Introduction:
Chronic strress, depression, and anxiety each are major risk factors in the current 7 leading causes of death. Those are:
1. Heart Disease
2. Cancer (cancer is most common in people who have one or more of these 3 conditions)
3. Stroke
4. COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulminary Disease)
5. Diabetes
6. Accidents (increased stress, anxiety and depression have a positive correlation with accidents of all kinds)
7. Pneumonia/flu
Studies on centanarians (people who have lived at least 100 years) show that there are about 80,000 centanarians in the U.S., and of those, 40,000 are still living independantly. One key componant found in almost every centegenarian is that they are able to manage stress, and anxiety. One study, including almost 70 centanarians in interviews, discovered that two of these were survivors of Nazi concentration camps. They suffered through the horrors, but were able to pull their lives together and move on, and manage the stress and anxiety that they lived through.
The average American today receives on average, about 2 hours less sleep per day than they did 100 years ago. Back then, people slept around 8.5 hours. Today, they sleep around 6.75 hours. Master hormones (those that control most functions of your body, or control other hormones that control those functions) are largely based on a circadian (sleep) rhythm. Most people are programmed naturaly to be awake during the day and asleep at night. About one in fourteen is what is termed a "night owl." Night owls show less problems if their circadian rhythm is interrupted.
A study on aging showed that the people who lived the longest were people with moderate (not low nor high) levels of stress, but *managed it well.*
Cortisol is an example of a hormone (neurotransmitter) that works on a circadian rhythm. Cortisol is a hormone that reduces inflammation and converts proteins to carbohydrates. Cortisol is released in higher doses in the morning, and blocks melatonin release. That helps you wake up. It also brings up heart rate and increases blood sugar, so you don't have problems after remaining asleep without food all night long. Stress and anxiety directly cause insomnia. They cause a reactionary response in which the body naturally releases cortisone to produce glucose so the body can fight or protect itself, or flee from whatever danger your body perceives. When the cortisol is released, it also again blocks the melatonin release (making it harder to fall/stay asleep), and increases heart rate.
Anxiety disorders and substance abuse have similar causes, similar side effects, and require similar treatments.
The people who are most at likely to experience high anxiety are those with multiple sclerosis, with 90% of them reporting panic disorder symptoms. Another disease highly linked with anxiety and depression is autoimmune thyroid disorders (such as Grave's or Hashimoto's diseases).
Asthma can cause a panic or anxiety attack, and conversely, panic or anxiety attacks can trigger an asthma attack. Often asthma attacks lead to increased anxiety, creating a circular pattern of increasing asthma symptoms/attacks.
Male vs. Female: Does Gender Matter?
Testosterone: Both males and females have testosterone. In fact, the amount of testosterone in females is on the rise, as an increase in the factors that increase testosterone in both genders are becoming more common in females (working outside the home, playing sports, etc).
In fact, over the past 50 years, **multiple changes have been occuring in the female brain, many of them leading to further complications, greater hormonal imbalance, and increased depression, anxiety and stress. Women today are more violent, less "nurturing" and more likely to respond with anger/agression than in the past.
Women used to live 10 years longer than men, now that has decreased to 5 years, due in part to changes in the brain. However, if a woman and a man both live to age 65, then that drops to 3 years difference, and only a 2 year difference once they have both hit age 75. This is due in part to men still dying younger due to higher risk taking.
Females aged 12-43 years old are twice as likely to have depression and anxiety disorders. They are also 3-6 times more likely to develop bipolar disorder.
About 5 boys will get ADHD to every 3 girls, and about 1 girl will develop Autism to every 5 boys who do. Asperger's is actually going to be disappearing as a diagnosis with the release of the new DSM IV, but it is as of right now 6-7 times more likely in boys. However, Adult-onset ADHD is about the same in males and females.
There are about 25 different types of nuclei in the hypothalamus, and of those, 20 of them are different in males and females.
Despite the current movement toward feminization of males and masculinization of females, male and female brains are not the same. Women also do not display intelligence in the same way as men. In college entrance exams, women frequently do better than men on the language portions. Women usually get better grades in school, because school is largely language related. More women are enrolled in college this year than men and are more likely to leave with a degree in hand. Men still dominate the fields of engineering, math, astronomy, computer design, and physics. However, women usually do better at math, except spatial relations.
Both males and females produce testosterone and estrogen.
Testosterone is a steriod hormone responsible for libido, energy, red blood cell protection, and protection against osteoporosis. Adult males produce 40-60% more testosterone than women, but women are more sensitive.
