ADAA Mental Health Blogs for the Public
Six months ago Megan, age 32, ended her engagement. Her friends were relieved. Megan’s fiance, James, was controlling and critical. He told Megan she needed to make more money, exercise more, and come up with some interesting hobbies. Whatever Megan did wasn’t quite...enough. Megan realized that she didn’t want to marry a man like James. Megan realized how much James reminded her of her mother. Megan’s mother had always pushed her hard to excel; her disappointment left Megan devastated.
On November 13, 2018, ADAA held a Twitter chat under the title #HolidayDepression. ADAA members Mary Alvord and Shane Owens answered questions on coping with depression during the holiday season.
Q1: How common is depression during the holidays?
People with Social Anxiety (SA) have an intense fear of being judged negatively, being criticized, or being embarrassed in public. These fears can have a profound negative affect on professional advancement. Here are examples of how two people with different types of SA fears were able to make changes that helped them achieve career success. NOTE: the identifying details of the individuals have been changed to protect their privacy.
On October 11, 2018, ADAA held a Twitter chat under the title #SocialAnxietyADAA. ADAA members Debra Kissen and Holly Scott answered questions on the signs and symptoms of social anxiety as well as coping tips and strategies.
1: What are the signs and symptoms of social anxiety?
“Do you promise you’ll pick me up later?”
“Are you sure I’m not sick?”
“Do you promise it will be OK?”
If these questions sound familiar, your child may be engaging in excessive reassurance seeking behaviors. And unknowingly, you may be contributing to your child’s increased overall anxiety symptoms by answering those questions.
Ever wonder why you get “butterflies” in your stomach before doing something stressful? Or why you feel like your stomach is “tied in knots” after an argument? Ever had a meeting with a toilet that went longer than expected and it wasn’t caused by anything you ate? Stomach problems are one of the most common symptoms of stress and anxiety.