Showing posts with label anxiety. Show all posts
Showing posts with label anxiety. Show all posts
Friday, March 20, 2020
Saturday, April 11, 2015
Melatonin proves effective as anti-depressent among women with breast cancer
The study showed that "melatonin significantly reduced the risk of depressive symptoms in women with breast cancer during a three-month period after surgery."
Researchers undertook the study because depression, anxiety and sleep disturbances are known problems in patients with breast cancer and since the effect of melatonin as an antidepressant in humans with cancer had not been investigated.
"We investigated whether melatonin could lower the risk of depressive symptoms in women with breast cancer in a three-month period after surgery and assessed the effect of melatonin on subjective parameters: anxiety, sleep, general well-being, fatigue, pain and sleepiness," said Melissa V. Hansen, the lead investigator.
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial undertaken from July 2011 to December 2012 at a department of breast surgery in Copenhagen, Denmark. Women, 30-75 years, undergoing surgery for breast cancer and without signs of depression on Major Depression Inventory (MDI) were included 1 week before surgery and received 6 mg oral melatonin or placebo for 3 months.
The primary outcome was the incidence of depressive symptoms measured by MDI. The secondary outcomes were area under the curve (AUC) for the subjective parameters. 54 patients were randomized to melatonin (n = 28) or placebo (n = 26) and 11 withdrew from the study (10 placebo group and 1 melatonin group, P = 0.002).
The risk of developing depressive symptoms was significantly lower with melatonin than with placebo (3 [11 %] of 27 vs. 9 [45 %] of 20; relative risk 0.25 [95 % CI 0.077-0.80]), giving a NNT of 3.0 [95 % CI 1.7-11.0]. No significant differences were found between AUC for the subjective parameters. No differences in side effects were found (P = 0.78).
Reference:
Melissa V Hansen, Lærke T Andersen, Michael T Madsen, Ida Hageman, Lars S Rasmussen, Susanne Bokmand, Jacob Rosenberg, & Ismail Gögenur. (2014, June). Effect of melatonin on depressive symptoms and anxiety in patients undergoing breast cancer surgery: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Breast Cancer Research and Treatment Journal. 145(3):683-95. Epub 2014 Apr 23. PMID: 24756186
Susan Bodiker is a former 'fat girl' – and she will be the first one to tell you that. Like so many women, her body image issues started at a young age, and it didn't matter if she was at a weight of 120, 130, or 140 – she still saw a 'fat girl' staring back at her in the mirror. It was only when she learned to nourish her mind and heart first that she lost the weight and gained the confidence to create a meaningful, happy life – and she wants that to be every girl's story.
Bodiker founded One Girl Wellness, a health-coaching consultancy dedicated to "raising stronger women one girl at a time." She shares her journey and guidance for others to find that strength in her new book, Fat Girl: How to Let Go of Your Weight and Get on With Your Life, a roadmap to greater self-knowledge, self-awareness and self-esteem.
One Girl Wellness deals with topics including:
About Susan Bodiker:
With 30 years' experience as a copywriter, broadcast producer and account planner, Susan Bodiker has developed branding, image and fund-raising campaigns for advocacy, association, health care, nonprofit, professional practice and retail clients. She has also created print, broadcast and digital advertising, training materials and web content for a range of local and national marketers—from AARP to the YMCA. She is the founder of One Girl Wellness, a health-coaching consultancy dedicated to "raising stronger women one girl at a time".
Website: www.onegirlwellness.com; www.susan-bodiker.com
Fat Girl: How to Let Go of Your Weight and Get on With Your Life can be purchased from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and through all major booksellers.
Connect with Susan Bodiker on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and GoodReads.
'One Girl Wellness' Founder Offers Tips for Mindfulness, Self-Compassion, and Self-Love
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| Susan Bodiker |
Bodiker founded One Girl Wellness, a health-coaching consultancy dedicated to "raising stronger women one girl at a time." She shares her journey and guidance for others to find that strength in her new book, Fat Girl: How to Let Go of Your Weight and Get on With Your Life, a roadmap to greater self-knowledge, self-awareness and self-esteem.