In the developing fetus, testosterone production begins about at 8 weeks. It is responsible for things such as the size of the brain (male brains are usually larger, but females usually larger corpus callosum)
Estrogen affects childhood development. At around age 18 months, babies go through what is called "infantile puberty" where brain neurons and centers are growing. Males go thorugh this phase for about 9 months, while females tend to go through this time of high estrogen output for about 24 months, possibly accounting for why females at these ages are usually more enhanced at observation, communication, and "caring."
During puberty, young girls go through another estrogen surge, causing monthly cycles to start, and the hypothalmus and amygdala are stimulated, sharpening critical thinking and emotional responsivity. These will continue to cause weekly changses in sensitivity to stress, which continue until menopause. During the first two weeks of a menstrual cycle, a female tends to be more relaxed andsocial (when estrogen is high), and during the last two weeks, she tends to be more easily irritated (when progesterone is high).
During pregnancy, the brain actually shrinks, and new connections are gained. Estrogen and progesterin can increase from 10-100 times their normal rate, especially during the first 2-4 months of pregnancy. This causes a tranqulailing effect (tiredness, relaxed), and protect the fetus and mother against cortisol or the stress hormone. By late pregnancy, the stress hormone (cortisol) levels are as high as they would be during intense exercise, but don't necessarily lead to more stress. Usually, the lead to increased concern about safety, and nutrition.
During perimenopause, the female brain becomes less senstive to estrogen. this causes the menstrual cycle to change, and causes the ovaries to increase estroget production, increasing menstrual flow. As the brain continues to become less senstive, it triggers symptoms ranging from joint pain to hot flashes, as well as anxiety, depression, and changes in libido.
Depression is a common problem for menopausal women. They are 14 times more likely to get depression, particularly in the last two years before menstruation stops. This is the time of maximum estrogen level production, but the lowest sensitivity of the brain to the estrogen being produced. Because many neurochemicals and brain cells are supported by estrogen, levels of serotonin, norepinepherine, and dopamine drop. This causes the symptoms of irritability, lack of mental focus, and fatigue, which is worsened by lack of sleep. It may be treated in mild cases with estrogen therapy alone. Food sources of estrogen include flaxseed oil, legumes and soy products, whole grain cereals, seeds, fruits and vegetables, and bean sprouts such as alfalfa.
Moods and Emotions:
Moods and Emotions are not the same thing. An emotion comes from the word motion. The feeling is temporary and passing thorugh. Moods are usually long-term, with occasional breaks. Emotions are tied to goals. They often take over a person's entire consciousness. For example, many people, when they get angry, they are very angry, and not able to think about being happy,surprised, or confused. Once the emotion subsides, then these other emotions begin to show. Barriers to obtaining a goal produce negative emotions, and progress toward goals produce positive emotions. If an emotion is persistant and not tied to a goal/stimulus, it is then called a mood.
Anxiety and depression are mood disorders. They are often persistant, and extreme. Anxiety can also be an emotional disorder. Panic attacks are generally short-term and take over an entire consciousness, so they are usually emotional disorders. However, long-term panic can be a mood disorder.
There are six basic emotions that every culture shares the same facial expressions for, and are therfore considered innate. Of these six, only one is a positve emotion. They are fear, anger, surprise/shock, disgust, sadness, and happiness.
Just because a person sees the same stimulus does not always mean they will experience a similar emotion. Imagine, for a moment, a young teenage girl, in love for the first time. "Sue" sees "Fred" and her heart goes pitter-patter and gets all mushy and happy. However, let's say "Sue" catches "Fred" kissing another girl. The next time she sees that same stimulus, "Fred" her emotions are not going to be the same anymore. Now, she might have anger, hurt, or sadness. Or all of the above.
The Brain:
Important parts of the brain relating to mood are:the frontal lobe, which controls emotions;
the brain stem, which regulates the autonomic nervous system (allows you to do things like breathe, stand or sit upright, and digest food without your having to think about it);
the cortex, which allows thining, organizing, planning, language use, and logic;
the thalamus, which deals with sensory input and activates the stress response;
the pituitary gland, which produces all master hormone (hormones that regulate other hormones);
the hypothalamus, which regulates sleep cycles, appetite, thirst, body temperature, and sex drive;
the cerebellum which regulates limb movement and speech;
the hypocampus, which places items in long-term memory (but not emotional memory) banks
and the amygdala, which regulates mood and emotional memories.
