Archive for the 'predisposition to anxiety disorders' Category

Anorexia Nervosa : Myths and Realities

Wednesday, September 10th, 2008

Sorting fact from fiction….The truth about Anorexia.

Myth - Anorexia is a Lifestyle Choice
Reality - Emulating the behaviours of someone with Anorexia is not the same as having the disease.

Myth - Anorexia is just a Fad Diet
Reality - Anorexia Nervosa is a recognised Psychiatric Illness

Myth - Anorexia is caused by the media and fashion industry.
Reality - The Media and Fashion may be contributing factors but contributing factors are not the same as causal links. Research, although not yet definitive, has shown that Anorexia Nervosa is most likely a Neurobiological illness which also has a probable Genetic link as well. In patients with Anorexia Nervosa there appears to be an excess of the seretonin receptor 5HT1A, which is associated with anxiety, mood disturbances and impulse control and a decreased level of seretonin receptor 5HT which is associated with the regulation of mood and appetite. It is theorised that starvation acts as a form of self medication to try and balance out these irregularities in brain chemistry. Other research has identified a possible causal link between increased levels of the nuerorecptor Dopamine & associated obsessive compulsive behaviour and the identification of a Gene which is believed to predispose someone to Anorexia Nervosa.

Myth - Only women suffer from Anorexia
Reality - 1 in 10 sufferers is male

Myth - Anorexia only effects those in their teens or early 20’s
Reality - Children as young as seven and women as old as 70 have been diagnosed with Anorexia Nervosa.

Myth - Anorexia Nervosa is a “white disease”
Reality - Anyone of any Race or Background can suffer from Anorexia.

Myth - Anorexia is a modern day phenomenon.
Reality - Anorexia Nervosa was first officially described in Medical Literature by Richard Morton in 1684. It was officially named “Anorexia Nervosa” by Sir Willian Gull in 1874. There are unofficial case histories dating back to Ancient Greek and Roman Times.

Myth - Anorexia will make me Beautiful.
Reality - The physical effects of Anorexia Nervosa include…hair loss, dry scaly skin, excessive hair growth on the body and/or face (Lanugo), poor circulation resulting in blueish extremeties and severe dental damage.

Myth - Anorexia is healthier than being Obese
Reality - Health risks of Anorexia include, Osteoporis, Muscle Atrophy, Seizures, Digestive Difficulties, Liver Failure, Kidney Failuire, Malnutrition, Anaemia, Low Blood Pressure, Cardiac Arrhythmia, Lowered Immune Response and Death, commonly from…Suicide, Heart Failure or Sudden Cardiac Arrest and Stomach Rupture.

Myth - Anorexia Nervosa is not a serious illness.
Reality - Thousands of people worldwide every year die from Anorexia Nervosa

Including…

Amy Leanne Gretner

Died September 2004
Aged 15

Catherine Dunbar

Died January 1984
Aged 22

Samantha and Michaela Kendall

Died October 1997 & April 1994 respectively
Aged 25 and 22

Rudine Howard

Died 1994
Aged 32

Luisel Ramos

Died August 2006
Age 22

Michael Krasnow

Died October 1997
Aged 26

Ana Carolina Reston

Died November 2005
Aged 21

Karen Anne Carpenter

Died February 1983
Aged 32

ANOREXIA RUINS YOUR BODY, YOUR HEALTH & YOUR LIFE
DON”T BECOME ANOTHER STATISTIC.

HELP IS AVAILABLE

For more information visit

www.anred.com
www.anad.org
www.something-fishy.org
www.thebutterflyfoundation.com.au

or speak to your Family Doctor

Anorexia is a Disease not a Lifestyle. Help Support those with Anorexia Nervosa, EDucate yourself about Anorexia.

Please Rate and Comment, thank you.

Anorexia, Anorexia Nervosa, Starvation, Diet, Exercise, Lifestyle, Pro Ana, Pro ED, Ana, Thin, Thinspo, Thinspiration, Eating Disorder, Nicole Richie, Skinny, Models, Fashion, Beauty, Karen Carpenter, Illness, Health, Damage, Death, Psychiatric, Neurobiological, Genetic

Duration : 0:6:51

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CapnoTrainer Hardware

Monday, September 8th, 2008

INSTRUMENT APPLICATIONS

Use the CapnoTrainer® for detecting bad breathing behavior

and teaching good breathing behavior.

*Pinpoint optimal breathing mechanics for acid-base balance.

*Discover the triggers for good and bad breathing patterns.

*See how thoughts, moods, and emotions are changed by breathing.

*Learn how mental and physical performance is altered by breathing.

*Evaluate the effects of breathing on learning, memory, and attention.

*See how breathing behavior and defensiveness may be related.

*Examine how pain, injury, discomfort, and breathing may be linked.

*Discover how breathing may be mediating unexplained symptoms.

*Test for anaerobic threshold during fitness training by monitoring CO2.

*Use breathing as a way of exploring awareness and consciousness.

*Learn what good and bad breathing behaviors feel like.

