Promises & Dr. David Sack featured on:
Articles
Do You Obsess About Your Appearance? Your Brain Might Be Wired Abnormally
A person with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) sees themselves as unattractive or even disfigured in some way despite the fact that others view them as looking perfectly normal. BDD affects around 2 percent of the population, making it a more common disorder than either bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. Nonetheless, the biological causes of BDD have remained shrouded in mystery. A recent UCLA study attempted to lift the cloud of unknowing.
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Are “The Promises” for Real?
Most people enter an addiction treatment program for one reason and one reason only. They have suffered painful consequences related to their addiction and they want the agony to stop. Oftentimes they don’t even have a desire to be clean and sober; what they really want is to learn how to “drink like a gentleman,” so to speak. In other words, they want to “be normal,” meaning they want to drink, use drugs, be sexual, gamble, etc., without experiencing serious consequences. They want to engage in pleasurable, potentially addictive behaviors without destroying their romantic relationships, hurting their children, straining their friendships, getting in fights, creating financial chaos, struggling at work or in school, or going to jail.
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Does Facebook Promote Narcissism? Studies Disagree
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Narcissism is a general term used to describe an excessive preoccupation with the self, whether from one’s own point of view or from the point of view of others. Most narcissistic people engage in relatively minor levels of self-absorbed thought or behavior that pose no real restriction to their ability to interact with others. However, at its extreme, narcissism can turn into narcissistic personality disorder, a form of psychiatric illness characterized by dysfunctional self-preoccupation and a lack of empathy. Since the rise of the Internet and social media, mental health professionals have debated the impact of these modern institutions on narcissistic personality traits. While some studies identify social media as an enabler of narcissistic behaviors, other studies detect no real connections between narcissism and social media involvement.
Bullies Can Have Lifelong Impact on Their Victims
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Social anxiety disorder is a form of medically serious anxiety that triggers a number of disruptive or dysfunctional symptoms in social situations that most people find manageable, harmless, or even pleasurable. Mental health experts also sometimes refer to the condition by the alternate name social phobia. Numerous sources indicate that people who experience bullying during childhood or adolescence have increased risks for developing social anxiety disorder. In addition, according to the results of a study published in 2010 in the journal Psychological Science, some people bully others in response to emotional pressures caused by the presence of social anxiety.
The Wear and Tear of Rumination on Mental Health
Negative emotions are emotional states that tend to limit your personal perspective, decrease your ability to think rationally and increase your overall level of mental unease or distress. Current evidence indicates that negative emotional responses to stressful situations can significantly increase your risks for eventually developing a diagnosable case of the serious mental health disorder called major depression. According to the results of a study published in 2012 in the journal Psychological Science, people already affected by major depression can lose their ability to tell the difference between various types of negative emotion. In turn, this inability can prolong or reinforce a depressed state of mind.
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Have You Let a Child Down With Your Addiction? She’ll Be Watching Your Every Move
Recovery from addiction is a difficult road to travel. Not only do you need to resist temptation and stop yourself from relapsing, but you also have to learn how to live all over again. Living as a sober person and as an addict are two very different things and, once in recovery, you have to learn what it means to be sober.
Along with your personal and internal battles, life after recovery also means dealing with the people around you and their perceptions of you, feelings toward you, and their trust or lack of trust in you. At work, people may now be looking at you differently. Your sober friends may tiptoe around you. Most importantly, however, are the feelings and attitudes of your family.
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When Drugs Win the War on Drugs, It’s Time to Focus on Treatment
Back in 1998, the satirical newspaper The Onion featured the following front-page headline: “Drugs Win Drug War”
This introduction and the story that followed were obviously intended as a spoof, but humor is frequently used as a subtle way to reveal the truth and that was undoubtedly the intent in this case.
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A Diagnosis is Devastating for Teens Struggling to Be Cool
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The diagnosis of a mental illness in a teenager is often the result of a long process. As a family, you may have endured school meetings, testing by the school psychologist, appointments with your family doctor, referrals to a specialist, and then multiple visits with a therapist before actually seeing a doctor. Phone calls to an insurance company, notes home from teachers, and perhaps even suspensions for behavioral issues may have prefaced the diagnosis. As a parent, as difficult and upsetting as hearing the diagnosis may be, relief and a sense of handling things often accompany the label. With a label can come a plan.
When Gluten-Free Turns Into an Eating Disorder
You hear it everywhere these days – gluten-free. There are entire shelves at the grocery store devoted to gluten-free products. Since the market share for gluten-free specialty foods is growing by nearly 30 percent every year, the number of shelves given over to those products will likely continue to grow as well.
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Social Isolation May Shorten Your Lifespan
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As human beings, we are social animals. We need each other to survive and to thrive and we crave the company of others. Even the most introverted people need some social activity from time to time. Being around other people and spending time talking, sharing a meal, or just being together is a normal part of life. Do not take your social life for granted, because researchers are now proving that this time spent with others is more important than anyone thought. Being isolated and alone can actually cause your health to deteriorate and can significantly shorten your lifespan.
Planting False Memories of Drinking Binge May Curb Alcoholism
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New research is investigating the idea that by manipulating memories, you can help people resist the urge to drink. Previous studies have shown that it is possible to plant false memories and convince someone that something happened when it really didn’t. Now, researchers are using the trying to use these techniques to keep people from drinking. The idea is that if you can plant a false memory of a bad drinking binge and an equally awful hangover, you can prevent someone from drinking. It may work, but whether it is right or wrong to change a person’s memories is up for debate.
Can Infertility Lead to Mental Illness?
Infertility is the general term used to describe an inability to conceive a child despite conscious efforts to do so. This inability can stem from reproductive problems in a woman or in a man. Both men and women can develop significant psychological problems as a consequence of infertility, and in turn, some researchers believe that the presence of significant psychological problems can increase a person’s risks for the onset of infertility. According to the results of a study published in 2012 involving almost 100,000 individuals, women who remain infertile after seeking help for their condition have significantly increased risks for developing some form of diagnosable mental illness.
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Is Falling in Love in Rehab a Bad Thing?
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Being in recovery for addiction is a tumultuous and difficult time. Whether you are just entering rehab, are already there, or have left and are facing the sober life ahead of you, your struggle can leave you feeling vulnerable, weak, and emotionally spent. There are many reasons, most experts would say, not to attempt to form any romantic attachments. Experts in the addiction and recovery fields are largely against romantic relationships forming during rehab, or even for up to a year afterward. Some, however, see some positive benefits and a possibility that these attachments can work in the long term.
Exercise May Reverse Brain Damage in Heavy Drinkers, Study Finds
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Recent research findings are showing promising results for people who have damaged their brains by drinking too much. The research was inspired by other studies that found aerobic exercise could have a positive impact on the brains of people as they age. Some of the damage caused by drinking is similar to the damage that occurs over time as part of the aging process. If exercise helps to slow down and repair aging damage, it should be able to help with damage caused by drinking.
Is Depression a Contagious Disease?
Depression is a common, serious mental health disorder that affects roughly one of every 10 adults and teenagers in the US. Because of the seriousness and widespread impact of the disorder, mental health experts continually explore new areas of research and try to identify depression risk factors that affect various groups of people. According to new research published in 2013 in the journal Clinical Psychological Science, the symptoms of depression may sometimes act in the same way as a contagious disease and spread from person to person. The underlying factor in this contagiousness is state of mind that scientists call cognitive vulnerability.
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