa. A percentage of these people will not have taken the drugs for any length of time. There are often tolerance and side effect issues that cause many people to cease using the drugs at an early stage and seek alternatives. But for those who are lucky enough to tolerate the drugs well, or who feel side effects at first but wait for them to subside, often these drugs can prove very effective. That leads us to the biggest question of all: When is it time to stop taking SSRI's? Well, doctors tend to advise that you keep taking a stable, therapeutic dosage of the drug for at least six months after you feel better. It is important that you stay on the dose your doctor has prescribed you and only change the dose under supervision from them. Often, after six months to a year have passed your doctor (who should be inviting you back frequently f...
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Worst SSRI's for weight gain
2007-07-11 19:47:00
Many people who take SSRI's for depression or anxiety suffer weight gain as a result. Indeed it is a common reason for people to prematurely break-off from otherwise beneficial treatment. But in truth, appearance is so key to modern life that it is no surprise that people who are already suffering from mood disorders don't want to get fat. This could lead to more depression! I was interested last week when I got an email from revolution health that linked to an article on their site about which SSRI's are known to cause weight gain. It is one of the most common questions I am asked so I am always on the look out for new material. The table below shows what the article said, but I disagree with much of it. I personally have taken Celexa and found that it caused weight gain to the tune of 10KG! The table also shows escitalopram to be likely to cause weight gain. This is odd because citalopram (Celexa) and escitalopram (Lexapro) are almost identical. In the article and American acad...
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Folic Acid for depression
2007-07-03 18:49:00
Moves are afoot in the UK to add folic acid to bread in order to cut depression. The supplement has long been popular with pregnant women and those trying to get pregnant as it is strongly believed to safeguard foetuses against condition such as spinabifida. It has also been suggested that it can help prevent strokes. Now research by York University in the UK has suggested that folic acid can help the brain produce the feel good neurotransmitter Serotonin. Although it is not necessarily believed that low folate levels in the body cause depression, it does seem that there is some link between them. So, now various questions arise: Will the proposed additions to bread be of sufficient quantity to prevent depression in a significant number of people? Will this help depressed people recover from their illness? Should depressed people start taking a folic acid supplement? Would doing this effect any medication that a sufferer might already be taking? Might folic acid also have an ef...
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Yoga for anxiety and depression. It works!
2007-06-26 19:52:00
Have a look at this press release from Boston University and Maclean Hospital. If their research is repeatable then Yoga could be an important treatment for anxiety and depression. Yoga practitioners have long insisted that there was an important mind and body angle to yoga. But this has been lost somewhat amongst the mass of alternative and complimentary therapies on other. In reality lots of therapists that offer whacky remedies at huge cost don't want us to know that there are other, much cheaper options that may well be more effective. My personal experience of Yoga and Anxiety When I suffered from anxiety on a regular basis I used to visit a yoga centre in Totnes in Devon. I had a very good teacher and the yoga itself felt good. It was very relaxing. Let me say that first. I can really believe that on anxiety or stress alone yoga is probably very potent. I felt relaxed enough to sleep! Is Yoga the answer then? No, yoga was not the answer to my anxiety. Because Anxiety is a ver...
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Breaking the Anxiety Habit
2007-06-25 20:38:00
What if Anxiety was just a habit. What if we habitually had the same thoughts, put ourselves in the same situations, disrespected ourselves, and reacted in the same way. I have to admit that I am a little bit fat. Not obese in anyway, but overweight, heavier than I want to be. I will also freely admit that being overweight effects my self-image and self-esteem. I think diet, anxiety and digestion are intrinsically linked which is why I have started to put together a section on IBS. I digress. In my desire to lose weight I have started investigating various studies, theories and programmes. Obviously quick-fix diets don't work any better than quick-fix cures for anxiety, so they are out. Also, exercise regimes which require high motivation are also out, I know myself well enough. Recently I came across a theory which says that being overweight isn't to do with eating too much and exercising too little. They are just symptoms of a wider problem, a problem which, when correctly...
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We need better funding for mental health issues
2007-06-23 14:57:00
This week a report was released into the suicide of a teenage boy (18 years old) in Northern Ireland. As reported on the BBC the Care Trust involved has admitted failings. But again this kind of tragedy goes to show that mental health issues are still not properly funded or understood by mainstream healthcare professionals and organisations. On the day that he died, the victim in this case had tried to get himself admitted to hospital but had failed, as a specialist nurse wrongly assessed his suicide risk as "low". Hours later he hung himself. In this case there were the usual breakdowns in communication and confusion which are unfortunately the hallmark of a modern health service in these "outsourced" times. But further more I think there is still a lack of understanding and compassion from the side of the medical establishment. There is still a massive misconception that patients can be cured of depression and anxiety through medication. There is still a massive misconception...
