ARP 389 What Is Situational Anxiety?

If your are an adult human being, you have experienced situational anxiety. It is when you know that this specific thing is making you upset or anxious. It could be about money, your job, the lack of prospects of getting a job. Housing insecurity. Your car breaks down and you do not have cash or credit for the repair bill.

In this episode, a look at situational anxiety.

Resources Mentioned: 

To learn more about situational anxiety you can take a look at the page on VeryWell Mind. They do tend to go long with their description on the condition, symptoms and treatment options.  VeryWell Mind is a commercial site. It is advertiser supported. If possible, I would suggest that you use a browser like Duck Duck Go in fire mode or Vivaldi in anonymous mode.

Dennis the Anxiety Guy has a video from six years ago about handling situational anxiety. 

Dr. Andrea Dinardo, Ph.D has an extract from a longer video on the experience. 

The University of Michigan on five red flags you are dealing with situational depression. 

Emergency Resources:

The Trevor Project: Provides crisis support specifically for LGBTQ+ youth through phone (1-866-488-7386), text (START to 678-678), and online chat. Available 24/7. They also provide peer support and community. 

Veterans Crisis Line: Call 988 and press 1, text 838255, or chat online. There are phone lines for those serving overseas. Visit the website to find the current status of the Veteran line and international calling options. 

National Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741 for free, confidential support 24/7. This service operates independently of the 988 service. Users can use text, chat or WhatsApp as a means of contact.

Disclaimer: 

Links to other sites are provided for information purposes only and do not constitute endorsements. 

Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health disorder.

This blog and podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing in this program is intended to be a substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Mental Health Resources for Parents of Anxious Children

I primarily talk about adult resources for anxiety conditions. That is a hard enough nut to crack. But parents of anxious children need help too. 

The American Academy of Pediatrics doctors treat children and teens. They have a page on their website that has information PDFs about anxiety treatment and mental health issues in English and Spanish. 

Some of the topics include managing depression or sadness, managing inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity, and activities to help your child or adolescent manage anxiety.

The PDFs also list other resources that provide information about child mental health.

Then there is the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP).  The have multiple guides on childhood mental health conditions. 

The AACAP has a 17 page Anxiety Parents Medication Guide on what are the anxiety disorders, medication and psychosocial treatments for anxiety.

Emergency Resources

The Trevor Project: Provides crisis support specifically for LGBTQ+ youth through phone (1-866-488-7386), text (START to 678-678), and online chat. Available 24/7. They also provide peer support and community. 

Veterans Crisis Line: Call 988 and press 1, text 838255, or chat online. There are phone lines for those serving overseas. Visit the website to find the current status of the Veteran line and international calling options. 

National Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741 for free, confidential support 24/7. This service operates independently of the 988 service. Users can use text, chat or WhatsApp as a means of contact.

Disclaimer: 

Links to other sites are provided for information purposes only and do not constitute endorsements. 

Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health disorder.

This blog and podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing in this program is intended to be a substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

ARP 388 - No Joke About Dental Anxiety

There is a video about a dentist joking about giving less medication to people not of her political persuasion. To her audience, I guess they found it funny. 

There is a larger story than the dentist and the joke. I waited. I hoped someone would bring a non-political reason what the joke was bad, very bad and unprofessional. 

For the record, there are million of us that have some form of dental anxiety or dental phobia. 

We need the skills of a professional, qualified and compassionate dentist.

We are scared out of our skulls because we don't know what a few bad teeth yankers of the profession will do to us. Or we clearly remember what a few of them have done to us.

In this episode, a brief definition of dental anxiety and phobia and resources for you to empower yourself. 

Resources Mentioned: 

There is a website associated with the American Dental Association website called Mouth Healthy. It offer three tips on dealing with dental anxiety. 

Cleveland Clinic page on what is dental phobia, the symptoms, causes and treatment options.

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22594-dentophobia-fear-of-dentists

The University of Pennsylvania Dental Medicine has a page on how to get over dental anxiety

For those of you in the United Kingdom, the Dental Fear Central page has some good information and suggestions on dealing with dental anxiety.

Emergency Resources

The Trevor Project: Provides crisis support specifically for LGBTQ+ youth through phone (1-866-488-7386), text (START to 678-678), and online chat. Available 24/7. They also provide peer support and community. 

Veterans Crisis Line: Call 988 and press 1, text 838255, or chat online. There are phone lines for those serving overseas. Visit the website to find the current status of the Veteran line and international calling options. 

National Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741 for free, confidential support 24/7. This service operates independently of the 988 service. Users can use text, chat or WhatsApp as a means of contact.

Disclaimer: 

Links to other sites are provided for information purposes only and do not constitute endorsements. 

Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health disorder.

This blog and podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing in this program is intended to be a substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

ARP 387 What is Fear?

This is a quick definition of fear, why it is an important emotion and two informational resources to help you learn more about. Fear is an emotional response to real or imaginary danger. 

Your body enters into protection mode. It is not, as some would describe it, a weakness or lack of backbone. You are in trouble and your body is helping you do deal with it.

When you understand what fear this can help you find the tools and skills needed to make healthy adjustments to your natural defense system. Those tools can be food or nutrition, therapy, exercise, education or other things you might not be aware of.

Resources Mentioned: 

For the TLDR folks, on the Psychology Today blog there is a page on the basics of fear. it talks about what it is, some of the causes and its relationship to phobias and social anxiety.

The website Simple Psychology has an explainer page on The Psychology of Fear: Definition, Symptoms, Traits, Causes, Treatment

Emergency Resources

The Trevor Project: Provides crisis support specifically for LGBTQ+ youth through phone (1-866-488-7386), text (START to 678-678), and online chat. Available 24/7. They also provide peer support and community. 

