Heating up
Author: adminDoes hot weather make people angrier? What do you think? Some companies say that employees don’t like to work as hard and seem to want to be at home- but isn’t that all the time? (LOL) - I definately have some road rage when I’m sweating, stuck in traffic and once again late for work- but dont we all?
Talk to me…
Amber
read comments (0)Sexual Dysfunction
Author: AmberFor men, sexual dysfunction can be treated in a variety of ways including medication. What happens for women? Where is the “magic pill” for a woman with a decreased libido? Stress and medications can lower a woman’s libido or ability to orgasm. Unfortunately due to public perception many women feel as though they are not expected to have as strong of a sex drive as men. Becoming comfortable with your own body and realizing that orgasm is natural and a normal bodily function is the first step. Next a frank discussion with your doctor regarding your options can be helpful. Although Viagra, Cialis, and other drugs approved for men have not been approved for women, some women have experienced positive results. Other women have found herbal remedies for stress such as astragalus and licorice to be helpful. Hormone therapy such as testosterone is yet another option. Above all understanding that you have options available and that you are not alone could posssibly be the best solution of all.
OCD
Author: adminSuperstitions and rituals are common among most people. Wishing on a shooting star or even washing your hands before eating are two behaviors that commonly will not cause much distress to an individual. What happens if someone must wash their hands several times throughout the day and feels paralyzed if they are unable to do so? One in fifty adults has an illness called Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Often increasing during times of stress, the brain gets stuck on a particular urge and can not let it go. People make light of the illness, and those impaired are often laughed at. I assure you that OCD is not a joke. This is not just being picky about cleaning– this illness is an intense FEAR of contamination. Feeling as though you are a prisoner in your own body is not funny. The hand washing, scrubbing or other behavior brings temporary comfort and helps the individual feel safe. For those with this illness, the need to perform the ritual behavior supercedes everything, including work or family. It is completely paralyzing. Often others can not understand this difficult illness. Getting healthy takes time and a great deal of understanding. There are a variety of therapies available, from medications to behavior therapy. Above all be patient with yourself and with those that are important to you.
If you need to talk we are always here.
Almost 12 percent of children under the age of 18 years of age live with at least one parent who was dependent on or abused alcohol or an illicit drug during the past year, according to a report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
The report is based on national data from 2002 to 2007.
Panic
Author: adminThe “swine flu pandemic” is all over the news. It makes me wonder if the virus is really that severe or the media has been waiting for a reason to create panic. While I understand the need for precautions I also recognize the importance of remaining rational. Those with actual panic disorders are bearing the full burden of the media induced panic. Those that fear leaving their homes, and those that fear germs or contamination live in solitary confinement, paralyzed by a prison of apprehension, unable to live a fulfilling life. Perhaps now for a moment the general public may get a glimpse inside the crippling world of panic disorders.
Flying Solo
Author: adminReading excerpts from Jamie Foxx interviews regarding “The Soloist”, and hearing of his suffering as he identified with the schizophrenic main character, I ponder the emptiness of true suffering. Does the understanding of suffering lend itself to other individuals? What I mean is do you think that it’s possible for another person to truly understand the depth of pain in another individuals soul? Just as fingerprints and DNA are unique, we are as well. I can only grasp the depth of my own personal agony, and my sense of never ending emptiness. Yes my experiences and story are different, but I can identify with pain. I know how agony can suffocate you. I won’t judge you for how you feel- I there is enough of that outside. Sometimes it just helps to know that someone else knows pain, even if for a moment you are not alone inside- because you choose to let someone in. What if having someone REALLY listen to you helps even a little?
Coping
Author: adminHow is your life lately? Have things been tense? With piracy, war, suicidal killings and serial rapists infiltrating the television it is not surprising that people are turning to substances to numb the pain in their own lives. Will the economy ever rebound? How will we survive? In times such as this it is important to remember to breathe. Think of what you do have, and what you have control over. While we can not control the economy we can control our reactions and our spending.
STRESS
Author: adminHow high is your stress level? Just looking at the headlines is overwhelming. From the economy to joblessness to health issues to family problems - sometimes I just want to crawl back under the covers and never come out. It honestly feels terrifying sometimes. These are the times that we need to step back and evaluate what is true. This is not the end of the world. It may feel like it sometimes, but I assure you the sun will rise in the morning (even if we wish it wouldn’t). You can take comfort in the fact that you are not alone. We are all facing some kind of struggle. Sometimes sharing your troubles with a kindred spirit can make all the difference in the world, and hopefully make tomorrow a little less difficult.
Depression Therapy by Phone May Work
Author: adminLasting Improvement Seen in 18-Month Study
By Miranda Hitti
WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD
March 22, 2007 — Getting depression therapy by phone may have lasting benefits, a new study shows.
The study included 393 moderately depressed adults who had just started taking antidepressants.
