Medicalize Me: Experts Look At How Our Perceptions Of Illness Are Shaped

Good morning, more about anxiety treatment and anxiety disorder here.

Medicalize Me: Experts Look At How Our Perceptions Of Illness Are Shaped
Do prescription drug ads make people think they're sick when they're not, or create "disease" out of thin air? Does the "empowered patient" movement mean that doctors have lost some of their professional clout when it comes to making diagnoses and prescribing treatment? These questions and more are the focus of a set of probing essays in The Lancet, all addressing the topic of "medicalization" and what it means in modern society. (Read More)

Women Are Diagnosed With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder More Than Men, Says Research
Males experience more traumatic events on average than do females, yet females are more likely to meet diagnostic criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a review of 25 years of research reported in the November issue of Psychological Bulletin, published by the American Psychological Association. (Read More)

How To Erase The Effects Of Stress, From Harvard Medical School
Exercises that elicit the relaxation response can help your body erase the cumulative effects of stress, according to "Stress Management: Techniques for Preventing and Easing Stress," a new report from Harvard Medical School. The report explains that stress has been linked with such physical problems as heart attack, stroke, gastrointestinal problems and asthma, as well as emotional problems like depression, anxiety and an inability to enjoy life. [click link for full article] (Read More)

Intervention Can Cut Job Stress While Protecting The Heart And Bottom Line
A simple workplace intervention can reduce the impact of stress on the heart, researchers reported in Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association.Office workers who faced layoffs — a significant stress-inducer — were able to achieve small, but significant changes in heart rate variability and a small decrease in arterial blood pressure by participating in a stress management program at work. [click link for full article] (Read More)

Tags: anxiety self help, agoraphobia