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World of Psychology


Antipsychotic

Living Inside While the Coronavirus Is Outside

The outbreak of coronavirus has rocked our world and caused all of us to isolate in ways we never dreamed of doing before. For some of us who have a severe mental health illness diagnosis, this isolation is more than we might have ever experienced with our most extreme symptoms. While I have to fight my tendency to self-isolate as a result of my schizoaffective diagnosis, recent days have caused me to think about my routine and how it can, not only keep me safe from the virus, but enable me to have a productive life.
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Abuse

Why Victims of Microaggressions Need Allies

American culture is infused with subtle messages about what’s normal or not normal, and what is good or bad. These messages are reinforced through daily interactions that, for those whose race, nationality, sexual orientation, faith, disability or other attributes differ from cultural norms, can often cause exclusion or alienation. Even though they might be unintentional, microagressions -- also called subtle acts of exclusion (SAE) -- inflict harm. SAE insidiously reinforce bias.
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Anxiety and Panic

How to Cope with Coronavirus Anxiety When You Already Have an Anxiety Disorder

When you already have an anxiety disorder, and a real pandemic hits, you can feel especially lost and terrified.

Clinical psychologist Regine Galanti, Ph.D, helps her clients recognize that their anxiety is a false alarm—“it’s not your house on fire, it’s a pizza burning in the toaster.” But because of Coronavirus, she said, your house is actually ablaze.

In other words, it makes sense that you’re anxious.
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Health-related

Coping with Losses Due to COVID-19

Weddings, graduations, business meetings, travel, friends and family gatherings have been interrupted. Some activities we may have been looking forward to have been wiped out or postponed. Some people’s reaction can be anger, anxiety or stress. Others are mourning what could’ve been in sadness and frustration. 
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Anxiety and Panic

Podcast: Smoking Weed for Anxiety – Fact vs Fiction

 

Cannabis, weed, marijuana, pot. It goes by several names, but we all know what it smells like. As weed becomes more mainstream, we on the Not Crazy podcast want to know: Is marijuana really an effective treatment for anxiety? Is it just a coping mechanism? Or a vice? In today’s podcast, Gabe and Jackie look at the research and weigh out the evidence. They also interview Eileen Davidson, a rheumatoid arthritis patient who regularly uses marijuana as a medicine to see what she has to say.

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Family

COVID-19 and Touch Deprivation

No-one can escape the fact that the world has changed beyond recognition in just a few short weeks. The body count continues to rise and is a stark reminder to us of how vulnerable humans can be to nature. Furthermore, usually frantically busy streets and cities are now deserted, shopping malls are closed, restaurants and bars are shut down and much of the world’s population is under virtual “house arrest.” Social distancing and lockdown are the buzz phrases of the hour.

How can we look after our mental health in a world where isolation (by necessity) has become more prevalent than ever and in fact, the new “norm.” What will the world be like after this threat passes? How many of these new and supposedly temporary “norms” will continue long into the future?
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General

There Is No Playbook for a Pandemic

Twilight Zone time, not sure how long the unofficial quarantine has been going on in my neck of the woods, nor do I know how long it will last. As of a day or so ago, Tom Wolf, governor of my home state of Pennsylvania, declared that everyone is expected to remain at home, unless they need to go to the supermarket, pharmacy, medical appointment or essential workplace. As a psychotherapist, I am in that category. Our group practice office which provides counseling and medication management will remain active with the condition that we use telehealth to serve our clients.
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Communication

Managing Your Mind During Coronavirus

Are you taking the COVID-19 outbreak seriously? Are you staying home a good deal of the day? Are your health worries elevated? Is your income going downhill? Are you driving yourself crazy thinking about what might happen to you and your loved ones? Yes, all these concerns are valid. So, what will you do? Panic? Or learn how to cope with uncertainty by actively managing your mind?
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Anxiety and Panic

How to Navigate Your Panic Attacks During These Turbulent Times

If you suffer from panic attacks or are prone to them, you might find that you are experiencing them more than usual. The uncertainty in these challenging times as we face a global pandemic -- it's the perfect storm for intense fear and a sense of dread that cripples those who suffer from panic attacks. It triggers physical symptoms like a pounding heart, sweating, shortness of breath, nausea, chest pain, or trembling. It can last 5 to 20 minutes but can feel like forever. Despite the scary situation you find yourself in, the “silver lining” is that once you learn to recognize when your attacks are coming on, you can find ways to naturally stop them, and get the relief that you so desperately need.
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