Participants who got 10-12 phone therapy sessions over a year, in addition to standard depression care, showed a greater improvement in depression symptoms than those who only got standard depression care with no phone therapy.
Those benefits lasted at least six months after the last phone therapy session.
The findings appear in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology.
Depression Therapy Study’s Details
The study included depression patients enrolled in Group Health Cooperative, a Seattle-area health maintenance organization (HMO). They were about 44 years old, on average; most were white women.
The patients were split into two groups. One group got depression therapy by phone for a year, in addition to standard depression treatment. The other group got standard depression care without phone therapy.
Patients in the phone therapy group got 10-12 sessions of cognitive behavioral therapy over the course of a year from specially trained counselors with master’s degrees in psychology.
The patients and counselors never met in person. The counselors called the patients to set up the phone therapy appointments. Patients in both groups were allowed to get in-person counseling, but few did so.
Depression Therapy Phone Sessions
The phone therapy sessions were designed to help patients defuse negative thoughts, cultivate pleasant and rewarding activities, and manage their depression symptoms.
The researchers — who work for Group Health Cooperative — interviewed all patients in both groups periodically over a year and a half to gauge their depression symptoms.
The follow-up period ended six months after the phone therapy sessions ended. Even so, patients in the phone therapy group reported a greater improvement in their depression symptoms, compared with those in the standard care group, at the end of the follow-up period.
Those findings follow an earlier report from the researchers showing greater short-term improvement in depression symptoms with phone therapy.
Benefits Lasted After Therapy Ended
“We were surprised at how well the positive effects were maintained over time,” researcher Everette Ludman, PhD, says in a Group Health Cooperative news release.
Ludman is a senior research associate with the Group Health Center for Health Studies.
Patients in the phone therapy group were more likely to take their antidepressants. But that didn’t completely explain the benefits seen in the phone therapy group, note the researchers.
The study doesn’t show what aspects of the phone therapy sessions were most helpful.
Ludman and colleagues aren’t suggesting phone therapy as a substitute for other depression treatment.
But the researchers say adding phone therapy to depression treatment could help some patients, especially since many patients don’t get in-person counseling.
See also Phone Bases Therapy Eases Depression at ScienceDaily.com
Couples Therapy
Author: adminAre our problems serious enough to seek help?
For a number of reasons, couples tend to underestimate the severity of their problems. An intimate relationship is usually very important to a person and the thought that something might be seriously wrong with it can be quite threatening. The couple may mistake the problems for a normal stage in the relationship.
Some people feel that the need to seek help is a personal failure and this view is unfortunately reinforced by the some-times negative social attitudes that linger towards people seeking this type of help. Finally, some people have difficulty or feel embarrassed about asking for help, question whether they deserve it, or whether their problems are “really serious enough.” If you think you might need help, it is worth investigating.
We are involved in a relationship that is just becoming serious. Is there anything we can do to prevent problems?
Some members of the clergy and couple therapists offer “premarital counseling” for couples who are beginning their relationship and want to take a preventive approach to problems. The better programs of this nature can help a couple anticipate and deal with some of the issues they will face before they become problems.
Is this just a phase we’re going through or do we really need help?
At one time or another all couples go through difficult changes and stages and experience stress. How much stress each person can, and is willing to, tolerate at any particular time varies. If you feel your stress level is intolerable or that you have reached an impasse, you should seek help.
Some people ignore problems and hope they will go away. Other people find they are unable to solve their difficulties despite repeated attempts to do so. If problems in your relationship persist, or if you can’t solve them in a way that is acceptable to both of you, do not wait to go for help. Problems are easier to resolve before they become larger and when there are still positive feelings in the relationship.
We’re intelligent people. Why can’t we sort out our own problems?
Feelings are in a different realm from logic and cannot always be resolved on an intellectual level. Sometimes an objective third party is needed to mediate conflict, or to help clarify what the issue means to each of the partners.
We’re fighting a lot and can’t agree on anything.
People who fight often feel as though they are going around in circles. Unresolved issues that continue to bother a person can begin to color everything, and to obscure the original causes of feelings of anger or outrage. There may be aspects of the original problem that were fully or partly unconscious to begin with. These issues can become further obscured as both partners begin to resent each other’s anger, coldness, dissatisfaction, distance, etc.
The aim of couple therapy is to clarify the important issues in your relationship. Although you and your partner may not agree on all of them, therapy may enable you to identify the most significant problem areas, consider possible solutions and start implementing those that fit your situation.
We’ve been this way for years. What good will couple therapy do?
People develop patterns for handling difficulties. Some of these patterns fail to solve the problems; they increase tension instead. If both of you recognize a need for change and are prepared to do something about it, couple therapy can provide the extra support you may need during this difficult process. The therapist may also be able to offer a perspective that is not obvious to you and your partner.
For more info on couples phone therapy…
