ARP 374 - CBT and AI Apps

In this episode, a brief explanation of cognitive behavioral therapy and then an overview of the mental health apps that claim to provide treatment or support resources.

There are a lot of companies that are trying to convince insurance companies, private businesses and consumers that their app is the one to help treat mental health issues. 

Just one problem. There is only (at this time in January 2025) that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration allows the smartphone Rejoyn app to be recognized as a treatment for depression.  

And you need a prescription for it.

Everything else in the mental health market place needs to be seriously evaluated by consumers to see if what is offered is acceptable to you and supports your treatment goals..  

This is an overview of some of the things you should know if you decide to use an app.

If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text “START” to 741-741.

Resources Mentioned: 

Psychology Today post on AI Chatbots for Mental Health: Opportunities and Limitations

The Conversation page on Your AI therapist is not your therapist: The dangers of relying on AI mental health chatbots

NPR Report on Rejoyn

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.

Show 308 Mindfulness Meditation 2022

When I'm looking for viable resources, I can tell when I find a traditional approach to treatment.

Listed are two options listed, medication and therapy. Sometime they will mention others as a lifestyle choice. That is slowly changing. I am seeing more traditional sites including mindfulness and meditation. 

There is increasing medical documentation that mindfulness and meditation work. 

Medical scientists are still trying to quantify how it works. But they aren't kicking up a fuss about it anymore. 

Another force for change is the entrepreneurial health app providers.  They offer meditation as a treatment option, for users and for large corporations. 

Many are targeting corporations. The pitch is "we can provide meditation as a services and it won't cost you (corporations) as much as dealing with traditional providers." 

And in-between the entrepreneurs and traditionally medicine is you, me and the rest of the gang. 

Truth is, there are people that will be thrilled with an app that actual helps them. They are practicing and benefiting from meditation via an app.

There are other people that need an in-person experience. Some will get that through a faith based provider. Other people will seek out secular choices from non-profits, university offerings and commercial or virtual retreats.

No matter which way you choice to go; know what you are getting into and see if the app or training course meets your expectations. 

As I mention in the episode, there is no consensus about what those two words mean across disciplines, faith systems and from the medical and behavioral health professionals.

Some people use mindfulness for meditation or meditation for mindfulness.

I had to cobble out a definition that works for me but I do mention the other definitions in the show.

One definition of mindfulness is that it is a practice of paying full attention, being aware of what you are doing and grounding yourself in the moment. 

The website Very Well Minds definition of meditation: 

"can be defined as a set of techniques that are intended to encourage a heightened state of awareness and focused attention. Meditation is also a consciousness-changing technique shown to have many benefits on psychological well-being"

In this episode, a look at mindfulness and meditation in 2022.

If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text “START” to 741-741.

Resources Mentioned: 

App and Audio Resources:

ASICS Runkeeper app for those that want to run as they meditate.

Australian podcaster Rachel Kable has an episode on How to Train Your Brain and Worry Less, might be good for the generalized anxiety folks. 

NPR Life Tool Kit has an interview with Jon Kabbt-Zinn. In addition to the text interview is a recording of the conversation where he defines mindfulness as awareness. 

10 Percent Happier with Dan Harris - there is also an app for accessing more content.

Text Resources: 

American Psychological Association page on Mindfulness Meditation.

The Blissful Mind has a page on Mindfulness 101: Everything You Need to Know About Mindfulness.

 

The National Center for Integrative and Complementary Health page on Meditation and Mindfulness, What you need to know. 

Update 2024 - Mindful.org Getting Started page on Mindfulness.  Scroll down to see the text.

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.

Show 291 - What is Dialectical Behavior Therapy?

Before talking about Dialectical Behavior Therapy,  I want to give a brief reminder of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy aka CBT.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a short term treatment that provides skills on how to transform negative thoughts and behaviors. Traditionally, CBT is offered to people with an anxiety disorder, depression and other mental health conditions.

There are a number ways to do this but the general format is to:

• Assess where you are right now.
• What is your view of yourself, your attitude about yourself and how you function with those beliefs.
• Skills and tool building process to help you deal with your symptoms and other blocks you experience.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a variation of CBT, the goals are the same but there are some differences. 