Interesting facts about the brain:
The brain contains about 100 billion neurons. That means most people have between 100 trillion to 1 quadrillion synapses (spaces betwen nuerons where neurotransmitters are exchanged and all movement and thinking are controlled).
Chronic stress, anxiety, and dpression acutally shrink the frontal lobe and the hypothalamus. Shrinkage of the frontal lobe makes it difficult to think through problems and reason. Shrinkage of teh hypothalamus affect sleep cycles and appetite.
The amygadala and hypocampus help assign emotions to thoughts.
One famous patient had tumors on both amygdala, and had them surgically removed. Without her amygdala, she was no longer able to interpret fear or anger in others. She was completely unable to get angry or sad or hurt, or scared. She was able to recognize happiness, however. She had to live her life institutionalized, because she was a danger to herself. She not only could not recognize fear in another person by signs (facial expressions, screaming, etc), but she did not remember ever feeling fear, and could not understand it when it was explained to her. Therefore, she exercised no caution in anything she did.
If a person is abused as a child, they have a larger hypothalamus than the normal population. This affects long-term memories by making it hard to let go of bad memories, but at the same time, making it difficult to store other memories. There are some people who are able to block many memories, but the memory blockage is only partially selective.
Neurotransmitters:
A nuerotransmitter is a chemical messanger that passes between neurons. There are over 30 known neurotransmitters in the brain. Some nerves (neurons) are capable of transmitting only one type, while other neurons can handle multiple types. Your brain is made up of 100 billion nerves. Each nerve has several nerve endings which almost connect to other nerves. There is a space between the nerves, and small chemicals called neurotransmitters pass between the nerve ending of one cell, to the nerve receptors of another nerve cell. The space between the nerve cells are called synapses.
Each nerve cell has several synapses, many have up to six or seven thousand. Your body has a total of 100 trillion to one quadrillion synapses. That's up to 1,000,000,000,000,000 little spaces where chemicals are used to pass messages from one nerve to another.
The way neurotransmitters work is this: Each neuron releases a "packet" of certain chemicals (neurotransmitters, AKA hormones) into the synapse (space). The receiving cell has multiple (usually a few hundered or more) receptor sites that take in these chemicals. When sufficient receptor sites have been activated, that cell in turn passes the neurotransmitteres on to the next cell. Nerve cells are all or nothing. They either fire or they just sit around waiting. They don't partially fire. So, if there are not enough of certain nuerotransmitters, they will not fire that particular message to the next cell.
Neurotransmitters are made within the neuron, and then released into the synapse, and re-absorbed back into the neuron to be used again. The entire process takes about 7 milliseconds.
When a neuron releases a neurotransmitter into the synapse (space between cells, where they aren't actually touching), those chemicals have to go somewhere. Some of them bind onto the new cell. If enough do, then the new cell fires, and so on. However, what to do with the leftovers? Well, there are certain little "vehicles" called uptake receptors. These pick up all the stray neurotransmitters (each one has its own kind), and give them a ride back up to the top of the cell, where they are recycled and used over again.
One of the suspected causes of depression, as well as some anxiety and stress disorders, is that there are too many uptake recepters, and they are bringing the neurotransmitters back up before they have a chance to reach the other cell to triggor it. Most antidepressant medications work on slowing down one set of these receptors. More on this in the medication section.
When dealing with neurotransmitters with depression, anxiety, and stress, the ones that play the biggest roles are: Acetylcholine, Norepinephrine, Dopamine, and Seratonin.
Acetycholine is associated with Alzheimer's Disease, and nicotene mimics this. It affects memory formation and signal transmission from nerves to muscles.
Norepinephrine (or Noradrenaline) is very similar to Epinephrine (Adrenaline) and your body can convert one to the other quite easily. Norepinephrine is a motivating, energizing hormone associated with depression, stress, hypertension (high blood pressure) and anxiety disorders.
Dopamine is a hormone that affects concentration, socialization, food-seeking and sexual desire. It is associated with Schizophrenia, Parkinson's, and ADHD.
Seratonin affects mood, food intake regulation, vomiting, pain, and sleep. It is associated with depression, anxiety, appetite disorders, and migraines. Low levels are associated with aggression, hostility, and violence. There is an association between low seratonin levels and fighting, assault, domestive violence, impulsive aggression, and abuse, particularly among men. Increasing seratonin levels lead to decreases in these behaviors.
Another important neurotransmitter that is related include Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). This regulates emotional balance, sleep disorders, and anxiety. It is associated with anxiety, restlessness, sleepness, and insomnia.
