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November 4th, 2009 by Amanda_HP
Imagine the psychological torture of being told by others that you look fine, yet inside, you know that your (perceived) physical deformities make you unattractive. That is the crux of Body Dysmorphic Disorder.
Many associate it with eating disorders, but Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) is an anxiety disorder which centers around being excessively concerned and preoccupied by a perceived defect in the person’s physical features (body image). It usually starts in adolescence, a time when looks can be everything, and affects both women and men. (Read: Body-Image Distortion a Growing Problem Among Women and Men)
The sufferer may complain of a single, or several specific features, or a vague feature or general appearance, causing psychological distress. BDD can impair work and/or social functioning, sometimes to the point of severe depression and anxiety, development of other anxiety disorders, social withdrawal or complete social isolation, and more.
The Impact of Body Dysmorphic Disorder
This week’s guest, Rebecca, is a bright woman, age 27, college educated, and writes medical literature geared towards children. She says the symptoms of OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder) appeared at age 7. By the time she was 22, OCD consumed her to the point she was unable to leave her home. “I couldn’t function in the slightest sense,” says Rebecca.
Rebecca finally found a therapist to treat her OCD. The therapist also recognized the symptoms of Body Dysmorphic Disorder. Her issues revolve around perceived facial deformities. “I feel my nose is too wide. My chin is too weak. My lip lies too low on my face.”
All this has contributed to physical, as well as psychological and social problems, which Rebecca will be talking about on this week’s show.
About the HealthyPlace Mental Health TV Show
The HealthyPlace Mental Health TV Show airs live every Tuesday night at 5:30 pm PST / 7:30 pm CST / and 8:30 pm EST. Our guest and HealthyPlace Medical Director, Dr. Harry Croft, will be taking your personal questions.
If you miss the live show, you can always click the “on-demand” button on the player and watch the show at your convenience.
Share Your BDD Experieces
We also invite you to call us at 1-888-883-8045 and share your experience with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). (Info on Sharing Your Mental Health Experiences here.) You can also leave comments below.
Tags: anxiety disorders, body dysmorphic disorder, body image, eating disorders, healthyplace tv show, OCD
Posted in Anxiety Panic, Coming Shows, eating disorders | No Comments »
October 25th, 2009 by Christina Torres
Having a baby is a thought to be a miracle. The baby is born and although mom may be extremely tired, in the days that follow, there’s also joy and happiness that surrounds the event.
For some women, though, it’s a very trying time. Mood swings, insomnia and fatigue set in and get in the way of the mother caring for her newborn baby. On the extreme end, some mothers with Postpartum Depression end up committing suicide or even killing their own child or children.
What is it Like Living with Postpartum Depression?
Dr. Shoshana Bennett understands. She’s a survivor of two life-threatening, undiagnosed postpartum depressions and will be sharing her story on this Tuesday’s HealthyPlace Mental Health TV Show. Now an author and advocate for postpartum depression, Dr. Bennett spends her time appearing on radio and television shows and considers herself a pioneer on the topic.
Dr. Bennett’s books include:
You don’t want to miss the opportunity to watch the show and learn from someone who has overcome what affects so many women today. And, of course, you’ll be able to ask her your personal questions. (Call us at 1-888-883-8045 and share your experience with postpartum depression. Info on Sharing Your Mental Health Experiences here.)
Postpartum Depression Show Details
In addition to Dr. Bennett, HealthyPlace.com Medical Director, Dr. Harry Croft, will be here to talk about Postpartum Depression and the dangers involved. Discussing symptoms, treatment and prevention may help you or someone you know get through this complicated time in your life.
As usual, the HealthyPlace Mental Health TV Show airs live every Tuesday night at 5:30 pm PST / 7:30 pm CST / and 8:30 pm EST. If you miss it, you can always click the “on-demand” button on the player and watch the show at your convenience.
Please contact me at producer at healthyplace.com and share your stories with me. If there is a specific topic you’d like us to cover or if you simply have a question, contact us and we will do our best to get you on the right track.
Thanks!
Tags: childbirth, healthyplace tv, postpartum depression, pregnancy
Posted in Coming Shows, depression | No Comments »
October 23rd, 2009 by Christina Torres
Imagine you’re so nervous about eating around others, you break out in sweats just at the thought of it. And by the time you arrive for the meal, you’re sick to your stomach.
Our guest, Aimee White, understands the problem. She has Social Anxiety Disorder (Social Phobia) and on the show, Aimee provided us with insight into how Social Anxiety Disorder has impacted her life; leaving her somewhat isolated and unable to eat around others.