One Girl Wellness deals with topics including:
- What's Your Go-To Mantra? Rid yourself of negative, self-defeating mindsets and replace them with words to live by on a daily basis
- Mind Over Platter. Learn to become a more mindful, less distracted eater by living fully in the moment
- Stretching Hurts. And That's a Good Thing. Stretching pushes you through temporary discomfort to get to a better place - in other words, a way to become transformative
- How Does This Make You Feel? Women excel in dieting usually at the same rate they do self-loathing. The key to reversing that: Learning "body self-compassion"
About Susan Bodiker:
With 30 years' experience as a copywriter, broadcast producer and account planner, Susan Bodiker has developed branding, image and fund-raising campaigns for advocacy, association, health care, nonprofit, professional practice and retail clients. She has also created print, broadcast and digital advertising, training materials and web content for a range of local and national marketers—from AARP to the YMCA. She is the founder of One Girl Wellness, a health-coaching consultancy dedicated to "raising stronger women one girl at a time".
Website: www.onegirlwellness.com; www.susan-bodiker.com
Fat Girl: How to Let Go of Your Weight and Get on With Your Life can be purchased from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and through all major booksellers.
Connect with Susan Bodiker on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and GoodReads.
Friday, May 03, 2013
Take the 3-Minute Mental Health Screen Free for May, Mental Health Month
ROCKVILLE, MARYLAND – (May 3, 2013) – According to the National Institute of Mental Health, in any given year approximately 25 percent of the adult population in the country are diagnosable for one or more mental health disorders. What’s more, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that antidepressants rank as the third-most-common prescription drugs taken by Americans of all ages. May is known as Mental Health Month, making it a great time to raise awareness about the need for evaluation.
“Many people suffer from mental health issues but are unaware of it, of how serious it is, or what to do about it,” explains Dr. Gerald Hurowitz, an assistant clinical professor of psychology at Columbia University, as well as president of M3 Information, a company that makes tools to assist in mental health assessment and management. “That’s why so many people are taking three minutes out of their busy day in order to see what their number is.”
M3 has developed WhatsMyM3 mental health screen, the only assessment tool that has been medically proven to screen for depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder and PTSD. The tool can provide helpful information to the person taking it, as well as to clinicians.
The three minute test online at WhatsMyM3.com has always been free. For the month of May the developers have made the iTunes and Google Play WhatsMyM3 app, which gives people the ability to track their scores, as a free download. By answering a series of questions about how one is feeling and sleeping, and a variety of other lifestyle factors, the person is given a score. A score of 33 and up may indicate that the individual’s life is being impacted by a mood disorder.
In the efforts to end the stigma surrounding mental health, people are sharing their WhatsMyM3 mental health scores on line and using the hashtag #WhatsYourNumber to encourage others to do the same..
“Having an underlying mental health issue can be devastating,” adds Dr. Gerald Hurowitz. “It impacts your life, it puts you at a higher risk for chronic diseases, and it can take years off of your life. Our three-minute test can be life-changing for those who may need mental health assistance.”
To learn more the mental health screen, or to take the test, visit the site at www.whatsmym3.com. To learn more about the social media campaign and the partnership with Mental Health America please visit: http://www.
About M3 Information
M3 Information, based in Rockville, Maryland, creates innovative tools that help people with mental health assessment and management. The goal of the Mental Health Number tool is to help people assess their state of mental health within three minutes. It was created based on the M3 Checklist validation study that was published in the Annals of Family Medicine. The information provided by the test helps reduce the incidence of missed mental health cases and mistreatment. For more information about M3 Information, visit the site at www.whatsmym3.com.
Sources:
Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Antidepressant Use in Persons Aged 12 and Over. <http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/
National Institutes of Mental Health. Any Disorder Among Adults. <http://www.nimh.nih.gov/
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| Spring flowers - Photo by Annelise Woodward |
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| Crab apple blossom - Photo by Annelise Woodward |
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Overcoming Anxiety: Psychologist's Compassion-Focused Therapy to Calm Worry, Panic and Fear
According to findings of the World Health Organization's global mental health survey, anxiety disorders are the world's most common psychiatric disorders. There are many factors that contribute to developing a mind that is prone to intense anxiety, but there are also many things you can do to change the way it works. Research has shown that one of those things, practicing kindness and compassion, soothes experiences of fear, while self-critical thoughts tend to intensify them. If you become frustrated with your anxious reactions or consistently try to talk yourself out of your anxiety, it may be time to try a different approach – one that can be found in the new book by Dennis Tirch, PhD, The Compassionate-Mind Guide to Overcoming Anxiety: Using Compassion-Focused Therapy to Calm Worry, Panic, and Fear.
