The Silent Killer – Clinical Depression
Depression is a common response to health problems and is an often “underdiagnosed” problem in the patient population. People may become depressed because of injury or illness; may be suffering from an earlier loss that is compounded by a new health problem; or they may seek health care for somatic complaints that are bodily manifestations of depression.
Clinical depression is differentiated from daily emotions or sentiments of sadness by its gravity and extent. Most people occasionally feel down or depressed, but these feelings are short-lived and do not result in impaired functioning.
Clinically depressed people usually have had signs of a depressed mood or a decreased interest in pleasurable activities for at least a 2-week period.
An evident impairment in occupational, social, and total daily functioning occurs in some people. Others function appropriately in their interactions with the outside world by exerting great effort and forcing themselves to mask their distress.
Sometimes, they are successful at concealing their depression for months or years and astonish family members and others when they finally succumb to the problem.
Many people experience clinical depression but seek treatment for somatic complaints. The leading somatic complaints of patients struggling with depression are backache, headache, fatigue, abdominal pain, anxiety, malaise, and reduced desire or problems with sexual functioning.
These sensations are frequently manifestations of depressions. The depression is undiagnosed about half of the time and masquerades as physical health problems.
People with depression also exhibit poor functioning and high rates of absenteeism from work and school.
Specific symptoms of clinical depression are:
1. Feelings of sadness
2. Fatigue
3. Feelings of worthlessness
4. Guilt
5. Difficulty concentrating or making decisions
Changes in appetite, sleep disturbance, weight gain or loss, and psychomotor retardation or disturbance are also common. Often, patients have recurrent thoughts about death or suicide, or have made suicide attempts.
A diagnosis of clinical depression is made when a person presents with at least five of nine diagnostic criteria for depression. One of the first two symptoms present most of the time.
1. Depressed mood
2. Loss of pleasure or interest
3. Weight gain or loss
4. Sleeping difficulties
5. Psychomotor agitation or retardation
6. Fatigue
7. Feeling worthless
8. Inability to concentrate
9. Thoughts of suicide or death
Unfortunately, only one of three depressed people is properly diagnosed and appropriately treated.
In the United States, about 15% of severely depressed people commit suicide, and two-thirds of patients who have committed suicide had been sent by health care practitioners during the month before their death.
When patients make statements that are self-deprecating, convinced that things are hopeless and will not improve, and express feelings of failure, they may be at risk for suicide. Risk factors for suicide include the following:
1. Gender
Women make more attempts. Men are more successful.
2. Family history of suicide
Statistical reports show that nearly 80% of people who have committed suicide have family history of suicide.
3. Dysfunctional family
Family members have experienced cumulative multiple losses and posses limited coping skills.
4. Substance abuse
A person who abuses substances has an inability to make healthy decisions and to solve problems effectively.
5. Severe anxiety
Research studies indicate a reduction in distress when anxiety and depression are treated with psycho-educational programs, the establishment of support systems, and counseling.
Explaining to patients that clinical depression is a medical illness and not a sign of personal weakness, and that effective treatment will allow them to feel better and stay emotionally healthy, is an important aspect of care.
Matt Oconnor
http://www.articlesbase.com/non-fiction-articles/the-silent-killer-clinical-depression-64698.html
How Female Hormonal Changes Can Contribute to Anxiety and Panic Attacks
Some women are more sensitive to hormonal fluctuations than others. For many women, anxiety issues appear for the first time during periods of hormonal change. For other women, hormonal changes intensify previously existing anxiety symptoms.
Anxiety is one of the most common symptoms of Pre-Menstrual Syndrome (PMS), post-childbirth, and perimenopause (the period of time before the onset of menopause). It may take the form of panic attacks, nervousness, sweating, intense fear, anxiety combined with depression, or other overwhelming symptoms.
Here are several periods of hormonal change that can intensify or trigger anxiety in women.
Puberty — Developing girls experience hormonal changes as they prepare to begin their reproductive years.
Monthly menstrual cycle — Often girls and women experience PMS the week before their period.