DBT was originally created as treatment for suicide treatments, Borderline Personality Disorder, then eating disorders, some types of addictions and is now used for PTSD and anxiety conditions. It is actionable focus, meaning you actively apply the skills and techniques as you learn them. 

There is a connection with mindfulness. There is also a focus on acceptance and finding ways to change what you can to improve the quality of your life..

In this episode, a review of CBT and a brief dusting on the concepts of DBT.

If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text “START” to 741-741.

Resources Mentioned: 

ADAA video on What is DBT? You can view it on YouTube or the ADAA website.

From Humor That Works the 5 Daily Habits app for both Android and iOS. Simple app but gets the job done. Works on older devices and it is a totally free app.

Everyday Health page on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Very Well Mind page on Dialectical Behavior Therapy

DBT-LBC.org is a website that has a listing of certified DBT therapists in the US and Canada. The site also has an information page about dialectical behavior therapy

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.

Show 288 Two Books with Different Paths to Healing

There isn't one path to healing.  There can be dozens but when you are in the thick of it you only care about what works now.

So you might decide, you have stuff to do, you don't have time for introspections, give me the pill.

And it might work for you. Until it doesn't. Or your symptoms change. Or your anxiety expresses itself as anger. Or overeating. Or hording.

It can happen that you do meditation. You monitor your nutrition. You run a mile a day.

And your symptoms still make you feel like a scared, helpless person. Treatment isn't always linear.

You might have to mix it up. 

In this episode a look at two books that are very different from each other. Both offer a path to healing and treatment. It might work for you, it might not.

But these are accessible options to consider.

If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text “START” to 741-741.

Resources Mentioned: 

Brown University Robert J. & Nancy D. Carney Institute for Brain Science, a news article about Mechanical Affective Touch Therapy (MATT)

For those of you that want to check out the trial evaluation there is an open article Mechanical Affective Touch Therapy for Anxiety Disorders: Effects on Resting State Functional Connectivity on Science Direct that gives the details of the trial testing and results. 

Dushka Zapata For All I Know; A Shebang Checklist for Life. You can find most of her writing for free on Quora but she does have books for sale at Amazon.

The ABCS of Coping Using CBT to Manage Stress and Anxiety by James Cowart Ph.D. published by Crown House Publishing. You can visit the publishers web site or order the book via your favorite book vendor.

Author Matt Haig 2014 post on Reasons to Stay Alive.

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.

Show 280 Quick Look at Skin-Picking Disorder

Some symptoms are hidden inside the body. And some symptoms are very visible. 

There are different reasons why people pick at their skin and not everyone that does. This has an anxiety condition. There are some skin conditions like acne that causes folks to pick at it. They shouldn't, but their skin condition is caused by an organic physical problem with.

And then there are those symptoms that cannot be ignored. It is a self-inflicted visualization of a problem.

This is a quick pebble in the road, just the facts and where you can find help and assistance. 

Resources Mentioned: 

The International OCD Foundation page on Skin-Picking aka Excoriation. This website has a lot of information about the various forms of OCD and OCD Spectrum disorders.

Pick Me Foundation has a skill management page to help folks learn skills and techniques on handing their symptoms.

Merck Manual has a patient accessible guide to the disorder that will give you a basic understanding of the disorder and how it can relate to anxiety and depression.

The TLC Foundation for Body Focus Repetitive Behaviors has a directory of therapists that have been trained on treating the disorder. They also have a resource page with help and support. You can download their booklet on BFRB on treatment guidelines.

If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text “START” to 741-741.

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.

Show 271 Moving Past Denial and Doing the Work

Denial is not good or bad. It is a defense mechanism.

When you don't want to deal with the scary or hard thing.

Especially when it seems that thing is so big.

So dangerous.

Humans will do all kinds of things to avoid pain. Including accepting a small amount of pain to delay the bigger potential pain.

Doesn't have to be real.

Doesn't even have to have a direct connection to you. In this episode, a look at denial.

