Neuroimaging data from incarcerated criminals suggests that psychopathy is related to abnormalities in the prefrontal cortex of the brain.

“Individuals with psychopathy account for a disproportionate amount of crime in the United States,” the study’s corresponding author, Cole Korponay of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told PsyPost. “Though they only comprise about 1% of the population as a whole, individuals with psychopathy make up between 15-25% of the prison population and are estimated to be responsible for nearly $460 billion in criminal social costs annually.”

“We found that prison inmates with the most severe impulsive and antisocial psychopathic traits had the highest amount of gray matter in their prefrontal cortex – an area of the brain crucial for self-control and pro-social decision-making,” Korponay explained. “We also found that brain activity between different areas of the prefrontal cortex was more highly coupled in these individuals. Overall, the findings suggest that individuals with psychopathy have abnormal structure and function of the prefrontal cortex; these abnormalities may be related to the deficits in self-control and pro-social decision-making observed in these individuals.”


Source:
http://www.psypost.org/2017/05/study-psych...al-cortex-48948

How scientists are trying to unlock the mysteries of hypnosis

Nevertheless, Patterson and research partner Jensen have made considerable strides by examining the neural underpinnings of a hypnotic trance. To study hypnosis, Jensen uses electroencephalography, or EEG, which measures electricity in the brain. Our individual neurons are constantly generating electrical pulses as they transmit information from the body to the brain and around the brain itself. Occasionally, large groups of neurons will coordinate these pulses into a sort of rhythmic pattern. Picture the brain as a giant football stadium, and the pulses are like the fans doing a wave. Using sensors attached to the skull, scientists can listen for broad electrical rhythms — called oscillations — caused by wide swaths of neurons working in concert.
Keep in mind, though, that the brain isn’t a single stadium, but rather 1.2 million interlocking stadiums at once. So the EEG may pick up many different interlocking elements, and to make matters more complicated, because the sensors are on the outside of your head, only the outer parts of the brain can be measured. That makes the stadium even harder to hear. “The Rolling Stones are in town, but you don’t have a ticket,” Patterson says. “So you are standing outside the stadium. It’s very loose. You don’t know what, exactly, you’re hearing, but you can tell if they are singing a ballad or a rock song.”
Amazingly, even with all these barriers, when scientists listen to multiple places in the brain, a neurological picture of hypnosis begins to emerge. During meditation, the “stadium chant” that many parts of your brain participate is measurably slower than in daily life; during hypnosis, the chant becomes even slower — about the only way to get the brain rhythms slower than those during hypnosis would be to fall into a coma.

In the human brain, alpha waves — electric waves that pulse 8 to 12 hertz, or 8 to 12 times per second — prevail when we are relaxed or closing our eyes. Theta — 4 to 8 hertz — commonly arise when we are drowsy or lost in thought, and delta waves — 0 to 4 hertz — happen when we are asleep or in a coma. Jensen’s work suggests that theta and alpha waves may be key to pain relief. When going about our daily activities, the brain generally uses the much faster beta and gamma waves (up to 100 pulses per second). This is especially true when we’re in pain, which usually goes hand in hand with anxiety and stress. Thus, if [B]hypnosis can trigger slower brain waves, those waves may replace the faster patterns and thus replace the perception of pain.[/B]
The implications for helping the millions of people in chronic pain might be enormous. This idea led Jensen to a fascinating study. He looked at the brains of 20 patients before and after they experienced some relief from pain through both hypnosis and meditation. He found that people who naturally had high levels of theta waves — in other words, people with naturally relaxed, slower electrical activity — experienced a great deal of pain relief from hypnosis. Meanwhile, people with busy, overactive minds benefited the most from meditation, which slowed their buzzing brains down to a crawl.
“Meditation takes care of a problem that you have. Hypnosis builds on a skill,” Jensen says animatedly. “It’s capitalization or compensation. Are you capitalizing on a strength or are you compensating for a weakness? It looks like meditation is compensating for a weakness, and hypnosis capitalizes on a strength.” Imagine pain management as a skill, like running or weight lifting. According to Jensen, hypnosis is a little like taking an already strong sprinter to the gym and pushing her to a whole new level.

If Patterson and Jensen are right, their research could back up much of what scientists have suspected for many years: Hypnosis may be an exotic brain state that directly accesses expectation and perception — a little bit like turning off all the software in your computer and accessing its basic coding (although that is a huge simplification). And while a placebo says, “Take this amazing thing and it will make you feel better” and giving you a promise for the future, a hypnotic suggestion says, “Floating along this stream, you suddenly feel better,” which is a promise for right now. Which one is better? Which one taps into your expectation more effectively and permanently? That is a question that will take much more time and experimentation to unravel.


