Managing and Reducing Anxiety

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How to Stop Feeling Anxious Right Now
Article by Locke Hughes on WebMD

While it’s normal to get nervous about an important event or life change, about 40 million Americans live with an anxiety disorder, which is more than the occasional worry or fear. Anxiety disorders can range from a generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), which is intense worrying that you can’t control, to panic disorder — sudden episodes of fear, along with heart palpitations, trembling, shaking, or sweating.

For those with an anxiety disorder, it’s important to look into strategies that can help manage or reduce anxiety in the long term, like talk therapy or medication. But everyone can benefit from other ways to reduce stress and anxiety with lifestyle changes such as eating a well-balanced diet, limiting alcohol and caffeine, and taking time for yourself.

Plus, there are steps you can take the moment when anxiety starts to take hold. Try these 10 expert-backed suggestions to relax your mind and help you regain control of your thoughts.

Biology may make certain PTSD patients unresponsive to behavioral therapy

How well-connected a particular brain network is, and how successfully memories are formed, may determine which patients with post-traumatic stress disorder benefit from behavioral therapy, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have found.

The finding could indicate a biological subtype of PTSD whose clinical relevance only becomes obvious when patients undergo treatment, the researchers said. Furthermore, by replicating their results across a diverse range of patients, the researchers were able to clearly and objectively characterize a biological signature in PTSD patients who differ in their response to behavioral therapy. more

The Treatment of Hallucinations in Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders

Schizophrenia can be accompanied by hallucinations in any of the sensory modalities. In 70% of the cases they are auditory in nature, and in 50% of those cases visual hallucinations are also experienced at some point. Other types of hallucination are less prevalent. But whatever the sensory modality in which they are experienced, hallucinations can be such a burden that they require expert treatment. Treatment usually consists of psychoeducation, medication, psychosocial interventions, psychotherapy, and in some instances transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) or electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).

The present article will focus on medication, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), TMS, and ECT. We will summarize the existing literature and offer recommendations for the treatment of hallucinations in schizophrenia. more