Resources Mentioned: 

The ABCS of Coping with Anxiety: Using CBT to Manage Stress and Anxiety, James Cowart, Ph.D from Crown House Publishing. You can also find it on Amazon and other book vendors.

Taking Control of Anxiety: Small Steps for Getting the Best of Worry, Stress, and Fear by Bret A. Moore, 

Living with Anxiety, a 48-page PDF from MentalHealth.org.uk

20 Common Defense Mechanisms Used for Anxiety from VeryWell Mind.

If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text “START” to 741-741.

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.

Chipping Away at The Anxiety Rock

And it is a big one. Getting people to believe that mental health problems are health problems. That they can be treated. And there is no failing for having one. Not a scorecard kinda thing.

So it is lunch time. I'm about to rustle up some grub and then I see a video from TED. 

Talking about Anxiety? I'm surprised and wondering where is this going? 

Dr. Jen is saying all the right things. Good explanations that folks can understand. Taking the stink out of it. 

TED has 19 million subscribers. Some of those folks have anxiety disorders. If the video helps folks to understand what they have and seek treatment that would be a very good thing. 

The bad thing is that about 2% of that 19 million will click on the video and maybe .01% will be inspired to seek treatment.

I'm greedy. I want everybody to know. But that isn't going to happen. 

But after the video is over, what do the .01% folks do?

This is partly why this podcast and the resource list exist. To give people on-going options and resources about how to find help, resources and options on treatment.

Resources Mentioned: 

There is a lot of information about the various forms of anxiety and depression on the ADAA.org website. 

National Alliance of Mental Health (NAMI) description page on some of the various types of anxiety disorders, symptoms and treatment options. 

Nationals Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has downloadable booklets about specific anxiety conditions.

If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text “START” to 741-741.

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.

For Me and Those that Come After

I'm putting this here because I probably should not mention it in the podcast again. 

And I think it should be viewed by people who are starting to be aware that there is more to treatment or reconstructing your life than a set finite list of rules and where they come from.

Rules are important, especially in health care. You gotta wash you hands in order not to spread germs from one person to another. This has been proven true by science and data. 

But sometimes a healing can happen via a song. An image. Or a cartoon.

I never want to be so old that I can't be open to inspiration, creativity or learning because of the form of the content. 

Not my style. Never has been.

Never will be.

This is a clip from the animated series, called Steven Universe. It explains the concept of what is a negative thought and how to deal with it.

20 million people have watched this clip. It is resonating with all kinds of folks. Maybe it will with you. Maybe it won't. I'm just plunking this here, just in case.

If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text “START” to 741-741.

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.

Show 204 What Is Agoraphobia?

Agoraphobia is not just the fear of going outside; many agoraphobics do just that. It is the constant feeling of fear and possibly, but not always, the fear of having a panic attack in public. 

If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text “START” to 741-741.

Resources Mentioned: 

BoosterBuddy App can help you to remember medication and appointment, has a journal feature and tips on self-care and motivation. You can download the app via the Apple App store or Google Play Apps.

U.S. National Library of Medicine's MedlinePlus definition of Agoraphobia and treatment options.

Another resource is from the American Institute for Cognitive Therapy page on Panic Disorders and Agoraphobia. You can also check out therapist Kati Morton's video on agoraphobia.

Dr. Julie Conner's page on Help! I'm Having a Panic Attack! with information about Agoraphobia as well. You should also check out Very Well Minds post on What is Agoraphobia?

Drew Linsalata has a book called The Anxious Truth : A Step-By-Step Guide To Overcoming Anxiety, Panic, and Agoraphobia. You can read a sample chapter of the book or visit the book's web page to get a sense of his approach to treatment.

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.

Show 182 Taking Care, Breathing and Wysa Apps

You are the only one that can decide what will work for you as you map out your path to wellness. So as I get up off of knees and work my own process, there are two apps to check out to see if they will be of assistance to you.

If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text “START” to 741-741.

Resources Mentioned: 

The Breathing App helps you to slow down your breathing - good for symptom control. It is available for iOS and Android devices. If you would like more info about the process you can visit the creator's website.