*Help people overcome their fears about breathing.

*Teach embracement through breathing and heart variability training.

*Learn to breathe intuitively, inside-out, rather than prescriptively, outside-in.

If you are an educator, trainer, coach, or therapist,

the CapnoTrainer® serves as an important adjunctive tool.

peak performance training, relaxation training, attention training, alertness training, meditation, patient education, stress management, childbirth training, motivational training, public speaking, learning enhancement, anxiety management (e.g., testing), anger management, mastering performance challenges (e.g., in aviation), athletic training, and breathing training.

Overbreathing (CO2 deficit) can cause, trigger, or exacerbate

physical symptoms, performance deficits, and psychological complaints.

shortness of breath, breathlessness, chest tightness/pressure, chest pain, feelings of suffocation, sweaty palms, cold hands, tingling of the skin, numbness, heart palpitations, irregular heart beat, anxiety, apprehension, emotional outbursts, stress, tenseness, fatigue, weakness, exhaustion, dry mouth, nausea, light-headedness, dizziness, fainting, black-out, blurred vision, confusion, disorientation, attention deficit, poor thinking, poor memory, poor concentration, impaired judgment, problem solving deficit, reduced pain threshold, headache, trembling, twitching, shivering, muscle tension, spasm, stiffness, abdominal cramps, and bloatedness.

In predisposed individuals, overbreathing (CO2 deficit) can

trigger, or exacerbate acute and chronic conditions:

phobias (e.g., public speaking), migraine phenomena, hypertension, attention disorder, asthma attacks, angina attacks, heart attacks, panic attacks, hypoglycemia, ischemia (e.g., tissue hypoxia), depression, epileptic seizures, sexual dysfunction, sleep disturbances, allergy, irritable bowel syndrome, repetitive strain injury, and chronic fatigue.

RESTRICTED USE:

The CapnoTrainer® is an educational instrument designed for

enhancing performance through learning and teaching good breathing behavior.

It is not intended for medical diagnosis or treatment.

Duration : 0:6:46

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She’s Giving Up Talking

Saturday, September 6th, 2008

This is a song about Selective Mutism - A rare misunderstood childhood disorder caused by a genetic predisposition to anxiety.

Artist: Paul McCartney
Song: She’s Giving Up Talking
Album: Driving Rain
Year: 2001

Picture: Tickled Pink from Rainbow Brite

A Special Thanks To:
http://www.paulmccartney.com
http://www.selectivemutism.org
http://www.rainbowbrite.net
http://www.myspace.com/richardrauch
http://www.notebooks4free.com/default.aspx?r=916702

free notebook laptop computer macbook notebooks4free (more)

Duration : 0:4:58

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OCD Tourette Syndrome Panic Anxiety My Personal Opinion

Thursday, September 4th, 2008

Just a ::winged:: Video in which I speak about my personal experience with Tourette Syndrome, OCD Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Panic Attacks, Anxiety Attacks, and more.

While all may be different, these are more than a half century of personal observations of said.

Peace~
Mistress Reba
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Causes Of OCD

The fact that OCD patients respond well to specific medications suggests the disorder has a neurobiological basis. For that reason, OCD is no longer attributed to attitudes a patient learned in childhood-for example, an inordinate emphasis on cleanliness, or a belief that certain thoughts are dangerous or unacceptable. Instead, the search for causes now focuses on the interaction of neurobiological factors and environmental influences. It is believed that people who develop OCD have a biological predisposition to react strongly to stress, that this reaction takes the form of intrusive, distressing thoughts, and that these thoughts lead to more anxiety and stress, eventually creating a vicious circle the person cannot escape without help.

Brain imaging studies using a technique called positron emission tomography (PET) have compared people with and without OCD. Several groups of investigators have obtained findings from PET scans suggesting that OCD patients have patterns of brain activity that differ from those of people without mental illness or with some other mental illness. Brain imaging studies of OCD showing abnormal neuro-chemical activity in regions known to play a role in certain neurological disorders suggest that these areas may be crucial in the origins of OCD. In addition, PET scans show that in patients with OCD, both behavioral therapy and medication produce changes in the caudate nucleus, a part of the brain. This is graphic evidence that both psychotherapy and medication affect the brain.

Persons with OCD use different brain circuitry in performing a cognitive task than people without the disorder.

Recent preliminary studies of the brain using magnetic resonance imaging showed that the subjects with obsessive-compulsive disorder had significantly less white matter than did normal control subjects, suggesting a widely distributed brain abnormality in OCD. Understanding the significance of this finding will be further explored by functional neuroimaging and neuropsychological studies.

Symptoms of OCD are seen in association with some other neurological disorders. There is an increased rate of OCD in people with Tourette’s syndrome, an illness characterized by involuntary movements and vocalizations. Investigators are currently studying the hypothesis that a genetic relationship exists between OCD and the tic disorders.