Source:
http://ideas.ted.com/how-scientists-are-tr...es-of-hypnosis/

Researchers discover brain inflammation in people with OCD

A new brain imaging study by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) shows for the first time that brain inflammation is significantly elevated - more than 30 per cent higher - in people with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) than in people without the condition. Published today in JAMA Psychiatry, the study provides compelling evidence for a new potential direction for treating this anxiety disorder, which can be debilitating for people who experience it.

"Our research showed a strong relationship between brain inflammation and OCD, particularly in the parts of the brain known to function differently in OCD," says Dr. Jeffrey Meyer, senior author of the study and Head of the Neuroimaging Program in Mood & Anxiety in CAMH's Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute. "This finding represents one of the biggest breakthroughs in understanding the biology of OCD, and may lead to the development of new treatments."
Inflammation or swelling is the body's response to infection or injury, and helps the body to heal. But, in some cases, this immune-system response can also be harmful, says Dr. Meyer, who holds a Canada Research Chair in the Neurochemistry of Major Depression. Dampening the harmful effects of inflammation and promoting its curative effects, through new medications or other innovative approaches, could prove to be a new way to treat OCD. In an earlier study, Dr. Meyer discovered that brain inflammation is elevated in people with depression, an illness that can go hand in hand with OCD in some people.

A novel direction for developing treatments is important, since current medications don't work for nearly one in three people with OCD. About one to two per cent of adolescents and adults have OCD, an anxiety disorder in which people have intrusive or worrisome thoughts that recur and can be hard to ignore.
The study included 20 people with OCD and a comparison group of 20 people without the disorder. Doctoral student Sophia Attwells was first author of the study. The researchers used a type of brain imaging called positron emission tomography (PET) that was adapted with special technology at CAMH to see inflammation in the brain. A chemical dye measured the activity of immune cells called microglia, which are active in inflammation, in six brain areas that play a role in OCD. In people with OCD, inflammation was 32 per cent higher on average in these regions. Inflammation was greater in some people with OCD as compared to others, which could reflect variability in the biology of the illness.

Additional investigations are under way to find low-cost blood markers and symptom measures that could identify which individuals with OCD have the greatest level of inflammation and could benefit the most from treatment targeting inflammation. Another notable finding from the current study - a connection between resisting compulsions and brain inflammation - provides one indicator. At least nine out of 10 people with OCD carry out compulsions, the actions or rituals that people do to try to reduce their obsessions. In the study, people who experienced the greatest stress or anxiety when they tried to avoid acting out their compulsions also had the highest levels of inflammation in one brain area. This stress response could also help pinpoint who may best benefit from this type of treatment.

The discovery opens different options for developing treatments. "Medications developed to target brain inflammation in other disorders could be useful in treating OCD," says Dr. Meyer. "Work needs to be done to uncover the specific factors that contribute to brain inflammation, but finding a way to reduce inflammation's harmful effects and increase its helpful effects could enable us to develop a new treatment much more quickly."



Source:
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-06-brai...le-ocd.html#jCp

The autonomic nervous system (ANS) controls several basic functions, including:

heart rate
body temperature
breathing rate
digestion
sensation
You don’t have to think consciously about these systems for them to work. The ANS provides the connection between your brain and certain body parts, including internal organs. For instance, it connects to your heart, liver, sweat glands, skin, and even the interior muscles of your eye.

The ANS includes the sympathetic autonomic nervous system (SANS) and the parasympathetic autonomic nervous system (PANS). Most organs have nerves from both the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems.

The SANS usually stimulates organs. For example, it increases heart rate and blood pressure when necessary. The PANS usually slows down bodily processes. For example, it reduces heart rate and blood pressure. However, the PANS stimulates digestion and the urinary system, and the SANS slows them down.

The main responsibility of the SANS is to trigger emergency responses when necessary. These fight-or-flight responses get you ready to respond to stressful situations. The PANS conserves your energy and restores tissues for ordinary functions.

What is autonomic dysfunction?
Autonomic dysfunction develops when the nerves of the ANS are damaged. This condition is called autonomic neuropathy or dysautonomia. Autonomic dysfunction can range from mild to life-threatening. It can affect part of the ANS or the entire ANS. Sometimes the conditions that cause problems are temporary and reversible. Others are chronic, or long term, and may continue to worsen over time.

