10 Unpopular Posts from 2008 Need Your Love!

– Posted in: Opinion

sad-puppy-with-rose-smEvery blog has posts that seem to be overlooked by readers, some deservedly, and some not. 

The posts in this list are those that I feel are important for various reasons. They run the gamut from groundbreaking new research, to reasons why we don’t see therapists, to effectively managing your medications.

According to site statistics, these posts have received very little attention from readers, and I am not sure why! Because of their subject matter or their keywords, they haven’t received much search engine traffic, either.

Rather than let these posts recede into oblivion, I’m asking you to take a second look and maybe give them a little love!

1. What Are the Stressors in Your Life?

This is an opinion piece based on my own experience with stress. It discusses how stress affects our lives, and makes the distinction between internal and external stressors clear.

2. Chronic Insomnia Can Lead to Anxiety Disorders

A large study found that chronic insomnia is a risk factor for Anxiety Disorders, but not depression. As a sufferer of both chronic insomnia and Anxiety Disorders, I find that the latter are at their worst when my insomnia is at its worst.

3. TV Portrayal of Psychologists Keeps People from Getting Treatment

A large part of the stigma of mental illness is learned from the media. TV, in particular, is guilty of perpetuating many outdated and wrong-headed notions about the mentally ill and about mental health professionals. 

4. Denial: Why People Don’t Get Treatment for Anxiety

Up to 20 percent of Americans suffer from Anxiety but only a small fraction get treatment. Denial is a primary reason, even stronger than the stigma of mental illness. There is a revealing list of reasons why denial is a common coping mechanism, with suggestions for overcoming denial to get help.

5. Take Charge of Your Medications!

My Mother’s death was caused by conflicting medications. This post shows you how to effectively manage your medications so that you are well-informed about their side effects and interactions. It also discusses how to talk to your doctor about the drugs that they are prescribing. It includes an offer to share the form I’ve developed to do so.

6. 95% of Diagnosed Social Phobia Sufferers Originally Go to Doctor for a Different Problem

Social Phobia has been found to coexist with other mental disorders in over 25 percent of patients receiving treatment. Yet, because it is not well-understood, it is often overlooked. In addition, almost all of the patients going to a doctor about a mental disorder do not go because of Social Phobia symptoms. 

7. Anxiety: Two General Types Found in Brain

Two general types of Anxiety were found by University of Illinois researchers: anxious apprehension and anxious arousal. This finding has great potential to influence the classification and treatment of Anxiety Disorders.

8. Anxiety Common in Elders, But Goes Undiagnosed and Untreated

Anxiety is the most common mental disorder experienced by older adults. As the Baby Boomers begin to reach retirement age, their mental health will become more and more important. It is urgent that doctors check elders for mental disorders, especially Anxiety Disorders, to maintain elders’ well-being.

9. 10 Reasons Why We Lie to Our Therapists

Therapy requires a great commitment of time, and according to your insurance coverage, money. Yet people lie or hide the truth from their therapists on a regular basis. It’s obvious that this keeps us from receiving the kind of care we need.

10. Book Review: Fear and Other Uninvited Guests by Harriet Lerner

Among all the hyped books on “curing” Anxiety is this wonderful little volume written by psychologist Harriet Lerner. An Anxiety sufferer herself, she recounts her experiences and how she overcame her own fears. It is one of my favorites.

What do you think?

Most of these posts are from the earlier days of this blog, and have become buried in the archives. I think they deserve a second look for the reasons cited. I hope you think so, too!

  • Is there any post on this list that you like and had overlooked?
  • Do you think that these posts deserve to sink into oblivion?

As always, your comments are welcome!

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6 comments… add one
Doug January 2, 2009, 2:45 pm

Mike, the post on denial was very interesting! I didn’t know that it wasn’t until Freud came along that the concept was created (Were we in denial about denial for that long? :) . I think many people live in denial about their anxiety problems because they often creep up so slowly. We get used to being anxious and don’t realize, or don’t want to recognize, that something is wrong. http://iamlivingwithanxiety.blogspot.com/

Doug’s last blog post..Finding joy

Pete January 2, 2009, 5:13 pm

Thanks for the blog posting. Found the links interesting…especially #7.

Mike January 3, 2009, 12:36 pm

@Doug, I’m glad you liked the post on denial. It is one of my favorites, and in my estimation very important: It is one of the biggest factors standing in the way of people getting the help they need. And as you say, the sometimes slow movement of Anxiety development does contribute to denial. Isn’t it odd how people will do anything to deny being mentally ill?

@Pete – Thanks for dropping by and commenting! The classification and description of the Anxiety Disorders is really in its infancy, and this study points toward the possible reclassification of them. Though probably not in time for the DSM-V, due in 2012.

Kim Woodbridge January 13, 2009, 10:14 am

Thanks for highlighting these articles Mike! Most seem to be from before I visited your site regularly. I just checked out the one about lying to therapists. Really great stuff!

Kim Woodbridge’s last blog post..Lessons in Backing Up – The Journalspace Disaster

Go Here May 14, 2015, 12:50 pm

Hi there! I know this is kind of off topic but I was wondering if you knew where I could get a captcha plugin for my comment form? I’m using the same blog platform as yours and I’m having problems finding one? Thanks a lot!|

Mike May 14, 2015, 5:49 pm

I use Akismet, of course. But the most effective spam protection I’ve found is the GASP function of CommentLuv. It has a captcha checkbox.

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