Publications - Anxiety Disorders

4 emotional workouts to help you feel empowered and promote resilience, by Juli Fraga, The Washington Post, Sep 28 2022.

“As the pandemic continues, so does the mental health crisis. Many of us are struggling with the grief and trauma the coronavirus unleashed, as well as stressors such as mass shootings and climate change. With so much suffering, there is a greater need for therapy, but many psychotherapists — myself included — can’t meet the rising demand.  One possible solution, says clinical psychologist Emily Anhalt, is to add an “emotional workout” to your self-care regimen. “Just like working out prevents high blood pressure and heart disease, emotional fitness can be a proactive stance toward stress management,” says Anhalt, the co-founder of Coa, a gym for mental health.  Self-care tools can be helpful, especially when barriers such as high-deductible insurance plans, high co-pays and living in remote areas can make mental health care difficult to afford or access. And while the pandemic isn’t solely to blame for the lack of therapists, it’s certainly made things worse, says Vaile Wright, the senior director of health-care innovation at the American Psychological Association.  With too few mental health resources, we need innovative ways to make psychological care more accessible, she says. If you’re waiting to see a therapist, can’t afford mental health care or have recently finished therapy, emotional exercises are one way to strengthen your psychological muscles. While these workouts aren’t meant to replace individual or group therapy, Anhalt says they can promote resilience and help you feel empowered. ”

Youth Mental Health Was Declining in the U.S. Long Before COVID-19, by Brian Mastroianni, Healthline, Sep 26 2022.

“There have been several studies that have zeroed in on the state of mental health for young people today, both in the United States and around the world.  Now, a recent report is shedding light on mental health trends for children and adolescents, giving clarity to the fact that a lot of these problems (while exacerbated by the global pandemic) have been present before the emergence of the coronavirus outbreak and likely will continue to be a major issue as it subsides.  Experts say research like this is important in providing a pathway for educators, policymakers, and parents and guardians alike to provide better systems of support and interventions for young people as they encounter the realities impacting their mental health today. ”

In a first, health panel calls for routine anxiety screening in adults, by Rachel Zimmerman, The Washington Post, Sep 20 2022.

“The draft recommendations, from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, are designed to help primary care clinicians identify early signs of anxiety during routine care, using questionnaires and other screening tools.   Anxiety disorders are often unrecognized and under detected in primary care: One study cited by the task force found the median time for initiating treatment for anxiety is a staggering 23 years.  ”

As school starts, teachers add a mental-health check-in to their lesson plans, by Rhitu Chatterjee, NPR, Sep 2 2022.

“As the new school year begins, teachers at many schools across the country are adding a new component to their routines: a mental health check-in with their students. The idea is to open up conversations around how kids are feeling emotionally, and to connect them to help before issues escalate to a crisis. [...] The new approach comes after two and a half rocky years of pandemic, with kids' lives disrupted by bouts of remote schooling and many families in economic stress, which worsened the already shaky state of children's mental health in the U.S. In 2020, the CDC reported a greater proportion of kids showing up at emergency rooms in a mental health crises: serious suicide attempts, eating disorders, aggressive behaviors. "The thing that's most concerned us was really the number of significant self-harm and suicidal ideation that we've seen in an emergency room," says Dr. Smriti Khare, pediatrician and the chief mental and behavioral health office at Children's Wisconsin, in Milwaukee, which saw a 40% rise in visits to the ER after the start of the pandemic in 2020 compared to the year before. ”

The Mental Health Effects of Ghosting, by Dan Mager, MSW, Psychology Today, Aug 31 2022.

“Other research indicates the adverse effects that ghosting can have on mental health and emotional well-being.[3] Short-term consequences included overwhelming rejection and confusion along with wounded self-esteem. Contributing factors involved the lack of closure and clarity—not knowing why communication abruptly stopped, leaving the person being ghosted trying to make sense of the situation. Long-term effects for “ghostees” centered around feelings of mistrust that developed over time, in some cases spilling over to future relationships. Such experiences often precipitated internalized rejection, self-blame, and feelings of low self-worth. However, there were also psychological consequences for those perpetrating ghosting. Approximately 50 percent of those who ghosted others experienced feelings of guilt or remorse or guilt. Findings also suggested that as people increasingly utilize ghosting as a way of ending relationships and essentially practice “serial ghosting,” it can become habitual. This has the potential to inhibit personal growth as genuine intimacy becomes more unfamiliar and “ghosters” become more and more comfortable avoiding it. ”

Confronting Health Worker Burnout and Well-Being, by Vivek H. Murthy, M.D., M.B.A., New England Journal of Medicine, Aug 18 2022.