Genetics, Diet, Hormone levels, and Circadian Rhythm can affect the degree of expression of particular emotions, but is not likely to affect the kind of emotional response.
Memory:
Alzheimer's is one of the most common health problems affecting memory, making up 75% of all cases of dementia. It affects 5.4 million people, 71% of whom are women.
Effects of Food on Mood and the Brain:
Proteins (meats, beans) are necessary for the production of norepinephrine and dopamine and lead to heightened alertness and stable memory.
Complex carbohydrates (starches) are necessary for the production of seratonin and satiety and relaxation. These produce a steady release of glucose.
Fats are important in producing acetylcholine and are critical for memory formation and neuron (nerve) integrity. An absence of acetylcholine leads to breakdown of neural membranes and can lead to advanced (premature) aging.
Sugars or simple carbohydrates are quick energy boosters, but without complex carbohydrates lead to sluggishness and lethargy.
The order of your nutrients mattesr. If you eat proteins first, , and then the carbohydrates, the protein will enable the correct neurotransmitter (L-tyrosine) to get to the brain quickly, and you can then get the energy from the carbs without the tiredness. If you eat the carbs first, the tryptophan will arrive first (another neurotransmitter) and you will feel less alert and more relaxed.
Adipose tissue (stored fat on the body) leads to a rise in estrogen levels. Falling or fluctuating estrogen is a leading factor in female moods (think post-partum, PMS, menopause).
Chocolate:
What good presentation doesn't mention chocolate. :D Half of all women report chocolate cravings. The more severe the PMS symptoms of a woman, the greater the liklihood and more severe the craving of chocolate.
Chocolate has just the right mixture of sugar and fat to stimulate almost every single appetite-triggering neurotransmitter. The sugar in chocolate releases seratonini, and brings about calmness and energy. The caffeine adn theobromine provide a mental lift, and stimulate the nervous system, which in turn enhances the pleasure response. Chocolate also contains a substance called anandamide, which mimics the effects of marijuana, and boosts chocolate's pleasure effects.
Caffeine blocks a chemical called adensine and that makes you more alert. Caffeine's effects take about half an hour to take hold. A person often feels better shortly after a cup of coffee, and has more. Then they run the risk of getting caught up in a cycle of stimulation, followed by mild withdrawal symptoms, which include fatigue, irritable, depressed mood, and reduced work performance. Caffeine lingers in the body for hours, so coffee drinkers and other people who consume large amounts of caffeine take longer to fall asleep, sleep less soundly, wake up more often, and feel groggier upon awakening. It also is a diuretic, causing you to urinate more, which causes dehydration. Often these symptoms will cause a person to want to drink more coffee. People who give up caffeine report that within a few weeks, they felt more energetic than they did while drinking coffee.
Caffeine causes jitteriness and anxiety. It lingers in the body for hours, escalating the stress response. Tea and diet cola had the same effect, as they had the same amount of caffeine.
The natural stress response increases appetite. This is because a perceived stress causes your body to want to run or fight itself which in turn burns calories. A person under stress will crave more high calorie (fat, sweet) foods, and digestion slows down, so they also conserve calories. The epinephine and cortisol released are appetite stimulants.
Carbohydrates have been shown to decrease anxiety and depression, because it raises seratonin and endorphan levels, reduces cravings, and makes the eater feel calmer. Often, this leads to a learned pattern of dealing with stress/depression by eating. women are more vulnerable to stress-eating than men.
In one study, snacks were offered to both men and women, and they were shown either a long, bland documentary, or a high anxiety film showing gory accidents. The women watching the gory film ate twice as much cookies, candies, and crackers as those watching the other film, and men ate less.
Insulin and blood sugar play key roles in appetite and mood control. Many different hormones raise blood sugar levels if they fall below normal levels. Then, insulin kicks in, and balances the effects of these hormones by naturally reducing blood sugar if they get too high. When you eat something sugary, the body tries to get rid of the excess sugar from the blood, and stores it in the cells. The increased sugar level raises insulin release for along time, often hours. High insulin levels in the body lead to cravings for sweet tastes, and increased appetite. So, the more sugar you eat, the more you crave.
Also, the longer the insulin levels stay high, the person is more likely to accumulate body fat during that time. Body fat and insulin trigger neurotransmitters such as cortisol to work together with others like seratonin and CCk, which leads to imbalances, which further increase sugar cravings, high appetite levels, and weight gain.
The hypothalmus is the body's appetite control center. If seratonin levels are low, or NPY levels are high, our body craves carbohydrate-rich foods, which alters these levels. Any imbalance in a number of neurotransmitters can play havoc with the body's natural insticts regarding food and lead to unhealthy habits.