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Relapse Signature - anxiety, panic, agoraphobia and depression
2007-06-21 00:09:00
What do you do before it all goes wrong? Most people who have anxiety, panic, agoraphobia, depression, bipolar have good days and bad days. And often people find that they have good periods, weeks or months where things are going well and they feel better, or at least not so bad. However, instead of turning into prolonged recovery, these periods often end in either gradual or sudden decline back to a bad state that you know only to well from the past. It often seems like this kind of relapse or setback happens without any reason, but in truth nothing in life happens for no reason at all. Everything is linked by cause and effect. That means that the cause of the relapse or setback can give you important clues on how to deal with or overcome your condition. They key is to understand your "Relapse Signature ". What is a "Relapse Signature"? A relapse signature is the individual events, emotions or situations that lead you to relapse. I use the plural here deliberately as you may have se...
More About: Depression , Anxiety , Natur , Panic

Links for 2007-06-17 [del.icio.us]
2007-06-18 07:00:00
BBC NEWS | Health | Cod liver oil 'treats depression' BBC NEWS | Health | 'I love my new C cup breasts'
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Depression and Drug Use
2007-06-17 13:05:00
It has long been known that so called "recreational drugs" have exacerbated the risk of mental illness in those with a predisposition. So obviously the best advice for people who suffer from anxiety and depression is to stay away from recreational drugs and over-indulgence in alcohol. There is one more area in which you should be careful, and that is the area of prescription drugs and over the counter medications. Unfortunately, it is naive to assume that the professional bodies that oversee the licensing of prescription drugs will be sufficiently meticulous to demand research into mental health side-effects is carried out. Unfortunately, many people have found that all sorts of drugs have worsened, or even brought on, symptoms of anxiety and depression. This is particularly true of drugs which in anyway effect brain chemistry, weight, libido, or sleeping habits This week the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) voted to ban weight-loss pill "Rimonabant" over concerns regar...
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Anxiety and Diet
2007-06-09 15:38:00
Many people believe that there is a link between anxiety and diet, which was one reason for me adding a section IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) to Anxiety 2calm. In terms of diet I would give two pieces of advice. Firstly, get to know your own body. Everyone is different and different foods effect people in different ways. See if what you eat effects how you feel, and see if the state of your stomach effects your anxiety or low mood. Secondly, remember that a healthy body and a healthy mind are often one and the same thing. I don't believe people who think everything bad in life is down to wheat allergy, but that said it is worth investigating what foods may have adverse reactions on your body and mind. In Gut Instinct, Pallardy advises that reducing your intake of sugary foods, acidic foods, and red meat might help reduce anxiety. He also reminds you to eat slowly and and to not take part in highly regimented diets or fasting, as this can make anxiety worse. All I would add to th...
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Your personal stress detox program
2007-06-04 16:15:00
Sorry there hasn't been a post for ages....More coming soon. I found this at lifehack and thought it was interesting! Summertime is a good time to deal with stress! I have been thinking recently about the importance of taking enough vacation to get a real break from work. Here’s how to use the upcoming vacation season to make a huge impact on the load of stress that you’re almost certainly carrying around. Make sure that you take a long-enough vacation for the program. You need at least seven days, preferably more if you can manage it. Any less won’t give you the time to make a real impact on your mind or body. Make a list of what you must leave behind: your laptop, your BlackBerry, your PDA, any paperwork from the office, any work-related reading matter. You must treat those as a recovering alcoholic should treat beer, wines, or spirits: absolutely forbidden! Give your cellphone to someone whom you can trust to prevent you using it during your vacation, except in the dire...
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depersonalization disorder
2007-05-31 20:35:00
Many people who have suffered from anxiety or other stress related issues talk about something called depersonalization disorder. Let me say from the start, I don't think depersonalization disorder exists. This is just another label given to another symptom with many possible causes. And as I have written about on this blog before I don't believe that labels help us or serve us in the long run. In fact I think they hinder our recovery. That said, the powers that be in the world of medical/psychological nomenclature have seen fit to create the phrase depersonalization disorder. And as many people who contact this site say, depersonalization is a common symptom of panic and anxiety. in DSM IV depersonalization is described as: "A lasting or recurring feeling of being detached from the patient's own body." In my experience, during a period of depersonalization one feels as if nothing is real. The things around you, even your own limbs, seem to be disconnected and distan...
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