Veterans Crisis Line: Call 988 and press 1, text 838255, or chat online. There are phone lines for those serving overseas. Visit the website to find the current status of the Veteran line and international calling options. 

National Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741 for free, confidential support 24/7. This service operates independently of the 988 service. Users can use text, chat or WhatsApp as a means of contact.

Disclaimer: 

Links to other sites are provided for information purposes only and do not constitute endorsements. 

Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health disorder.

This blog and podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing in this program is intended to be a substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Pebble in the Road - Busting Stigmas

Despite the torrent of bad news being funneled to us, there are positive stories that don't get amplified. 
This is one of those type of stories. I kinda stumbled into it and I'm glad I did.

This was a story on the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers website.

Jay Fraiser runs the Boston Local 103 recovery and sobriety group. He meets with fellow union members to help them stabilize on their recovery journey.

I don't know anything about being an electrician. I do know about being knocked to the floor due to anxiety symptoms. It was a long time ago but it did put me on my road to treatment. I don't recommend experiencing it but it is a wake up call to do something to help yourself.

I encourage you to read the story.

IBEW News - How One Boston Member Is Breaking Down Mental Health Stigma

Emergency Resources

The Trevor Project: Provides crisis support specifically for LGBTQ+ youth through phone (1-866-488-7386), text (START to 678-678), and online chat. Available 24/7. They also provide peer support and community. 

Veterans Crisis Line: Call 988 and press 1, text 838255, or chat online. There are phone lines for those serving overseas. Visit the website to find the current status of the Veteran line and international calling options. 

National Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741 for free, confidential support 24/7. This service operates independently of the 988 service. Users can use text, chat or WhatsApp as a means of contact.

Disclaimer: 

Links to other sites are provided for information purposes only and do not constitute endorsements. 

Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health disorder.

This blog and podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing in this program is intended to be a substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

ARP 386 Evaluating Anxiety Herbal Supplements

I've done episodes about dietary supplements. I didn't take into account the ones sold at the gas station or corner store. People with an anxiety condition or disorder should be very careful about promises of herbal supplements treatment. 

I don't want to be elitist here. There is bad stuff in U.S. pharmacies that do not work, known not to be effective or dangerous and yet still on sale. I have examples from Ethan Melillo. PharmD and Grant Harding, PharmD.

It is one thing to buy Slim-Jims from the gas station. I've bought water, two cans for three dollars then I get to the counter where the person looks at me like I'm less than dirt as he rings me up. Then I remember not to go back into that store for the next eight months or so.

I would never, ever purchase an herbal supplement from the gas station store, a convenience store or the 99 Cents or 150 Cents Store-ish variations.

You might decide otherwise. If you do want to risk it, pack a magnifying glass because you have to read the label. What is the dosage? It might not be the full bottle. 

And most important, have the contents been verified by an independent industry respected testing organization?

We need to be careful out in the wild. Just my two cents. This is my opinion which ain't worth a bucket of salt. Which does not stop me from this episode on how to evaluate herbal health supplements.

Resources Mentioned: 

Operation Supplement Safety is intended for folks in the military that have restrictions on the kind of supplements they can use. However there is a non-military consumer version of the OSS Postcard that is a PDF download that gives guidelines on how to evaluate a supplement.

U.S. National Institutes of Health

Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS), National Institutes of Health (NIH) Dietary Supplements: What You Need to Know updated January 2023.

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health page called Herbs at a Glance and Using Dietary Supplements Wisely

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

FDA page on Information for Consumers on Using Dietary Supplements, updated 2022. 

FDA page on Health Fraud Products Database. You can search by name, vendor, website or a specific action taken by the FDA.

Emergency Resources

The Trevor Project: Provides crisis support specifically for LGBTQ+ youth through phone (1-866-488-7386), text (START to 678-678), and online chat. Available 24/7. They also provide peer support and community. 

Veterans Crisis Line: Call 988 and press 1, text 838255, or chat online. There are phone lines for those serving overseas. Visit the website to find the current status of the Veteran line and international calling options. 

National Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741 for free, confidential support 24/7. This service operates independently of the 988 service. Users can use text, chat or WhatsApp as a means of contact.

 

Disclaimer: 

Links to other sites are provided for information purposes only and do not constitute endorsements. 

Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health disorder.

This blog and podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing in this program is intended to be a substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

ARP 385 - What Is Fright?

Living in a place with non-human beings can give you an appreciation of the unexpected. I've had encounters with possums, coyotes and skunks. Main skill is be aware of your surroundings, back up and give them a path to exit.

Haven't had a bear encounter yet. Do not want one either. Part of the inspiration of this episode is an old video of a man leaving his home, preoccupied on getting to work only to discover a big ole bear in his driveway. 

This can cause most people a wee bit of fright.  That is the topic of this pebble in the anxiety road.

Resources Mentioned: 

On the Psychology Today blog is a post called Is Anxiety Psychological or Physical?

The National Alliance for Mental Health (NAMI) has a post from 2021 on Anxiety And Fear: What’s The Difference? There is an explanation of what is fear and anxiety, the symptoms and some ideas on how to process those experiences.

Emergency Hotline Resources

The Trevor Project: Provides crisis support specifically for LGBTQ+ youth through phone (1-866-488-7386), text (START to 678-678), and online chat. Available 24/7. They also provide peer support and community.

 

Veterans Crisis Line: Call 988 and press 1, text 838255, or chat online. There are phone lines for those serving overseas. Visit the website to find the current status of the Veteran line and international calling options.

 

National Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741 for free, confidential support 24/7. This service operates independently of the 988 hotline and users can text, chat or WhatsApp as a means of contact. 

Disclaimer: 

Links to other sites are provided for information purposes only and do not constitute endorsements. 

Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health disorder.

This blog and podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing in this program is intended to be a substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.