Watch the HealthyPlace Mental Health TV Show “on-demand.” Learn what led to Aimee’s social anxiety and how she eventually took control of her life by researching her symptoms after being misdiagnosed. (Aimee’s blog on Social Anxiety Disorder is here).
What is Social Anxiety Disorder?
Social Anxiety Disorder is so much more than simple shyness. Healthyplace.com Medical Director, Dr. Harry Croft, referred to Social Anxiety Disorder as “shyness to the max.”
According to Dr. Croft, those living with the social anxiety avoid public places for fear of being ridiculed or embarrassed over something they do or say. However, it is often difficult to avoid social situations altogether, so for sufferers battling Social Anxiety Disorder, being put in those situations may cause the following physical symptoms:
• Sweating
• Heart palpitations
• Rapid heartbeat
• Nausea
• Indigestion
• Headaches
• Dizziness
• Diarrhea
Healthyplace.com knows that suffering from a mental illness is not easy. We never want you to feel alone. With our newest feature, you can share your mental health experiences, comments and stories with others by calling 1-888-883-8045. Take a minute to share and you just might be giving someone the inspiration they need. The mental health experiences recordings are posted in a widget on the HealthyPlace homepage and the HealthyPlace Mental Health Support Network homepage.
Join us next Tuesday, October 27, as we talk about Postpartum Depression and the difficulties it can bring into what is supposed to be a joyous time of life. Dr. Croft will be on hand to talk about symptoms and treatment of postpartum depression to get you back on track.
Watch us live at 5:30 pm PST / 7:30 pm CST / 8:30 pm EST. See you then!
Tags: healthyplace tv, mental health, psychology, shyness, social anxiety disorder, social phobia
Posted in Anxiety Panic, TV Show | No Comments »
October 18th, 2009 by Christina Torres
Have you ever been uncomfortable in social situations? Have you ever felt nervous about a first date, before a big presentation or public performance, or maybe your first day at a new job? These situations often make the heart beat rapidly and cause sweat to build.
It is often normal to feel this way before a major event is about to unfold. However, when these symptoms arise from everyday situations, it becomes debilitating and in it’s extreme form, can cause a sufferer to live a lonely life behind closed doors. It’s called Social Anxiety Disorder (Social Phobia) and we’ll be discussing it this Tuesday.
Extreme Anxiety Around Social Situations
Our guest, Aimee, understands Social Anxiety Disorder. Her relentless symptoms have caused her to think twice about engaging in an activity that is simple for many of us to do: eat around others.
All my life I have been skinny- too skinny. Growing up, instead of fat jokes I got nicknamed “Chicken Legs.” In a society where meal proportions get bigger and bigger, I constantly heard, “That’s all you’re going to eat? Several times in my life, I have been asked by people that were just concerned about me, in all seriousness, if I had an eating disorder. So I began to not enjoy eating around others. I got tired of the jokes and the constant worrying that if I didn’t eat enough or perform just right that people might think something was wrong with me or that I have an eating disorder.”
Aimee is determined to help others that suffer from social anxiety, so don’t miss her story. And, of course, HealthyPlace.com Medical Director, Dr. Harry Croft, will be here to provide insight into Social Anxiety Disorder and answer your personal questions on the subject.
Do You or a Loved One Have Social Anxiety Disorder?
If so, how about sharing your personal experiences with Social Anxiety Disorder? Call the HealthyPlace “Share Your Mental Health Experiences” toll-free line at 1-888-883-8045.
Healthyplace.com has extensive information on the signs, symptoms, causes and treatments of Social Anxiety Disorder, as well as other anxiety disorders. It is our goal to help people to be both informed and in good company. Come join the HealthyPlace Support Network and you will soon be sharing your experiences and learning from others.
This Tuesday we’ll be back at our regular time, 5:30 pm PT, 7:30 pm CST, 8:30 pm EST. Join us for the live HealthyPlace Mental Health TV Show or catch any of our shows later on-demand.
See you then!
Tags: anxiety disorders, healthyplace tv, sad, social anxiety disorder, social phobia
Posted in Anxiety Panic, Coming Shows | No Comments »
October 4th, 2009 by Christina Torres
Abusers are predators. Many have an uncanny ability to portray themselves as caring individuals, pillars of the community. “At home, they are intimidating and suffocating monsters,” says Sam Vaknin, author of Malignant Self-Love, Narcissism Revisited and our guest this coming Tuesday.