In eating disorders, the same actions are at play, but at more extreme levels. Often the normal signals are overridden and there are abnormal hormone levels in patients with eating disorders. When normal eating habits are reestablished, hormone levels return to normal, decreasing depression, and decreasing binge eating.
Seratonin is the neurotransmitter most strongly linked to diet. High levels boost mood, curb food cravings, increase pain tolerance, and lead to a good night's sleep. Low levels lead to insomnia, depression, cravings, sensitivity to pain, aggressive behavior, and disrupted body temperature regulation. It is synthesized in the brain using B6, B12 and folic acid. Seratonin levels drop when tryptophan levels in the brain do. People taking tryptophan supplements can increase their mood and decrease cravings. Seratonin boosting medications such as fenfluramine (for weight loss) can also do this.
Dopamine and norepinephrine levels, when they drop, can cause depression, irritability, and moodiness. Eating proteins helps combat this.
Cortisol (another chemical) wreaks havoc on the appetite-control chemmicals which alter food intake and mood. Cortisol increase energy triggers, alters dopaminelevels, lowers serations, and leads to poorer food choices and weight gain.
Anxiety and Worry:
One out of every four people suffer from chronic worry.Chronic worry can increase the risk of heart attacks, high blood pressure, ulcers, stomach problems, muscle aches, skin rashes, exzema, and respiratory problems, including asthma.
Anxiety disorders are closely related to other disorders. Most specifically, eating disorders, depression, and substance abuse.
When the brain senses danger, it sends danger signals to the prefrontal cortex, which receives the alarm and begins to analyze the worry and sends back singals to the amygdala that it is worrying. Well, the amygdala sees this worry as a new concern, and sends out danger singnals to the prefrontal cortex, which begins to analyze the new worry, and sends a message back to the amygdala that it is worrying. Thus, it creates an ever-spiraling loop.
There are two parts to worry. First, there is the emotionaly, or the symptoms of worry like sweating, fast heart rate, and elevated blood pressure. Second, there is the worry, which is self-talk that distracts the mind from focusing on the problem at hand. For example, a person with test anxiety might tell themselves they are going to fail, or that they won't remember, or that someone will be disappointed in them, or that it will be too hard. Since, the brain is busy focusing on the worry, it isn't able to focus on the issue at hand. Like keeping their mind on the test. The speech areas of the brain needed for taking a test are being occupied with worries.
Toxic worry paralyzes a person; prevents them from taking action.
The anxiety disorders are the most frequently occuring mental disorders. Anxiety often creates other symptoms that mimic illness such as palpitations, sweating, shortness of breath, chest pain, nause chills, or hot flashes.
In the U.S., anxiety disorder occurs in over 16% of all adults.
Panic disorder and agoraphobia are associated with an increased suicide risk.
Most people recognize the source of anxiety is not rational, or that the anxiety they are feeling is out of proportion to the event, but feel powerless to stop it.
There are 9 major anxiety disorders, many described breifly below. Out of these 9, 7 of them are more common in women.
Different types of anxiety disorders:
Panic Disorder:
In panic disorder, people often find periods where they feel disconnected, and an extreme sense of losing control. Symptoms of panic include pounding heart, shortness of breath, overwhelming anxiety and/or dread or terror, and feeling of impending doom. The situation tends to repeat when exposed to "triggors" and they will often avoid places/people/events that remind them of where an attack happened.In one study, 95% of neurologists (specialists into the nervous system) were able to answer only 50% of the questions on a test about symptoms of anxiety correctly, and only 30% were aware that behavioral therapy is currently the most effective treatment.
Medications for anxiety can reduce fears, but they can't cure the condition. A person must change their thinking for a cure to happen.
OCD (Obssessive/Compulsive Disorder):
People often have rituals which they recognize as being abnormal, but they can not stop performing them. They often feel afraid or ashamed. They recognize the behavior doesn't make sense, but feel extreme anxiety of the routine or ritual is not performed. 60% of hoarders have OCD. They recognize that they are holding on to things they don't need, but aren't able to bring themselves to throw things away, because of extreme fear/panic something will happen if they do.OCD has the highest genetic companant of the anxiety disorders. 60-70% of people who are twins and have OCD also have their twin who suffers from OCD, although the degree and/or rituals may vary. 20% of people with OCD have close relatives who also have the disorder. 70% of people with OCD have another disorder. OCD is very closely related to other forms of addiction.