Other illnesses that may be linked to OCD are trichotillomania (the repeated urge to pull out scalp hair, eyelashes, eyebrows or other body hair), body dysmorphic disorder (excessive preoccupation with imaginary or exaggerated defects in appearance), and hypochondriasis (the fear of having–despite medical evaluation and reassurance–a serious disease).

Genetic studies of OCD and other related conditions may enable scientists to pinpoint the molecular basis of these disorders.

Other theories about the causes of OCD focus on the interaction between behavior and the environment and on beliefs and attitudes, as well as how information is processed. These behavioral and cognitive theories are not incompatible with biological explanations.

Source: NIMH

Duration : 0:7:31

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Panic And Anxiety Disorders - Treatments For / Mental Health Video Documentary

Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008

Panic Disorder - Stories of Hope / Documentary Video; National Institutes of Health; National Institute of Mental Health; Panic Disorder: Stories of Hope
AVA19710VNB1 - 1994; This 19-minute video documentary panic disorder, a serious yet often misunderstood mental illness, is useful for presentations at public and professional seminars and meetings. Introduced by TV personality Willard Scott, who himself has recovered from panic disorder. Producer: National Institutes of Health; Panic Disorder. What is Panic Disorder?; Panic disorder is an anxiety disorder and is characterized by unexpected and repeated episodes of intense fear accompanied by physical symptoms that may include chest pain, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness, or abdominal distress. Signs & Symptoms: People with panic disorder have feelings of terror that strike suddenly and repeatedly with no warning. During a panic attack, most likely your heart will pound and you may feel sweaty, weak, faint, or dizzy. Your hands may tingle or feel numb, and you might feel flushed or chilled. You may have nausea, chest pain or smothering sensations, a sense of unreality, or fear of impending doom or loss of control. More about Signs & Symptoms: Treatment: Effective treatments for panic disorder are available, and research is yielding new, improved therapies that can help most people with panic disorder and other anxiety disorders lead productive, fulfilling lives. Panic Disorder is a serious condition that around one out of every 75 people might experience. It usually appears during the teens or early adulthood, and while the exact causes are unclear, there does seem to be a connection with major life transitions that are potentially stressful: graduating from college, getting married, having a first child, and so on. There is also some evidence for a genetic predisposition; if a family member has suffered from panic disorder, you have an increased risk of suffering from it yourself, especially during a time in your life that is particularly stressful. Please remember that only a licensed therapist can diagnose a panic disorder. There are certain signs you may already be aware of, though. One study found that people sometimes see 10 or more doctors before being properly diagnosed, and that only one out of four people with the disorder receive the treatment they need. That’s why it’s important to know what the symptoms are, and to make sure you get the right help. Many people experience occasional panic attacks, and if you have had one or two such attacks, there probably isn’t any reason to worry. The key symptom of panic disorder is the persistent fear of having future panic attacks. If you suffer from repeated (four or more) panic attacks, and especially if you have had a panic attack and are in continued fear of having another, these are signs that you should consider finding a mental health professional who specializes in panic or anxiety disorders. Body: There may be a genetic predisposition to anxiety disorders; some sufferers report that a family member has or had a panic disorder or some other emotional disorder such as depression. Studies with twins have confirmed the possibility of ‘genetic inheritance’ of the disorder. Panic Disorder could also be due to a biological malfunction, although a specific biological marker has yet to be identified. All ethnic groups are vulnerable to panic disorder. For unknown reasons, women are twice as likely to get the disorder as men. Mind: Stressful life events can trigger panic disorders. One association that has been noted is that of a recent loss or separation. Some researchers liken the ‘life stressor’ to a thermostat; that is, when stresses lower your resistance, the underlying physical predisposition kicks in and triggers an attack. Both: Physical and psychological causes of panic disorder work together. Although initially attacks may come out of the blue, eventually the sufferer may actually help bring them on by responding to physical symptoms of an attack. For example, if a person with panic disorder experiences a racing heartbeat caused by drinking coffee, exercising, or taking a certain medication, they might interpret this as a symptom of an attack and , because of their anxiety, actually bring on the attack. On the other hand, coffee, exercise, and certain medications sometimes do, in fact, cause panic attacks. One of the most frustrating things for the panic sufferer is never knowing how to isolate the different triggers of an attack. That’s why the right therapy for panic disorder focuses on all aspects — physical, psychological, and physiological — of the disorder. Creative Commons license: Public Domain

Duration : 0:19:27

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Study Examines Causes of Anxiety

Tuesday, July 15th, 2008

Scientists have identified the part of the brain associated with anxiety in primates. This discovery will help them understand anxiety and predisposition to anxiety disorders in human children. Essentially, the nervous and anxious monkeys had higher activity in this region of the brain as well as higher levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, even during routine and non-threatening scenarios.

”Individuals that have a predisposition (to anxiety) have a brain circuit that is always on; it doesn’t turn off like in normal individuals,” said Kalin, who published his findings this month in the journal Public Library of Science ONE. (as quoted in this article in the Salt Lake Tribune)

These findings suggest that people with anxiety disorders may actually have been predispositioned as children to social anxiety disorder in later life.