HealthyPlace.com is home to Sam’s extensive website on narcissism and Narcissistic Personality Disorder. On Tuesday, we’re opening a new section of his site dedicated to abuse, abusers, and abusive relationships. A second section focuses on personality disorders. The two go hand-in-hand, as many abusers have some sort of personality disorder. But it takes two to tango and, according to Sam, both the abuser and his prey usually suffer from disturbances in the regulation of their sense of self-worth.
We’ll be getting into the psychological profiles of abusers, how to spot an abuser before you get involved with him/her, and if you’re already in an abusive relationship, you’ll find out how to deal with your abuser and, specifically, the abusive narcissist.
Have a comment or story you would like to share? E-mail me at producer AT healthyplace.com. We’re here to provide the most up-to-date and trusted information on mental health.
See you at a special time Tuesday, October 6, at 10a PST, 12 noon CST, 2p EST. You can watch the show live, or later on-demand, on the HealthyPlace Mental Health TV Show homepage. As always, our guest will be taking your questions during the live show.
Tags: Abuse, abusers, abusive relationships, healthyplace tv, narcissism, narcissist, narcissistic personality disorder, sam vaknin
Posted in Abuse, Coming Shows, Personality Disorders | 1 Comment »
September 27th, 2009 by Christina Torres
Overeating is a big problem for many of us. On the Tuesday night HealthyPlace Mental Health TV Show, we’re welcoming Caryl Ehrlich, founder of the Caryl Ehrlich Program. Caryl was scheduled to be on the show last month, but due to technical issues, she didn’t make it.
We’re going to be discussing the reasons why people overeat and then learn how to successfully manage your food addiction. Join us for the live show at 5:30p PST, 7:30 CST, 8:30 EST. You can watch and participate (we’ll be taking your questions) right from the HealthyPlace Mental Health TV Show homepage. If you can’t make the live show, watch it “on-demand.”
Tags: caryl ehrlich, food addiction, healthyplace tv, overeating
Posted in Coming Shows, eating disorders | 1 Comment »
September 25th, 2009 by Christina Torres
Last Tuesday, we covered an unusual aspect of suicide; surviving it.
After listening to our guest Patricia Gallagher relive her husband, John’s, failed suicide attempts, we understand that although he survived, there were many pieces left to put together. The Gallagher’s dealt with shame and initially decided not to divulge too much information to friends and family.
They also endured many obstacles, such as separation in their marriage and their teenage children who had trouble dealing with their father’s choices. Now an advocate for preventing suicide, John and Patricia don’t hide anymore secrets and want others to learn from their troubling experience.
In addition to Patricia, HealthyPlace.com Medical Director and Board-Certified Psychiatrist, Dr. Harry shared the warning signs of suicide. If you or anyone you know is displaying any of the following symptoms, professional help should be sought immediately to prevent a tragedy.
• Lack of energy
• Clinical depression
• Sleep problems
• Severe panic attacks or suffering from panic disorder
• Talking about suicide
Lastly, please remember that those who attempt suicide and fail are at increased risk of trying again.
To watch the show in its entirety, click the “on-demand” button on the player on the HealthyPlace Mental Health TV Show homepage. To learn more about the Gallagher’s , visit their website at www.speakingaboutdepression.com.
On Tuesday September 29, we will revisit food addictions with our guest Caryl Erlich. We want to hear your stories so email me at producer AT healthyplace.com.
Tags: attempted suicide, depression, healthyplace tv, patricia gallagher, suicide
Posted in TV Show, depression | No Comments »
September 20th, 2009 by Christina Torres
As you know, suicide is never a pleasant subject. Often times, bouts of depression are so strong that those suffering feel the only way out is to end their life. What family members are left to deal with is unbearable, as feelings of loss and guilt take over.
But what happens when the suicide attempt fails? It seems that situations such as these are not any easier to deal with.
Fear, Worry, and Stress of a Repeated Attempted Suicide
This Tuesday, September 22, we will talk with one family who lived through this nightmare. Patricia Gallagher watched as stress and depression consumed her husband’s life. John, a financial analyst, lived in constant worry over the stability of his job and the welfare of his family. After dealing with excruciating headaches, high blood pressure from the stress and weight loss, he decided he could not deal with the stresses any longer and made the life altering decision to end his life…but failed…twice.
Be sure to watch Tuesday as Patricia relives her husband’s failed attempts at ending his life and what they are doing now to keep their family together.
Dr. Croft will be available to discuss the impact of stress and depression and take questions on this or any mental health related questions. You can read Dr. Croft’s blog post on Coping with Suicide here. We also have comprehensive information on all facets of suicide here.
