tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12001034157725789542024-03-05T23:33:38.274-08:00Gary ZomaltGary Zomalthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082162652191662502noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1200103415772578954.post-16734904725681285162013-12-10T13:56:00.003-08:002013-12-10T13:56:44.720-08:00REPOST: Better Diagnosis of Anxiety Could Improve Care for Veterans<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i><b>This <a href="http://psychcentral.com/news/2013/12/09/better-diagnosis-of-anxiety-could-improve-care-for-veterans/63063.html" target="_blank">article from PsychCentral.com</a> discusses the new method on how anxiety can be diagnosed in veterans. </b></i><br /><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Source: <a href="http://psychcentral.com/news/2013/12/09/better-diagnosis-of-anxiety-could-improve-care-for-veterans/63063.html" target="_blank">psychcentral.com</a></td></tr>
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<br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">A new study discovers that many veterans receive a diagnosis of generalized<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://psychcentral.com/disorders/anxiety/" style="color: #006688;" title="anxiety">anxiety</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>rather than a more accurate, specific diagnosis of their condition.</span></span><br /><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
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Accordingly, veterans who suffer from anxiety may not get appropriate treatment for their particular condition.</div>
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<br />Lead researcher Terri L. Barrera, Ph.D., and her colleagues at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston looked at data from Veterans Health Administration outpatient records for patients with anxiety.</div>
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<br />As reported in the journal<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><em>General Hospital Psychiatry</em>, the researchers discovered 38 percent of the sample was diagnosed with anxiety non-specified (NOS).</div>
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<br />The research team expected to find that a diagnosis of anxiety NOS disorder was only used temporarily until a more specific diagnosis was decided on. That was not the case.</div>
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“Unfortunately, our results suggested that only 12 percent of the patients with an initial anxiety NOS diagnosis received a specific anxiety diagnosis within the year,” said Barrera.</div>
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<br />Anxiety might be related to<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://psychcentral.com/disorders/ptsd/" style="color: #006688;" title="post-traumatic stress">post-traumatic stress</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>or be a symptom of generalized anxiety disorder,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://psychcentral.com/disorders/anxiety/panic.html" style="color: #006688;" title="panic">panic</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>disorder,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://psychcentral.com/disorders/ocd/" style="color: #006688;" title="obsessive-compulsive">obsessive-compulsive</a>disorder,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://psychcentral.com/disorders/anxiety/social_phobia.html" style="color: #006688;" title="social anxiety">social anxiety</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>disorder or a specific phobia.</div>
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While treatments for various anxiety disorders are similar, usually including medication and behavioral<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://psychcentral.com/psychotherapy/" style="color: #006688;" title="therapy">therapy</a>, the approach might differ.</div>
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<br />Veterans with a specific anxiety diagnosis were more likely to receive mental health services.</div>
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From 60 to 67 percent of those with the most frequently diagnosed specific anxiety disorders received treatment, while only 32 percent of patients with a non-specific diagnosis received mental health services during the year following diagnosis.</div>
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<br />“While anxiety is a problem for all who suffer from it, getting the correct treatment is especially important for veterans. Within any given year, 18 percent of the general population may be diagnosed with anxiety. For veterans, it’s 33 percent.</div>
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<br />“Veterans are twice as likely to experience clinical levels of anxiety than the general public,” said Barrera.</div>
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<br />“Anxiety disorders can be devastating, and are associated with increased disability and risk for suicide.”</div>
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<br />Unfortunately, anxiety disorders may go unrecognized and untreated, particularly in primary care settings.</div>
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<br />Primary care providers only detect 50 percent of patients with mental health problems, note the researchers. Even fewer are adequately treated or referred for specific mental health services.</div>
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“It’s important to do regular screening in any high-risk population,” said Shirley Glynn, Ph.D., a research psychologist and co-director of UCLA’s Welcome Back Veterans Family Resilience Center.</div>
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“We want to be more diligent and do screening early so we can offer intervention if needed, so the condition won’t become more chronic.”</div>
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<br />Anxiety NOS is frequently used as a temporary diagnosis with the expectation that the health care provider will eventually make a more specific diagnosis at a later date.</div>
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One problem with not making a specific diagnosis is that primary care doctors may not know who to refer patients to, notes Glynn.</div>
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<br />“Right now there are several models to improve treatment,” said Glynn.</div>
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<br />“One involves having a mental health professional located in a primary care clinic, such as a psychiatric nurse, a psychologist or a psychiatrist who is available in a timely manner to provide a consultation.</div>
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<br />“Another possibility is to utilize short screening questionnaires with patients before they see a physician and then these can be reviewed with the doctor.”</div>
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<br />Source:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.cfah.org/" style="color: #006688;">CFAH – Health Behavioral News Service</a></div>
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<i><b>More topics on mental health can be read in this Dr. Gary Zomalt <a href="http://garyzomaltblog.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">blog site</a>. </b></i>Gary Zomalthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082162652191662502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1200103415772578954.post-54945662986908187042013-11-22T21:23:00.001-08:002013-11-22T21:23:59.050-08:00Expressive art heals depression<blockquote>
<i><b>Unexpressed emotions will never die. They are buried alive and will come forth later in uglier ways. - Sigmund Freud</b></i></blockquote>
Of this famous line, Freud draws out the importance of self-expression not only as an art but also as a form of life that lives within the system of a person. Further, it emphasizes that suppressed emotions can lead a person to great danger if left hidden for a long time.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Source: <a href="http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/beautiful-minds/2013/05/06/turning-adversity-into-creative-growth/" target="_blank">scientificamerican.com</a></td></tr>
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The role of expressive art is no longer new in the field of psychiatric care. Through the years, the method of using art as a form of therapy has blossomed among psychiatric institutions, which today offers various types of expressive therapies, such as writing, dance, and psychodrama.<br />
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In several <a href="http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/articles/summoning-muse-role-expressive-arts-therapy-psychiatric-care/">recent studies</a>,
the use of expressive arts therapy has proven to help people cope with
their depression as it offers a safe haven for patients to explore their
feelings, manage their behaviors, and resolve personal issues.
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Source: <a href="http://psychology.about.com/od/careersinpsychology/tp/child-related-psychology-careers.htm" target="_blank">about.com</a></td></tr>
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<br />One notable study proving the power of expressive art is a Brazilian experiment conducted on patients with major depressive disorder. In the study, the patients were divided into two groups: (1) the experimental group received individual and structured psychodramatic group sessions, while (2) the control group did not receive any form expressive arts therapy. Using the Social Adjustment Scale-Self-Report and the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, the experiment revealed that those who had received expressive art therapy sessions showed more improvement than those who did not partake in the activity.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Source: <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/07/31/different-types-happiness-alter-gene-expression-study-shows/" target="_blank">foxnews.com</a></td></tr>
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<i>Over the course of his professional life, <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/pub/dr-gary-zomalt/37/759/743">Dr. Gary Zomalt</a> has helped clients regain a healthy life away from depression. Access more information on psychiatric health by following this <a href="https://twitter.com/garyzomalt">Twitter page</a>.<i>
</i></i>Gary Zomalthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082162652191662502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1200103415772578954.post-29375881285885599262013-10-08T15:04:00.000-07:002013-10-08T15:04:20.737-07:00REPOST: Empathy Helps Children to Understand Sarcasm<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; orphans: auto; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><b>Children have not only an understanding of right and wrong, but also the knowledge of what's sincere and sarcastic. Learn how empathy guide children in determining the sarcastic language from this <a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/10/131008165359.htm" target="_blank">ScienceDaily.com article</a>. </b></i></span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; orphans: auto; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">The greater the empathy skills of children, the easier it is for them to recognize sarcasm, according to a new study in the open-access journal<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><em style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; orphans: auto; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">Frontiers in Psychology</em><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; orphans: auto; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">.</span><br />
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For children, sarcastic language can be difficult to understand. They generally begin to recognize sarcasm between ages 6 and 8, especially familiar sarcastic praise such as "Thanks a lot!" and "Nice going!" But some children take much longer to begin to understand sarcasm, with detection improving even through adolescence.</div>
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In a new study, Penny Pexman, Juanita Whalen, and Andrew Nicholson investigated whether differences in the ability of children to empathize with others might help to explain why.</div>
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The researchers looked at empathy specifically because they thought that in order to understand sarcasm children must be able to adopt the perspective of the speaker -- to understand the speaker's attitude and emotions.</div>
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The study involved 31 children between 8 and 9 years old in a task that required them to recognize sarcasm. After children watched a series of puppet shows that included either sarcastic or non-sarcastic praise, they were asked to pick up a "mean" toy shark if they believed that the puppets had spoken sarcastically, or a "nice" duck otherwise. Each child was tested 12 times, with different puppets and scenarios. The empathy skills of the children were measured separately.</div>
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Children detected the puppets' sarcasm about half of the time, and children with relatively strong empathy skills did so more accurately. Children with stronger empathy skills were nearly twice as accurate as children with less advanced empathy skills. Initially, the researchers analyzed a group of 6-7 year olds, but this age group revealed almost zero accuracy for sarcasm.</div>
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The researchers also quantified children's eye gaze and reaction time during the sarcasm recognition task, to quantify subtle clues about their understanding. They measured whether the children looked towards the duck or the shark, as well as the time it took them to choose either. This gave more subtle clues about the children's understanding.</div>
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"Sarcastic language, especially in unfamiliar forms, is a real challenge for most children," explains Prof. Pexman. "Even when children did not recognize a remark as sarcastic, there was evidence in their reactions that the children with stronger empathy skills were sensitive to the speaker's intent."</div>
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"This study helps us understand why some children deal better with this challenge than others and provides new insights about development of this complex aspect of emotion recognition," adds Pexman. "It also puts us in a better position to help children who are struggling with this challenge."</div>
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<i><b>Dr. Gary Zomalt helps people realize the value of good mental health through his expertise in psychotherapy. For more about him, visit this <a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002510408493" target="_blank">Facebook page</a>. </b></i></div>
Gary Zomalthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082162652191662502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1200103415772578954.post-19942883306239347982013-09-12T15:24:00.000-07:002013-09-14T09:31:32.824-07:00REPOST: Botox May Lead To Feelings Of Depression, Study Says<i>A new study reveals that cosmetic injections to decrease crow's feet may actually leave people feeling depressed. Read more in this <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/26/botox-depression-smiling_n_3162037.html" target="_blank">Huffington Post article.</a></i>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Source: <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/26/botox-depression-smiling_n_3162037.html">huffingtonpost.com</a></td></tr>
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Botox injections may be designed to reduce wrinkles but they also may leave you feeling blue.
