Behavioral Health News
OCD and Hoarding Expert Panel at EverydayHealth.com
EverydayHealth.com has created an OCD and Hoarding panel in its section on anxiety disorders. They have included a number of experts in the discussion, including Jeff Szymanski, PhD of the International OCD Foundation; Jonathan Abramowitz, PhD, a specialist in the treatment of OCD and Professor of Psychology at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill; Steven Brodsky, PsyD, from OCD Hotline; and Barbara Tako, author of Clutter Clearing Choices. These and other experts in the field discuss causes and the actions people take to reduce their obsessions.
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Fish Oil May Help Treat Bipolar Disorder and Alcoholism
A new study has found that omega 3 fatty acids (found in fish oil) may provide therapeutic benefits for those suffering from alcohol abuse and other psychiatric disorders.
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Substance Abusers Less Likely to Receive Some Preventive Health Services
A new study has found that substance abuse increases the risk of not receiving all appropriate preventive health services, such as mammography screenings and influenza vaccinations. Researchers from Boston Medical Center and Boston University School of Medicine published their findings in BMJ Open.
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A Breakthrough for Borderline Personalities: Dialectical Behavior Therapy Proves Effective
About thirty years ago a professor at the University of Washington was working with suicidal women, many of whom were borderline personalities. This group is notoriously difficult to treat. They usually have not just one but a large number of problems, such as self-injury behaviors, substance abuse and eating disorders, that “travel” with their personality disorder. A very high percentage drop out of therapy. Often the best a therapist could do in the 1980s was to lower a patient’s number of suicide attempts, and yet that “cured” patient would remain depressed, unemployed, using drugs, involved in troubled relationships, and otherwise leading a chaotic life.
Meditation and Other Relaxation Techniques Ease Anxiety
Fortunately, meditation and other relaxation treatments have shown to be a big help when it comes to reducing fear and anxiety. Meditation is an ancient spiritual practice that is starting to gain credibility in the medical field as a form of stress relief. According to Herbert Benson, MD, cardiologist and founder of the Mind/Body Medical Institute at Harvard’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, of those who go to the doctor for sickness of any sort, between 60 and 90 percent can benefit from stress management techniques such as meditation.
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Food Addiction May Be Linked to Similar Brain Activity as Substance Addiction
Can a food binge have the same brain-level effects as smoking a cigarette or having an alcoholic drink for some people? Recent research suggests this is true, and brings to attention the possibility that widespread obesity may be better treated with strategies like those for drug and alcohol addiction, instead of assumptions that a person’s personality response should be the treatment target.
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Obesity Can Be Compounded by Social Anxiety Disorder
Under the current guidelines of the Diagnosis and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, DSM-IV, individuals with an existing medical condition who also suffer from anxiety should not be diagnosed for social anxiety disorder (SAD) if their anxiety is related to their medical condition. However, recent research has been indicating that individuals with such medical conditions as stuttering and Parkinson’s Disease can actually experience SAD caused by their condition if their anxiety is considered to be excessive. Most research has focused on these two aforementioned conditions in terms of SAD diagnoses, yet the same comparison has not been made for individuals with obesity.
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Compulsive Spending and Eating Disorders: Experts are Recognizing the Similarities
What’s the connection between poor financial management habits and dysfunctional eating? Perhaps a significant one, say experts who founded a new study course called “Weight and Wealth: When Food and Finance Become Disordered,” available from FinancialPsychologyCeus.com.
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Bipolar Disorder May Be Misdiagnosed at Alarming Rates, With Serious Consequences
A mental illness affecting millions of people each year is also among one of the most commonly misdiagnosed. Bipolar disorder, hallmarked by drastic mood shifts and changes in behavior patterns, touches the lives of 2.5 million people annually, says the National Institute of Mental Health. However, this disorder is often mislabeled as depression or schizophrenia, thus delaying treatments and adding to a sense of confusion and frustration for patients and their families.
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Neurofeedback Provides Mental Disorder Patients Control Over Brain
Mental disorders ranging from depression to substance abuse can completely change the direction of an individual’s life. For those who want to make a change, the challenge can sometimes put it out of reach as a complete understanding of the disorder may be lacking.
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