Wysa Chatbot App to help you handle your symptoms, record your journey and learn about taking care of yourself using CBT. The app is available via iOS or Android. The basic level of service is free, however there are fee based options for upper levels of service.

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.

Apps, Functional Tools and Websites

Welcome to the apps and tools source page of the Anxiety Road Podcast. These are some, but not all of the apps and functional websites and tools for anxiety and mental health resources. I hope to add to the page when possible. Please review the terms of service and permissions when considering installing an app or using a web based service.

For those new here, this blog and podcast is the involuntary journey finding medical, behavioral health, meditation, relaxation and x=the unknown treatment options and resources for people that have anxiety, panic attacks and phobias too. This podcast is treatment agnostic, meaning with a very few exception it is open to the wide range of choices for treating an anxiety condition/disorder.

Prior episodes on these topics:

Apps for Anxiety and Mental Health
Apps to Help You Take Care of Yourself
Bandwidth Anxiety and Three Apps of Interest
Seeking Therapy When You Don't Know Where to Start
Finding a Therapists for Your Anxiety Condition
Before You Commit to the Therapists Couch
Questions Seeking Mental Health Providers

Apps 

2024 Update: The website One Mind PsyberGuide is closed. The non-profit could not obtain funding. At this time you can still access the site, but there will be no updates.  PsyberGuide is a resource to help you find and evaluate mental health apps. The project looks at on-line, Android and iOS apps. Some of the mental health apps have an evaluation of their performance. There is good information on the site but it is a bit quirky. Bear with it - growing pains.

MoodTools can help track depression levels and provided you with coping ideas to keep you safe. Available for Android and iOS for a subscription or in-app donation.

My Noise Interactive Sound Generator Also the home of the Cat Purr Generator.

7 Minute Work Out, give the app seven minutes and move your body. for Android and iOS devices.

Stop, Breath Think guides you through the process. This app is available for Alexa users as well as iOS and Android. Alexa users can go to the specific web page to acquire the app instructions.

Sleepzy, Sleep Cycle Tracker to monitor your sleeping habits. This is for iOS users.

The Safe Place Jasmin Pierre's app contains information about mental health issues and topics specifically for folks like, How to Cope After Police Brutality, Mental Health In The Black Church, How to talk to black family members who may not want to understand mental illness, Breathing Techniques, Meditation and Exercise. The app is currently on Android and iOS for iPhone and iPad.

What's Up? - Mental Health App for Android is also focused on CBT training. It uses grounding techniques, explains about negative thinking patterns, a diary and helps you to track when you feel you are in too deep. There is also an iOS version.

Woebot App walked you through an attack or anxiety situation, applies cognitive behavioral therapy to help you learn skills on handing an anxiety attack. Android and iOS devices.

Functional Tools 

If you need mindless videos to help you fall asleep don't forget about the sheep from Baa Baa Land. It is a mind wiper, for sure.

Choose Muse Meditation Headband that works with an app on your phone to h elp your get into the meditation/mindfulness mode of being.

How to Trick Your Brain into Falling Asleep video from TEDx

The Somnox Sleep Pillow is designed to help you get to sleep. It is a robot that will coach you on breathing patterns, simulate heartbeats or provide soothing sounds to guide you into the sleep zone.

LoveSync, a Kickstarter campaign to help people communicate about their desire for sex by pressing a button.

Websites

Searchable therapist databases:

American Depression and Anxiety Association has a Find A Therapist page

Dept. of Veteran Affairs Harry Truman Memorial Hospital recordings on relaxation techniques.

Frantic World Meditations 

Healthguide.org page on Finding A Therapist Who Can Help You Heal

Moby has 4 hours of Ambient Music for Calm and Relaxation the main page is http://moby.com/la1/ You can also listen to Moby's music on SoundCloud, Google Play, iTunes and other services.

Open Path Psychology Collective

Psychology Today searchable database of providers

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.

Show 160 Seeking Therapy When You Don't Know Where to Start

There are all kinds of therapists out there and it isn’t easy to find a good fit. Because therapists are still people, even the ones in the app. It could happen that you start with person A but it isn’t working out. You take a break and try again with person B.