“Expressions of gratitude have too often been replaced by hostility, anger, and even death threats toward health workers, as health misinformation has exploded, eroding trust in science and public health experts. Yet doctors, nurses, pharmacists, social workers, respiratory therapists, hospital security officers, and staff members of health care and public health organizations continue showing up to battle the pandemic and its sequelae — long Covid, mental health strain, widening health disparities, and 2 years’ worth of deferred care for myriad conditions.  The toll on our health workers is alarming. Thousands of them have died from Covid. More than half of health workers report symptoms of burnout,1 and many are contending with insomnia, depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, or other mental health challenges.2  ”

Men’s Body-Image Issues Got Worse During the Pandemic—Even if Many Didn’t Realize It, by Heidi Mitchell, The Wall Street Journal, Aug 14 2022.

“Having a negative body image has long been considered a female problem. Countless books, videos and after-school specials have been devoted to highlighting the concern and the damage it does to girls and women.  But men are nearly as likely to suffer from negative body-image concerns—and studies suggest that the stress and anxiety of the pandemic only made things worse.  Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD)—a clinical disorder in which people become preoccupied with a perceived imperfection in their physical appearance to the point that it causes them significant emotional distress or interferes with their day-to-day functioning—was first listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders in the 1980s. Population studies show that 2.4% of Americans currently suffer from BDD, though most experts believe this number is underreported and may impact up to 3% of the population. [...] Without proper treatment, the consequences for men with BDD can be severe. About 80% of these men have had suicidal ideation at some point during their lives, and about 25% have attempted suicide. Signs of BDD include spending at least one hour a day thinking about perceived defects, obsessively looking at or avoiding mirrors, compulsively comparing oneself to others, missing work or school, an increased likelihood of alcohol or drug abuse, anabolic steroid usage (among men with muscle dysmorphia), and a feeling that one looks unattractive or even hideous. ”

How the U.S. Can Solve a Shortage of Mental-Health Professionals, by Lisa Ward, The Wall Street Journal, Aug 14 2022.

“Many sufferers of mental-health issues can’t find the help they need. Often there just aren’t enough providers.  More than a third of the U.S. population, about 130 million people, live in areas that have a dearth of mental-health workers. Residents of underserved areas have roughly a quarter of the providers they need, in aggregate, the Kaiser Family Foundation says. The shortage is even more acute in rural areas. About 80% of rural counties lack access to a single psychiatrist, according to a report by the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, citing data from the Health Resources and Services Administration.  The pandemic brought the shortage of mental-health services into sharp focus as more adults sought help to deal with the stress and disruption of their daily lives. Children suffered immensely, too, as prolonged school closures weren’t only psychologically damaging, but also caused many children’s mental-health conditions to go unnoticed because teachers and school psychologists are a primary source of referrals. ”

Make space, listen, offer hope: How to help a child at risk of suicide, by Rhitu Chatterjee and Michelle Aslam, NPR, Jul 18 2022.

“As the coronavirus pandemic has worsened the mental health of kids, more families are dealing with their children feeling anxious, depressed and thinking about and even attempting suicide. But mental health professionals say that suicide is preventable and that parents and family members can play an important role.  It's hard work that requires parents to listen to their children, acknowledge their struggles and help them find a way out of their darkness. And in the long run, it calls for creating a home environment where kids feel safe sharing their emotional lives and where families solve problems together. ”

The new 988 mental health hotline is live. Here's what to know, by Rhitu Chatterjee, NPR, Jul 16 2022.