This user-friendly program, using an integration of Behavior Therapy, Buddhist Psychology, and Evolutionary Neuroscience, will help you learn to be kinder to yourself, soothe your anxiety, and step forward into a life of meaning, purpose and vitality. Developed through decades of research and innovation, the book provides a systematic, responsive and scientifically sound approach to the problem of human suffering.
The Compassionate-Mind Guide to Overcoming Anxiety, complete with worksheets, exercises, and meditation practices, includes everything you need to learn mindfulness and compassion-focused skills for redirecting your anxious thoughts and allowing yourself to enjoy a more peaceful life.
"I intentionally wrote this book," says Dr. Tirch, "with the voice of a compassionate friend and fellow traveler, who will explain the underlying theory of how compassion soothes our fears and brings us greater courage. The theory is presented in a gentle and step by step way, and techniques are quite easy to learn and practice , on your own, or working with a therapist, teacher or friend."
The Compassionate-Mind Guide to Overcoming Anxiety is divided into two sections:
"My hope is that the practices I describe in The Compassionate-Mind Guide to Overcoming Anxiety," adds Dr. Tirch, "will open the way to greater self-compassion, well-being, and a growing capacity to bring mindful awareness and kindness into your life, moment by moment."
Dennis D. Tirch, PhD, is associate director of the American Institute for Cognitive Therapy, founder and director of The Center for Mindfulness and Compassion Focused Therapy and serves as adjunct assistant clinical professor at Weill-Cornell Medical College. He is coauthor of books and articles on mindfulness, acceptance, and compassion, and maintains an active research program in these areas with Robert L. Leahy. Dr. Tirch is a fellow of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy and founding co-president of the New York City chapter of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science.
Website: www.MindfulCompassion.com
The Compassionate-Mind Guide to Overcoming Anxiety can be purchased from www.amazon.com, www.barnesandnoble.com and through all major booksellers.
This user-friendly program, using an integration of Behavior Therapy, Buddhist Psychology, and Evolutionary Neuroscience, will help you learn to be kinder to yourself, soothe your anxiety, and step forward into a life of meaning, purpose and vitality. Developed through decades of research and innovation, the book provides a systematic, responsive and scientifically sound approach to the problem of human suffering.
The Compassionate-Mind Guide to Overcoming Anxiety, complete with worksheets, exercises, and meditation practices, includes everything you need to learn mindfulness and compassion-focused skills for redirecting your anxious thoughts and allowing yourself to enjoy a more peaceful life.
"I intentionally wrote this book," says Dr. Tirch, "with the voice of a compassionate friend and fellow traveler, who will explain the underlying theory of how compassion soothes our fears and brings us greater courage. The theory is presented in a gentle and step by step way, and techniques are quite easy to learn and practice , on your own, or working with a therapist, teacher or friend."
The Compassionate-Mind Guide to Overcoming Anxiety is divided into two sections:
- Part I provides background information that explores exploring the evolutionary nature of anxiety and how it operates.
- Part II examines how we are able to soothe our anxiety by experiencing a sense of safety, contentment and calm. Readers will learn of the often sometimes-untapped capacities they have to alleviate their anxiety using their intuitive wisdom, courage and compassion. Part II also provides detailed, workable and user-friendly techniques based on Compassion-Focused Therapy to help overcome anxiety.
"My hope is that the practices I describe in The Compassionate-Mind Guide to Overcoming Anxiety," adds Dr. Tirch, "will open the way to greater self-compassion, well-being, and a growing capacity to bring mindful awareness and kindness into your life, moment by moment."
Dennis D. Tirch, PhD, is associate director of the American Institute for Cognitive Therapy, founder and director of The Center for Mindfulness and Compassion Focused Therapy and serves as adjunct assistant clinical professor at Weill-Cornell Medical College. He is coauthor of books and articles on mindfulness, acceptance, and compassion, and maintains an active research program in these areas with Robert L. Leahy. Dr. Tirch is a fellow of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy and founding co-president of the New York City chapter of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science.
Website: www.MindfulCompassion.com
The Compassionate-Mind Guide to Overcoming Anxiety can be purchased from www.amazon.com, www.barnesandnoble.com and through all major booksellers.
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