Diabetes and Parkinson’s disease are two examples of chronic conditions that can lead to autonomic dysfunction.

SYMPTOMS

Symptoms of autonomic dysfunction
Autonomic dysfunction can affect a small part of the ANS or the entire ANS. Some symptoms that may indicate the presence of an autonomic nerve disorder include:

-dizziness and fainting upon standing up, or orthostatic hypotension
-an inability to alter heart rate with exercise, or exercise intolerance
-sweating abnormalities, which could alternate between sweating too much and not sweating enough
-digestive difficulties, such as a loss of appetite, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, or difficulty swallowing
-urinary problems, such as difficulty starting urination, incontinence, and incomplete emptying of the bladder
-sexual problems in men, such as difficulty with ejaculation or maintaining an erection
-sexual problems in women, such as vaginal dryness or difficulty having an orgasm
-vision problems, such as blurry vision or an inability of the pupils to react to light quickly

You can experience any or all of these symptoms depending on the cause, and the effects may be mild to severe. Symptoms such as tremor and muscle weakness may occur due to certain types of autonomic dysfunction.


Source:
http://www.healthline.com/health/autonomic...ction#overview1

Association of Hypnotherapy Practitioners Malaysia
Hari Raya Open Day!

Come and speak to our registered hypnotherapists to learn about how hypnotherapy can help to improve your life!
Date : 19th July 2017 (Wed)
Time : 6pm - 9pm
Venue : PAUM Clubhouse
SMS Hiro Koo at 016-7154419 for more info.

What is IBS?
IBS is best understood as a long-term or recurrent disorder of gastrointestinal (GI) functioning. It usually involves the large intestine (colon) and small intestine with disturbances of intestinal/bowel (gut) motor function (motility) and sensation. These gut related activities are regulated by the brain. This may also be impaired, which is why IBS is often called a brain-gut disorder. These disturbances can produce symptoms of abdominal pain or discomfort, bloating or a sense of gaseousness, and a change in bowel habits (diarrhea and/or constipation).

The typical features of IBS are generally recognizable by a doctor. The most important first step in treating and managing symptoms is to see your doctor for a confident diagnosis of IBS.


In fact, IBS can be improved by clinical hypnosis.
Hypnosis works by bypassing the critical filter of our mind to help the conscious mind directly access and suggest to the subconscious mind. Research has found that hypnotherapy may help improve the primary symptoms of IBS. It may also help relieve other symptoms suffered by many people with IBS such as nausea, fatigue, backache, and urinary problems. Hypnotherapy appears to offer symptomatic, psychological, and physiological benefit. Hypnotherapy is considered as a promising intervention for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4015203/) provides clearer evidence that hypnotherapy is an effective treatment in improving gastrointestinal symptoms of patients with IBS.
* We use the Gut-Directed Hypnotherapy to deal with IBS symptoms in Malaysia.







http://www.newmindcentre.com/2015/05/testi...l-syndrome.html
http://www.newmindcentre.com/2015/05/testi...l-syndrome.html

Study suggests link between autism, pain sensitivity

The study, led by Dr. Xiaosi Gu, outlines alternations in pain perception faced by people on the autism spectrum and how those changes can affect them in social functions.

"This provides some of the first evidence that links pain perception to social function in ASD. Most experiments on ASD focus either on the social dysfunction aspects or the sensory dysfunction aspects. But very few studies have looked at them both," said Gu, assistant professor in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences.
Published in the European Journal of Neuroscience, the study focused on a very specific aspect of sensory processing—pain perception, with a goal of determining what happens in the brains of high-functioning adults with ASD when they anticipate and feel pain sensations.

The researchers used a stimulation device to deliver mild electrical shocks to the participants, who decided how much pain they were willing to tolerate. The shocks were delivered while the subjects were inside an MRI scanner, so that researchers could measure brain activity and physiological responses when participants anticipated pain and when they experienced it.
One of the areas in the brain known to encode anticipation of pain is the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). As participants waited in the scanner before receiving a pain signal, researchers could see this part of the brain light up.

Gu said there were three main findings from the study:
-It confirmed that people with ASD are hypersensitive to pain, a finding that has been documented in previous studies.
-In a new finding, the study showed that when people with ASD anticipate painful stimulus, their brains generate greater neural responses in the ACC, compared to those without ASD.
-In addition, the research indicated that the more brain activity the participants show during pain anticipation, the less they score on an empathy quotient questionnaire. Gu said people with autism often are poor at empathy, which is the ability to understand what another person may be feeling. This result indicates that pain anticipation is related to social impairments faced by those with autism.

