The link between exercise and mental health has been studied since the early 1900s. Various studies show a relationship between exercise and how it can ease anxiety and depression, improve mood and self-esteem, and help a person achieve quality sleep.

Researchers have engaged in many studies to determine the effect that exercise has on patients suffering from anxiety. Anxiety affects 7.3 percent of the U.S. adult population to the point of requiring treatment. 81 percent of the studies found a definitive link between decreased anxieties following exercise, with no conflicting information. The other 19 percent also found a link between reducing anxiety by exercising, however, there were some conflicting results. But more often than not exercising aided in calming anxiety.

Clinical depression affects 2.5 percent of Americans, and since the turn of the 20th century there have been over 100 studies done to examine the relationship between exercise and depression. All of the studies that have been conducted clearly illustrate that exercise is linked to a significant reduction in depression symptoms. Exercise can actually have an antidepressant-like affect that may be evident the first week of starting a fitness routine. These studies have also illustrated that exercise can create a greater affect when the exercise program is longer than nine weeks.

Exercise doesn’t just have an effect on anxiety and depression. It can also affect mood, self-esteem and sleep. The Surgeon General’s Report mentions that exercise may improve mood, however, there have been no analytic reviews in this area. But there have been 4 meta-analytic reviews focusing on how self-esteem is affected by exercise. These studies have shown that exercise can bring about small but significant increases in self-esteem.

There has also been clinical evidence that increased physical activity can be beneficial for alcohol and substance abuse recovery, as it can help improve social skills, cognitive thinking and dependence. Exercise can even improve brain function in the elderly and help stave off dementia.

With the mounting evidence that exercise has a positive impact on many of the body’s systems, engaging in physical fitness to promote healthy mental function is a smart move. Even light exercise such as walking or stretching offers a myriad of benefits. Exercising for 30 minutes, 3 times a week is recommended to maintain healthy brain function and may relieve symptoms of common mental disorders such as anxiety and depression. So get movin!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brittany_A._Smith

If you suffer from social phobia, you tend to think that other people are very competent in public and that you are not. Small mistakes you make may seem to you much more exaggerated than they really are. Blushing itself may seem painfully embarrassing, and you feel as though all eyes are focused on you. You may be afraid of being with people other than those closest to you. Or your fear may be more specific, such as feeling anxious about giving a speech, talking to a boss or other authority figure, or dating. The most common social phobia is a fear of public speaking. Sometimes social phobia involves a general fear of social situations such as parties. More rarely it may involve a fear of using a public restroom, eating out, talking on the phone, or writing in the presence of other people, such as when signing a check.

Although this disorder is often thought of as shyness, the two are not the same. Shy people can be very uneasy around others, but they don’t experience the extreme anxiety in anticipating a social situation, and they don’t necessarily avoid circumstances that make them feel self-conscious. In contrast, people with social phobia aren’t necessarily shy at all. They can be completely at ease with people most of the time, but particular situations, such as walking down an aisle in public or making a speech, can give them intense anxiety. Social phobia disrupts normal life, interfering with career or social relationships. For example, a worker can turn down a job promotion because he can’t give public presentations. The dread of a social event can begin weeks in advance, and symptoms can be quite debilitating.

People with social phobia are aware that their feelings are irrational. Still, they experience a great deal of dread before facing the feared situation, and they may go out of their way to avoid it. Even if they manage to confront what they fear, they usually feel very anxious beforehand and are intensely uncomfortable throughout. Afterwards, the unpleasant feelings may linger, as they worry about how they may have been judged or what others may have thought or observed about them.

Specific Symptoms of this Disorder:
A marked and persistent fear of one or more social or performance situations in which the person is exposed to unfamiliar people or to possible scrutiny by others. The individual fears that he or she will act in a way (or show anxiety symptoms) that will be humiliating or embarrassing.
Note: In children, there must be evidence of the capacity for age-appropriate social relationships with familiar people and the anxiety must occur in peer settings, not just in interactions with adults.

Exposure to the feared social situation almost invariably provokes anxiety, which may take the form of a situationally bound or situationally predisposed Panic Attack.
Note: In children, the anxiety may be expressed by crying, tantrums, freezing, or shrinking from social situations with unfamiliar people.

The person recognizes that the fear is excessive or unreasonable.
Note: In children, this feature may be absent.

The feared social or performance situations are avoided or else are endured with intense anxiety or distress.

The avoidance, anxious anticipation, or distress in the feared social or performance situation(s) interferes significantly with the person’s normal routine, occupational (academic) functioning, or social activities or relationships, or there is marked distress about having the phobia.

In individuals under age 18 years, the duration is at least 6 months.