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Cosmetic injections of botox for crows' feet around the eyes may cause feelings of depression, according to a British researcher. Why? Because these injections impact the strength of the eye muscles, which are essential in the face's overall formation of a smile.
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The small study, led by Dr. Michael Lewis of the School of Psychology, Cardiff, Wales, involved 25 people who had received Botox for wrinkles and examined how their facial expressions produce, as well as reflect, emotions because they reinforce them.
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Lewis said it all boils down to this: people smile when they are happy and smiling can make a person happy.
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"Treatment with drugs like Botox prevents the patient from being able to make a particular expression," he said. "The new finding being reported [this week] concerns the impact of treatments for crows’ feet. The muscles around the eyes are used when forming a real smile and so it was predicted that treatment of the muscles that cause these will reduce the strength of a smile."
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With the help of a questionnaire, Lewis found that those people who had a harder time smiling reported greater feelings of depression.
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Previous research has found that when people smile -- even if it's a fake smile -- they actually feel less stress and happier in general.<br />
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<i>Owner of 3R Counseling & Consulting, Gary Zomalt helps people overcome addiction, depression, and others. Follow this <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/garyzomalt" target="_blank">Twitter page</a> for more updates. </i> Gary Zomalthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082162652191662502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1200103415772578954.post-1052310471369365272013-08-21T16:46:00.002-07:002013-08-21T16:46:34.325-07:00Beating depression: Refuting a study that says exercise is useless in treating depression<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="240" src="http://www.drjeffreegars.com/Portals/163935/images/depression2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Source: <a href="http://www.drjeffreegars.com/dr-jeffs-blog/?Tag=male%20depression%20symptoms">drjeffreegars.com</a></td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/241862.php">Depression</a> is one of the most common mental disorders that, if left untreated, can have a major negative impact on a person’s life. Fortunately, there are a number of ways to beat the condition, and many experts agree that regular exercise is one of them.
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However, Medical News Today mentioned that <a href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/246391.php">a study published in BMJ </a>, which sparked an uproar of criticisms, suggested that exercise is not beneficial in treating depression. The study presented, however, was a bit misleading since it was only about finding out whether adding a “specific physical activity intervention” to the usual care that depressed patients get would significantly reduce their symptoms.
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The researchers from Universities of Bristol, Exeter, and the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry called their intervention TREAD (TREAtment of Depression with physical activity). It is a theory-based intervention that provides a trained facilitator who gives customized support to patients to perform physical activity.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Source: <a href="http://bipolar-101.blogspot.com/2013/02/scientific-update-exercise-mood-and.html">bipolar-101.blogspot.com</a></td></tr>
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The study implied that the participants in the TREAD intervention showed no better results than those receiving the usual care. Participants of the former also indicated no reduced antidepressant use compared to those of the latter. The researchers emphasized that their study did not conclude that exercise, in general, is not useful for depression, but the details of their study could be used by healthcare professionals in choosing which exercise programs are more effective than the others.
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"Numerous studies have reported the positive effects of physical activity for people suffering with depression but our intervention was not an effective strategy for reducing symptoms," explained Melanie Chalder, lead author of the research.
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Meanwhile, mental health experts still support the idea that exercise is an effective tool in helping patients alleviate depression, especially if they are at risk of developing other serious illnesses.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="266" src="http://fitnizz.com/wp-content/media/depression-walking-exercise.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Source: <a href="http://fitnizz.com/depression/natural-treatment-of-depression/">fitnizz.com</a></td></tr>
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<i>In the course of his profession, <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/pub/dr-gary-zomalt/37/759/743">Dr. Gary Zomalt</a> has helped clients attain optimal mental health. Know more information on related topics by visiting this <a href="https://www.facebook.com/gary.zomalt">Facebook page</a>.</i>
Gary Zomalthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082162652191662502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1200103415772578954.post-20306702981212402052013-07-12T19:59:00.001-07:002013-07-12T20:14:55.998-07:00REPOST: Recession led teens to focus more on social problems, environment, psychologists report<i>This <a href="http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-07/uoc--rlt071013.php" target="_blank">Eureka Alert.org article</a> discusses how the recession affected teens' perception about the environment and other social problems. </i><br />
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During the Great Recession, high school students in the U.S. became more concerned about others and the environment, psychologists at UCLA and San Diego State University report in a new study.
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The research, published July 11 in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science, focused on survey data collected on high school seniors during three time periods: the global recession (2008-10), just before the recession (2004-06) and the earliest period for which data were available (1976-78).
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The study authors found that high school students' concern for others declined significantly between 1976-78 and 2004-06, then rebounded by the period of the Great Recession. Compared with high school students who graduated in the years just before the recession, students who graduated during the recession were more concerned for others, more interested in social issues and more interested in saving energy and helping the environment.
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For example, 63 percent of recession-era 12th graders said they made an effort to turn down the heat at home to save energy, compared with 55 percent in the pre-recession period; 30 percent of recession-era students said they thought often about social problems, compared with 26 percent of pre-recession students; and 36 percent said they would be willing to use a bicycle or mass transit to get to work, up from 28 percent just before the recession.
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"This is the silver lining of the Great Recession," said Patricia Greenfield, distinguished professor of psychology at UCLA and senior author of the study. "These findings are consistent with my theory that fewer economic resources lead to more concern for others and the community. It is a change very much needed by our society."
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The research was based on an analysis of data from Monitoring the Future, a survey of a representative sample of U.S. high school seniors conducted between 1976 and 2010 in which students were asked about a variety of issues. The current study focused on their answers to questions related to concern for others and the environment, as well as those related to the importance of money and materialism. The study authors also analyzed whether the high school seniors believed they were more intelligent than average.
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They found that recession-era high school students were more likely to think they were smarter than their peers, and they were more satisfied with themselves — the recession did not reverse the overall long-term trend toward young people having a more inflated sense of self, the researchers said.
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Other analyses by the team found that high school students' positive self-views had decreased during previous recessions but not during the recent recession.
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"In the past, recessions led to less positive self-views. The recent recession is the only one that produced an increase," said co-author Jean M. Twenge, a psychology professor at San Diego State University and author of "Generation Me: Why Today's Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled — and More Miserable Than Ever Before."
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That finding suggests other factors in the culture may be at work, such as technology and a "focus on fame," said UCLA's Greenfield, director of the Children's Digital Media Center @ Los Angeles.
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Compared with pre-recession high school students, recession-era students were less likely to believe it important to own expensive products and luxury items. However, recession-era students continued the long-term trend of believing earning a lot of money is important.
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The lead author of the study was Heejung Park, a UCLA a doctoral candidate in psychology, whose research reveals how social change affects human development.
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The research was funded by Russell Sage Foundation as part of a major initiative to assess the effects of the Great Recession on the economic, political and social life of the country.<br />
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<i>This Gary Zomalt <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/garyzomalt" target="_blank">Twitter page</a> shares updates about psychotherapy and other mental health topics. </i><br />
<br />Gary Zomalthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082162652191662502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1200103415772578954.post-54051751013583241372013-05-31T00:34:00.002-07:002013-05-31T01:38:32.482-07:00REPOST: "For Kids With ADHD, Sleep Disturbances May Interfere With Emotional Memories"<i>As it is, ADHD causes many inconveniences to those who get afflicted with it. On top of that, recent studies suggest another undesired sequela affecting one's emotional sphere. Learn more by reading this <a href="http://healthland.time.com/2013/05/30/for-kids-with-adhd-sleep-disturbances-may-interfere-with-emotional-memories/" target="_blank">TIME article</a>:</i><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image credit: <a href="http://healthland.time.com/2013/05/30/for-kids-with-adhd-sleep-disturbances-may-interfere-with-emotional-memories/" target="_blank">TIME.co<span id="goog_1337172840"></span><span id="goog_1337172841"></span>m</a></td></tr>
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Kids and adolescents with ADHD often struggle to keep their emotions in check. ADHD has also been linked to sleep disorders, which is one of the reasons a team of German researchers sought to determine how sleep influences the consolidation and processing of emotional memories.<br />
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Brain imaging studies have shown that ADHD alters the structure and functions of areas of the brain important to processing emotions, like the prefrontal cortex, the amygdala and the hippocampus. Scientists have speculated that a disrupted connection between these areas of the brain could contribute to a patient’s day-to-day emotions.<br />
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Among healthy children and adults, sleep facilitates the processing of emotional stimuli, so the researchers wanted to see if there were processing differences between healthy study subjects and participants with ADHD. For their study, researchers led by Alexander Prehn-Kristensen of University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein analyzed the emotional memory processing of 16 children with ADHD, 16 healthy children and 20 healthy adults.<br />
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In the study, the participants were shown photos that were either emotionally negative, like a snake or growling bear, or emotionally neutral, like an umbrella or lamp. Previous research has shown that emotionally charged images usually have a greater brain response, and are more likely to be remembered.<br />
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“During daytime, people suffering from ADHD often have problems focusing on the relevant information and ignoring irrelevant information. Here, we wanted to look whether the described daytime problem in contrasting between relevant and irrelevant information is also observable during sleep,” says study author Alexander Prehn-Kristensen, study researcher from Christian-Albrecht-university in Kiel, Germany in an email response.<br />
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All the participants were shown the photos in the evening and had their sleep monitored by the researchers using electroencephalogram (EEG) measurements to track brain activity. The next day, the participants were tested on their recollection of the emotion-inducing images.<br />
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The healthy kids without ADHD were better able to recall the images compared to the kids with ADHD and even the healthy adults. These kids had higher activity in the frontal region of their brain and could remember the emotional images better than the neutral ones. Emotional experiences are typically easier to remember than neutral memories.<br />
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Prehn-Kristensen says more research is necessary before any therapeutic or clinical conclusions should be drawn. Since the children’s memories were observed in an artificial context, they cannot presume these results carry over to day-to-day memory experiences. However, they do shed light on how brain activity issues during sleep could be responsible for emotional processing for kids with ADHD.<br />
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The study is published in the journal PLOS ONE.</blockquote>
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<i>More updates on psychiatry-related conditions may be found on this Dr. Gary Zomalt <a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002510408493" target="_blank">Facebook page</a>.</i><br />
<br />Gary Zomalthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082162652191662502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1200103415772578954.post-85542784616005819412013-05-09T21:28:00.001-07:002013-05-09T21:28:33.186-07:00'Be kind to yourself' and other advice for people who wish to be happy<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Source: <a href="http://womanwithdrive.com.au/be-nice-to-yourself/">womanwithdrive.com.au</a></td></tr>
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It seems that many people need to be reminded time and again of the importance of self-compassion. This is especially true for highly driven individuals who want to attain more out of their lives.