Phobic Disorder:
These can be extremely specific phobia of things that pose little or no threat. Most of the time, phobias are of things that would have been dangerous or unknown to the first people. For example, fear of heights, fear of enclosed spaces/being unable to escape, fear of rats, snakes, spiders, fear of airplanes. Quite often, the fear is very specific to a particular item or event. For example, a person might have a fear of being enclosed in an airplane, but are not afraid of being enclosed in an elevator.The second most common phobia is dental phobia. Many people simply avoid dentists due to high phobia. This phobia affects 7-10% of people, although one study showed as high as 20%. Most people acquired the fear in early childhood. Females were almost twice as likely to report high fear as males, and those with at least one oral problem (such as bleeding gums) were 1.5 times more likely to report fear. It is divided into two types those with PTSD type symptoms of bad events, and those who fear losing control or something bad might happen.
People have a 50% chance of being phobic of something parents or other close family members have phobias of. Scientists studying if phobias are genetic or learned behaviors tested out a group of chimps who were reared in "wild captivity." As an adult, they put a snake in the cage with 138 chimps. The first time, they exhibited curiousity, but not outright fear. Then, they showed the chimps a video of their mother chimp reacting to a snake with fear. The second time they placed the snake in the cage, the chimps displayed full blown panic.
However, when they altered the videos and showed the mother chimp responding in a fear to a vase of roses. When the chimps were then placed in a cage and a vase of roses was placed in the cage with them, they only displayed curiousity.
Acute Anxiety:
Sudden severe anxiety over a specific dilemma or traumatic event, with specific symptoms (see PTSD). Usually they go away within 30 days. If it does not go away within 30 days, people with this condition are then diagnosed with PTSD.PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder):
This disorder used to be called "shell shock," "nastalgia," "soldier shock," battle fatigue," and "combat neurosis" at various times in history. After the vietman war, the title was changed to PTSD, and it was classified as a disorder.There are 4 symptoms of PTSD, and a patient must have all 4 in order to be diagnosed. If the PTSD symptoms last less than 30 days, the do not have PTSD, they have acute anxiety disorder. The smptoms are numbing or disassociation, flashbacks (powerful memories or nightmares that have a person beleiving they are reliving the event), increasing anxiety when exposed to reminders of the event, and isolation or avoidance of reminders.
When the new DSM IV comes out, there will be a fifth symptom: severe disability as a result of anxiety.
Men are 4 times more likely to be exposed to danger, but women are twice as likely to develop PTSD. The one exception to this are men in combat, where men are three times more likely to develop PTSD than women.
In Iraq combat veterans, 12% of the people returning had fullblown PTSD shortly after event. Another 17% had delayed PTSD, which did not show up for 3-6 months past event.
In the Reserve and National Guard, however, 13% had immediate onset, and 25% had delayed onset.
There are 3 different kinds of PTSD. They are acute (short-term, last less than 3 months), chronic (lasts longer thn 3 months), and delayed onset (shows up several months later, peoplea re 5x more likely to develop this type).
Total number of combat veterans with PTSD:
Active Duty Army: 38%
Active Duty Marines: 31%
National Guard/Reserves: 49%
Special Ops 7%.
Cognitive/behavioral thearpy has a high degree of effectiveness in treating this disorder. Some of the techniques specific to this disorder taught in therapy include eye scanning (about 8-10 sessions in teaching patient to scan horizons and be on the lookout for impending danger) was effective significantly in about a third of patients, moderately effective in another third, and not effective in the last third.
Social Phobia:
The most common form of social phobia is stage fright. Social phobias are where a person feels like everyone is looking at them, and they can't think of anthying to say. They feel that people are talking about them negatively, and looking at them, even when they aren't. People feel embarrassed, clumsy, and avoid social situations.Psychologists believe that in that past, this was a protective technique. Racism and stranger phobia were protective techniques in ancient history, because people were frequently raised in small communities, where they knew everyone, and different tribes and strangers often presented a life-threatening danger to them.
One way to treat social phobias is to have people sniff oxytocin. This is the hormone released to stimulate contractions during labor, and it is believed to be a "bonding hormone."
Generalized Anxiety Disoder:
A constant worry about many things that are beyond a person's control and unlikely to happen. They usually imagine things are more drastic/worse than they really aer.Treatment includes working on treating one fear at a time with behavioral congnitive therapy. There is a 65-75% cure rate, but this is the hardest type of anxiety to treat.
Stress:
Studies show that no one can make you mad or angry. All emotions are under a person's control. One reason stress and anxiety occur when a person perceives that their emotions are no longer under their control.