Following childbirth — The severe drop in certain hormones following childbirth can cause dramatic physical symptoms and a temporary feeling of depression or anxiety; in some women, it is prolonged.
Perimenopause — Perimenopause is the period of time when the body is approaching menopause. It may last from two to ten years. During this time the menstrual cycle becomes irregular as the hormone levels keep fluctuating, causing some women to experience PMS-like symptoms.
Although many of us may use the term “going through menopause” to describe this period of time, it is actually called perimenopause. Many women experience panic attacks for the first time during perimenopause. Other symptoms such as insomnia, hot flashes, rapid heartbeat, and sweating are also common.
With surgical menopause (hysterectomy), you’ll likely experience perimenopausal symptoms after the surgery, even if you did not experience symptoms prior to surgery. Symptoms can be prolonged and are due to the dramatic and sudden decrease of certain hormones as a result of the hysterectomy.
In non-surgical circumstances, menopause occurs after a woman has no periods for twelve consecutive months. It lasts only one day. Many women report feeling better than ever mentally and physically after menopause, due to the fact that hormone levels stabilize.
Hormonal Change Triggers the Fight Or Flight Response
Due to the fact that hormonal change causes physical and psychological stress, it triggers our “fight or flight” response. The fight or flight response is the body’s inborn, self-protective response to perceived danger.
When we perceive that we are under stress, our bodies send out a rush of cortisol, adrenaline, and other brain chemicals to prepare us to “fight” or “flee” the danger.
The fight or flight response triggers the physiological changes that we associate with anxiety, such as rapid heartbeat, increased blood pressure, sweating, muscle tension, narrowed mental focus, heightened emotion, and many other symptoms.
These are the same physical sensations that many women experience when their hormone levels fluctuate. In other words, most of the symptoms women experience during times of hormonal change are really fight or flight reactions. While these physical sensations are not dangerous, they can be very intense and overwhelming.
Our fight or flight response mechanism can become “hypersensitive” with the various hormonal changes in our bodies that take place from puberty to menopause. Many of us are in a constant state of stress due to our lifestyle and thought patterns, which also causes hypersensitivity.
In other words, our bodies may be stuck in the “on” switch of fight or flight. What normally wouldn’t trigger symptoms, now initiates symptoms and perpetuates an ongoing cycle.
Fight or flight reactions in and of themselves are harmless. However, when our thoughts convince our rational minds that these symptoms are scary and dangerous, we create an anxiety cycle.
Anxiety consists of more than fight or flight reactions acting by themselves. Unproductive thoughts play a critical role in creating and perpetuating the anxiety we experience.
Our thoughts convert fight or flight reactions into anxiety, and a self-perpetuating cycle begins. Soon we find ourselves limiting our behaviors because of anxiety as well, which further entrenches the vicious cycle.
When a person is under stress, unresolved emotions and issues commonly come to the forefront. Because hormonal change is a major stressor, it can bring up internal conflicts and self-doubt in many areas of our lives. All of a sudden, we may find that the negative self-talk that we successfully pushed to the background of our lives during less stressful times is now playing center stage.
During periods of hormonal change, we may also feel uncertain about our changing roles (e.g. maturing from girl to woman, becoming a mother, becoming a mature woman past childbearing years), which can add to our internal conflict.
When we fail to successfully resolve internal conflicts and the unhelpful thought patterns that contribute to them, we create a breeding ground for anxiety. Combined with fight or flight symptoms, it’s no wonder that these unproductive thoughts create and perpetuate the anxiety cycle!
What can you do if hormone-related anxiety affects you?
Here’s some great news! The same tools that you can use to overcome anxiety due to other reasons can help you to conquer anxiety related to hormonal changes too.
Research shows that cognitive-behavioral techniques that help you change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors, lifestyle changes, relaxation techniques, and nutritional strategies (all found in our Conquer Anxiety Success Program) can help women dealing with hormonal changes.