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In the pursuit of happiness and success, many people tend to forget about their own needs. The accomplishment of goals takes precedence over everything else that they neglect their health and well-being for even the smallest of gains. Often, many people may sacrifice the time they can spend in the presence of their friends and loved ones for their careers – and they end up regretting doing so.
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Indeed, life is in movement. It is in the pursuit of a lofty goal or a series of smaller objectives. It is in growth. However, all of this must not be done at the cost of losing oneself. Greatness and happiness can be achieved without people being too hard on themselves.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Source: <a href="http://www.stressstop.com/blog/read-entry.php?eid=33">stressstop.com</a></td></tr>
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Practicing self-compassion is only the beginning. When individuals learn to think about themselves positively – considering their needs, strengths and weaknesses, and what they want – they can begin to work on things that truly matter to them.
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They can seek a job that makes them happy, and they won’t have to worry about finding motivation to do their best at work. With constant drive and motivation, individuals can maximize their productivity during work hours. This, in turn, allows them to have time for other pursuits such as their hobbies or investing in meaningful relationships with friends and family.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Source: <a href="http://www.allparentstalk.com/3-ways-create-family-bonding-time/parenting-tips-2/raising-your-kids/">allparentstalk.com</a></td></tr>
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<i>Dr. <a href="http://www.fresnometroministry.org/lhcc/roundtables.html">Gary Zomalt</a> is a psychotherapist and the owner of 3R Counseling & Consulting. Find more resources on happiness and success through this <a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002510408493/">Facebook page</a>.</i>
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<br />Gary Zomalthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082162652191662502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1200103415772578954.post-78457041866365286662013-04-05T00:29:00.000-07:002013-04-05T01:19:44.400-07:00REPOST: Are we over-diagnosing mental illness?<br />
<i>A recent article on <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2013/03/16/health/mental-illness-overdiagnosis/index.html?iref=allsearch">CNN.com</a> reports that normal responses to life's challenges are often labeled as disorders or as mental illness. </i><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Source: <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2013/03/16/health/mental-illness-overdiagnosis/index.html?iref=allsearch">cnn.com</a></td></tr>
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CNN) -- To ease the heartache of her first child's stillbirth, Kelli Montgomery chose rigorous exercise, yoga and meditation over the antidepressants and sleeping pills that her physicians immediately suggested.
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"'You need to be on this medication or that medication.' It was shocking to me that that was the first line of defense," said Montgomery, 42, director of the MISS Foundation for Grieving Families in Austin, Texas. "From the time I was in the hospital to when I was seeing my general practitioner, that's what they were insisting on."
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Her choice stemmed partly from a longtime aversion to taking prescription drugs. It was also the result of listening to a growing group of psychiatrists, psychologists and clinical social workers from around the world who argue that depression and other normal responses to life's toughest challenges are too often labeled as disorders -- and as such, demand medicine with sometimes dangerous side effects.
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Protesters such as Montgomery contend diagnoses of serious psychological and psychiatric disorders have also needlessly skyrocketed alongside the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders' expanding list of what constitutes mental illness. The manual is considered the bible of psychiatry because it's the criteria mental health professionals use to diagnose patients.
One example of the issue is the frequency of bipolar disorder in children. It has jumped 40-fold in the last two decades, said Dr. Bernard Carroll, a former Duke University psychiatry department chairman.
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<b>Using downward dogs to treat depression</b>
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"You've got all these young kids running around with this diagnosis, yet many of them have never, ever had a manic episode, which is the hallmark of bipolar disorder," said Carroll, now the scientific director of the Pacific Behavioral Research Foundation.
"Many of these kids," he continued, "have never had anything other than irritability. Yet they're exposed to anti-convulsants, anti-psychotic drugs, which have serious long-term side effects in the form of obesity, metabolic syndrome, diabetes and some movement disorders ... that can leave a person extremely disfigured physically."
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The International DSM-5 Response Committee -- named after the upcoming fifth incarnation of that diagnostic manual -- plans to launch a campaign next month aimed at blocking the manual's May 20 release. Short of that, critics plan to press ahead with their case that the DSM-5 should be viewed with some skepticism and not wholly embraced by practitioners or patients.
"We believe that there is now overwhelming evidence that DSM-5 is scientifically unsound (and) statistically unreliable," said clinical psychologist Peter Kinderman, director of the University of Liverpool's Institute of Psychology, Health and Society. He is helping organize the international campaign with petition drives in the United States, the United Kingdom and France.
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The American Psychiatric Association, whose manual has been used by health insurers, pharmaceutical companies, doctors and other clinicians since it first published in 1952, has dismissed DSM-5 opponents as overly alarmed.
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"All the good epidemiological studies unfortunately show that one in five people have a psychological disorder. ... They're prevalent, they're just all over the place, and that's very disturbing to some people," said Dr. Carl Bell, a Chicago psychiatrist and University of Illinois School of Medicine director of public health and community psychiatry.
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One of 15 members of a DSM-5 committee zeroing in on personality disorders, Bell spoke on behalf of the psychiatric association. "If you dig down into (the DSM-5), it's an extraordinarily complex document."
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Being transgender no longer a mental 'disorder' in diagnostic manual
However, critics contend, the manual's shortcomings include its lack of scientifically conclusive field testing of some of its recommendations; its failure to consider the prior effectiveness or ineffectiveness of anti-psychotic drugs to determine a patient's present diagnosis; and its lumping of, for example, what had been a spectrum of depressions -- from the mildly melancholic to the severely debilitating -- into one group.
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"This is the reason that people nowadays are jumping up and saying, 'The antidepressant drugs don't work,'" Carroll said. "If you take this broad category, it's difficult to even show why they don't work."
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"There's a great deal of a concern, so we are hardly voices in the wilderness," said Dr. Allen Frances, author of the book "Saving Normal: An Insider's Revolt Against Out of Control Psychiatric Diagnosis, DSM-5, Big Pharma and the Medicalization of Ordinary Life." He is largely credited with spearheading anti-DMS-5 efforts.
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"A petition regarding DSM-5, signed by 50-plus associations, was presented to the (psychiatric association), asking for an independent scientific review. The association brushed it aside," said Frances, a Duke professor emeritus and former psychiatric department chairman.
The psychiatric association says the DSM-5 was independently reviewed for 18 months but that those findings will not be made public. Also, the reviewers' identities will not be disclosed until the manual is released.
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"The development of DSM-5 began with an unprecedented process of research evaluation that included a series of white papers and 13 scientific conferences supported by the National Institutes of Health," wrote Dr. David Kupfer, chairman of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, who oversees the entire DSM-5 task force, in an e-mail.
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"This preparation brought together more than 400 international scientists and produced a series of monographs and peer-reviewed journal articles. DSM-5 is the product of the most extensive discussion and debate -- as part of the most transparent process -- of any DSM."
Mental illness in children: Know the signs
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Frances contends that the process, though conducted with volunteers, has been somewhat secretive and did not sufficiently consider objections to what the manual will contain.
Frances led the task force that produced the DSM IV in 2000. "What motivates me is the experience of having inadvertently contributed to fads and psycho-diagnosis that have resulted in over-diagnosis and over-treatment," Frances said. "Some of this happened during DSM IV, even though we were more conservative with that document than they've been with DSM-5, with its many changes that are unsupported and, in some cases, quite reckless."
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For example, Frances said DSM-5 would mislabel one in four people with chronic pain and irritable bowel syndrome with the DSM-5's newly created "somatic symptom disorder," which is diagnosed when a person has spent at least six months steadily thinking of and being anxious about their medical illness.
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According to Frances and other like-minded critics, a confluence of related factors resulted in an "over-medicalizing" and over-diagnosis of mental illness. Chief among them, they contend, is that an increasing number of primary care and other nonpsychiatric doctors are dispensing anti-psychotic drugs, despite their lack of training in that area of medicine. Aggressive sales and marketing by pharmaceutical companies may also be driving the surge.
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Those factors, Montgomery said, were likely part of what was at play after her baby's stillbirth.
"I had no mental illness. I had never been medicated. I had not even suggested that I was depressed," she said. "And I kept asking if anyone merely knew a therapist that I could go talk to about what was clearly a traumatic experience."
