Publications - Anxiety Disorders

My Age of Anxiety: Fear, Hope, Dread, and the Search for Peace of Mind, by Scott Stossel, 2014.

Childhood Maltreatment Can Leave Scars In The Brain, by Jon Hamilton, NPR , Nov 4 2013.

“Maltreatment during childhood can lead to long-term changes in brain circuits that process fear, researchers say. This could help explain why children who suffer abuse are much more likely than others to develop problems like anxiety and depression later on ”

Full Catastrophic Living, by John Kabat-Zin, Sep 24 2013.

Tackling fears 'while you sleep', by Caroline Parkinson, BBC , Sep 22 2013.

“People with phobias are already commonly treated with "gradual exposure" therapy while they are awake, where they are exposed to the thing they are frightened of in incremental degrees. This study suggests that the theory could be extended to therapy while they are in slow-wave, or deep, sleep. This is the deepest period of sleep, where memories, particularly those linked to emotions, are thought to be processed. ”

When patients have 'music emergencies', by Elizabeth Landau, CNN , Aug 23 2013.

“There is scientific research to back up the idea that music has healing properties. A 2013 analysis by Daniel Levitin, a prominent psychologist who studies the neuroscience of music at McGill University in Montreal, and his colleagues highlighted a variety of evidence: for instance, one study showed music's anti-anxiety properties, another found music was associated with higher levels of immunoglobin A, an antibody linked to immunity. The brain's reward center responds to music -- a brain structure called the striatum releases the chemical dopamine, associated with pleasure. Food and sex also have this effect. The dopamine rush could even be comparable to methamphetamines, Robert Zatorre, professor of neurology and neurosurgery at Montreal Neurological Institute, told CNN last year. ”

Apps for Mastering Your Mood, by Maia Szalavitz, Time Magazine , Jul 18 2013.

“"How do you feel?" can be a surprisingly difficult question to answer, but new apps are making it possible to track the ups and downs of your emotional weather as easily as EKGs graph heart rate. New fitness devices allow you to track your heart rate, the amount of calories you burn, your skin temperature and even changing electrical conductance on your body, so why not the ebb and flow of mood? A recent poll found that nearly 70% of Americans track at least one physical health indicator and 21% of them rely on some type of app to keep them updated on how they’re doing. ”

Anxiety Lingers Long After Cancer, by Jan Hoffman, The New York Times , Jul 12 2013.

“There has been less attention paid to the disease's emotional impact on spouses. They, too, can become depressed. But with the roles of caregiver and cheerleader thrust upon them, they may feel constrained about expressing their darker feelings. Now a new analysis finds that within two years of a cancer diagnosis, the pervasiveness of depression in patients and their spouses tends to drop back to roughly the same levels as in the general population, only to be replaced by another mind-demon: anxiety, which can even intensify as time passes. ”

Monkey Mind: A Memoir of Anxiety, by Daniel Smith, 2013.

Meditation Combined With Art Therapy Can Change Your Brain and Lower Anxiety, by Science Daily, ScienceDaily , Nov 28 2012.

“Cancer and stress go hand-in-hand, and high stress levels can lead to poorer health outcomes in cancer patients. The Jefferson-Myrna Brind Center of Integrative Medicine combined creative art therapy with a Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program for women with breast cancer and showed changes in brain activity associated with lower stress and anxiety after the eight-week program. ”

6 Breathing Exercises to Relax in 10 Minutes or Less, by Jordan Shakeshaft, Time , Oct 8 2012.

“Controlled breathing not only keeps the mind and body functioning at their best, it can also lower blood pressure, promote feelings of calm and relaxation and help us de-stress. While the effects of breathing techniques on anxiety haven't yet been studied at length (at least not in a controlled clinical setting), many experts encourage using the breath as a means of increasing awareness, mindfulness or, for the yogis among us, finding that elusive state of Zen. ”

Exercise Can Help Protect Against Future Emotional Stress, by Janice Wood, Psych Central , Sep 14 2012.

“Exercise may help people cope with anxiety and stress for an extended period of time after the workout, according to a new study. Researchers compared how moderate intensity cycling for 30 minutes versus a 30-minute period of rest affected anxiety levels in a group of healthy college students. ”

Math Anxiety Hits High-Achieving Kids Hardest, by Janice Wood, Psych Central , Sep 13 2012.

“A study of first and second graders found that many high-achieving students experience math anxiety, with worry and fear undermining them so much that they can fall behind other students who don't have that anxiety. Researchers at the University of Chicago found that math anxiety was most detrimental to the highest-achieving students, who typically have the most working memory. ”

Predicting how patients respond to therapy, by Anne Trafton, MIT , Sep 6 2012.

“A new study led by MIT neuroscientists has found that brain scans of patients with social anxiety disorder can help predict whether they will benefit from cognitive behavioral therapy. Social anxiety is usually treated with either cognitive behavioral therapy or medications. However, it is currently impossible to predict which treatment will work best for a particular patient. The team of researchers from MIT, Boston University (BU) and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) found that the effectiveness of therapy could be predicted by measuring patients’ brain activity as they looked at photos of faces, before the therapy sessions began. ”

Sleep Deficit Can Lead to High Anxiety, by Rick Nauert, Psych Central , Jun 11 2012.

“Investigators say their findings show that sleep loss markedly exaggerates the degree to which we anticipate impending emotional events. This overreaction often occurs among highly anxious people, making them especially vulnerable. ”

Anxiety Can Hinder Friendship Development, by Rick Nauert, Psych Central , Aug 31 2011.

“A new study looks at children who are socially withdrawn - kids who want to interact with their peers but are afraid to do so - and how the shyness affects their emotional stability. ”