These types of strategies not only help women regain a sense of control over their lives, but actually achieve improved physical and emotional well being! Here are a few tips to get you started:
– Focus on reducing preventable stress in your life that triggers the fight or flight response — stop the yo-yo dieting; increase sleep to eight or nine hours a night; exercise regularly; don’t skip meals; cut back on your frantic schedule; and decrease stimulants, such as caffeine.
The body isn’t designed for constant stress. When we are bombarded with stress, our ability to cope can become overwhelmed because the elevation in stress hormones makes the fight or flight switch remain “on.”
– Learn how to train your body to respond differently to stress so that you can automatically turn the false alarm “off” when the fight or flight response is triggered. Relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, yoga, meditation, and progressive muscle relaxation can help you achieve this goal.
– Most importantly, learn how to change how you think. Our thoughts are what convert the harmless fight or flight response into a vicious cycle of anxiety. Remember, just as our thoughts hold the key to creating anxiety, they also hold the key to eliminating it!
Deanne Repich
http://www.articlesbase.com/stress-management-articles/how-female-hormonal-changes-can-contribute-to-anxiety-and-panic-attacks-80950.html
Emetophobia and the Fear of Vomiting — a Psychotherapist Explains
Emetophobia is the name we give to the fear of vomiting, the fear of being sick, or the fear of throwing up.
Often clients call the hypnotherapist seeking help in overcoming a fear of vomiting, believing that they alone have this fear or phobia.
Contrary to this popular misperception, emetophobia is not at all uncommon. It is, in fact, the sixth most common phobia. Knowing this, it really is quite surprising that this particular fear is so little discussed.
Perhaps this is because vomiting is one of those subjects that people tend to avoid discussing. But perhaps the major reason is because those who do suffer from emetophobia – in common with those who experience other irrational fears and phobias – often feel some sort of shame for doing so.
These feelings, however, are completely unnecessary and unjustified. And with the right kind of transformational hypnotherapy, the fear of vomiting can be swiftly taken care of.
Most often, the cause of a fear or vomiting is not at all complex. At some time in the past, the emetophobic individual has linked vomit, vomiting or being sick with an intense, traumatic feeling.
What has happened is that a frightening experience or event in the past has ‘programmed’ this fear into the subconscious mind; it has become a ‘conditioned reflex’. So that sometimes even the thought of vomit or vomiting can automatically trigger the terrible feelings of fear and anxiety.
Very few people who suffer from emetophobia actually vomit. In fact, in common with most phobias, the real problem is not so much the fear of vomiting as it is the fear of fear.
This can loosely be classified as an ‘anxiety disorder’.
The good news is that no-one need continue to suffer from this restricting and often debilitating fear. It is a phobia that can be swiftly and successfully treated through the medium of transformational hypnotherapy.
Usually, two or three quite pleasant transformational hypnotherapy sessions are all it takes for the individual to permanently and completely remove emetophobia or the fear of vomiting.
If you suffer from fear of vomiting, emetophobia, you really can do something about it. Emetophobia can be rapidly and effectively eliminated by working with a qualified and experienced transformational hypnotherapist.
Peter James Field
http://www.articlesbase.com/fitness-articles/emetophobia-and-the-fear-of-vomiting-a-psychotherapist-explains-608844.html
Your Essential Guide to Stress Management
We all have our own favorite expression when it comes to being stressed out. But when it comes down to it, I think it’s how we work, or even relaxed for that matter, that triggers stress. Ever been stressed out even when you’re well relaxed and bored? I know I have. Here are some techniques that you can implement easily to help relieve your stress level.
It’s important to find ways to decrease and prevent stressful incidents, but no matter what they are going to happen. The best way to handle them when they do occur is to decrease your negative reactions to stress. Here are some of the things that can be done. You can do a few of them in a longer span of time, but you should try to use these techniques whenever you can as the situations occur.
Time Management
—
Time management skills can allow you more time with your family and friends and increase your performance and productivity. This will also help reduce your stress.
To improve your time management:
- Save time by focusing and concentrating, delegating, and scheduling time for yourself.