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While Montgomery didn't require prescription medications, even DSM-5 protesters acknowledge that there are people whose disorders demand such intensive intervention, perhaps throughout their lifetime.
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Still, critics say the upcoming manual veers in the wrong direction.
"The DSM-5, in many ways, reflects the politics of psychiatry these days," said Dr. Joel Paris, author of "Prescriptions for the Mind: A Critical View of Contemporary Psychiatry," a psychiatry professor at McGill University and researcher at Mortimer B. Davis-Jewish General Hospital in Montreal, Quebec.
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"Everybody has a kind of investment in certain diagnoses. Those who are studying a particular disorder often are saying, 'Well, this is much more common than you think they are. Oh, the prevalence is very high.' But we risk losing legitimacy because of over-diagnosis. ... The fact is that most people get by with bad patches in their lives. They recover."<br />
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<i>Gary Zomalt has years of experience in psychotherapy. Follow this <a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002510408493">Facebook</a> page for more updates.<i><br />
</i></i>Gary Zomalthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082162652191662502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1200103415772578954.post-9533644950672884222013-03-07T23:29:00.000-08:002013-03-07T23:42:07.435-08:00REPOST: The next frontier is inside your brain<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<i>What is an “activity map”? Will this new research proposal lead to a deeper understanding on the human brain works ? This<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/24/opinion/sunday/the-next-frontier-is-in-your-brain.html"> New York Times</a> article has the details.</i></div>
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The Obama administration is planning a multiyear research effort to produce an “activity map” that would show in unprecedented detail the workings of the human brain, the most complex organ in the body. It is a breathtaking goal at a time when Washington, hobbled by partisan gridlock and deficit worries, seems unable to launch any major new programs.
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This effort — if sufficiently financed — could develop new tools and techniques that would lead to a much deeper understanding of how the brain works. The ultimate aim, probably not reachable for decades, is to answer such fundamental questions as how the brain generates thoughts, dreams, memories, perception and consciousness — and to find ways to intervene and influence such brain activities. It may also be possible to determine how the brain changes over time in response to learning.
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We are a long way from that kind of understanding today. Scientists using electrodes and existing imaging technologies have been able to study how individual neurons and small networks of neurons respond to stimuli. But the human brain has some 100 billion neurons, each interacting with perhaps 10,000 other neurons through complex circuitry that no existing technology has the speed or resolution to track. All told, there could be 1,000 trillion connections between neurons in the brain.
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Scientists have been able to infer the main functions of certain regions of the human brain by studying patients with head injuries, brain tumors and neurological diseases or by measuring oxygen levels and glucose consumption in the brains of healthy people, according to Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health. But as Dr. Collins explains, this is like listening to the string section alone instead of the entire orchestra.
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The sweeping scope of the new initiative, which has not yet been officially unveiled, was revealed by John Markoff in The Times on Monday. Fortunately, there is a strong base of knowledge to build on. Researchers have already made significant discoveries about brain functioning. They have identified how neurons behave at the point where anesthetized patients lose awareness, bringing us a step closer to understanding the nature of consciousness. They have linked certain areas of the brain to musical creativity and other areas to the formation of emotions and habits.
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Scientists have even determined what animals are dreaming by first having them walk through certain locations in a fixed order and recording which neurons are activated. Then when the animal is sleeping, they can see if the same neurons are firing in the same order, an indication that the animal is probably dreaming about the walking it had just done. This rather simple experiment involves putting electrodes in the brain to record perhaps 100 neurons at a time. To really understand what is happening when an individual dreams, scientists will need to record what happens to many thousands or possibly millions of neurons as the dream is unfolding.
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Recent advances in nanotechnology, microelectronics, optics, data compression and storage, cloud computing, information theory and synthetic biology could help make possible investigations that were unimaginable before. For instance, scientists might extend the value of traditional brain scans by implanting nanosensors, wireless fiber-optic probes or genetically engineered living cells to penetrate brain tissue and report which neurons are firing and when in response to various stimuli.
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There should be clinical benefits as well. The knowledge developed could enable biomedical scientists to find more accurate ways to diagnose and treat depression, schizophrenia, dementia, autism, stroke, Parkinson’s and other illnesses or injuries of the brain.
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President Obama hinted at broad ambitions for scientific advancement in his State of the Union address, saying, “Now is the time to reach a level of research and development not seen since the height of the space race.” He mentioned mapping the human brain, but it’s more likely that scientists will start with smaller brains and central nervous systems — like those of worms, fruit flies, zebra fish and small mammals — before they move on to primates. No firm budget exists yet, but some leading researchers say this initiative may require more than $300 million a year, or some $3 billion over the first decade, in federal support. Whether that is new money or drawn from existing well-financed programs, it is an investment worth making.
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Of the big scientific programs in the past half-century, few if any were as daunting as the brain project. The race with Russia to land men on the Moon in the 1960s was comparatively straightforward because it was largely achieved with technologies that already existed. The Human Genome Project, completed a decade ago, had a clearly defined goal — to identify the complete sequence of genes on every chromosome in the body — and there was little doubt it was achievable; the only question was how fast and at what cost.
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By contrast, the brain project will have to create new tools to explore an organ that is the seat of human cognition and behavior. A task of that magnitude can truly capture the imagination.
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<i>As a renowned psychotherapist, Gary Zomalt has transformed countless lives and communities in California. This <a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002510408493">Facebook</a> page shares updates about psychotherapy and other mental health topics..</i>
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Gary Zomalthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082162652191662502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1200103415772578954.post-51966791622548126242013-03-06T23:13:00.003-08:002013-03-06T23:13:57.778-08:00The value of stress in daily life <br />
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For many stressed-out people, the idea of living stress-free at some time in the near future continues to hold a strong appeal. A vacation from all of one’s worries and responsibilities remains as an important motivator and recharger to many. In fact, experts on mental health and productivity assert that workers should take short vacations more often in order to feel refreshed and consequently more productive at work.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Source: <a href="http://robertjrgraham.com/">robertjrgraham.com</a></td></tr>
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The idea that needs to be corrected, however, is that being completely stress-free is ideal for a person.
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The feeling of stress comes from the amygdala, a part of the brain which sends alarms to the body when some form of danger is present. This alarm is actually always on – it is present in times of life-threatening danger, and it is ringing in times when one just wants to avoid trouble. It also follows that people actually experience varying levels of stress at all times.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Source: <a href="http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/">newscenter.berkeley.edu</a></td></tr>
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There is a healthy level of stress, but it can also be in excess. The times when people experience a lot of stress are the times when they don’t pay attention to what the alarm is pointing to. It may be signaling to the fact that they’re neglecting their needs or that they’re not giving enough attention to something important.
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Stress serves as a good motivator to get a person moving. Stress management, therefore, should not be directed at getting rid of stress but should instead be aimed at heeding the calls of the body to focus on and attend to what is important.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Source: <a href="http://helpingmenblog.blogspot.com/">helpingmenblog.blogspot.com</a></td></tr>
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<i>Dr. <a href="http://www.fresnometroministry.org/lhcc/roundtables.html">Gary Zomalt</a> is the owner of 3R Counseling & Consulting. Visit this <a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002510408493/">Facebook page</a> for more resources on maintaining good mental health.</i>
Gary Zomalthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082162652191662502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1200103415772578954.post-49577728214131946512013-02-11T22:55:00.001-08:002013-02-11T23:16:46.241-08:00Cognitive restructuring: Self-talk for a better “You” <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Source: <a href="http://positiveinsights.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/constructive-conflict.jpg">PositiveInsights.com</a></td></tr>
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The way people perceive life events greatly affects whether they find them stressful or not. Thus, cognitive distortions, or patterns of faulty thinking, can impact attitudes and behaviors.
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Self-talk, the internal dialogue in the head that interprets, explains, and judges the situations one gets into, can make things seem better or worse. Some tend to see things in a positive light, others may view things more negatively. The pessimist would often employ overgeneralization, magnification, or all-or-nothing thinking. These cognitive distortions and self-talk begin at childhood, but it does not mean that people cannot break free from them as they grow into adulthood.
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Source: <a href="http://asiasociety.org/files/systems-thinking.png">AsiaSociety.org</a></td></tr>
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<b>Constructive restructuring</b>
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Also called constructive reframing, this is a process of recognizing and changing cognitive distortions so that people can alter their thoughts and thereby their feelings. This is not simply about “thinking positive,” but about evaluating the evidence of one’s thoughts and challenging their truthfulness.
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The first step is self-monitoring. People need to become more aware of the messages they give themselves . This can be difficult as negative messages tend to run automatically and routinely in the head. Stopping to identify and examine negative thoughts should be done. Writing them can also give clarity to this irrational thinking.<br />
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The second step is disputing these thoughts with more rational ones. For instance, overgeneralized thinking such as: “Person A was mean to me so nobody likes me” can be disputed by more accurate thought such as “Person A was mean to me but there are many people who like me.”
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Learning to dispute faulty thoughts can be difficult especially for those who have been breeding and owning negativities, but constructive restructuring can help reframe those to become building blocks of better thinking.
