The most commented on articles on Anxiety, Panic & Health are those about Adult Separation Anxiety Disorder (ASAD)
The comments can be heartbreaking: confusion, mental anguish, strained and broken relationships, and the frustration of no “official” diagnosis.
All that is about to change.
A revision of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the DSM-5, is due out in May, 2013. It is in the final stages of testing and comment by psychiatrists.
For the first time, Adult Separation Anxiety Disorder is specifically listed as a diagnosis. If this diagnosis survives the final stages, many sufferers will have access to effective treatment for the disorder for the first time.
And since the DSM is used for diagnostic codes by almost every insurance company, there is the possibility of their covering the treatment of ASAD.
[Read the entire article...]
Tagged as:
Adult Separation Anxiety Disorder,
DSM
Have your fingers been itching to tweet about Anxiety, Panic & Health?
Haven’t reconciled yourself with Facebook?
Now you can tweet to your heart’s content using our new hashtag, #AnxPH!
If you want to follow me my Twitter name is @mikenichols0. Or you can click this link or the Twitter bird on the right side of the menu. But I’ll get your tweet whether you use the hashtag or a tweet to me.
I monitor Twitter several times a day and will be answering promptly. However, I don’t trust Twitter’s direct messages, so if you want to write something personal or that needs a longer response, use the Contact form in the menu. I check my email several times a day.
Finally, tweets on Twitter are governed by the AP&H Comment Policy, which basically says to be nice and that no commercial messages or products are allowed.
So, tweet away! I look forward to this new way of interacting with you!
June of last year ushered in a substantial change that crippled my family’s unity. We no longer played together as a family. When my son had soccer games, there was an empty space next to me where my husband would normally sit.
Earlier that month my husband was a passenger in a car that struck and killed two people (one a child). The victims ran across the road without checking traffic.
At first my husband seemed fine. Then I would wake up in the middle of the night to discover his side of the bed vacant and cold. When his nightmares began, I would find him sitting at the kitchen table staring at the wall.
[Read the entire article...]
Tagged as:
Anxiety,
Caregivers,
PTSD
by Mike Nichols on March 13, 2013 · 1 comment
Anxiety, Panic & Health has a new Facebook group page!
Now you can chat with your friends in the AP&H community and introduce new members – all on Facebook.
The AP&H Facebook group is private, which means you have to be invited to join in order to see posts or to post. Anyone can see the groups general information and request to join the group. But they cannot see your posts and comments until they are a member. Learn more about our Facebook group on the AP&H Facebook Group page under the “Contact” tab.
So join us today! Access our new AP&H Facebook group by clicking this link or the Facebook icon at the right side of the menu.
That was the point. So many people like the look of the site (me too) that it appears much the same.
Trust me, every line of code is different. There remain only a few more tweaks.
Please feel free to use the site without fear of breaking anything!
by Mike Nichols on March 11, 2013 · 1 comment
It’s because I’m upgrading this site to the latest and greatest.
There may be some temporary glitches here and there, but nothing serious.
You can go ahead and use the site as you normally do – it won’t hurt anything.
We have this client.
His family says that he’s just not the same guy he’s always been. He’s extremely sensitive and gets angry at the slightest offense.
He can’t concentrate. His wife is frustrated because he can’t remember simple errands. Sometimes his mind wanders so much that he gets lost, or forgets what he was supposed to be doing.
Every day, he wakes up feeling overwhelmed by the idea of getting dressed, showered, and out of the house. Every night, he takes a sleeping pill. He has no appetite – food doesn’t taste good any more. He chugs Coke all day long, just to keep his eyes open.
He’s afraid of losing his job. He’s afraid of destroying his relationship. He struggles with self-esteem. And he’s convinced that there’s no way out.
So, what’s your first thought? Depression? Anxiety?
Did any of you think brain injury?
[Read the entire article...]
Tagged as:
Anxiety,
Brain Injury,
Depression,
Neurology
by Mike Nichols on September 30, 2012 · 5 comments
Last week, when his wife left home for a two-week cruise with her best friend, Robert Sollars stocked up on hamburger meat and peanut butter, then settled into a weekend of football on cable TV. And he cried.”
So begins “When It Never Gets Easier to Say Goodbye” by Dr. Elizabeth Bernstein.
Mr. Sollars, 51 years old, owns a workplace security consulting firm in Mesa, Arizona. He hates being away from his wife, even when she is just going to work. When she is away for a longer time he feels nauseated and finds it hard to concentrate. He can’t sleep and worries that she will have an auto accident, get sick or hurt, or will find someone else. He says, “I firmly believe that my worry is based in fantasy land. But I am still deathly afraid of losing the woman I love.”
What’s going on here? Sollars certainly is not a wimp. Is he just being immature, clingy or over emotional? Or is he suffering from Adult Separation Anxiety Disorder and a dysfunctional attachment style?
[Read the entire article...]
Tagged as:
Adult Separation Anxiety Disorder,
Anxiety,
Anxiety Disorder
The 1980′s and 90′s saw a boom in the development of psychiatric medications. The 20-year limit on their exclusive patents are now expiring, and more and more generic versions of these drugs are becoming available.
Generic drugs are almost always cheaper than their brand name counterparts, so insurance companies insist on dispensing generics whenever possible.
The public is confused and suspicious of the generic drugs being pushed on them by their insurers. Are these medications as effective and safe as the brand names? Do they introduce new side effects?
This article is the first of a two-part series written to provide you with answers. This part will give you a quick overview of generic drugs: What they are, how they are certified by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and how to identify them. The section headings are:
- What is a generic drug?
- How is a generic drug certified by the FDA?
- How can I tell if my medication is generic?
[Read the entire article...]
Tagged as:
Anxiety,
Medications,
Mental Health Professionals
More and more of the early psychiatric medications are reaching the end of their 20-year exclusive patents.
That means still-effective drugs like Wellbutrin®, Lamictal® and Paxil® now have generic equivalents. These generics are cheaper, and of course the insurance companies insist that they be prescribed instead of the brand names.
Part One of this two-part series provided information on how generic drugs are certified by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and how to identify their pill bottles.
This article, Part Two, addresses a number of issues surrounding generics such as effectiveness, side effects, labeling and doctors’ attitudes toward them. The topics covered are:
- Issues: Are generic and brand name drugs identical?
- Issues: What about generics’ effectiveness?
- Issues: What about generics’ side effects?
- Issues: Generic drug labels don’t have to be updated
- Issues: Doctors’ attitudes toward generic drugs
[Read the entire article...]
Tagged as:
Anxiety,
Medications,
Mental Health Professionals
