Why do you think depression, anxiety and mental health problems have grown to be an epidemic? What do you think would help slow the progression of mental health problems? Do you think mental health problems are genitic, situational, environmental, or is it due to a chemical imbalance? When a person becomes depressed; do you think it is because our brain stops producing certain chemicals or does our brain produce a chemical that aggravates depression/anxiety? Why is it when we feel anxious, our bodies react in strange ways such as pounding heart, dizzyness, can’t breath, and intestinal problems?

Why do you think depression, anxiety and mental health problems have grown to be an epidemic? What do you think would help slow the progression of mental health problems? I think we just talk about them more than we used to. However, there are some social changes that may lead to anxiety; family structure isn’t what it used to be, people feel more isolated, etc. Maybe having a stronger sense of family and being part of a group of people who care about you, people you can talk comfortably with about anything.

Do you think mental health problems are genitic, situational, environmental, or is it due to a chemical imbalance? It can be any of those; it’s generally considered a "chemical imbalance", but that could be triggered by genetic, situational factors, physical disease or head injury, or any combination of these.

When a person becomes depressed; do you think it is because our brain stops producing certain chemicals or does our brain produce a chemical that aggravates depression/anxiety? At least some of the time, yes. More often the brain still produces them, but they break down too quickly before they do what they are supposed to do. No one is absolutely sure why that happens in some people and not others.

Why is it when we feel anxious, our bodies react in strange ways such as pounding heart, dizzyness, can’t breath, and intestinal problems? The autonomic nervous system controls mood, anxiety, digestion, sex, etc. I think it’s a kind of imbalance in the autonomic nervous system. It might have been there to help our prehistoric ancestors get away from an enemy or something but maybe the purpose of this isn’t as practical in modern times. Kind of left over instincts for survival that are no longer applicable. (Just an idea.)

I’m doing a project for design class and I need to draw something I don’t like. Recently I’ve been having a lot of anxiety and feelings of lost control. I was hoping to think of some sort of object or something that can be drawn that could somehow symbolize this feeling. It needs to be an object though.

Any ideas?

i was just reading an article about anxiety that had a really good picture of a woman experiencing anxiety maybe the article or the picture will give you some ideas

Hello,
I’m a teenager wanting to start a support club or organization for people with anorexia. How can I go forward with this idea? Any suggestions or other ideas? Thanks

Google anorexia support groups and then email some to ask for ideas and advice for your group. Maybe you can arrange a email link with other groups. Also ask your family doctor, they may have some ideas or be able to put you onto a web site also.

Look in your local phone book under mental health support groups.

I need to act as though I have severe anxiety. I’m at college studying drama and performing arts and it’s crucial for this new role. I’m acting the part of a troubled middle age man who suffers with anxiety and Bipolar disorder. Any tips?

I have a anxiety disorder so if I was you I would be really happy and jolly then sudden outburst with anger at someone or something when something happens, when you are anxious you feel like you are excited about something, remember a time like this then remember the feeling 100x more powerful, it’s horrible but if your acting. You have to shake a lot, be clumsy, talk shakily, move around a lot and try to always sit down. Hope this helps you!

What anxiety medication do you take and how did you first know you needed medication?

i knew that i needed help when i didn’t feel right. i told my husband that something was wrong. i wound up in the nearest hospitals psych ward. it was a psychiatrist that diagnosed me and placed me on medications. i suffer from several mental problems and take many different meds so i am not sure which i take for anxiety but it does help. you need a psychiatrist to help you decide the problem and the correct treatment for you. there a lot of new meds out there that are very good and don’t have the nasty side effects that the older meds have. Many Blessings to you!

hi i was just wondering if anyone knows if blue cross and blue shield insurance cover residential center. i want to go to an axiety residential center because i have major anxiety and nothing has helped not medicine nor therapy??The place is called Remuda ranch

Most insurances will cover inpatient only in a crisis, where you are a danger to yourself or to others (i.e. suicidal, or injuring yourself, or starving yourself to death, having a strange drug reaction, etc). So I don’t think it will be covered. The residential center will know, though. Call them up & tell them your situation.

I have a dual diagnosis of bipolar and OCD, and I am trying to learn to manage my moods and anxiety/obsessions, and I was wondering if anyone out there couldtell me what helped you.

drinking hot tea.. with absolutely NO caffeine
dong quai yogi tea is really good. u wil love it.

also.. going to the gym on a regular basis..

and never eating bad foods. and.. taking a multivitamin (organic)
and 300mg fish oil eeach day.

i also keep a little pepperment oil nearby.. when i smell it it relaxes me.. puts me in a good mood
smells can really help..

also.. making sure my room is clean.. (i try)
and.. to get my work done as soon as possible. (at least try)
and when u get frustrated or really anxious.. just come away from the problem.. like right away and do something you enjoy.. even if u think its a waste of time.. u need to take ur mind off the anxious situation..
then come back when ur ready. it works
Gl! mind ova matter

My older brother found a bag of rotten dinners in my closet- as my family was eating, I would put food in my sleeve or pocket and then store it in my closet so I wouldn’t have to eat. He told my parents and now everyone in my family thinks that I’m anorexic.