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<i>Psychotherapist <a href="http://www.healthgrades.com/provider/gary-zomalt-2lpth/">Gary Zomalt</a> can offer enlightenment on cognitive restructuring through this <a href="http://garyzomalt.livejournal.com/">blog</a>.</i>
Gary Zomalthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082162652191662502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1200103415772578954.post-60277966322312168782013-01-03T19:44:00.001-08:002013-01-03T22:56:00.240-08:0020 Tips to Tame Your Stress<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>A little stress is said to be good in keeping people motivated and focused. However, being under a lot of stress has a lot of negative effects. This <a href="http://www.blogger.com/%E2%80%9Dhttp://psychcentral.com/lib/2006/20-tips-to-tame-your-stress/%E2%80%9D">article</a> by Lynn Ponton, M.D. shares some tips to keep stress levels at bay.</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHfEps4sXpBT3PR2RhpgUuoMOHx8X_qBvqhnBFiPdRyquR4VHeg0h_cDygw9QBwg9zjnHlf0xR_UbckUJFEXefW2m8fXXhyKbimT_4I4ddtwP8TaHqzZKTRK8EyqqlLVNkIOlhJ5TM4LVc/s1600/tips_to_keep_stress_at_bay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHfEps4sXpBT3PR2RhpgUuoMOHx8X_qBvqhnBFiPdRyquR4VHeg0h_cDygw9QBwg9zjnHlf0xR_UbckUJFEXefW2m8fXXhyKbimT_4I4ddtwP8TaHqzZKTRK8EyqqlLVNkIOlhJ5TM4LVc/s320/tips_to_keep_stress_at_bay.jpg" width="258" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Stress hits us all in life, and while a little stress is good — it keeps us focused and motivated — too much of it and it can grind our lives to a complete halt. When you’re feeling overwhelmed and stressed-out, you may become paralyzed and unable to do much of anything.
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Just as bad are unhealthy coping methods to deal with stress. Turning to food, alcohol or drugs often just turns one set of problems into another that can balloon out of control. It’s better to avoid those unhealthy coping mechanisms from the start, and find good ways to keep your stress under control.
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">There are many ways to tame your stress and keep it at bay. Here are 20 tips to tame your stress today, and keep the stress monsters at bay.
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1. Perform diaphragmatic or “deep breathing” exercises.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">2. Lie face down on the floor and begin breathing deeply and slowly, with your hands resting under your face. Do this for five minutes.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">3. Sit in a reclining chair. Put a hand on your abdomen and a hand on your chest. As you breathe, make sure the hand on your abdomen is moving up and down rather than one on your chest. If the hand on your abdomen is moving you are breathing deeply and slowly.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">4. Try progressive muscle relaxation or “deep muscle” relaxation. Progressively tense and relax each muscle group in your body. Learn the difference between muscle tension and relaxation.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">5. Meditate. Use visualization or guided imagery to help you learn to be one with your thoughts. Sit quietly with your eyes closed, imagining the sights, sounds and smells of your favorite place, such as a beach or mountain retreat.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">6. Exercise regularly or take up yoga.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">7. Consult a psychologist about the use of biofeedback.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">8. Make time for music, art or other hobbies that help relax and distract you.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">9. Learn to identify and monitor stressors. Come up with an organized plan for handling stressful situations. Be careful not to overgeneralize negative reactions to things.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">10. Make a list of the important things you need to handle each day. Try to follow the list so you feel organized and on top of things. Put together a coping plan step by step so you have a sense of mastery.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">11. Keep an eye on things that might suggest you’re not coping well. For example, are you smoking or drinking more, or sleeping less?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">12. Keep a list of the large and little hassles in your day versus the major stressful events in your life. This helps you focus on the fact that you’re keeping track of and managing those as well as you can.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">13. Set aside a time every day to work on relaxation.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">14. Avoid using caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, junk food, binge eatingand other drugs as your primary means for coping with stress. While they can be helpful once in awhile, using them as your only or usual method will result in longer-term problems, such as weight problems or alcoholism.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">15. Learn to just say, “No” occasionally. It won’t hurt other people’s feelings as much as you think and is simply a method to be more assertive in your own life, to better help you meet your own needs.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">16. Get the right amount of sleep. For most people, this is seven to nine hours a night.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">17. Cultivate a sense of humor; laugh.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">18. Research has shown that having a close, confiding relationship protects you from many stresses.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">19. Don’t run from your problems! This only makes them worse.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">20. Talk to your family and friends. See if they can help.
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">If these tips don’t help, or you’ve tried a lot of them with little luck in better taming the stress in your life, it may be time to consider taking it up a notch. A mental health professional — such as a psychologist — can help teach you more effective methods for handling stress in a healthy way in your life. Such psychotherapy is short-term and time-limited, with a focus on helping you better deal with stress.
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Remember — we do have control over the stress and choices we make in our lives. It sometimes takes a little practice and effort to put some of these techniques into play in your life. But once you do so, you may be pleasantly surprised at the positive benefits you’ll receive.
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Source: http://psychcentral.com/lib/2006/20-tips-to-tame-your-stress/</i></span></span>
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Gary Zomalthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082162652191662502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1200103415772578954.post-19745503684050783662013-01-03T18:47:00.000-08:002013-01-03T18:47:53.738-08:00All's not Prozac: Treating mild depression with simple lifestyle changes<br />
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<i>“A lot of people don't realize that depression is an illness. I don't wish it on anyone, but if they would know how it feels, I swear they would think twice before they just shrug it.”</i> - Jonathan Davis</blockquote>
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For many people, “dealing with depression” has almost become synonymous with “popping prescribed pills.” Like any physical ailment, depression has been considered to be pharmacologically remediable, reduced to something that can be managed by a formulation of chemicals that function by working its way into the synapses.<br />
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But as with any other drug, antidepressants may have side effects that are potentially debilitating in the long run. And because case management entails primary care providers to be holistic, psychiatrists like <a href="http://www.myspace.com/garyzomalt01">Dr. Gary Zomalt</a> and <a href="http://www.amitatalatimd.com/">Dr. Amita Talati</a> also recommend non-pharmacologic interventions that focus more on lifestyle modification in trying to crush mild depression:
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• <b>Increasing physical activity.</b> This is probably the <a href="http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2011/12/16/depression-my-experience/">single most important lifestyle change</a> that one can implement to combat mild depression.<br />
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• <b>Modifying diet.</b> It is recommended to include in one’s diet food that are rich in serotonin and <a href="http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART03050/Fish-Oil-Omega-3-Dr-Weil.html">omega-3 fatty acids</a>. Conversely, one must avoid sugar, alcohol, fat, and caffeine, as these may just potentially worsen prevailing conditions.
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• <b>Connecting personally with other people.</b> According to a 2010 Leeds University study, people who spend more time communicating virtually are more likely to experience more anxiety and depression than those who didn’t. Relying heavily on virtual communication increases feelings of isolation, ultimately resulting to depression.
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• <b>Letting the sun touch the skin.</b> Sun exposure can initiate the synthesis of Vitamin D which is proven to alleviate depression. As a matter of fact, Vitamin D deficiency usually results to suboptimal mood and brain function, thus contributing to the occurrence of depression.<br />
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<i>In the conduct of his profession, <a href="http://www.authorstream.com/drgaryzomalt/">Dr. Gary Zomalt</a> has helped clients attain optimal mental health. Access more information on psychiatric health by visiting this <a href="http://www.facebook.com/gary.zomalt">Facebook page</a>.</i>
Gary Zomalthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082162652191662502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1200103415772578954.post-68110753174696811292012-12-02T22:15:00.000-08:002012-12-02T22:16:41.708-08:00Child Maltreatment Linked To Mental And Physical Health Disorders In Later Life<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Find out how child maltreatment can lead to mental and physical disorders when they get old from this <a href="http://www.blogger.com/%E2%80%9Dhttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/253386.php%E2%80%9D">Medical News Today</a> article. </i>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ExxzHDVtFPg/ULxCRPEL88I/AAAAAAAAAe8/DAOPr1MXHdI/s1600/istock_traumaticchildhoo+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ExxzHDVtFPg/ULxCRPEL88I/AAAAAAAAAe8/DAOPr1MXHdI/s400/istock_traumaticchildhoo+(1).jpg" width="400" /></a>Child physical abuse, emotional abuse and neglect is linked to mental health disorders, drug use, suicide attempts, sexually transmitted infections and risky sexual behaviour in adulthood, according to a study released today by researchers at The University of Queensland (UQ).
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The researchers, led by Dr Rosana Norman from UQ's School of Population Health and Queensland Children's Medical Research Institute, also found evidence that child maltreatment increased the risk of chronic diseases and life-style risk factors such as smoking in later life.
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The authors, who also included researchers from the World Health Organization, reviewed all published studies that included health outcomes for individuals who had been physically or emotionally abused or neglected in childhood.
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Most of the 124 studies included in their analysis were from high income countries (Western Europe, North America, Australia, and New Zealand) but only 16 studies used a prospective design in which researchers followed abused or neglected children over time to identify later health outcomes.
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They found that individuals who had been emotionally abused as children were about three times more likely to develop depression, while individuals who had been physically abused or neglected were one-and-a-half to two times more likely to develop depression than people who had not been abused or neglected.
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Researchers also established a link between anxiety disorders, drug abuse, and suicidal behaviour and childhood abuse.
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They also found that children who had been maltreated had a higher risk of sexually transmitted infections and/or risky sexual behaviour as adults than people who had not experienced abuse.
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Dr Norman said the evidence suggests a causal relationship between non-sexual child maltreatment and a range of mental disorders.
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She said the study confirms that all forms of child maltreatment should be considered important risks to health with a sizeable impact on major contributors to the burden of disease in all parts of the world.
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"The awareness of the serious long-term consequences of child maltreatment should encourage better identification of those at risk and the development of effective interventions to protect children from violence," she said.
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<i>Source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/253386.php</i>
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Gary Zomalthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082162652191662502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1200103415772578954.post-76617413803170607262012-11-11T18:35:00.002-08:002012-11-11T18:35:25.569-08:00Dr. Gary Zomalt: Of mind over matter<br />
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<i>The mind is everything. What you think, you become. – Buddha
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This latest Dr. <a href="http://www.authorstream.com/drgaryzomalt/">Gary Zomalt</a> article will discuss the power of the mind, which is the reason why people must maintain mental hygiene.</i><br />
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The mind is considered as the most powerful tool that people possess, helping them achieve their aspirations in life. Thus, keeping the mind healthy is very important. In fact, studies show that people who have healthy minds live a more fulfilling life.
