ADAA Mental Health Blogs for the Public
1. Latch on to triggers that set you off.
Figure out what frightens you and examine how your anxiety reaction is triggered. Your goal is to identify your particular triggers, so you can manage your fear when anxiety levels are low. Learning what sets you off makes it easier to turn it off.
The fear of vomiting can become so all-consuming and terrifying that eating becomes a struggle and weight loss becomes dangerous. As sufferers try to protect themselves from throwing up, their world shrinks until it becomes impossible to work, go to school, or to socialize. This was Kay prior to treatment. In this live free webinar, Ken Goodman, author of The Emetophobia Manual, interviews Kay, one of his former patients. Together they discuss her remarkable healing journey and how she freed herself from the fear of vomit and reclaimed her life.
More than 40 million adults in the United States suffer from some form of anxiety. Sadly, only one-third recognize what may be happening and talk to their doctor; only about one-quarter of African Americans seek mental health care, compared to 40 percent of whites.
College is typically a challenging experience with some expected highs and lows. For some it is also the time during which common mental health problems start. Because of this, you have to talk to your kid about mental health before school starts.
This conversation must include these topics:
“Oh, the places you’ll go!” exclaimed Dr. Seuss, as he he hoped to inspire children to live a vigorous life of travel, exploration, and discovery. But for people with severe anxiety, travel could be considered the ultimate discomfort zone. A variety of unknowns can cause a cyclone of negative thoughts: “How will I get there? Will I be able to adjust to an unfamiliar environment? How do I deal with anxiety while I’m away from home?”
I recently discovered that two friends of mine suffer from trichotillomania, or compulsive hairpulling. It came as a surprise to me, and even as a clinical psychologist, it was difficult to detect because neither one of them pulls out their hair in an obvious manner. Although about 3 percent of the U.S. population experiences trichotillomania during their lifetime, few people know what it is — and even fewer want to talk about it, which adds to the elusiveness of this disorder.