She said that a withdrawal from interactions may be a way of protecting oneself.
"The risks of encountering pain are part of daily life and are normal for non-ASD individuals, but may be overwhelming for autistic people," Gu said. "Therefore, one possible explanation of our finding is that to protect themselves, individuals with ASD may not engage in social interactions as much. You reduce the risk of encountering pain or other sensory experiences that are very normal for non-ASD individuals, but not for those with ASD."
Based on the study results, Gu said that therapists and experts who work with people with ASD should consider developing interventions and treatment options to help with sensory processing, particularly pain.


Source:
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-07-link...ensitivity.html

Large study identifies differences in the brains of people diagnosed with ADHD

In the largest study of its kind to date, a team of scientists led by Martine Hoogman (Radbound University Medical Centre, The Netherlands) combined the results from multiple imaging studies in a meta-analysis consisting of 1,713 patients with ADHD and 1,529 healthy controls. The results revealed dramatic differences in the brain volume of patients with ADHD and healthy controls.

Areas of reduced brain volume included the amygdala, accumbens and hippocampus, which had not been identified in previous studies. The results also revealed similar findings to previous studies including reduced caudate and putamen volume.

ADHD is often treated with stimulants. The results of this study found that brain volume differences in ADHD patients were the same whether they had taken stimulant medication or not. The largest difference in brain volume was found in the amygdala which is important because it provides an explanation for the disruption of emotional regulation that is often seen in ADHD but is not listed in current diagnostic criteria. Hippocampus volume was reduced in ADHD patients which is interesting because there is little evidence of long-term memory deficits in ADHD. However, some studies suggest that the hippocampus plays a role in regulating emotion and motivation, which is compromised in ADHD.

Overall, the study confirms that patients with ADHD do have structural and functional brain alterations, and ADHD is therefore a disorder of the brain. The strongest differences in brain volume were found in childhood which supports current thinking that ADHD is produced by a delay in brain maturation. The results of this study will be important for improving our understanding and reducing the stigma of ADHD.




Source:
http://www.psypost.org/2017/08/large-study...osed-adhd-49450

I was wondering around and saw this thread.

Just wanna ask if there is a way to heal someone who cry almost everyday when they are on their own or in a bus or when nothing distract them? Is there a way thay they don't think or remember certain things that trigger?

Hi,

In my opinion, it is better to teach them a better way to deal with the thoughts rather than avoid them.
Yes, you can seek help from helper such as counselor, clinical hypnotherapist or clinical psychologist.

The Application and Efficacy of Combined Neurofeedback Therapy and Imagery Training in Adolescents With Tourette Syndrome

Two patients, aged respectively 14 and 16 years, had been treated with haloperidol and tiapride; however, this medication was ineffective and accompanied by intolerable side effects.

In this study, the patients completed 80 sessions of neurofeedback treatment followed by imagery training. The patients were assessed with behavior rating scales both before and after the treatment as well as during follow-up examinations to evaluate the effect of the combined therapy.

Patients showed significant improvement in motor tic and vocal tic symptoms, exemplified by a reduction in the frequency and intensity of tics, indicating that neurofeedback, together with imagery training, has a positive therapeutic effect on adolescent patients with medication-refractory Tourette syndrome.



Resource: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0883073813479999

Pilot study shows that neurofeedback may help treatment-resistant depression


The researchers found that in the neurofeedback group, 8 of the 12 patients responded to treatment, and 5 of those responded well enough to be classified as being in remission. Most of these patients are now under long-term observation to see if remission has continued. In contrast the control group did not show significant improvement from baseline after 12 weeks.

Project leader, Professor Eun-Jin Cheon (Yeungnam University Hospital, South Korea), said:
"Neurofeedback has been trialed with psychological conditions in the past, but as far as we know this is the first time that anyone has succeeded in achieving remission and overall recovery (functional recovery)with treatment-resistant depression. This is particularly important, because this is an otherwise untreatable group of patients.

In our study we included patients with major depressive disorder, who still had residual symptoms and functional impairment despite receiving antidepressant treatment. Our results suggested that neurofeedback might be an effective complementary treatment to make patients feel well again and successfully engage with life. The most promising thing about neurofeedback is it doesn't cause even mild side effects. It could also improve self-efficacy by participating active, voluntary treatment.