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Basic brain and body exercises are simple ways to attain balance – physically, mentally, and emotionally. However, sometimes it takes more than these basic steps to go across the border of a person’s mind power. To unleash the mind’s supremacy, some of the steps that people may take, as shared in this <a href="http://www.newscientist.com/special/heal-thyself">article</a>, are:
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Dr. <a href="http://www.fresnometroministry.org/lhcc/roundtables.html">Gary Zomalt</a> is a psychotherapist who helps various clients in attaining mental health. He is the owner and founder of 3R Counseling and Consulting.</b></span></blockquote>
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<b>Positive thinking</b>
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Studies show that optimism may reduce stress hormones like cortisol. Having a positive disposition in life also helps people recover faster not only from stress, but also from ailments and medical procedures.<br />
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<tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;">Gary Zomalt Image Credit: <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/109070520555014083799/GaryZomalt#5809742816226840610">ioangous.wordpress.com</a></td></tr>
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<b>Social support</b>
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Trusting people and being surrounded by people they trust is said to be an important factor in maintaining a healthy mind as it reduces the risk of depression. Research also shows that those who have healthy social life have lower risk of acquiring diseases like dementia.
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<b>Inner peace</b>
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Meditation is important in achieving peace of mind, and peace of mind is vital in living life to the fullest. Aside from its effects mentally, meditation is also good for the body as it boosts the immune system’s response to vaccines and even slowdown the ageing process.<br />
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<tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;">Gary Zomalt Image Credit: <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/109070520555014083799/GaryZomalt#5809742848581495874">gocombs.tumblr.com</a></td></tr>
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<i>To get updates about Dr. <a href="http://www.healthgrades.com/provider/gary-zomalt-2lpth">Gary Zomalt</a>, follow this <a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002510408493">Facebook page</a>.</i>
Gary Zomalthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082162652191662502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1200103415772578954.post-19480061232334458602012-10-11T00:30:00.001-07:002012-10-11T00:30:27.994-07:00 Dr. Gary Zomalt: Unraveling the difference between psychotherapy and counselingA lot of people think that psychotherapy and counseling are just the same. Experts in the field, like Dr. <a href="http://www.westga.edu/%7Evickir/MentalHealth/MH18%20SubstanceAbuse/Community%20Conversation.pdf">Gary Zomalt</a>, beg to disagree. Although the practices have certain similarities, the two are different by nature.<br />
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<tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;">Gary Zomalt. Image credit: <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/109070520555014083799/GaryZomalt?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite">DARA</a></td></tr>
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Counseling focuses more on the behavior of a person. It is regarded as a brief treatment because, according to experts, the mental health or sense of well-being already exists. It simply needs support and improvement; hence, people seek help from counselors, advisors, and even life coaches. Because it also deals with alleviating stress and dealing with problems, especially in terms of grave life crises, counseling is taken in a similar light as psychotherapy. However, people must know that counseling only touches the shallower aspects of problems like stress. It only answers to the need of people for enlightenment and direction.<br />
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<tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;">Gary Zomalt. Image credit: <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/109070520555014083799/GaryZomalt?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite">Theamazingworldofpsychiatry.wordpress.com</a></td></tr>
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When it comes to more severe cases, psychotherapy is in order. Psychotherapists, like Dr. <a href="http://www.blackplanet.com/your_page/blog/view_posting.html?pid=797264&profile_id=59091066&profile_name=merrillgoff23&user_id=59091066&username=merrillgoff23">Gary Zomalt</a> of 3R Counseling and Consulting, look not only into the present condition of a person. As psychotherapy entails psychoanalysis, specialists also look into the origin of the problem, uprooting its possible causes – from a person’s childhood or past life events that may have affected the condition – before dealing with the ‘now.’ Psychotherapy deals with psychological problems that have built up over the years. It focuses on chronic psychosomatic problems that need to be explored before the endorsement of coping techniques, among other treatments.<br />
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<tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;">Gary Zomalt. Image credit: <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/109070520555014083799/GaryZomalt?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite">Slowdownfast.com</a></td></tr>
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<i>For more about Dr. <a href="http://www.healthgrades.com/provider/gary-zomalt-2lpth">Gary Zomalt</a> of Fresno, California, visit this <a href="http://garyzomalt.livejournal.com/">blog</a>.</i>
Gary Zomalthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082162652191662502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1200103415772578954.post-75511568235691049652012-09-12T03:48:00.000-07:002012-09-12T03:48:18.542-07:00More than just brain bleach: Dr. Gary Zomalt and ways to improve your mental hygiene<i>Dr. <a href="http://www.blackplanet.com/your_page/blog/view_posting.html?pid=797264&profile_id=59091066&profile_name=merrillgoff23&user_id=59091066&username=merrillgoff23">Gary Zomalt</a> is a psychotherapist from Fresno, California. He helps people who are suffering from psychological problems achieve a restored mental health. <br />
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This latest blog will discuss what mental hygiene is and the importance of mental health to live a happier and healthier life.</i><br />
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<tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;">Gary Zomalt <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Fb9Xktt65K9aL8i88_Xz_dMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite">Image Credit: Howstuffworks.com</a></td></tr>
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Mental health is vital in life. It refers to how people think, feel, and act according to various life circumstances. It is the exact opposite of mental disorder. In order to achieve mental health, people should live with proper mental hygiene. <br />
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Encyclopædia Britannica described mental hygiene as “the science of maintaining mental health and preventing the development of psychosis, neurosis, or other mental disorders.” <br />
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Consulting specialists like Dr. <a href="http://www.manta.com/g/mm39xd1/gary-zomalt">Gary Zomalt</a> offer various ways to achieve proper mental hygiene and manage psychological problems. But before running to professionals for help, people can start maintaining their mental hygiene in their own ways. <br />
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<tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;">Gary Zomalt <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Jbj5HjjZdKqKctrv4tDT89MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite">Image Credit: Greenfemininehygienequeen.wordpress.com</a></td></tr>
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One simple way to do so is by not holding grudges. According to experts, a way to keep the mind fresh and healthy is by substituting positive thoughts over bad images caused by unfortunate events or unpleasant things. <br />
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People are also advised to not sweat the small stuff. By doing so, they prevent themselves from being stressed out by things that should not be taken too seriously in the first place. <br />
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<tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;">Gary Zomalt <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/MnKJF43T75JTd-ub5nhyjdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite">Image Credit: Pivotalhealthblog.com</a></td></tr>
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Keeping an optimistic perspective, especially about the bad things that happen to people, is also a good way to maintain mental hygiene. Taking responsibility for mistakes, having a ‘can do’ attitude, acting calmly in times of trouble, and shrugging negative vibes are other ways to uphold mental health. <br />
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<i>For more about Dr. <a href="http://www.healthgrades.com/provider/gary-zomalt-2lpth">Gary Zomalt</a>, visit this <a href="http://garyzomalt.livejournal.com/">blog</a>.</i>Gary Zomalthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082162652191662502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1200103415772578954.post-51739707027485459952012-08-09T04:16:00.000-07:002012-08-09T04:16:23.823-07:00Dr. Gary Zomalt: How to improve mental health<i>This newest blog for Dr. <a href="http://www.hipaaspace.com/Medical_Billing/Coding/NPI/Codes/NPI_1609918317.aspx">Gary Zomalt</a> discusses the benefits of good mental health and how a person can obtain it.</i><br />
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<tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;">Gary Zomalt <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/q_UIxClI_BpDNu1XHWvFwdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite">Image Credit: Askmen.com</a></td></tr>
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Developing mental fitness helps people achieve and maintain a state of good mental health just as much as being physically fit helps the body stay strong and healthy. But how can you stay mentally fit? The <a href="http://www.cmha.ca/mental_health/benefits-of-good-mental-health/#.UA-EfmEzCWk">Canadian Mental Health Association</a> gives some useful advice on improving mental health: <br />
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<i>“Get physical.”</i> According to CMHA, exercise improves not only your physical fitness but also your mental fitness. Some of the psychological benefits of exercise include treatment of depression and anxiety and management of tension, fatigue, and anger. <br />
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<i>“Eat right.”</i> Healthy food supplies the body with vitamins and minerals essential for proper brain function, notes CMHA, while vitamin deficiency can cause mood swings, anxiety, and agitation. <br />
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<tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;">Gary Zomalt <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/cADQ2L75_1pPxf_jiIbDGtMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite">Image Credit: Americanhw.net</a></td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><strong><em>Dr. </em></strong></span><a href="http://chequersofsaugatuck.com/gary-zomalt-a-dedicated-psychotherapist-and-a-professional-social-worker/"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><strong><em>Gary Zomalt</em></strong></span></a><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><strong><em> has played a great role in alleviating San Diego County’s overwhelming mental health treatment problem by creating new strategic plans for the area.</em></strong></span></div><br />
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<i>“Take control of stress.”</i> Stress can affect your emotions and intellect, causing lack of concentration, confusion, anxiety, and irritability. Thus, it should be managed properly through learning proper relaxation techniques, setting realistic goals, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. <br />
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<tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;">Gary Zomalt <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/2Unzb0KyCiLVFXVH26Gxr9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite">Image Credit: Outlook16.com</a></td></tr>
