Emotional Appraisal Can Alleviate Anxiety

Emotional Re-Appraisal is one of the most effective methods today in dealing with emotional arousal. The technique involves taking an initial reaction and re-evaluating it. This evaluation or appraisal diffuses the impact of the initial response and alleviates anxious symptoms. Unfortunately neurological mechanisms of performing the appraisal take place in the prefrontal cortex of the…

Why We ‘Self-Medicate’ Our Own Depression or Anxiety

How do we know when a couple of nightly drinks make the dark turn towards alcohol dependency? When liquor routinely becomes the solution for stress, anxiety, or conflict, it’s time to take a serious look at the issue. Mental health problems are often self-medicated with a drink or trip to the bar. If you notice…

Benefits of Mindfulness

When considering the benefits of mindfulness, it is also appropriate to consider how well, if you were really trying, you could actually sit down and quiet your mind into a state of meditation. How hard is it to let go of the past for just a few moments, let go of worries about the future,…

10 Tips for Dealing with Surprises and Unexpected Events

Life is full of surprises and every day we meet a few of them. Generally, the surprises are minor things, but there are occasionally unexpected life-altering events that we have to deal with. Whether the surprises are good or bad, most people are more comfortable living their lives in a routine for the sense of…

ADHD Teens More Likely to Have Substance Abuse Problems

An eight year study from researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, in conjunction with six other healthcare centers across the country, of over 600 teenagers has shown that kids diagnosed with ADHD have a substantially higher prevalence of substance abuse and cigarette use than kids without ADHD, regardless of whether or not…

Addiction and Depression

Depression is one of the most, if not the most, common co-occurring disorders most addicts have. Addicts often feel demoralized and helpless about their health and about their lives, and altered brain chemistry can easily escalate those feeling into depression. Richard Taite, the CEO and founder of the Cliffside Malibu Treatment Center, offers some suggestions…

Dealing with a Quick-Tempered Spouse

When spouses erupt in anger, not to be confused with a fight, fly off the handle, and express feelings of upset with anger, it frightens their partner. Whether their partner cowers or leaves, they don’t respond well to anger because it is challenging to deal with anger. Constantly being around a person who is prone…

Drama Belongs in the Theatre

Greg Malouf believes that people identify with the drama that plays out in their lives, when the reality is that the drama is not real. Maleouf describes drama as bound up by illusion, based on perceptions, becoming personally defeating because of our lack of sophistication about our emotional lives. He writes that drama is not…

Conflict with an ADHD Child From a Father’s Perspective

Most of the research on children with attention-deficit hyperactive disorder and the family conflict that arises in their household as they reach their teen years has been based on self-reports from both the child and the mother. Clarisa Markel, from the Human Development and Applied Psychology Department at the University of Toronto, recently led a…