“People experiencing a mental health crisis have a new way to reach out for help in the U.S. Starting Saturday, they can simply call or text the numbers 9-8-8.  Modeled after 911, the new three-digit 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is designed to be a memorable and quick number that connects people who are suicidal or in any other mental health crisis to a trained mental health professional.  "If you are willing to turn to someone in your moment of crisis, 988 will be there," said Xavier Becerra, the secretary of the federal Department of Health and Human Services, at a recent press briefing. "988 won't be a busy signal, and 988 won't put you on hold. You will get help." ”

It’s Science: Preschool play protects your child’s mental health later in life, by Kristen Fischer, Motherly, Jul 5 2022.

“Preschoolers who learn to play well with others have better mental health as they age, according to a recent study. The research looked at “peer play ability,” an indicator of how well kids play with each other.  The report provides the first clear evidence that peer play ability “has a protective effect on mental health,” the authors said in a statement. The study appeared in Child Psychiatry and Human Development.  Three-year-olds who had better peer play ability consistently had fewer signs of poor mental health when they were 7 years old. That is, their parents and teachers reported fewer emotional issues and conduct problems, they were less likely to get into spats with other kids, and they had lower hyperactivity.  ”

Myths about abortion and women's mental health are widespread, experts say, by Sandee LaMotte, CNN, Jul 2 2022.

“"There's so much misinformation, so many myths about abortion. Abortion will lead to substance abuse, depression, suicidal thoughts; abortion is bad for your health; every woman is going to regret it," said social psychologist Brenda Major, a distinguished professor emeritus in the department of psychological and brain sciences at the University of California, Santa Barbara.  In reality, decades of research has shown "the vast majority of women feel they made the right choice, and they don't experience regret," said Major, who led a 2008 American Psychological Association task force exploring the science on abortion and mental health. ”

Here’s How to Cry the Right Way to Relieve Stress and Anxiety, by Elizabeth Bernstein, The Wall Street Journal, Jun 28 2022.

“Stressed out? Sleep deprived? Sad?  You may need a good cry. Crying is an important coping mechanism, psychologists say. It allows us to express difficult emotions. It may help reduce stress by activating the parasympathetic nervous system, which controls the body’s ability to relax. And, perhaps most important, it allows us to solicit emotional support and bond.  “Suppression of painful emotions inhibits your ability to feel all emotions,” says Natalie Dattilo, a clinical psychologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and instructor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. “One of the best ways to feel better, and get better at feeling, is to cry.” ”

AAP now recommends screening all kids 12 and up for depression and suicide risk, by Sarah Pool, MA, LPC, NCC, Motherly, Jun 13 2022.

“Depression and suicide risk in children has reached unprecedented levels. Last year, amid the pandemic, youth mental health was declared a "national emergency" by a coalition representing over 77,000 physicians and over 200 children's hospitals. Additionally, the U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek H. Murthy issued a 53-page advisory warning in 2021 of a growing mental health crisis among young people.   The CDC also released a 2022 report revealing a worsening mental health climate—asserting that 21% of teens experienced a major depressive episode before the pandemic, and 9% of children and adolescents experienced anxiety problems. The pandemic has only exacerbated these issues.  In response to this growing crisis, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recently issued a draft recommendation urging that pediatricians help screen for mental health issues such as major depressive disorder and anxiety. They are also now proposing that all adolescents are screened for suicide risk. ”

More states are allowing students to take mental health days off, by Giles Bruce, NPR, Jun 10 2022.

“The state allows K-12 students in public schools to have five excused absences per school year for mental health reasons, another example of the growing acknowledgment among lawmakers that emotional and physical health are intertwined. The new policy, which went into effect at the beginning of 2022, passed both chambers of the state legislature unanimously. But such novel policies are, in many ways, a half-step toward addressing the crisis of teenage mental health that has been highlighted and exacerbated by the educational interruptions caused by the pandemic. Many parts of the country are woefully short of therapists who can work with students to address mental health problems.  Seventy percent of schools that responded to a federal survey in April said more students had sought mental health services since the pandemic started. The National Center for Education Statistics' polling also showed that only 56% of schools said they effectively provide mental health services to all students in need and just 41% reported hiring new staff members to help address students' mental health needs. Nearly half the nation lives in a designated mental health worker shortage area, according to government data, and an estimated 7,550 new professionals are needed to fill that void nationwide. Even in places where mental health professionals are more plentiful, they often do not accept public insurance, making them inaccessible to many kids. ”