Generalized Anxiety Blog

According to some cancer researchers, having a positive outlook on life can possible prevent developing breast cancer. There is some controversy around it, but some studies have had surprising results. I think that there could certainly be some validity to this since we still know so little about how illnesses like cancer develop. The idea that one's mental state, and the corresponding neurochemistry that changes with it, could have an influence on how other parts of the body function and stay healthy or get sick, seems plausible to me. So if people with GAD needed one more reason to get some help for your worrying, there you go.

Research on the effect exercise has on depression has continued to show that there are shared brain components involved in both processes that could explain the benefit. As a clinician, I often suggest that people struggling with anxiety or depression begin some form of increased physical activity from walking more to a complete exercise program. For those that can stay with it, there seems to almost always be some benefit.

Research is continuing the quest to prove that anxiety disorders have some genetic component. Most mental health professionals and researchers have already accepted that there at minimum is some genetic component to predispose people to certain forms of anxiety disorders. The debate is more about the how much of a role genes play and then how to treat it based on that.

Man people with generalized anxiety disorder are in some sort of psychotherapy or counseling. Being a client in therapy can be tricky. If you are looking for the best ways to make the most of your experience in therapy, then check out this new article: "Top 4 Ways to Make the Most of Therapy for GAD"

If you were wondering what you need to ask or discuss with your doctor or mental health professional about generalized anxiety disorder, then this new article is for you. Learn what symptoms and other issues are key during those meetings. Click the above link for the full article.

If you were wondering what types of psychotherapy/counseling are good for treatment of generalized anxiety disorder, then check out the new article here: Types of Therapy for Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

I have posted the answer to a very frequently asked question about GAD treatment: how long does therapy for GAD take? You can find the answer here, and feel free to post any other questions about GAD as a comment here or in the forum.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is all the rage in the UK. The British government made a commitment to train a large number of CBT therapists, but a group is now saying what anyone who has a deeper understanding of human beings than thought patterns knows: CBT is no panacea nor is it the only effective type of therapy. I think it will be pretty interesting to see how all of this looks 10 years from now.

A study on monkeys has revealed that early experiences of stress are linked to developing anxiety problems. The secret is the neural pathways linked to the amygdala, a part of the brain important in experiencing emotions. Many mental health professionals already believe this to be true, so it is nice to see some research able to demonstrate it. For more on the best treatments for anxiety, check here.

A question that parents of kids who seem to have some mental health problems often ask is whether therapy is right for their child. A great news story covers some basics of answering this question that is worth reading for anyone in this position. One thing I would also add to the list is considering family therapy as an alternative if you are uncomfortable sending a child to individual. Often these sessions can help parents learn how to make life better for their kids and help improve some of their struggles. For more on types of mental health professionals, click here.