Anxiety Treatment

Anxiety, depression, and other psychological conditions that affect your quality of life are more than just imbalances in the chemicals your brain uses to regulate your mood. Research shows that mood disorders occur when a variety of social, psychological, and environmental factors intersect in your life. Your childhood fears often leave a lasting imprint on…

Anxiety is not static. From your day-to-day activities to the people with whom you spend your time, the decisions you make in life affect your anxiety levels. For a chronic worrier, it can be tempting to seek out instantly gratifying practices for stress. The truth is that temporary solutions tend to feed and prolong anxiety…

Every year one in five adults in the United States experiences an emotional problem or mental disorder serious enough to warrant treatment. Psychotherapy – also referred to as talk therapy – is often recommended. What Is Psychotherapy? Psychotherapy addresses troubling symptoms and emotions using psychological techniques. There are many forms of “psychotherapy” – over 400…

Several of my patients commented on a recent article in the Health Section of the New York Times that dealt with perfectionism (“Unhappy? Self-critical? Maybe You’re Just a Perfectionist”, December 4, 2007). They’d homed in on the article because it was about the issue that had brought them into treatment with me. A problem that…

In order to manage debilitating stress disorders, it’s important to look beyond simply treating harmful symptoms. Medications that target your muscle tension or rapid heartbeat—while potentially helpful—are rarely the best method of meaningfully addressing the roots of chronic anxiety. When anxious responses begin affecting your quality of life, it could be time to seek help….

Who is that gentleman with his head divided into compartments? He’s a 19th-century phrenology chart, and deserves a closer look. Phrenology held that all mental faculties occupied specific parts of the brain. A well-developed faculty made the skull bulge, a weak one did the opposite. Phrenologists would read people’s character by studying their heads, and…

Several of my patients commented on a recent article in the New York Times that dealt with perfectionism (“Unhappy? Self-critical? Maybe You’re Just a Perfectionist”). It touched on a disturbing trait they recognized in themselves. These people suffered from a variety of symptoms – anxiety, depression, problems in careers and relationships – that appeared to…

Life goes along in a manageable way much of the time. We’re able to handle problems when they arise, and that feels good. Inevitably, though, there are stretches of rough water where the problems are unfamiliar, the stress is great, and even a well-adjusted person can benefit from professional help. If you’re at such a…

Stress is a normal part of life in general and work in particular. Any perceived challenge puts your body into a state of physiological alert, ready for action. This is productive in moderate doses. Stress keeps you focused and solution-oriented. It’s a key factor in success. Prolonged stress, on the other hand, is unhealthy –…

It’s often thought that people who are “geniuses” in their fields are born with superior genetic material, i.e., high-IQ brains. Not so, says psychologist K. Anders Ericcson. “You can be an international chess master with an IQ of 85,” or 15 points below normal. Superior performers in all fields—surgeons, chess masters, athletes, musicians—typically have the…