So in this episode, at look at some of the questions to ask yourself about what you want in therapy and how to pre-screen therapists.




If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text “START” to 741-741.

Resources Mentioned: 

Minnesota Public Radio report on how insurance company UnitedHealth withdrew funding for mental health services from patients in need. You can listen to the report or read the transcript on the website.

The Verge article on mental health apps sharing information about users to third parties.

NBC News posted an interesting piece by performer Lizzo about self-care.

Healthguide.org has a very extensive page about Finding a Therapist Who Can Help You. They define terms, provider options and questions you should ask when considering going into therapy.

Dr. PsychMom's post on Should You Choose a Therapist That Is Similar to You?

Therapick allows you to watch videos of therapists to find the one that you like or feel a connection with that person. You can filter for location, preferences and if they do or do not take your insurance.

Talkspace is a online service that help connect you with a therapist. There is a weekly fee for services but you also get the ability to check in via text when you need to.

Better Help also is a service that aids you in locating a therapist that you can access via live chat or a voice session.

Music for this episode is from Purple Plant Music at https://www.purple-planet.com

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.

Show 148 More Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Apps and Resources

In this episode, more about Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and some of the resources you can use to help you deal with your condition.




If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text “START” to 741-741.

Resources Mentioned: 

The Too Tired Project on Instagram is a photographic exploration of what depression and anxiety can look like. 4,000+ photos are on exhibit.

US News article about the hard rock band Sufferer and their music, which is an auditory ways of explaining to others what depression and anxiety sound like. What is cool about this is that the band is donating a portion of the profits to the ADAA.

Ah, the Dummies books. It is a not so cute way to reassure you that you can handle the material in the books. And yes, there is a book call Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Dummies, 2nd edition. Wiley is the current owner/publisher. At the Wiley site, you can download a chapter to get a sense of how the authors handle the topic.

On Amazon there is another book called Managing Anxiety with CBT For Dummies that you can download on your reader or tablet. It is about 150 pages and it is a bit more focused on dealing with your problem. There is an abridged Audible version as well.

Stop Panic & Anxiety Self-Help app for Android users has info about cognitive behavioral therapy, panic attacks and what to do about it. There will be ads that will appear in the app. You can also visit the website Excel at Life's page on CBT to help change what they call irrational thinking.

What's Up? - Mental Health App for Android is also focused on CBT training. It uses grounding techniques, explains about negative thinking patterns, a diary and helps you to track when you feel you are in too deep. There is also an iOS version.

Pacifica is a two-fer, you can learn about cognitive behavioral therapy and meditation and more. The software can be accessed via the website, or as an iOS or Android app. There is a free version but there are also in-app purchase levels. Make sure you understand what you are purchasing.

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.

Show 146 A CBT Pebble in the Road

A bare bones episode. My computer is sick and I'm nursing it back to health. Typing on a spare is rough and I'm not in total control of this; blue screens of death do not come with clear instructions.

I don't know what to do and that makes me anxious. Anyway, this is a pebble in the road about cognitive behavioral therapy.




If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text “START” to 741-741.

A quickie on CBT and a few resources:

• The app Worry Watch
• American Psychological Association page on CBT
• Verywell Mind page on CBT

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.

Show 145 You Don't Have to Medicate Your Symptoms

You do not have to take medications for anxiety disorders. It is a choice. A choice that is made with information, self-compassion and resources that can help you understand what it means if you decide not to use medication for your condition.




If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text “START” to 741-741.

Resources Mentioned: 

The Anxiety and Depression Association of American has a short page about some of the alternatives anxiety treatments to medication.

Helpguide.org has a huge page about anxiety disorder information and resources. The founders of the site lost their daughter to prescription drug abuse,  so the focus on this site is to present resources that are an options to medication.

There is a page on the Walgreens website that describes the various types of mental health therapy providers that you might find in the marketplace of mental health. Knowing what the titles mean can help you understand what the provider can and can't do.

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.

Show 119a Grounding Technique - A Pebble in the Road

Life is still kinda hectic; too much to do and not enough time. I'm surrounded by work, home and other expectations of my time. Problem is I only have 24 hours in a day.

