Topics

Anxiety

Does Intercourse Hurt? A Guide to Women’s Sexual Pain

By Michael Castleman, M.A. on May 15, 2012 in All About Sex

Until recently, many doctors dismissed women’s genital pain (dyspareunia or vulvodynia) as “neurotic,” which left them doubly wounded—in pain and put down. Some men don’t believe women’s complaints of sexual pain. Read More

The Start of a Panic Disorder

By Fredric Neuman, M.D. on May 15, 2012 in Fighting Fear

Back when I developed a panic disorder, the striking symptom I had was not called a panic attack; it was called an anxiety attack. I was in a classroom when it struck. Read More

Health Anxiety: a Scale

By Fredric Neuman, M.D. on May 15, 2012 in Fighting Fear

Over time, we developed the following scale, which can be used to diagnose the condition. Patients who are severely troubled by this condition are likely to answer yes to all but a few of these questions. In further blogs, I will elaborate on treatment. Read More

Finitude

By Robert D. Stolorow, Ph.D. on May 15, 2012 in Feeling, Relating, Existing

Owning up to the “good-bye” that is built in to our finite human existing makes possible the saying of an authentic “Hello!” Read More

Why Is Swimsuit Season so Scary?

By Martina M. Cartwright, Ph.D., R.D. on May 15, 2012 in Food For Thought

Every year around this time, department store dressing rooms echo with the disgruntled sighs of women trying on swimwear. Armed with at least a half dozen spandex garments of various shapes, sizes and colors, nothing can morph a mature woman into an awkward adolescent like a full length, three-sided mirror. Read More

PTSD Policy Changes

By Eric Newhouse on May 15, 2012 in Invisible Wounds

A new Army policy discourages some types of PTSD treatments, saying they do more harm than good. And in deference to soldiers' concerns, the policy has broadened its range of approved alternative therapies to encourage programs like Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprogramming (EMDR) and neurofeedback. Read More

Dying for a Laugh

By Phil Stutz and Barry Michels on May 15, 2012 in The Tools

Vinny was loud and caustic; a stand-up comic who, as he boasted, “put his balls on the line” every night in front of total strangers. I would never have pegged him for an avoider, but in his first session I quickly realized he’d elevated it to a new level. Read More

Alternative Therapies for OCD

By Catherine Ulbricht, Pharm.D. on May 15, 2012 in Natural Standard

Have you ever heard someone joke about having obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) after washing their hands frequently or checking multiple times to make sure they turned off the oven? Many people may not know that symptoms can be extremely serious and debilitating for some individuals. Read More

Claiming Territory Back From OCD—Part 2

By Joanne Limburg on May 15, 2012 in The Woman Who Thought Too Much

A few months back, I blogged about learning to swim: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-woman-who-thought-too-much/201202/claiming-territory-back-ocd By the time I’d written the piece, I had managed to swim without any kind of float, but had yet to swim out of my depth.  I really didn’t want to, but I knew I’d have to: pools for grown-ups to swim in appear to be designed on the assump Read More

Avoiding the Deer in the Headlight Look at College Graduation

By Thomas G. Plante, Ph.D., ABPP on May 15, 2012 in Do the Right Thing

As we come to the college graduation season I so often have seniors who plop themselves down in my office with that deer in the headlight look reporting that they have no idea what to do after graduation. So often they have worked so hard to get through college that they haven’t had the energy or time to really figure out what to do next. Read More

More On: A Reasonable Fear or a Phobia

By Fredric Neuman, M.D. on May 14, 2012 in Fighting Fear

A few days ago I posted a blog pointing out that it is sometimes difficult for patients, even those who recognize themselves to be phobic in other situations, to tell whether a particular fear is exaggerated or not. Nevertheless, usually, they feel strongly about the matter one way or another. I received two comments from Publia: Read More

From Fearless to Frightened

By Amy Przeworski, Ph.D. on May 14, 2012 in Don't Worry, Mom

A striking thing is happening with my toddler--she is becoming a little person with her own personality, opinions, likes, and dislikes. She is funny, sweet, thoughtful, strong-willed, and easily makes friends. But she is also starting to develop fears. How do you prevent these fears from developing into an anxiety disorder? Read More

Top 10 Tips to Reduce Anxiety

By Barton Goldsmith, Ph.D. on May 14, 2012 in Emotional Fitness

Everyone has frightening or anxious moments. This particular feeling can be detrimental to you because it may stop you from living a normal life. Read More

A Reasonable Fear or a Phobia?

By Fredric Neuman, M.D. on May 13, 2012 in Fighting Fear

Is it reasonable to be afraid of trucks when traveling down a highway, or is that fear really a phobia? Read More

Worried About Your Quiet Child? From One Mother to Another

By Barbara Markway, Ph.D. on May 12, 2012 in Shyness Is Nice

I know you worry. You’re told at every parent-teacher conference: “Your child is so quiet” or “She needs to speak up more.” You think to yourself, “How will my child succeed in school when so much is based on group participation?” Read More

Gifted Students...Scared of Tests? Part Two

By Christopher Taibbi, M.A.T. on May 12, 2012 in Gifted-Ed Guru

In my last article I posed a point that I suspected many readers would find paradoxical—namely that gifted students are just as likely, perhaps even more so, to suffer from test anxiety. Never before have I received so many direct emails from so many readers. Read More

19 Reasons to Exercise

By Susan Krauss Whitbourne, Ph.D. on May 12, 2012 in Fulfillment at Any Age

You’ve heard it many times. Don’t be a couch potato. Work that body. Now, here in one easy reference list, are the best reasons to work your body, your mind, and, in the best of all cases, both. Read More

Emotions and Motivations

By Sandeep Gautam on May 11, 2012 in The Fundamental Four

That 'emotions arise from progress or hindrance in goal-pursuit' is a simplistic notion. Read the post to know the difference between approach and avoidance motivation, between promotion and prevention regulatory focus and how they interact together to give rise to all the myriad complex emotions and affective states. Read More

Do You Get Defensive When You Get Feedback?

By Carolyn Kaufman, Psy.D. on May 10, 2012 in Psychology for Writers

If you get defensive when you get feedback, maybe what's really getting in between you and a great story (and publication) is a bruised ego. Read on to find out if you're undermining yourself! Read More

Time to Cover Your Clocks

By Susan K. Perry, Ph.D. on May 9, 2012 in Creating in Flow

Plain old linear time has its usefulness, but reinventing time can help you find the endless time of a flow state. Read More

Essential Reads: Editor's Picks

Current Issue

The High Art of Handling Problem People

How to handle difficult people.

Anxiety Blogs