We need to emphasise that this is a small study - if you like, it's still at the level of clinical science rather than clinical treatment, so we are a long way from this finding its way into the clinic. But the results surprised us, it merits further investigation"

Commenting, Henricus G Ruhe, MD, PhD, (Department of Psychiatry Radboudumc, Nijmegen, the Netherlands, and member of the ECNP Scientific Advisory Panel) said:
"This is a very interesting study targeting remaining depressive symptoms in patients who insufficiently responded to previous treatment trials of antidepressants. Although the number of included patients are small (12 treated with neurofeedback vs. 12 controls) we should consider this pilot study as promising and suggesting that alternative approaches (relative to antidepressants) might be beneficial in nonresponding depressed patients.

Further work is needed to both replicate these results and compare this strategy with alternative treatment options (e.g. psychotherapy or additional pharmacotherapeutic steps). This will enable the community to determine where neurofeedback must be positioned and/or when it should be recommended in future guidelines".


Source:
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-09-neur...depression.html

Six Ways Developmental Trauma Shapes Adult Identity


Developmental trauma is more common than many of us realize. According to the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, 78 percent of children reported more than one traumatic experience before the age of 5. Twenty percent of children up to the age of 6 were receiving treatment for traumatic experiences, including sexual abuse, neglect, exposure to domestic violence, and traumatic loss or bereavement.

Adults who suffer from developmental trauma may go on to develop Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or "cPTSD," which is characterized by difficulties in emotional regulation, consciousness and memory, self-perception, distorted perceptions of perpetrators of abuse, difficulties in relationships with other people, and negative effects on the meaningfulness of life.

Understanding these basic themes, which are often a result of dissociative effects on the traumatized personality, can help people recognize areas of difficulty so they can begin doing the work of recovery, repair, and personal growth.

1. Loss of childhood: "I never really had a childhood" or "I can't remember much from growing up."

2. Missing parts of oneself: "I've always felt like something was missing, but I don't know what it is."

3. Attraction to destructive relationships: "I'm the kind of person that always dates people who are bad for me."

4. Avoidance of relationships: "I'm someone who is better off alone."

5. ​Avoidance of oneself: "I don't like to think about myself; it only makes me feel bad."

6. Difficulty integrating emotions into one's identity: "I'm not the kind of person who has strong feelings about things."


Moving Forward
While it can be disheartening to read about the effects of developmental trauma in adulthood, and daunting to contemplate doing the work of recovery and identity formation beyond that of the traumatized self, therapeutic efforts are effective.
Recovery, grieving, and growth often take place over a longer time period than one would want, and re-connecting with oneself has many layers. Developing a sense that long-term goals are attainable and worth working toward is important, even if it doesn't feel possible or true. Working toward getting basic self-care in place is a vital first step, as is working toward feeling comfortable seeking help when trust in caregivers has been broken. Developing compassion for and patience with oneself can be difficult, but useful.

More info:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/experi...-adult-identity

How Early Trauma Influences Behaviour

Traumatic and stressful events during childhood increase the risk to develop psychiatric disorders, but to a certain extent, they can also help better deal with difficult situations later in life. Researchers have studied this phenomenon in mice to learn how these effects could be transmitted to the next generation.

Traumatic events leave their mark. People exposed to a traumatic experience early in life are more likely to be affected by illnesses such as borderline personality disorder or depression. However such experience can also have positive effects in certain circumstances. Thus, moderate stress in childhood may help a person develop strategies to better cope with stress in adulthood.

Further, it has long been recognised by psychologists and psychiatrists that the negative effects of trauma experienced by parents can be seen in their children, but the molecular mechanisms underlying such transmission are only beginning to be identified. A research team led by Isabelle Mansuy, Professor of Neuroepigenetics at the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, has for the first time tested in mice the degree to which the beneficial effects of stress can be passed to following generations.


Source:
http://neurosciencenews.com/psychology-chi...velopment-1581/

Boosting DLPFC offers anti-anxiety resilience

The study revealed that at-risk people were less prone to developing anxiety symptoms if their DLPFC was stimulated.

Speaking about the results in relation to the neurological signatures of anxiety, Prof. Hariri says, "We found that if you have a higher functioning dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, the imbalance in these deeper brain structures is not expressed as changes in mood or anxiety."

The researchers also emphasize how adaptable the DLPFC is, so they suggest that brain training strategies may be particularly effective if they focus on this area. However, which brain training exercises are actually effective at improving the DLPFC remains to be established.

