ANXIETY - PANIC DISORDER - MyHope

Catastrophizing

Catastrophizing is the mental and emotional process of thinking that the probable results of an event (or possible event) are much, much worse than is likely. You worry incessantly about a situation and foresee only the worst possible outcomes. Basically a type of anxiety, catastrophizing can keep you from taking the healthy risks you need […]

Autism: Risk Factors & Diagnosis

Who Is At Risk? Studies measuring autism spectrum disorder (ASD) prevalence—the number of children affected by ASD over a given time period—have reported varying results, depending on when and where the studies were conducted and how the studies defined ASD. A survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of health and school records of […]

Autism: Living With It

Living With Autism Spectrum Disorder After your child is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), you may feel unprepared or unable to provide your child with the necessary care and education. Know that there are many treatment options, social services and programs, and other resources that can help. Some tips that can help you and […]

Autism

Definition Autism is a developmental disorder that appears in the first 3 years of life, and affects the brain’s normal development of social and communication skills. Alternative Names Pervasive developmental disorder – autism; Autistic spectrum disorder Causes, incidence, and risk factors Autism is a physical condition linked to abnormal biology and chemistry in the brain. […]

Autism: Treatments

Treatments While there’s no proven cure yet for autism spectrum disorder (ASD), treating ASD early, using school-based programs, and getting proper medical care can greatly reduce ASD symptoms and increase your child’s ability to grow and learn new skills. Early intervention Research has shown that intensive behavioral therapy during the toddler or preschool years can […]

Depression Causes

Causes Most likely, depression is caused by a combination of genetic, biological, environmental, and psychological factors. Depressive illnesses are disorders of the brain. Brain-imaging technologies, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), have shown that the brains of people who have depression look different than those of people without depression. The parts of the brain involved […]

Courage

Courage By Michael H. LeBlond, PhD, MBA Licensed Psychologist How often have you heard “just feel the fear and do it anyway.” This actually is not far from the definition of courage. What courage is not is the absence of fear. When most people think of courage they think of it in one […]

Should Parents Worry? Video Games and Their Impact on Children

When I started my practice almost thirty years ago, Sesame Street and the benign Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood captured our children’s attention. Disney movies proliferated throughout the video market and they followed a similar fairy tale pattern in which a hero or heroine is pursued by a villain but triumphs in the end. Children learned which […]

When in Doubt, Follow Grandma’s Advice!

We live in a fast-paced world infused (and often confused!) with information and technology. It’s a world in which we eat on the go, sleep when we can, and often neglect to take care of ourselves. We call that “progress”, but ironically, as we dig to find the newest, latest, most advanced wellness research, we […]

Embracing Vulnerability

Most of us have spent a good part of our lives trying to avoid feeling vulnerable. But learning to instead embrace that feeling can actually bring us closer to experiences that add purpose and meaning to our lives, according to Brené Brown, PhD. Brown, author of Daring Greatly, writes that vulnerability is uncertainty, risk and […]

Find Your Way to Flourishing

If you’ve ever paused to wonder whether you’re getting the most out of life, you’ll probably want to know more about Martin Seligman’s quest for understanding what it takes to “flourish.” A research scientist who has studied happiness, motivation and character, he argues that happiness alone isn’t really what gives live meaning. It’s more complicated […]

Gratitude Quotes

What are your favorite gratitude quotes? We’ve all heard that “an attitude of gratitude” can be a powerful de-stressor, especially on those days (or weeks or months) where it seems like the whole world is against you and you need comfort more than anything else. That’s where gratitude quotes come in. What if you need […]