- Keep a record of how you spend your time, including work, family, and leisure time.
- Prioritize your time by rating tasks by importance and urgency. Redirect your time to those activities that are important and meaningful to you. Don’t move on to an unimportant task until the top priorities are complete!
- Manage your commitments by not over, or under, committing. Don’t commit to what is not important to you.
- Deal with procrastination by using a day planner, breaking large projects into smaller ones, and setting short-term deadlines.
- Examine your beliefs to reduce conflict between what you believe and what your life is like.
- Build healthy coping strategies.
It is important that you identify your strategies for coping with different situations that could, and probably will, arise. One way to do this is by recording the stressful event, your reaction, and how you handled it in a journal. With this information, you can work to change unhealthy strategies into healthy ones. Those changes will help you focus on the positive and what you can change or control in your life. Jim Rohn (my favorite personal development mentor) says that “The same wind blows on us all, it’s the set of your sails that determines the course you will take in your life …” Think about this profound statement … it is SO true!
Lifestyle
—
Some behaviors and lifestyle choices affect your stress level. They may not cause stress directly, but they can interfere with the way your body seeks relief from stress.
Try these tips:
- Balance personal, work, and family needs and obligations. This can be difficult at best sometimes and can be a source of stress on all by itself!
- Have a sense of purpose in life.
- Get enough sleep, since your body recovers from the stresses of the day while you are sleeping.
- Eat a balanced diet for a nutritional defense against stress.
- Get moderate exercise throughout the week.
- Limit your consumption of alcohol.
- Don’t smoke.
Social Support
—
Social support is a major factor in how we experience and handle stress. Social support is the positive support you receive from family, friends, and the community. It is the knowledge that you are cared for, loved, esteemed, and valued. More and more research indicates a strong relationship between social support and better mental and physical health.
Changing Your Way of Thinking
—
When an event triggers negative thoughts, you may experience fear, insecurity, anxiety, depression, rage, guilt, and a sense of worthlessness or powerlessness. These emotions trigger the body’s stress sensors, just as an actual threat does. Dealing with your negative thoughts and how you see things can help reduce stress. Try to replace your negativeness with positive thoughts.
-Thought replacement helps you stop a negative thought to help eliminate stress. Try to always see the “bright side” of any situation. This may be difficult, but it is necessary.
Let me tell you a quick story related to the last statement before moving on:
Four years ago I was laid off from my $80,000 per year job. We were on a 10 year contract for research and development of emerging Air Traffic Control Systems for the US government! Two years into the contract, we were given 3 days notice, no offer of alternate employment, and no severance pay! When the War in Iraq began, the government pulled all of our project money and put it towards Homeland Security. Now, we support our troops and our country to the fullest, but talk about having a panic attack ans stressing out! Robin and I had no idea what to do or where to turn! They sent 200 people packing and put them out on the street. I admit that at first we were in panic mode and only saw the negative side of the situation. But after a few days we realized that this could be a blessing in disguise. This was the beginning of our Network Marketing careers and we have NEVER looked back since! It ended up being the BEST thing that ever could have happened! My personal stress level went down and my blood pressure actually dropped to normal levels and I didn’t have to take my blood pressure medication any longer! My doctor asked me: “What did you do? Your blood pressure is normal!” My answer? “I got laid off!” Incredible!
So let’s move on, I just wanted to share that story to make a point about the importance of last bulleted statement. It should not be overlooked!
- Disproving irrational thoughts helps you to avoid exaggerating the negative thought, anticipating the worst, and interpreting an event incorrectly.
- You need to always identify all aspects of a stressful event and find positive ways to deal with it.
Changing your communication style helps you relate in a way that makes your views known without making others feel put down, hostile, or intimidated. This reduces the stress that comes from poor communication. Use the assertiveness ladder to improve your communication style.
Even writers like me can get stressed even though we’re just using our hands to do the talking. Having to sit for 7 or 8 hours at a time is already stressful enough, and we have our own methods to relieve stress. Whether you’re the mail person, the CEO, or the average working parent, stress is an unwanted visitor you would love to remove from your home, work, and especially your life.
