Social anxiety disorder (SAD), or social phobia can be a serious mental health issue. Contrary to popular opinion, social anxiety disorder is much more than just ‘shyness’ According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (AADA) around 15 million adults, in the US alone, suffer from Social Anxiety Disorder. SAD is the third […]

The rise in anxiety disorders is truly phenomenal. In fact over 40 million adults, in the US alone, suffer from anxiety according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Furthermore, anxiety, or one of the anxiety disorders,  has become the most common mental illness. Now, benzodiazepine use, (prescription drugs used for anxiety treatment), has risen […]

Blanco C, Schneier FR, Schmidt A, Blanco-Jerez CR, Marshall RD, Sánchez-Lacay A, Liebowitz MR. (2003) Pharmacological treatment of social anxiety disorder: a meta-analysis. Depress Anxiety. 2003;18(1):29-40. (Retrieved November 4th 2016) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12900950 Canton J, Scott KM, Glue P. (2012) Optimal treatment of social phobia: systematic review and meta-analysis Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2012; 8: 203–215. (Retrieved November […]

Let’s face it, nearly all of us are scared of something.  Examples of common fears are spiders, snakes, heights, dentists and flying. Indeed,  the list is endless.  However, a fear of a threatening animal or situation is not necessarily a phobia. In addition, it is normal to experience feelings of anxiety when confronted with a […]

Allgulander C, Bandelow B, Hollander E, Montgomery SA, Nutt DJ, Okasha A, Pollack MH, Stein DJ, Swinson RP; World Council of Anxiety. (2003) WCA recommendations for the long-term treatment of generalized anxiety disorder. CNS Spectr. 2003 Aug;8(8 Suppl 1):53-61.(Retrieved October 26th 2016) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14767398 Alegría, Hasin DS, Nunes EV, Liu, Davies C, Grant BF, Blanco C. […]

PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) is a complex anxiety disorder that usually occurs after some type of extreme, traumatic event. Everybody reacts differently to a life-threatening or traumatic experience. For some, PTSD will develop either immediately after the traumatic experience, or any time in the future, sometimes even months or years later. Post Traumatic Stress disorder […]

Aina Y, Susman JL. (2013) Understanding comorbidity with depression and anxiety disorders. J Am Osteopath Assoc. 2006 May;106(5 Suppl 2):S9-14. (Retrieved August 12th 2016) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16738013 Anderson E, Shivakumar G. (2013) Effects of Exercise and Physical Activity on Anxiety Front Psychiatry. 2013; 4: 27. (Retrieved August 12th 2016) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3632802/ Bakhtiyari M, Ehrampoush E, Enayati N, Joodi […]

Alexander W. (2002) Pharmacotherapy for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder In Combat Veterans Focus on Antidepressants and Atypical Antipsychotic Agents P T. 2012 Jan; 37(1): 32–38. (Retrieved October 13th 2016) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3278188/ Asnis GM, Kohn SR, Henderson M, Brown NL. (2002) SSRIs versus non-SSRIs in post-traumatic stress disorder: an update with recommendations. Drugs. 2004;64(4):383-404. (Retrieved October 13th 2016) […]

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is an exaggeration of normal worries and anxieties. This anxiety disorder can be quite devastating.  The anxiety and worry about everyday events are often all-consuming and affect every aspect of daily life. Many of us worry about the stresses and strains of daily life. We worry about money, the children, the […]

In the modern world, most of us have higher levels of anxiety than is either natural or healthy for us. From the excessive worriers and ruminators to those with a full-blown anxiety disorder diagnosis, it is safe to say that anxiety is on the increase. Indeed, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) estimates that […]

Originally The Talking Moose, our amazing desktop app, was designed to actually help people with weight loss. However,  as the real possibilities of quite what the Moose can do have become clearer, there are many areas of life that she may be able to help with.  Indeed, the phenomenal rise of anxiety disorders came to my […]

Any new break throughs for the treatment of anxiety and depression are VERY exciting for the medical world. One of these recent break throughs in medicine is the connection between a healthy, functioning gut and our mental and emotional well being. This post will look at the research surrounding the idea that probiotics and gut […]

Aina Y, Susman JL. (2013) Understanding comorbidity with depression and anxiety disorders. J Am Osteopath Assoc. 2006 May;106(5 Suppl 2):S9-14. (Retrieved August 12th 2016) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16738013 Anderson E, Shivakumar G. (2013) Effects of Exercise and Physical Activity on Anxiety Front Psychiatry. 2013; 4: 27. (Retrieved August 12th 2016) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3632802/ Bakhtiyari M, Ehrampoush E, Enayati N, Joodi […]

The Anxiety Attack: Suddenly it starts, you have an overwhelming sensation of impending doom; your legs feel like jelly; you begin to sweat profusely; it becomes more difficult to catch your breath; your heart is pounding like it will burst right out of your chest and you feel you are about to lose all control. […]

According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), 18.1% of the US adult population, that is around 40 million adults, suffer from one of the anxiety disorders. However, the true amount of sufferers, is likely to be much higher than this. It has been estimated that only around one third will receive treatment for […]

Many of us, most, have heard of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and think that we understand this illness.  Simply lining up the cans in the cupboard, repetitively washing your hands or color coordinating your paper clips does not necessarily mean that you have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Interestingly, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder OCD affects a whopping 3.3 million people […]

Foa EB, Liebowitz MR, Kozak MJ, Davies S, Campeas R, Franklin ME. (et al). (2005) Randomized, placebo-controlled trial of exposure and ritual prevention, clomipramine, and their combination in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Am J Psychiatry. 2005 Jan;162(1):151-61. (Retrieved October 18th 2016) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15625214?dopt=Abstract Goodman WK, Price LH, Rasmussen SA, Mazure C, Fleischmann RL, Hill CL, […]

We all know that anxiety is one of the biggest mental health problems of our times. Whether you suffer from a full-blown anxiety disorder or just have those all too familiar feelings of racing heart, dry mouth and sweating, anxiety can seriously impact on our lives. For many people, an anti-depressant medication or an anti-anxiety […]