One out of every ten Americans suffer from panic attacks. Most commonly caused by hereditary factors or stress, they are debilitating to their victims. Untreated, panic attacks can lead to phobias like agoraphobia, heightened anxiety and stress levels and general disruption in one’s social and work life.

I’ve been meaning to write an article on procrastination for week now, but I just haven’t found the time to get around to it. Now how could I have resisted an opening like that?
Do you frequently find yourself putting essential tasks off until tomorrow, later, or never instead of doing them today? If procrastination has worked its way into your life, it may be time to change the way you think about your tasks and goals and begin to utilize better ways of tackling those things you’ve been procrastinating on.
As …

Winter has always been a difficult time for me in Michigan, with its many gray days, and not much sunlight. I awoke, feeling heavy, sluggish, and still exhausted. I wanted to pull the covers back over my head and return to my secure sleep state. I sensed something was wrong but really didn’t seem to care what it was. I knew I did not want to face another grueling day, outside the world of sleep. I felt scared, but didn’t know why. I dragged myself, out of bed, and into …

If you have depression, or at least you think you have one, you must realize that you should not diagnose yourself. You need to have a healthcare practitioner that is skilled to give you a correct assessment and professional diagnosis of your condition.
There is absolutely no reason to feel shy or embarrassed when talking to a healthcare provider regarding any symptoms of your condition. There are many healthcare professionals that are very understanding of your problem. After all, they were trained to study and treat depression.
If you have symptoms like …

Usually in our adolescence, we are exposed to many sudden and inexplicable mood swings as a result of our body undergoing various hormonal changes that prepare us for adulthood.
Aside from increased social pressures, the onset of menstruation, for example, introduces adolescent girls to premenstrual tension (or premenstrual syndrome) and the menstrual cramps, the former being a mixture of physical and psychological symptoms, including temporary weight gain, fluid retention, depression, fits of temper and the like.
Of these, depression is perhaps one of the most commonly identified conditions that both males and …

As a counselor, I am often asked, “Can drugs be helpful for anxiety and depression?” The answer I give is “Yes” and “No.”
Yes, drugs may be useful for short-term help. No, drugs are not a good long-term solution.
Anxiety and depression are not caused by a lack of drugs. Drugs do not heal the underlying causes of anxiety and depression. However, when drugs are temporarily used to give a person a window of relief to do the inner work necessary to heal the underlying causes, they can be useful.
Anxiety and depression …

Anxiety disorders can have a devastating effect on those who suffer from them. Left untreated, anxiety disorders often inhibit an individual’s ability to function normally in everyday life. Anxiety disorder may also be a source of additional tension caused by the strain the condition places on personal and professional relationships. Physical manifestations in the form of illness and mental manifestations in the form of depression are often the consequences of the intense and irrational worry that characterizes anxiety disorders While new methods of treatment are being developed, the most current …

Panic attacks can effect your quality of living and drag you down from doing the things you enjoy. If you have ever experienced a panic attack, then you know the feeling of terror that accompanies them, as well as the crippling fear that it might happen again. If you are one of the three million Americans who have had multiple panic attacks, you should know that there are ways to control panic attack symptoms.
The symptoms are similar to a heart attack, and a sensation that you have lost touch …

Health care providers can take care of depressed people. A physician, for one, has also training in treating psychiatric disorders. The same goes with the physician assistant and the nurse practitioner. If the case is severe, these health care providers will automatically refer the patient to mental health specialists.
The mental health specialists are composed of the following: psychiatrist, psychologist, a psychiatric nurse specialist and even a social worker.
The psychiatrist offers treatment and diagnosis for mental and psychiatric patients. A psychologist, on the other hand, is trained for counseling, psychological examination …

There isn’t anyone in this world who does not engage in some sort of “habit”…and often on a daily basis. Some people walk fast, while others twist their hair, for example. While most of these are actually benign behaviors, you should know that there are some habits that actually could be a sign that you suffer from anxiety.
Below are ten of the most common behaviors that people often erroneously refer to as “habits, without realizing that they may be attempting to compensate for feeling anxious:
1. Smoking – So many people …