One way to stay off of the worry loop is to have something that can bring you back to reality. As in where you are right now.

So this is a quick series on grounding techniques that you can use to help bring yourself back into the present. It might work for you or not. No worries, there is more where that came from and in the coming weeks there will be more of them.




Stay away from that ledge! If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text “START” to 741-741.

Audiogram Version with Captions

Testing out a new service that provides captions along with the video.

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.

Video on Power of Grandmothers, Depression and CBT

Not just in the United States, there is a reduction in the number of psychiatrist that are available to treat mental health concerns like depression.

We can either lament the loss or find ways to deliver treatment options.





Dixon Chibanda gave a TED Women talk about invoking the power of the grandmothers in delivering primary cognitive behavioral therapy services in Zimbabwe.

In America, there are a number of mental health first aid responders classes. The problem, the classes either fill up quick or not available in many communities.

Neither of these options can fill the needs of a psychiatrist but we do have to start doing more than lamenting the lack of mental health services.


If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text “START” to 741-741.

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.

Show 104 The Anxiety of Toilet Phobia

We are human and sometimes being human causes us to do things that might look or seem strange.

But there is a reason. Once you know or understand the reason for the hell you seem to be walking through it might help you to cope.

But before coping you have to know and understand what is going on. For some of our brothers and sisters on the Anxiety road they are dealing with bathroom anxiety or toilet phobias.

This is just a starting point with some definitions and resources to help you start on your treatment journey.




Tis not the time for the deep sleep. If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text “START” to 741-741.

Resources Mentioned: 

MindShift App - from AnxietyBC This link is to the information page.

Science Daily article Should Exercise be What The Doctor Orders for Depression?

You have to exercise your brain as well. From Duke University via Science Daily "Brain activity buffers against worsening anxiety."
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The International Paruresis Association provide information and resources about Bashful Bladder Syndrome.

Baz Chalabi has written an e-book called Shit Happens about Shy Bowel and has a website that speaks to some of the issues about that specific disorder.

Dr. Simon Knowles is at the helm of Toilet Anxiety and there are some free information resources on the handout page.

Hypnosis Treatment via an audio recording to help you self treat the disorder.

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.

Show 093 Woebot App

There are a lot of good articles from creatives worried about how humans do not necessarily want to be around other humans. But the humans still want, still need and still crave attention. This is a problem.

There are now apps that are providing support to people who are stressed or have anxiety. Woebot is one of those apps. It uses a foundation of cognitive behavioral therapy to assist the human in dealing with the problem by tracking moods and providing suggestions.

It does not yet provide a human to cuddle.




Feeling shaky? If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text “START” to 741-741.

Resources:

Webpage for Woebot App for Facebook Messenger

Healthguide.org page on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Anxiety and Depression Association of America aka ADAA

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.

Show 089 Intro to Emetophobia or Fear of Throwing Up

Emetophobia is a strong, profound fear that your are gonna vomit or as the young ones say, throw up. It isn't so much about the actual throwing up but the intense fear of it. So much so that you structure your life to be as people and germ free as possible.

The hard part is to admit that you are doing avoidance work instead of dealing with this specific fear. Step one is laying the ground floor of information. Step two is finding credible safe resources to help you build your tool kit to recovery.




If you're having suicidal thoughts, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline for immediate help: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

Resources Mentioned:

• The Surprising Benefits of Anxiety from Quartz.com
• How the Senate's Health-Care Bill Would Cause Financial Ruin for People With Preexisting Conditions
• Senate Version of American Health Care Act 2017 - Text Version 
• A comparison of the ACA versus the AHCA by the Kaiser Family Foundation.
• A shorter chart version of the three planes by National Public Radio
• An interpretation by the Los Angeles Times Reporter Michael Hiltzek
• The Oatmeal - You Are Not Going to Believe This for June 21, 2017
• Anxiety and Depression Association of America Fear of Vomiting or Emetophobia  
• Anna S. Christie's FAQ on Emetophobia Fact Sheet. 

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.