SBRC: Stop. Breathe. Reflect. Chose.
In one clinical study, patients were divided into groups. One group used meditation techniques, another used body relaxation, and another neither. All groups were given a flu shot. After 4 months, the group that meditated regularly produced more antibodies (had greater ability to fight off the flu) than those who used body relaxation techniques and those who didn't use any.
Cortisol is a chemical that regulates energy metabolism. When it is released, it actives the body's energy reserves. If a person is repeatedly stressed, the immune system is unable to recover from the repetative decrease in antibodies, and becomes weak and less effective. Cortisol has been shown to damage and kill cells in the hippocampus. Evidence also suggests that chronic stress causees premature brain aging.
A moderate level of stress is actually good for you. It keeps your body healthy and helps you live longer.
Sleep:
**CLINICAL STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT IN 70% OF PEOPLE WITH DEPRESSION AND/OR ANXIETY, SLEEP DEPRIVATION CAME BEFORE THE SYMPTOMS STARTED.There are 5 stages of the sleep cycle. These are all dependent on many factors including age, hormone secretion , and environment. NonREM sleep occurs in stages 1-4, while REM sleep is the 5th stage. Wakefulness is not classified as a stage, although a person does not always wake up during the wakefulness stage. Stage 1 is partial light sleep, Stage 2 is full light sleep, and Stages 3 and 4 are partial and full deep sleep. A person dreams in all 5 stages of sleep, but a person mostly remembers dreams from REM sleep, because those are the most vivid and realistic. During Stage 3 and 4, a person consolidates their memories to the long term memory banks, but short term memory banks are not activated. Night terrors and sleepwalking are most likely to occur during Stage 3 and 4 sleep, but because no proties are activating the hypothalmus, these dreams are not transferred to the memory banks, and most people who wake up have no memory of the terrors or sleepwalking events.
In REM sleep, the extremity becomes paralyzed, but the torso does not, which is why you can still breathe, but you can't move, so you don't hurt yourself during your sleep. There is a type of REM sleep disorder, in which a person is not paralyzed. This person will sleep alone, because they can become involuntarily very violent during their sleep phases on a regular basis. During stage 5 sleep, emotional memories and procedural memories are created.
A young child has a lot of REM sleep, and a lot of uninterruped REM sleep. A 5 year old, for example, has 4 or more hours of REM sleep per night. An adult of around 40 years of age has about 1.75 hours of REM sleep per night. This is part of the reason why children learn so much faster than adults, because their deeper Stage 4 and REM sleep allow them to commit more information to their memory banks. An adult of around age 80, often has virtually no REM sleep, and very little to no Stage 4 sleep, typically, explaining why older adults have a more difficult time learning new information.
Chronic stress decreases you deep sleep time, and can make it disappear altogether. Less deep sleep means fewer long-term memories (a protective device) and decreased ability to learn/think/plan. It also stimulates a desire for the 3 addictive tastes: fat, sweet, salty.
The 5 leading sleep disorders in the US are Insomnia (about 50% of all sleep disorders are insomnia), Sleep Apnea, Restless Leg Syndrome or PLMD, Narcolepsy, and Parasomnias (REM sleep disorders). Of these, the easiest to treat are the last four and the most common is the first.
Sleep medications are never meant to be used long-term, and in most people, long term use of sleep medications means they are getting less REM sleep and less Stage 4 sleep, which are the deep, restorative sleep, and they are spending a lot more time in Stage 1 or 2 sleep, with frequent bouts of wakefulness, so they aren't able to restore themselves naturally. The best treatment for insomnia is to use sleep medication for 4 weeks (ambien or lunesta) combined with cognitive/behavioral therapy. Medication alone will not "cure" sleep disorders, it may just mask it for a time. Over time, a person needs more and more of the medication to acheive the same result.
Sleep rhythms and stress are related because stress is driven by fear. In chronic stress, huge levels of cortisol are kicked out. This is the hormone found in corticosteriods, such as prednisone, and have the same side effects. In the area of sleep, particularly, cortisol blocks the secretion of melatonin. This makes it more difficult to fall and stay asleep, and reduces the amount of REM sleep or deep sleep you have, making it more difficult to concentrate/learn/think, causing greater anxiety.
Sleep deprvation makes you hungry and increases cravings. Dopamine and seratonin levels drop, creating a depressive state, and sweet and fatty foods often contain seratonin, helping create a temporary better feeling because they raise the seratonin levels again. Disrupting the circadian rhythm (daily sleep cycle. Disruptions can be caused by lack of sleep, going to sleep too early, staying asleep too long, going to sleep too late, inability to fall asleep, etc) is major cause of depression and anxiety.