The fear or avoidance is not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance (e.g., a drug of abuse, a medication) or a general medical condition and is not better accounted for by another mental disorder.

If a general medical condition or another mental disorder is present, the fear in the first criteria is unrelated to it, e.g., the fear is not of Stuttering, trembling in Parkinson’s disease, or exhibiting abnormal eating behavior in Anorexia Nervosa or Bulimia Nervosa.

To treat this disorder individual counseling as well as therapeutic approaches combining drug therapy are in progress. But for this type of disorder as family plays a significant role so family therapy and controlled family intervention is indeed considered inportant. Antidepressants like Prozac which help in boosting the levels of serotonin may be useful in some cases.

http://www.blurtit.com/q213916.html

Traditionally, alcohol addiction remedies have come from 3 distinct categories: Psychological, physiological, and social. Remedies from these groups are used daily for the majority of traditional programs for alcohol addiction treatment. Amongst these are also found non-traditional treatments known as alternative medicine treatments.

Physically, the first thing to do for alcohol addiction recovery is the safe withdrawal from the alcohol addiction. Without a safe, and careful withdrawal an alcohol addict will have an increased chance of not just relapsing out of desperation to put a stop to the horrible withdrawal effects, but even of dying from related complications. After using alcohol addiction remedies and getting to recovery, there often remain long term physical effects, like those from sexually transmitted diseases, nutritional diseases and disorders, and liver diseases. Alcohol addicts must remember that to ensure a healthy recovery, they must continue treatment for all secondary physical conditions that have arisen.

Mentally, remedies for alcohol addiction will involve such items as individual and group therapies. Commonly another option for alcohol addiction treatment, is the use of inpatient and outpatient care centres. Other seen remedies for alcohol addiction include things such as hypnotherapy, and psychotherapy. Although there are dozens of remedies available, you must remember that not any single one works for everyone.

Among remedies of social intervention for alcohol addiction, the basic remedies include the following:

Mandatory community supervision, like an employer requiring alcohol addicts to receive involuntary intervention for their alcohol addiction.

Substitution intervention which remedies the alcohol addiction by substituting a hobby, such as weight-lifting.

What Jungians term as “protective wall of human community”, is yet another social intervention remedy offered. Alcohol addiction remedies are shown to have a lower success rate when the alcohol addict is around only familiar faces, which often contributes to a relapse of the alcohol addiction, thusly it is more easily accomplished by the alcohol addict in treatment creating new relationships, sometimes akin to what is found in religious communities.

While many remedies for alcohol addiction are easily located, not all work. However, with such a plethora, there are plenty of remedies available which DO work, and have high degrees of success. Consequently, don’t become discouraged if certain remedies don’t help, just look around and try some different type remedies.

Resource:hard2quit

Young children may begin to talk later than their contemporaries and have difficulty pronouncing words. Older children often rely heavily on memorising rather than understanding, while adults with dyslexia tend to work slowly and try to avoid writing.

Between 4% and 5% of the British population have dyslexia, with around two million people severely affected. The condition affects males and females almost equally.

Although it can often be mistaken for a lack of motivation or emotional difficulties, many people who are dyslexic are of above average intelligence, with a number having distinctive talents. In fact, there is a hypothesis that neurological anomalies also give some dyslexic people visual, spatial and lateral thinking abilities that enable them to be great problem solvers or creative talents.

Many great thinkers had dyslexia, including Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison and Leonardo da Vinci, as did others ranging from Charles Rennie Mackintosh to Winston Churchill. Today, Richard Branson, Eddie Izzard, Keanu Reeves, Guy Ritchie and Jodie Kidd are among the celebrities who have spoken about their dyslexia. Oscar winner Whoopi Goldberg admitted that she was considered “retarded” for years, while Tom Cruise confessed, “I felt really embarrassed” when it came to dealing with his dyslexia. He now teaches his own children to read.

“It’s great that figures in the public eye are coming forward and talking positively about their experiences with dyslexia,” says David Anderson of the British Dyslexia Association. “It shows everyone, and especially those with dyslexia, that they too can be successful in whatever they put their minds to.”


Gemma Phillips
Tuesday August 19, 2003
The Guardian

Standing in line at the grocery store you start to feel your heart race. Within moments your hands are sweating, your breathing becomes short and rapid, you feel hot, dizzy and overwhelmed with a sense of fear.

What is this sensation? Where is it coming form? If you have experienced similar sensations in the past and especially if you have begun changing your life and routine in the fear of experiencing it again, you may be suffering from Panic Attacks.

WHAT ARE PANIC ATTACKS?

Panic is a physical reaction that is a response to stress. Often called the ‘fight or flight’ response, panic is a normal response to danger and is actually your body’s cue to get out of harm’s way. However, when panic sets in when there is no source of danger it can be linked to two causes – stress or possibly, a panic disorder.