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Dr. <a href="http://garyzomalt86.tumblr.com/post/11624245399/gary-zomalt-helping-transform-lives">Gary Zomalt</a> helped the San Diego County Mental Health Services Department develop an outsourcing strategy and utilize public and private partnerships to resolve the area’s problem with regard to its citizens requiring treatment for serious emotional disorders. Follow this <a href="http://twitter.com/garyzomalt">Twitter page</a> for more information.Gary Zomalthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082162652191662502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1200103415772578954.post-15913809137849539702012-06-20T02:56:00.005-07:002012-06-20T02:57:52.732-07:00Dr. Gary Zomalt: How to deal with passive aggressive people<i>This newest blog on Dr. <a href="http://www.fresnometroministry.org/lhcc/roundtables.html">Gary Zomalt</a> aims to educate readers about the different indications of passive aggressive personality, how it is developed in other people, and how we can help them.</i><br />
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<tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;">Dr. Gary Zomalt. Image Credit: <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/109070520555014083799/GaryZomalt?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite">flickr.com/photos/Aya</a></td></tr>
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At one time or another you may have encountered people who exhibit a pessimistic attitude towards life and often express annoyance and displeasure through their actions. If so, it is important to understand that some of these people may be suffering from having a passive aggressive behavior. Thus, we need to understand them and help them.<br />
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Passive aggressive people often think that other people are treating them unjustly and feel that they are being oppressed. Thus, they often indulge in fights with other people, even those whom they have a special relationship with.<br />
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<tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;">Dr. Gary Zomalt. Image Credit: <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/109070520555014083799/GaryZomalt?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite">flickr.com/photos/Linda Templeman</a></td></tr>
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<div style="color: #e69138;">
<span style="font-size: large;">“Dr. <a href="http://www.zoominfo.com/#%21search/profile/person?personId=-416820&targetid=profile">Gary Zomalt</a> is the owner of 3R Counseling & Consulting, a clinic that offers psychotherapy and addiction services, training, program development, and quality management.”</span></div>
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They are also hesitant to take responsibilities, afraid of taking accountability of their mistakes. In effect, they tend to take control of other people, so that they can have someone to do certain tasks for them.<br />
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To help passive aggressive people, it is first important to understand that passive aggressive traits are caused by different factors. For some, they are caused by a feeling of unacceptance.<br />
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Most psychologists suggest avoiding argument with such people and giving them the opportunity to make decisions and plans for themselves as ways to avoid agitating them. Although you can present them some options, it is better to let them choose on their own; they should be given all the possible opportunities to live a free life, as per their definition of freedom.<br />
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<i>Read more psychotherapy topics by following updates on Dr. <a href="http://www.manta.com/g/mm39xd1/gary-zomalt">Gary Zomalt</a> on this <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/garyzomalt">Twitter page</a>.</i><br />
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<tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/109070520555014083799/GaryZomalt?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite">Gary Zomalt</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Gary Zomalthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082162652191662502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1200103415772578954.post-10429051605893811822012-05-15T02:33:00.000-07:002012-05-15T02:33:02.059-07:00Dr. Gary Zomalt and psychotherapy: Recovering from depression<i>Depression is one of the most common mental disorders in the U.S. The <a href="http://www.nimh.nih.gov/statistics/1MDD_ADULT.shtml">National Institute of Mental Health</a> says that approximately 6.7% of the adult population suffer from depression in a 12-month period. This <a href="http://www.corporationwiki.com/California/Fresno/gary-zomalt/54619320.aspx">Gary Zomalt</a> blog sheds light on how psychotherapy helps in alleviating symptoms associated with this inimical mental state.</i>
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<tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;">Gary Zomalt Photo Credit: <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/garyzomalt/GaryZomalt?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite">flickr.com</a></td></tr>
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Depression is an actual mental disorder that some people fail to immediately recognize; others even ignore it and choose not to seek professional help, thinking that the negative thoughts and feelings will just “go away.” Depression can result to a series of relationship conflicts, family problems, and work productivity issues. It should be noted though that depression is highly treatable if the patient gets competent care and treatment. It is also important that people seek help from a licensed mental health professional if they suspect a family member of having depression. People suffering from depression, when left untreated, can also negatively affect those around them.
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Dr. <a href="http://www.whitepages.com/name/Gary-Zomalt/California" style="color: purple;">Gary Zomalt</a> created and managed major service programs to improve community health and well-being.</b></span></blockquote>
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Furthermore, depressed individuals who don’t receive professional care hold on to feelings and emotions that remain repressed. This leads to a sense of isolation, aggravating depression. Depression therapy can help patients, allowing them to benefit from the following:
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• Depressed individuals may acquire distorted thinking patterns. Therapy helps identify those patterns and aids in nurturing a more positive view on life.<br />
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<tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;">Gary Zomalt Photo Credit: <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/garyzomalt/PhotoCredit?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite">teachers.net</a></td></tr>
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• There are contributing factors, such as common everyday situations, that lead to depression. Therapists understand how these circumstances can affect a patient, and come up with positive steps for improvement.<br />
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<tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;">Gary Zomalt Photo Credit: <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/garyzomalt/GaryZomalt02?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCK3TxPve4emCSQ&feat=embedwebsite">potomacpsychiatry.com</a></td></tr>
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• Psychotherapy for depression assists sufferers in reclaiming a sense of happiness and control over their lives. This allows them to slowly integrate productive and enjoyable activities back into their daily living.
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<i>Get to know the importance of psychotherapy from Dr. <a href="http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/putting-dr-gary-zomalt-under-the-limelight">Gary Zomalt</a> by visiting this <a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002510408493">Facebook page</a>.</i>Gary Zomalthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082162652191662502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1200103415772578954.post-85630620058267852082012-04-10T23:36:00.000-07:002012-04-10T23:36:38.723-07:00Dr. Gary Zomalt: Psychotheraphy as a vessel of various thoughts<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Ey9gIqOQFJb8vAatqYZCs9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUz73dlTA7KhW4e9ldvtZBL5ndGEwjhsU_HdqgSzo2mLzRgIHz088XX03_fGUOP05gSWIBT3I1_PnZLtN3xX-b88Czi54DFsRm2TfhEYj7Dz3q8A9mHOgevqWev2iANAUcrUMbcNfeJZ-D/s800/4162079633_a113592455.jpg" height="300" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">Gary Zomalt From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/garyzomalt/GaryZomalt?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite">www.flickr.com</a></td></tr></table><br />
Mental health specialist <a href="http://www.thelightingpolice.com/gary-zomalt-and-scientific-altruism.html">Gary Zomalt</a> looks at psychotherapy as an “insightful” conversation between two people — where one person predominantly talks and the other predominantly listens. The process aims to foster helpful insights from the problems and issues confronting the “challenged” party. However, insight alone is not enough. The crucial part of the process is for the patient to retain the insight and incorporate it into his or her life in meaningful ways.<br />
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<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/AAYieF-4bKg6RYknLL2MZsbfhD5n-wkTKETs7eo20LQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH9mm460uYW8YfnWKKDmh1YJU9bIqtRQUnu3AwkJ-VuD5EyMae-kQ182_e8FNVrXItCY0klf7kyPYRHcrSWMY6WAN-SV25nMjx8GRrvXMk9nAzGcDfcLxpYYSWtpnxelZM_tuiTdyBCg5x/s400/Stress-Istock_01.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">Gary Zomalt From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/garyzomalt/GaryZomalt02?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCK3TxPve4emCSQ&feat=embedwebsite">eliminatingstress.org</a></td></tr></table><br />
<b>Creating meaning.</b> When struck by problems, people normally search for the meaning of their suffering. Psychotherapy also behaves that way in that it uncovers meanings of a certain point, event, or condition. A good therapist will gently challenge patients to examine inconsistencies in their perceptions and beliefs about themselves and their interactions with others.<br />
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<b>Recognizing patterns.</b> Part of what Dr. <a href="http://www.quechup.com/blog/entry/view/id/322008">Gary Zomalt</a> does as a psychotherapist is to help patients become more aware of the patterns and behaviors that make up their entire thinking process. Psychotherapy is a means to discover the many possible sources that contribute to the development of certain behaviors. Through patterns, people are able to solve problems more quickly and diversify their perspectives more easily.<br />
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<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/VJbhQ4vApnrPYunt0_VvjtMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-oOgMM44BHqjiF4y6H1bowVSh_po4T6jTjjNdURFfAhvSdK0leHl5DfO2Wszgov05gQ0f52dmAtuYbuHbFhb5whqHHPrU1Eaz-NDaNW4Y8Kbq9DU774BWqhp8LHSbMX0lPUtQj3EwGKT3/s400/meeting2.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">Gary Zomalt From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/garyzomalt/GaryZomalt?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite">Smart Recovery</a></td></tr></table><br />
<b>Forming solutions out of the problems.</b> Sometimes, the solution for a particular problem is represented in the problem itself. However, they are solutions that have stopped working, and in some cases have produced new problems. Psychotherapy is a great tool to help people not get stuck in a cycle of the same wrong solutions to their dilemmas.<br />
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<i>For more information on Dr. <a href="http://www.hipaaspace.com/Medical_Billing/Coding/NPI/Codes/NPI_1609918317.aspx">Gary Zomalt</a> and his therapy sessions, visit his <a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002510408493">Facebook</a> page.</i>Gary Zomalthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082162652191662502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1200103415772578954.post-70457602176911153202012-03-08T23:48:00.000-08:002012-03-08T23:48:24.398-08:00Dr. Gary Zomalt: The development of "psychotherapy apps" for smartphones<i>Researchers are developing smartphone apps that can take the role of psychotherapists. The question is: will these apps be effective? Read this <a href="http://www.thelightingpolice.com/gary-zomalt-and-scientific-altruism.html">Gary Zomalt</a> blog to learn more.</i><br />