One thing that significantly disrupts the circadian rhythm is blue light. Ligth from your computer screen, TV, monitor, or game console can significantly disrupt your circadian rhythm. The same is true if the blue lights are left on in the room while a person is trying to sleep. One thing to try when combating insomnia is to greatly reduce screen time. Screen time in children can be especially harmful, causing the circadian rhythm to be disrupted and lead to problems later in life. However, studies are showing hat blue light may be more effective than white light for treating SADD.
Melatonin has a half life of 50 minutes in the blood stream. That means, if a person takes melatonin, about an hour later, it's halfway out of the system. Melatonin works well for people who want to fall asleep, but does not work well for people who have trouble staying asleep.
Several decades ago, supplement companies lobbied congress to get supplements changed from a medication, with the same standard of testing and quality controls as other medications, to a sort of strange sort of food product. Two doctors who used to work for the FDA created a website called www.consumerlab.com after the incident, and started comparing supplements to see if they really had what they claimed. The bought several brands of melatonin and studied them in their lab. They found out that the results for a bottle of melatonin ranged from only a trace (not per pill, but for the whole bottle) to those that actually contained what they said they did. Meaning many people who take melatonin supplements aren't getting anywhere near the amount of melatonin they think they are, and they aren't getting the results they need because of this.
Substance Abuse:
Anxiety disorders and substance abuse have similar causes, similar side effects, and require similar treatments. When questioning people with substance abuse about what caused them to begin having problems, most stated that they were experiencing high levels of stress, anxiety, and/or depression. There is a significant comorbidity between mood disorders and substance abuse.Treatment:
Sleep: Probably one of the best reducers of symptoms, adequate REM and deep sleep can lower symptoms and reduce mood disturbances. Alcohol and caffeine should be reduced, because they can interfere with the sleep cycle.Laughter: One of the oldest known healing techniques. Laughter increases respiration, oxygen exchange, muscular activity, and heart rate. It stimulates the cardiovascular system, sympathetic nervous system, and increases the production of catecholamines. Laugter promotes a state of alertness followed by a state of relaxatoin, where the respiration, heart rate, blood pressure, and muscle tension return to below normal levels. Loma Linda University conducted a study evaluating the effects of laughter on stress hormones, and the neuroendocrine and immune systems, and found complex response with multiple health benefits.
Meditation and Prayer: Focusing on just one object, word, phrase, or idea. The mind calms and the body's immune response is boosted. In one study, after 5 days of training in meditation, the meditation group showed more stress regulation, lower levels of anxiety, depression, anger, and fatigue.
Exercise: Exercise and mood are closely related. Short, brisk walks have a primary mood effect of enhanced energy and a secondary effect of reduced tension. Walking is associated with more energy, better mood, higher self-esteem, and greater happiness. In one study, people diagnosed with major depressive disorder but not taking medications and not exercising regularly were asked to walk for 30 minutes. Their mood effects lifted their feelings of vigor to near-normal levels. However, those results were short-lived. Regular exercise shows that mood is enhanced longer.
Worry: worriers should NEVER worry alone. Worriers should try to take back up the "thinking part of their brain" from the worry, and talk about the problem (thus occupying the thinking part of the mind with solutions, not problems), as it is easier to come up with solutions with a friend. And, making a plan and taking action can reverse some of the thinking of the brain, so that it is no longer sending out signals of danger. It is very important for the person who is a worrier to make sure they are getting enough rest, exercise, and the proper nutrition.
Stress: One of the best ways to manage stress is to do something about it. Not being able to do something, or not doing anything about stress often increases stress levels.
Cognitive and behavioral therapy: This can cure anxiety, not just downplay it, as medications do. The most effective and longest lasting treatments for anxiety include changing the way a person thinks abut anxiety.
Medications:
Anxiety:
Medications can not "cure" anxiety. They can only lesson the degree of impact, or the severity of the response. Benzodiazepines (Valium, Ativan, Klonopin, and Xanax) are the most commonly prescribed medications. They are considered relatively safe, but alcohol can cause life-threatening reactions in some people. They have a risk of producing drug dependence and if used long-term can cause seizures if suddenly stopped. Some antidepressants have also been shown to help anxiety.This post is in unfinished format. Please forgive errors, incompleteness, and have patience. I do plan to get back to it to finish/edit.
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