"These findings help reinforce a strategy whereby individuals may be able to improve their emotional functioning — their mood, their anxiety, their experience of depression — not only by directly addressing those phenomena, but also by indirectly improving their general cognitive functioning," says Prof. Hariri.



https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320114.php

Eye contact with your baby helps synchronise your brainwaves

When a parent and infant interact, various aspects of their behaviour can synchronise, including their gaze, emotions and heartrate, but little is known about whether their brain activity also synchronises – and what the consequences of this might be.

Brainwaves reflect the group-level activity of millions of neurons and are involved in information transfer between brain regions. Previous studies have shown that when two adults are talking to each other, communication is more successful if their brainwaves are in synchrony.

Researchers at the Baby-LINC Lab at the University of Cambridge carried out a study to explore whether infants can synchronise their brainwaves to adults too – and whether eye contact might influence this. Their results are published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

"Our findings suggested eye gaze and vocalisations may both, somehow, play a role. But the brain synchrony we were observing was at such high time-scales – of three to nine oscillations per second – that we still need to figure out how exactly eye gaze and vocalisations create it."

Source:
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-11-eye-...brainwaves.html

Neurofeedback for Chronic PTSD

EEG Biofeedback (also known as neurofeedback) has been in use as a clinical intervention for well over 30 years; however, it has made very little impact on clinical care. One reason for this has been the difficulty in designing research to measure clinical change in the real world. While substantial evidence exists for its efficacy in treating attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, relatively little evidence exists for its utility in other disorders including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The current study represents a "proof-of-concept" pilot for the use of neurofeedback with multiply-traumatized individuals with treatment-resistant PTSD. Participants completed 40 sessions of neurofeedback training two times per week with sensors randomly assigned (by the study coordinator, who was not blind to condition) to sensor placements of either T4-P4 or T3-T4.

We found that neurofeedback significantly reduced PTSD symptoms (Davidson Trauma Scale scores averaged 69.14 at baseline to 49.26 at termination), and preceded gains in affect regulation (Inventory of Altered Self-Capacities-Affect Dysregulation scores averaged 23.63 at baseline to 17.20 at termination). We discuss a roadmap for future research.



Source:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26782083

Some scammers hypnotize victim over the phone to transfer money to them.

Is this even possible??

This month topic is all about panic attack, feel free to comment about it.
Thanks

Anxiety disorder causes both emotional and physical symptoms.You may worry a lot or be afraid that something bad will happen. The anxiety can cause you to blush, sweat, and feel shaky. Your heart may beat faster than normal, and you may have a hard time focusing etc.

Treatment options for Anxiety:
1) Psychotherapy/Counseling/Coaching-Professional talk therapy to overcome the fear may be all that is needed.

2) Hypnotherapy-Hypno-desensitisation affords the possibility of gradually confronting one's fears using imagination thus avoiding the potentially traumatic consequences of exposure therapy. Self-hypnosis can be taught to address anxiety and to repeat the therapeutic suggestions post session. Age regression can guide the client back in time and help the client re-examine the event that initially triggered the fear from an objective point of view thus re-establishing control; it can also be employed to access positive feelings such a s self-confidence, calmness and assertiveness.

3) Medicines-A combination of medicines (such as antidepressants, benzodiazepines, beta-blockers, venlafaxine) and professional counseling may be effective for long-term treatment for people who have generalized anxiety and fear issues.

4) Biofeedback-EEG biofeedback/Neurofeedback therapy is a safe, non-invasive, alternative option for the treatment of anxiety or phobia related problem. Biofeedback is a self-training, mind-over-body technique developed in the 1940s. Doing biofeedback has a slightly science fiction feel to it. But it's entirely legitimate, and it works. Biofeedback therapy is a highly effective research-based treatment for anxiety disorders. The individual is taught how to properly respond to their anxiety and it is one of the ways he or she can learn how to manage and control it without the use of medications. EEG showing higher activity for hi-beta waves in the brain (these waves increase when the mind is stressed. It also teaches the individual how to control the brain’s activity and maintain the proper brainwave levels to achieve a calm and focused state. By returning the body to a healthier physiological state, the “foggy head” that anxiety can cause, as well as the feeling of fear and panic throughout the body, are removed.

Why isnt there any over the counter drug for some mental illness like depression or anxiety since now mental illness like these are so common. I think 7% of ppl i met have depression.. seriously i think it wuld help. I wanted to go to a therapist but its very expensive and I cant afford it. I have so many problems in life that i just woke up from my sleep to cry. If i could just pop some drugs that would be amazing i guess