The following symptoms are common during a panic attack:

- rapid heartbeat

- shortness of breath or inability to breath

- dizziness or nausea

- sweating, shaking or trembling

- a sense of fear or dread

- tingling sensation in the fingers or toes

- chest pain

- hot flashes or chills

- thinking you are going to die or go crazy

WHAT CAUSES PANIC ATTACKS?

Stress in our lives is not usually caused by a physical danger; in fact most stress is caused by completely normal daily activities and is not harmful to us. Too much stress, however, is dangerous to our body and in some cases it can cause panic attacks, particularly if we have experienced an additional trauma or burden such as the loss of a loved one or big change such as a new job or move. While normal stress can cause anxiety, when panic attacks become regular a panic disorder may be the cause.

Panic disorder may or may not be directly related to over stress. Some researchers are linking the panic attacks caused by panic disorder to a physical cause. If this is the case you need to seek professional help in dealing with the symptoms.

Sadly most individuals suffering from panic disorder do not get properly diagnosed. Many begin to suffer the physical and psychological effects of changing their lives, their jobs and their recreational activities to accommodate their panic attacks before finding a physician that can properly diagnose their condition. The symptoms of panic attacks may also lead a person to believe they have a dangerous physical condition and seek treatment for various unrelated diseases and conditions.

CAN PANIC DISORDER BE TREATED?

If you think you have been experiencing panic attacks you will need to be diagnosed by your physician or referred to a psychiatrist. While the physical symptoms may not be connected to a mental condition, often the fear of having panic attacks in public leads to phobias that may need to be treated as well.

A combination of medication and therapy may be used to combat the panic attacks and help a person to overcome related phobias.

The good news is that panic disorder responds very well to treatment and those who receive treatment can lead healthy, normal lives. Don’t suffer in silence. If you have been experiencing the symptoms of panic attacks seek professional help.

Autism is a complex developmental disability that usually appears during the first three years of a child’s life. It is defined by a unique set of behaviors and is considered a spectrum disorder. In fact some people refer to it as Autism Spectrum Disorder. What this means, is that a child can have different symptoms that go across a spectrum. You will also hear terms like pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS), asbergers syndrome, retts syndrome. Pervasive Developmental Disorder refers to the overall category and is not a label for diagnostic purposes.

6 Signs:

1. Speech delay or communication problems (using and understanding language.
2. Repetitive body movements or behavior patterns. Also motor mannerisms such as hand flapping or spinning toys or bottles.
3. Lack of spontaneous or make believe play, or unusual play with toys and other objects.
4. Lack of interest in peer and family relationships.
5. Little or no eye contact.
6. Difficulty with changes in routine or familiar surroundings.

These definitions were found at NICHCY www.nichcy.org. and www.autism-society.org. Both sites contain a lot of information, including treatment.

The Autism Society of Americas Web site contain information on screening and diagnoses. They also state that the rate of the disorder is 1 in 150 children.

For Screening they recommend that the child’s Doctor use a tool called The Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (CHAT). This tool uses a short questionnaire that both the parents and the doctor fill out. I recently heard that the American Medical Association is encouraging all doctors to screen their children patients at 18 months.

For Diagnoses they recommend the childhood autism rating scale, which is also called the CARS. I often ask for the CARS when I suspect that a child may have autism. This scale also gives a rating of mild, moderate or severe, which is helpful to parents and special education personnel. Do not confuse the CARS with the GARS! GARS stands for the Gillium Autism Rating Scale, and is used in older children and adults.

Some school districts do not like to diagnose children with autism. I am not sure why, (perhaps they are afraid that parents will ask for a lot of services). Do not accept special education personnels “opinion” that your child does or does not have autism, ask for the CARS rating scale.

Autism is a life long developmental disability that will affect your child for their entire life. But studies show that early diagnosis and treatment will lead to much improved outcomes. You must make sure, that your child receive treatment as early as possible, for the best life outcome!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=JoAnn_Collins

1. Fear of the dark

Under the bed.
Inside the closet.
Between leap and landing (floor to bed).
(Related) Long arm reaching out from under bed.

2. Fear of separation

Lost in a crowd (accidental).
Lost in a crowd (on purpose).
Lost in the woods (either).

3. Fear of abandonment

Parents dying.
Parents divorcing.
One parent moving.
Parents remarrying.

4. Fear of wicked stepparent

5. Fear of pee accidents

In school.
In bed.
In friend’s bed.

6. Fear of bras

Needing one.
Not needing one.
Anyone looking closely enough to know.

7. Fear of menstrual period

Getting it.
Not getting it.
Surprise attack.

