Five Obstacles to Effective TherapyTherapiesBy Promises AustinAugust 30, 2013Whether you have a serious psychiatric disorder, such as major depression or OCD, or are struggling with a major life issue, such as going through a painful divorce, therapy can be highly effective and very beneficial. It can also be a waste of valuable time and money. So what makes the difference between effective therapy…
Promises Praised on Fox News for Success in Celebrity RehabPromises NewsBy Promises AustinAugust 28, 2013Some celebrity rehabs have become more dangerous than the addicts themselves, says alternative sentencing and criminal justice expert Wendy Feldman after the death of “That’s ’70s Show” actress Lisa Robin Kelly. Feldman, who works with courts to find appropriate facilities for troubled adults and recently helped to facilitate Lindsay Lohan’s move from Betty Ford to…
‘Negative Urgency’ Leads to Impulsiveness, Substance AbuseDrug Addiction InfoBy Promises AustinAugust 27, 2013Negative emotion is a state of mind that typically causes distress and reduces the sense of equilibrium or well-being. People who constantly or repeatedly experience negative emotion have a personality trait that psychologists and other mental health experts sometimes refer to as neuroticism/negative emotionality. According to a study published in 2007 in the journal Drug…
Surgical Anesthesia Appears to Treat Drug-Resistant DepressionDepressionBy Promises AustinAugust 21, 2013Treatment-resistant depression is a form of major depression marked by a poor response to the treatment options typically used to address depression symptoms. When depressed people fail to respond to standard medications called antidepressants, doctors frequently rely on a form of controlled brain stimulation called electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). However, for a number of reasons, some…
Seven Myths About Obsessive-Compulsive DisorderMental HealthBy Promises AustinAugust 16, 2013It is estimated that about 2 percent of the population suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). But despite the attention it has received in the media and from medical professionals, this condition is still not fully understood by most people and, consequently, there are many mistaken beliefs floating around about what OCD is, who is most…
‘Bath Salts’ More Addictive Than Meth, Study FindsOther AddictionsBy Promises AustinAugust 16, 2013“Bath salts” is the common, collective nickname for a group of artificial, mind-altering drugs sold illegally or illicitly throughout various parts of the United States. All of these drugs contain at least one form of a group of amphetamine-related substances called synthetic cathinones. Doctors and mental health researchers are well aware of the severe health…
Geriatric Alcoholism: A Story About DenialAlcohol AbuseBy Promises AustinAugust 16, 2013Let’s start off with full disclosure: I am a psychotherapist and have worked in addiction and mental health settings for a couple of decades. I am no stranger to identifying and naming alcoholism when I see it, which does not exactly make me popular at cocktail parties or family gatherings. Sometimes, however, being able to…
Compulsive Gambling and Women: The Truth About a Hidden AddictionProcess AddictionsBy Promises AustinAugust 15, 2013Regardless of the specific type of addiction or dependency we are speaking of, in almost every instance it will be seen as an equal opportunity destroyer of lives that is not constrained by barriers related to age, gender, socioeconomic background or personal history. But problem gambling is different in the respect that it is seen…
Coming Back From Relapse Stronger Than EverRelapse PreventionBy Promises AustinAugust 10, 2013One of the worst feelings of your life is waking up after drinking or drugging for a week straight and realizing that your hard-won sobriety has veered into the ditch. Not only do you hate yourself for relapsing, you know you’ve let your loved ones down as well. Swallowing the bitter taste of relapse –…
Depressed People Develop Hyperactive Brain, UCLA Researchers SayDepressionBy Promises AustinAugust 6, 2013Major depression (major depressive disorder) is a severe condition that centers on an inability to properly regulate mood and emotion. For a long time, doctors and scientists have believed that the condition produces its effects by altering the normal function of several areas of the brain. However, according to the results of a study published…