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The past decades saw how technology has constantly expanded. Now, this expansion is attempting to change people’s perception on the psychotherapy realm, through smartphone therapy apps that—if successful—could ease common mental problems like anxiety, depression, and even alcoholism. <br />
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<tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;">Gary Zomalt <a href="http://http.cdnlayer.com/itke/blogs.dir/196/files/2011/11/istock_000014390567xsmall.jpg?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCK3TxPve4emCSQ&feat=embedwebsite">Photo credit: http.cdnlayer.com</a></td></tr>
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In previous years, researchers have been testing video-game-like programs that can supposedly alter people’s emotional and mental habits, just like what a psychotherapist can do. An example of a “psychotherapy app” that scholars and academics are developing is the one that utilizes the <a href="http://www.economist.com/node/18276234">cognitive-bias modification</a> approach, or CBM.<br />
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</span></div><div style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">3R Counseling and Consulting is an institution based in Fresno, California that helps patients cope with mental problems such as addiction. It was founded by Dr. <a href="http://soicalmark.com/sports-recreation/gary-zomalt-3/">Gary Zomalt</a>, an expert psychotherapist.</span></div><br />
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<tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;">Gary Zomalt <a href="http://theamazingworldofpsychiatry.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/istock_000008294264small.jpg?w=720?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCK3TxPve4emCSQ&feat=embedwebsite">Photo credit: theamazingworldofpsychiatry.files.wordpress.com</a></td></tr>
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The CBM approach seeks to break some of the brain’s bad habits, which are the roots of most mental conditions. For example, in the case of people with social anxiety disorder, their minds are subconsciously programmed to only focus on threatening faces among many others—like mechanically spotting a rotten apple in a basket full of fresh ones. This pattern causes them to easily become intimidated, resulting to high levels of anxiety.<br />
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<tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;">Gary Zomalt <a href="http://newsatjama.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/07-19-11-doc-with-smartphone-istock_000015862577xsmall.jpg?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCK3TxPve4emCSQ&feat=embedwebsite">Photo credit: newsatjama.files.wordpress.com</a></td></tr>
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In the app that features CBM, users with social anxiety disorder are shown two faces, one with a neutral expression and another one that looks hostile. The app then will put much activity—like random numbers that pop out—around the neutral face, forcing smartphone owners to focus on the head with a blank expression, rather than the aggressive one. If done repetitively, the exercise can train the eyes to automatically look away from hostile faces, lessening the anxiety individuals feel around other people.<br />
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The so-called “psychotherapy apps” are still in their infancy stage. But no one can deny how big their potential is, which is basically grounded on one idea—to provide psychological help that’s accessible to anyone at any time and in any place.<br />
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<i>Learn more about Dr. <a href="http://garyzomalt33.tumblr.com/post/11624037215/dr-gary-zomalt-for-the-welfare-of-others">Gary Zomalt</a> by checking out his <a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/martinrusso01">Twitter page</a>.</i>Gary Zomalthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082162652191662502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1200103415772578954.post-61191584016018657802012-02-16T21:55:00.000-08:002012-02-16T21:55:03.957-08:00Dr. Gary Zomalt: Joining NASW's mission<a href="http://www.linkedin.com/pub/dr-gary-zomalt/37/759/743">Dr. Gary Zomalt</a> seeks to be instrumental in transforming the lives of communities, families, and individuals. His track record reveals that he did just that, having served as head of several social welfare institutions aside from practicing psychotherapy. A clear mark of Dr. Zomalt’s dedication to social work is his membership with NASW, where he joins other social workers in the country in serving their respective communities.<br />
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<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/4W1obEnlqowb2FszjWkyMtMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRDX8XoliUEKAjqgINbzTOkmpmuCc9550A5NYshZwywuiat_Y5yFYURFGw7-AhzM-gEbDracJ91hp_wHotQVFbsvqZtgISZMzoc92SRJv-uRCnOz9nC2GkyNr4aC-BJLh8R4eoprgQ4QM5/s800/nasw-logo.png" height="116" width="378" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right"> Gary Zomalt <a href="http://judykopmanfried.com/images/nasw-logo.png?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite">Photo Credit: Judykopmanfried.com</a></td></tr></table><br />
The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is the largest membership organization of professional social workers worldwide. It currently has over 145,000 members across 56 chapters—a chapter for every state in mainland United States. It has additional chapters in five select cities and one international office. <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/garyzomalt">Dr. Gary Zomalt</a> is a member of NASW California.<br />
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One of the association’s main goals is enhancing its members’ professional growth and development by providing up to date information and research, advocacy, and other resources. It also offers publications, discounts to certain products and services, and continuing education to its members. It creates and maintains professional standards of social work and promotes policies meant for the benefit of the community.<br />
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<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/8BgaQA5VgazbtqYVqjhzudMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmT0Ub0NCu9rs9gDxfJOe9ocZV2PYxzq3FiQx5-_StLSDHBNyxPcQwIOUG_WVx4BFGaQSERx1pz68sFrhZbxiVP6erqVfFM-0VNUAxqvfnYv_zPkTCuAOZYYwDA7l4igd4lXma5wPjQhvI/s400/depressed-istock.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right"> Gary Zomalt <a href="http://teachers.net/gazette/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/depressed-istock.jpg?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite">Photo Credit: Teachers.net</a></td></tr></table><br />
The NASW’s goal of enriching social work comes a long way in helping communities. It offers more opportunities for social workers, and sets the profession in a new light. In a world in need of more individuals with concern for others, NSAW’s programs serve as an invitation for more people to take up the mantle of service to the community.<br />
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<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/CHwOGhV5Puj8zA9p3stm-dMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggO-I_zV4mScyWVEBUSlK78DNvtF8_fahdo0P1H7uJeO8U3P2ERtPVSKrQWOAgzLU0rgvaNqCnu1lMRLbrCfn_4gbwlfsi9wi8_lWVfVJ9jgSmEpxEkF464vdiwKqZ6Fg2I8VAXNneDAMg/s400/zomalt.JPG" height="400" width="377" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/garyzomalt/GaryZomalt?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite">Gary Zomalt</a></td></tr></table><br />
<i>Like this <a href="http://myspace.com/garyzomalt">Dr. Gary Zomalt</a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002510408493">Facebook</a> page for updates on the doctor’s work.</i>Gary Zomalthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082162652191662502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1200103415772578954.post-38936368830846474352012-01-04T16:29:00.001-08:002012-01-04T16:29:22.633-08:00Helping people with disabilities: Dr. Gary Zomalt and the science of rehabilitation counseling<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/oLKE-c4cS1vP15YskJkCSNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI_PJLJYxDu8ZhqbSj3vDCf1QOPjKw5pKJCJyJv549DKiGk_rYNizO143hNLHJ8e9D4yO8HpXwTEOTveCvg8qCCk9COKWf3XBwJ3koMa0pfaaBQs6FaWPwVm6GDbS9c_pXQ8YvC-vOkA6d/s288/6440308323_75571f0fe5.jpg" height="192" width="288" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">Dary Zomalt Photo Credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/drug-alcohol-rehab-asia/6440308323/sizes/m/in/photostream/?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite">DARA - Drug & Alcohol Rehab Asia</a></td></tr></table><br /><br />
Rehabilitation counseling is a psychotherapeutic process designed to help people with physical, sensory, cognitive, or developmental disabilities achieve their personal goals. Rehabilitation counselors and psychotherapists like Dr. <a href="http://ca-fresno.doctors.at/dr/gary-zomalt-drgarydeanzomaltlcsw">Gary Zomalt</a> are often found in private practice, in rehabilitation facilities, universities, government offices, corporate headquarters, and other organizations where people are being treated for congenital or acquired disabilities with the aim of helping them go to or get back to work. <br /><br />
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In the United States, rehabilitation professionals were initially recruited from a variety of social service disciplines, including public health nursing, social work, and school counseling. Although the emergence of educational programs began in the 1940s, it was not until the accessibility of federal funding for rehabilitation counseling projects in 1954 that the profession began to grow, establish a unique identity, and create its own niche in the medical world. <br /><br />
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<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/kWvhoqflQZODJLlQbSTDYdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoxh7gPBqNVOo_f4SAEpBV2r_lekjV0Ik9IWfw18Q8YZtOppMT2YT7S-LCFspyHmc1UYdBVXepbQb_gFleKwiP4ku3SHWnFJdDIe9fUQWHECFR8Lcy81TY3lFYPomNYfPuWFnGgP2CEibP/s288/6179275764_4c20f86d9a.jpg" height="216" width="288" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">Gary Zomalt Photo Credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/38722915@N04/6179275764/sizes/m/in/photostream/?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite">Matthew Wild</a></td></tr></table><br />
Before, rehabilitation counselors and special-case psychotherapists like Dr. <a href="http://pop.promdressuks.com/business/dr-gary-zomalt/">Gary Zomalt</a> exclusively served working-age adults with physical impairments. Today, the need for rehabilitation counseling services has extended to persons of all age groups suffering from a range of disabilities. Rehabilitation counselors may also provide general and specialized counseling to people with disabilities in public social service programs and private practice settings. <br /><br />
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According to the <a href="http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos067.htm">Bureau of Labor Statistics</a>, there were 129,500 professionals working in the field of rehabilitation counseling in 2008. The number was expected to grow by 19 percent annually, which is much faster than the average for all occupations. Many of these rehabilitation counselors are self-employed and work in group practices or private practice, primarily due to laws allowing them to be paid for their services by insurance companies and to the increasing recognition that counselors are well-trained, reliable, and effective practitioners. <br /><br />
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<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/CHwOGhV5Puj8zA9p3stm-dMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggO-I_zV4mScyWVEBUSlK78DNvtF8_fahdo0P1H7uJeO8U3P2ERtPVSKrQWOAgzLU0rgvaNqCnu1lMRLbrCfn_4gbwlfsi9wi8_lWVfVJ9jgSmEpxEkF464vdiwKqZ6Fg2I8VAXNneDAMg/s288/zomalt.JPG" height="288" width="272" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/garyzomalt/GaryZomalt?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite">Gary Zomalt</a></td></tr></table><i>For more updates about Dr. <a href="http://www.xing.com/profile/GaryD_Zomalt">Gary Zomalt</a> and his psychotherapy sessions, visit his <a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002510408493">Facebook</a> page.</i>Gary Zomalthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082162652191662502noreply@blogger.com0