8. Fear of embarassment

Wrong clothes.
Wrong hair.
Wrong glasses.
Wrong body.
Wrong mother.

9. Fear of Getting Pregnant

10. Fear of rejection

By friends.
By boyfriend.
By colleges.

11. Fear of being found out

12. Fear of not getting work

Not paying student loans.
Not paying bills.

13. Fear of selling out

Deserting dreams.
Embracing capitalism.

14. Fear of the dark (continued)

Parking lots at night.
Deserted streets at night.
Apartments at night.
Houses at night.
Bedrooms at night.

15. Fear of rejection (continued)

By lovers.
By bosses.
By friends.

16. Fear of being unloved

17. Fear of being unlovable

18. Fear of having married the wrong person

19. Fear of not getting pregnant

20. Fear of mortality

Parents’ mortality.
Spouse’s mortality.
Signs of mortality.
Cancer.

21. Fear of childbirth

22. Fear of losing a child

To crib death.
To falling down stairs.
To a head injury.
To bathtub.
To a bicycle accident.
To a car accident.
To a playground accident.
To a freak accident.
To pneumonia.
To cancer.
To a thousand kinds of cancer.
To a pedophile.
To a kidnapper.
To a babysitter.
To a stranger.
To a tick bite.
To a bad heart.
To thin ice.
To a swimming pool.
To falling rocks.
To drugs.
To gun violence.
To poor judgment.
To sport.
To a dare.
To driving.
To driving drunk.
To heartbreak.
To childbirth.

—Jan Pettit

1. Get up 15 minutes earlier
2. Prepare for the morning the night before
3. Avoid tight fitting clothes
4. Avoid relying on chemical aids
5. Set appointments ahead
6. Don’t rely on your memory … write it down
7. Practice preventive maintenance
8. Make duplicate keys
9. Say “no” more often
10. Set priorities in your life
11. Avoid negative people
12. Use time wisely
13. Simplify meal times
14. Always make copies of important papers
15. Anticipate your needs
16. Repair anything that doesn’t work properly
17. Ask for help with the jobs you dislike
18. Break large tasks into bite size portions
19. Look at problems as challenges
20. Look at challenges differently
21. Unclutter your life
22. Smile
23. Be prepared for rain
24. Tickle a baby
25. Pet a friendly dog/cat
26. Don’t know all the answers
27. Look for a silver lining
28. Say something nice to someone
29. Teach a kid to fly a kite
30. Walk in the rain
31. Schedule play time into every day
32. Take a bubble bath
33. Be aware of the decisions you make
34. Believe in yourself
35. Stop saying negative things to yourself
36. Visualize yourself winning
37. Develop your sense of humor
38. Stop thinking tomorrow will be a better today
39. Have goals for yourself
40. Dance a jig
41. Say “hello” to a stranger
42. Ask a friend for a hug
43. Look up at the stars
44. Practice breathing slowly
45. Learn to whistle a tune
46. Read a poem
47. Listen to a symphony
48. Watch a ballet
49. Read a story curled up in bed
50. Do a brand new thing
51. Stop a bad habit
52. Buy yourself a flower
53. Take time to small the flowers
54. Find support from others
55. Ask someone to be your “vent-partner”
56. Do it today
57. Work at being cheerful and optimistic
58. Put safety first
59. Do everything in moderation
60. Pay attention to your appearance
61. Strive for Excellence NOT perfection
62. Stretch your limits a little each day
63. Look at a work of art
64. Hum a jingle
65. Maintain your weight
66. Plant a tree
67. Feed the birds
68. Practice grace under pressure
69. Stand up and stretch
70. Always have a plan “B”
71. Learn a new doodle
72. Memorize a joke
73. Be responsible for your feelings
74. Learn to meet your own needs
75. Become a better listener
76. Know your limitations and let others know them, too
77. Tell someone to have a good day in pig Latin
78. Throw a paper airplane
79. Exercise every day
80. Learn the words to a new song
81. Get to work early
82. Clean out one closet
83. Play patty cake with a toddler
84. Go on a picnic
85. Take a different route to work
86. Leave work early (with permission)
87. Put air freshener in your car
88. Watch a movie and eat popcorn
89. Write a note to a far away friend
90. Go to a ball game and scream
91. Cook a meal and eat it by candlelight
92. Recognize the importance of unconditional love
93. Remember that stress is an attitude
94. Keep a journal
95. Practice a monster smile
96. Remember you always have options
97. Have a support network of people, places and things
98. Quit trying to fix other people
99. Get enough sleep
100. Talk less and listen more
101. Freely praise other people BONUS: Relax, take each day at a time…you have the rest of your life to live!

Resource: http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/101ways.htm