Have a comment or story you would like to share? E-mail me at producer AT healthyplace.com. We’re here to provide the most up-to-date and trusted information on mental health.
See you Tuesday at 5:30p PST, 7:30 CST, 8:30 EST. You can watch the show live, or later on-demand, on the HealthyPlace Mental Health TV Show homepage. As always, our guest will be taking your questions during the live show.
Tags: attempted suicide, depression, healthyplace tv show, mental health, patricia gallagher, psychology, stress, suicide
Posted in Coming Shows, depression | 1 Comment »
September 19th, 2009 by Christina Torres
Why do people with bipolar disorder sometimes become psychotic and what’s it like to experience this loss of reality in everyday life? That’s what we talked about on Tuesday’s HealthyPlace Mental Health TV Show. It coincided with the introduction of our new Bipolar Psychosis section in the HealthyPlace Bipolar Community.
Our guest was mental health author and HealthyPlace.com writer, Julie Fast. Julie has lived with bipolar disorder for over three decades and has endured many psychotic episodes throughout that time. Clearly, Julie has experienced many weird hallucinations and delusions, but she emphasized they can be managed effectively and discussed the various treatments for psychosis as well as management techniques.
Julie has a wealth of knowledge and experience on bipolar disorder. To get more information on her bipolar treatment plan, read the Gold Standard for Treating Bipolar Disorder or visit her website at www.juliefast.com.
If you missed the show on Bipolar Psychosis, go to the TV Show homepage and watch it on-demand. HealthyPlace.com Medical Director and TV show co-host, Dr. Harry Croft also went into great length about the symptoms, causes and treatments of psychosis in bipolar disorder that you don’t want to miss.
Surviving Suicide on the HealthyPlace Mental Health TV Show
Join us this coming Tuesday as we explore life after an attempted suicide. If you or someone you know is picking up the pieces after an attempted suicide, e-mail with comments or questions to producer AT healthyplace.com. You can also respond directly to this post by clicking the word comments next to the “posted in” link below.
Remember we air live every Tuesday at 7:30 pm CST / 8:30 pm EST and 5:30 pm PST. See you then!
Tags: bipolar disorder, bipolar psychosis, delusions, hallucinations, healthyplace tv show, julie fast, mental health, psychology, psychosis, psychotic
Posted in TV Show, bipolar disorder | No Comments »
September 14th, 2009 by Christina Torres
We’re back in the studio this coming Tuesday, September 15, with a great show on psychosis in Bipolar Disorder.
In case you are not familiar with Bipolar Disorder, you’d be surprised to know that it affects more than 15 million American adults and children. The most common bipolar symptoms documented are severe mood swings and change in behavior, which explains its alternative name, manic depression. Highs (manic) and lows (depression) often lead to the inability to be involved in long-term relationships or hold a job.
Living with Bipolar Psychosis
Another symptom of bipolar disorder experienced during extreme manic and depressive phases is psychotic thinking, where the person is out of touch with reality and may experience auditory, visual or other sensory hallucinations. And that’s what we’re going to be talking about with our guest, Julie Fast.
Julie is an accomplished mental health writer who also has bipolar disorder. Her previous assignments for HealthyPlace.com include:
And today, we are launching a new section on Bipolar Psychosis in which Julie discusses not only the signs, symptoms, causes and treatments of psychosis in Bipolar Disorder, but she provides personal insight into the experience of having a bipolar psychotic episode (videos 9-10 on bipolar psychosis).
Dr. Harry Croft will be with us to provide his expertise on the subject of psychosis in bipolar disorder. And, like we do every Tuesday night, we reserve the second half of the show for any mental health questions you have for Dr. Croft. If you would like to get more information on Bipolar Disorder, click here to read articles or maybe even take our bipolar screening test to determine whether or not you might need to seek professional treatment.
Finally, you can e-mail me at producer AT healthyplace.com if you have questions or experiences you would like to share. Our goal at HealthyPlace TV is to bring you real life people with real experiences so that you know you are not alone in what you or a loved one may be going through. We are here to help point you in the right direction and get you to live your best life.
We’ll see you on Tuesday night for the live HealthyPlace Mental Health TV Show on Bipolar Psychosis. We start at 5:30p PT, 7:30 CST, 8:30 EST or you can watch it at your leisure by clicking the “on-demand” button on the player locoated on the HealthyPlace TV Show homepage.
Tags: bipolar disorder, bipolar psychosis, delusions, hallucinations, healthyplace tv show, julie fast, mania, manic depression, mental health, psychiatry, psychology, psychotic thinking
Posted in Coming Shows, bipolar disorder | No Comments »
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