I told everyone that I’m fine and that I’m NOT anorexic but they don’t believe me- I explained that it’s not called anorexia when you’re fat, it’s called a diet. But she made me go to the doctor anyway and the doctor diagnosed me as anorexic, calling my eating patterns "disturbing" and my weight a "cause for concern." I told her I was fine and she just wouldn’t listen to what I had to say. I went to outpatient treatment and lost more weight (because I could stand to lose a few, not because I have issues) the doctor and basically told my parents I was being admitted to a treatment facility.

Do I have any rights? Can I be re-evaluated by a different physician? I’m 17 years old, it’s my senior year of high school, and I don’t want anyone thinking I’m anorexic or insane. I don’t know what my friends would think, my boyfriend, my teachers, etc. How do I avoid treatment?!
Also, I went from 128 pounds to 110 pounds (at 5′6"). It was only 18 pounds, and I’m only four pounds underweight. Isn’t this ridiculous?

I’m sorry dear, I know this isn’t what you want to hear but you sound very sick, if not anorexic than at least eating disordered. There is a fine line between dieting healthily and having an eating disorder, and in terms of this I think you are on the side worse off. Hiding food is not a means normal people use to lose weight; by doing so, you are intentionally hiding something, and secrecy is the defining characteristic of an eating disorder. I understand how you feel; there are very little anorexics who want to receive help, as the disease is rarely about vanity and used more as a destructive coping mechanism for other troubling psychological problems. Another thing indicating why I think you’re quite sick; your perception of yourself is awfully skewed, as most anorexics suffer from body dysmorphia. You were neither fat at 128lb nor are now at 110lb, and just because you are not severely underweight doesn’t mean you are not eating disordered; after all, it is a mental illness in which the body primarily serves as an indicator of symptoms. Your body may not be extremely damaged now, but at the rate you’re going, within a few months you are very likely to spiral out of control and bring about your own death by starvation.

Anyway, I’m very sorry about your situation. I do believe you are in denial, just as I was when diagnosed with anorexia. As long as you are a minor (under eighteen years old), you are unfortunately under the control of your parents. Even when you’re older than eighteen, the state can still force you into inpatient treatment if your life is in danger. But in the end, it is up to you. The hardest part is admitting that you have a problem…after that, things get easier, and it is completely your choice if you want to recover or not. No one can force you, and ultimately only you can save your self. Good luck!

How long does it take to gain weight for anorexia?
if I ate 1200 to start to recover from anorexia how much weight can i gain in a week.

What happens if i just ate proper one day will that make me gain weight?

i had anorexia and i started with 1200 calories at the hospital.
in the first week i gained about 0.3 kilos.
that was under bed rest to restrict my calorie expenditure.
every week they would increase my calorie intake by 200 calories.
by the end of 6 weeks i had increased my weight from 32kg to 37kg, so almost a kilo a week. in hospital the doctors aim for a kilo a week so perhaps aim for that as well.
as an outpatient it was obviously more difficult to put on weight (school, sport, more activity in general, and no more nurses constantly monitoring your every bite or move)
try and build up from 1200 calories to 2200-2400 calories with 6 meals a day. aim to eat with others so that they can keep an eye on you. its going to be HEAPS hard but if u have the determination and will to be healthy then you can do it.
it has taken me about 5 years to get to a normal weight for my height, and 2.5years to get to a weight that my doctors could accept and allow me to be officially discharged. the time it takes to gain weight is different for everyone. its usually easier to gain weight, but harder to get rid of the mental issues relating to anorexia and relapse is VERY common.
eating "proper" is usually very hard for anorexics. Eating "proper" doesnt necessarily make you gain weight. If you do heaps of exercise along with eating "normally" you may maintain a certain weight or even loose some.Like even when i began eating "normally" with my family i exercised heaps so i lost weight. It all depends on energy in and out.

I have many physical symptoms. They worsen when I go to places like the grocery store. My vision gets weird and I feel like I can’t focus. I have a past history of alcohol problems. I have been sober for about 2 yrs. I don’t know what to do anymore though because I haven’t ever had a real job, I dropped out of college, and I have tried anti-depressants and they didn’t work for me even at high doses. I have also gone to therapy and read an anxiety work book. I feel very hopeless. Can anyone recommend something I could try that might help it. I used to just try and hide my anxiety. It is to the point where if I am out with a friend they notice and ask if I am ok.
I am not a violent person. I am a wife and mother of two children. What happened at Va Tech was very sad. I am and never will be a person like that. That comment was very rude and uncalled for.

Sounds to me like you could have a case of depersonalization/derealization. It’s a very common disorder that is caused by anxiety. You may have developed it when you quit drinking. I have suffered from it for close to six months because of an anxiety attack from a bad trip. It has slowly gotten better and better, and is pretty close to being gone for me. The best thing you can do is to keep yourself calm when faced with a bad situation. It will take a lot of time unfortunately, but will eventually go away as long as you don’t let your anxiety control you. Here is a link to a forum that will help you understand and cope with the disorder so you can get rid of it.

http://www.depersonalization-home.com/forum/