GAD or generalized anxiety disorder is defined as a disorder characterized by irrational, uncontrollable worry about everyday issues and events. While someone without GAD may find themselves anxious in certain scenarios, persons with GAD may be almost paralyzed with anxiety in situations that should... Read more →

We are shaking things up with this round of Brain Blogging in our thirty-second edition. This time, we are stripping off the fat and giving you exactly what you want: short excerpts that highlight each article with a clear link to the blog. If you were left out in this round, just leave a comment with... Read more →

Parents have always worried about their kids. But it used to be that worrying increased when kids reached puberty. It’s then that parents hesitantly hand over the car keys; let their daughter go out on a group date; sit by the door at midnight until they heard the familiar sound of their child... Read more →

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) affects 10 to 15 percent of the U.S. population, predominately women, and can produce severe abdominal pain, bloating, and changes in bowel habits. No physical abnormalities can be identified on examination, and patients are often left with suboptimal symptomatic treatments... Read more →

There is new research suggesting that panic and anxiety attacks may be brought on by a few, shallow breaths of stale air. The theory goes that breathing excess carbon dioxide is responsible for anxious feelings and feelings of panic. If this theory were true wouldn’t all of us experience unusual... Read more →

Is there Energy in Psychology? I was conducting debriefing after a workplace suicide. The problems ran far deeper than a single suicide, because it turned out to be symptomatic of a drug culture that pervaded the workplace. A bald-headed man came in and said he was afraid because he had a heart condition.... Read more →

In grammar school, they told us that thought was the sixth sense. But you hear all kinds of crazy things in grammar school. The picnic benches had bolts that, should their paint chip off, would release kooties, but I live to tell you about it. Thinking is largely about processing existing sensory data,... Read more →

Recently I heard about a patient who was involved in a motor vehicle accident. He suffered a major pelvic injury and required surgery to fix his pelvis. His only other medical history was that he suffered from significant anxiety and panic disorder. A few days after his surgery he became very agitated... Read more →

A researcher at the University of Buffalo’s Institute of Addictions won a five year, $1.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to investigate the role of “endocannabinoids” (the brain’s own marijuana) in combating stress and anxiety, an integral part of modern... Read more →

Can the mind cure the mind, working on itself? Well, although the entire self-help psychology industry survives on an assumption that it does — with various techniques, young and old, aimed at self-therapy, scientific research on the subject is still in its early stage. Mindfulness meditation,... Read more →

A new study presented by the World Health Organization points to the international community’s efforts to curb interpersonal violence and its mental and physical consequences. This past week nearly 200 experts on violence prevention assembled in Scotland for “Milestones 2007,” a gathering... Read more →