November 24, 20069:28 pm
posted by Aric Thorpe, MHR

10 Steps To Surviving the Holidays

There are several things that one can keep in mind during the holiday season to lessen the negatives that commonly go along with the territory. Embracing the childlike joy of the holidays, watching what one eats and creating boundaries with family are all ideas that could help manage the stresses of the season. The following is an excerpt of an article with a helpful collection of ideas to help the holiday season go smoother:

What is it with the holidays? We’re supposed to be happy, merry, and thankful and yet all too often, we’re depressed, anxious, and stressed. The pre-enlightened Scrooge had the right idea, we think. Bah, humbug, we say! But if Scrooge can turn it around, why can’t we? After all, are any of us as hard a nut to crack as he?
The following are 10 suggestions on how to survive the period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. Or how to turn around the holidays - without any ghostly visitations.

Click here to read “10 Steps To Surviving the Holidays”

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9:25 pm
posted by Aric Thorpe, MHR

Bad Childhood, Good Life

There are several mindsets and habits that we bring into our adult life from childhood. Patterns are established early in life on how we interact with people, how we deal with stress, and how we perceive ourselves. As an adult, some of these negative patterns are passed on from childhood and can cause anxiety, depression and other problems. Shifting away from these learned behaviors is difficult but doable. It takes courage and purposefulness. The following is an excerpt of an article entitled “Bad Childhood, Good Life,” which deals with this issue:

Dr. Laura asks, “What makes some people hold onto being a victim and others choose to improve their lives?” The answer is control.

According to Dr. Laura, when you are a perpetual victim, the past is in control of your present. When you are a conqueror, the present is controlled by your choices, in spite of the pain and pull of your past. Inspiring, isn’t it? Yet it is so difficult for some people to make up their minds and follow through, to become conquerors. Why? There are at least nine reasons, all having to do with an emotional attachment to certain kinds of crutches:

Click here to read “Bad Childhood, Good Life”

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November 22, 200612:59 pm
posted by Aric Thorpe, MHR

Emotional intimacy, not for everyone

Many psychotherapists believe that an intimate human relationship is good for you, but are some people better off alone? We might all know someone with intimacy issues, but could you ever imagine that love could be not only undesirable, but toxic? Dr. Richard A. Friedman, M.D. does. In an article published in The New York Times, Dr. Friedman had a patient that when pressured to marry his girlfriend, made an attempt to end his life. After a brief hospitalization, where the patient was treated for depression with medication, he relocated to Europe. His family says that after a visit with him, he seemed to lack feeling.

Typical of schizoid patients, this man had a lifelong pattern of detachment from people, few friends and limited emotional expressiveness. His well-meaning parents always encouraged him to make friends and, later on, to date, even though he was basically uninterested in social activities.

Some verses from the Bible that I think could be encouraging for someone struggling with emotional expressiveness:

1 Corinthians 7:32-35 I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs and how he can please the Lord. But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world and how he can please his wife and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world and how she can please her husband. I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.

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November 17, 20063:44 pm
posted by Aric Thorpe, MHR

AACAP: HIV-Infection in Children Leads to More Psychiatric Symptoms

Children infected with HIV have a higher instance of psychiatric problems, according to recent reports from an American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry meeting. Specifically, HIV infected children have a higer instance of generalized anxiety and ADHD, (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). Dr. Jerry Heaton, of St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, speculates that the virus’s effect on the central nervous system, neurotoxicity of antiretroviral medications and psychosocial issues are the major contributing factors to psychiatric problems in the infected children. Below is an excerpt of the article:

SAN DIEGO, Oct. 31 — For a variety of factors, HIV-infected children appear to have more psychiatric problems than uninfected children, researchers said here.

Caregivers reported significantly higher severity of generalized anxiety disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to preliminary findings of an ongoing, multicenter, longitudinal study reported at the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry meeting.

AACAP: HIV-Infection in Children Leads to More Psychiatric Symptoms

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2:47 pm
posted by Aric Thorpe, MHR

Episodes of Rage Seen as Tip of the Iceberg for Steroid Abuse

A recent study revealed that steroid abuse my not only be responsible for random outbursts of violence, but may also be being used as an aid for the criminally inclined. The study, preformed in Sweden, showed statistically that violence due to steroid abuse occurs more often with a weapon than without, the assumption being that random behaviors would not include a weapon for the most part. According to Dr. Klotz, in the Nov. 7th edition of Archives of General Psychiatry, steroid abusers were twice as likely to be involved in weapon offences. Dr. Klotz speculated that these abusers of steroids might be taking the drug in order to aid them in their criminal lifestyle. Below is an excerpt of the article:

The researchers used the country’s national police database to link criminal convictions to 1,400 individuals who were referred for testing from a range of sources, including centers for substance abuse treatment, police custody, and private medical practitioners.

The study found:

* 241 of the referred individuals tested positive for steroid use.
* Among those, the relative risk of having been convicted of weapons offenses, compared with those who tested negative, was 2.09, with a 95% confidence interval from 1.58 to 2.74.
* Steroid users were also more likely to have been convicted of fraud. The relative risk was 1.51, with a 95% confidence interval from 1.20 to 1.89.
* There were no significant differences with respect to either violent crimes or crimes against property.

Episodes of Rage Seen as Tip of the Iceberg for Steroid Abuse

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November 10, 20064:34 pm
posted by Aric Thorpe, MHR

Crystal Meth Detected In Newborns’ Hair

Researches recently found that crystal meth, or Methamphetamine, can be detected in the hair of newborns. Evidence collected from the study proves that the drug can cross the placenta and affect the fetus growing inside of the using mother. The testing for Methamphetamine in newborn’s hair began in 2003; since that time, there has been an increase in the detected use of the drug among pregnant women whose children had their hair tested. Horrifically, the tests also showed that most of the women detected to use meth during pregnancy were poly-users, causing even more health risks for the newborns. Dr. Garcia-Bournissen and his associates expressed that “there is the possibility that… children exposed in utero to methamphetamine are at risk of developmental problems.” The following is an excerpt of the article:

Methamphetamine can be detected in the hair of newborns whose mothers used the drug during pregnancy, researchers here have found. It represents the first direct evidence in humans that crystal meth, which is a growing drug-abuse problem in North America, can cross the placenta and affect the growing fetus, according to Facundo Garcia-Bournissen, M.D., of the Motherisk program at the Hospital for Sick Children.

Click here to read “Crstal Meth Detected in Newborns’ Hair”

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9:36 am
posted by Aric Thorpe, MHR

Tongues

The practice of speaking in tongues has its roots in both old and New Testament. Speaking in tongues is common among modern Pentecostal and Charismatic churches, among others. A recent study reviewed the neurological aspects of the practice and produced some intriguing results. A specific area of the brain was found to be active in all five women that were studied. Surprisingly, the frontal lobe, the area that controls the thinking and willful part of the brain, was silent while the participants prayed. The research adds scientific credibility to the experience of speaking in tongues, which many view as a subjective experience. The following is an excerpt of the article:

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania took brain images of five women while they spoke in tongues and found that their frontal lobes — the thinking, willful part of the brain through which people control what they do — were relatively quiet, as were the language centers. The regions involved in maintaining self-consciousness were active. The women were not in blind trances, and it was unclear which region was driving the behavior. The images, appearing in the current issue of the journal Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, pinpoint the most active areas of the brain.

Click here to read: “Tongues”

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