As always, Make IT A GREAT Day!
Louis Bonaventura
http://www.articlesbase.com/advice-articles/your-essential-guide-to-stress-management-114702.html
What you Need to Know About Child Panic Attacks
For both the child and the parents, a child panic attack can be both serious and frightening. Some of the facts around a Child panic attack will be outlined in this brief article along with a decipher to some of the clues that can help parents assist their child during this frightening and confusing time. Panic and anxiety along with other emotional levels are experienced very differently for children than adults, so when dealing with this situation nothing is as important as education.
As a result of experiencing panic attacks many children and teenagers will develop fears of going places. They are afraid that they will be embarrassed in they suffer a panic attack while engaging in an activity. Child panic disorders have many different types.
GAD – Generalized Anxiety Disorder
The patient who experiences excessive worry about a series of event is generally affected by an anxiety disorder known as GAD. The time has little to do with the amount of “logical worry” that is applied since the events can happen either in the past, present or future. Often past events, conversations, upcoming events, school, friends, family, functions or any other possibility are just some of the things children or teens may sometimes worry about. A child cannot control the amount of time spent worrying about such things if they experience GAD.
Relaxation techniques and therapy are the best known ways to treat GAD. A trained mental health physician is usually the best prepared to encounter such as disorder although generally children can be talked out of their worry and it can work wonders. Instead of discouraging words of worry children are taught to use positive self-talk and generate a dialogue with others to explore their feelings. A prescribed medication is generally not used for a child panic attack disorder.
Separation Anxiety Disorder
When children are separated from loved ones or comfortable situation that they are used to then they may experience panic. Typically this applies to the younger children who are separated from their parents. Anxiety can result from the threat of separation from a caregiver and occurs in many cases when children are left with a babysitter on a parents’ evening out on the town.
A child will avoid activities that cause a separation from the caregiver and when they are gone the child will worry excessively. Recognition of these emotions and a good dose of reality are the normal therapies involved. They should be made aware that nothing wrong happens, etc. Coping skills to deal with the separation, often through role playing, are also taught to the children.
Kevin Stith
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/what-you-need-to-know-about-child-panic-attacks-77126.html
Overcoming A Stressful Situation In The Business World
How do you overcome a stressful situation while at your place of business? Although I am a layman, I have some experience in dealing with anxieties in the business environment. As a result, here is a brief list of techniques that a person can use to help manage their stresses and anxieties.
Sometimes, we get stressed when everything happens all at once. When this happens, a person should take a deep breathe and try to find something to do for a few minutes to get their mind off of the problem. A person could take a walk, listen to some music, read the newspaper or do an activity that will give them a fresh perspective on things.
Another technique that is very helpful is to have a small notebook of positive statements that make us feel good. Whenever you come across an affirmation that makes you feel good, write it down in a small notebook that you can carry around with you in your pocket. Whenever you feel anxious, open up your small notebook and read those statements.
When facing a current or upcoming task that overwhelms you with a lot of anxiety, the first thing you can do is to break the task into a series of smaller steps. Completing these smaller tasks one at a time will make the stress more manageable and increases your chances of success.
In dealing with your anxieties, a person should learn to take it one day at a time. Instead of focusing on exaggerated assumptions that may or may not happen, focus on the present and rely on the facts of the present situation.
Sometimes, it helps to be able to talk to someone about our stressful situations. Talking to a trusted friend, or professional can not only make us feel better, but they might be able to give you additional advice and insights on how to deal with your current problem.
Our anxieties and stresses can sometimes get the best of us, however there are many helpful resources available to us. It might take some hard work and persistence, but it is possible to find those answers in managing your anxieties.
Stanley Popovich
http://www.articlesbase.com/careers-articles/overcoming-a-stressful-situation-in-the-business-world-10860.html
Six Steps to Overcome Social Anxiety
As someone who has personally suffered with severe Social Anxiety, I went through several phases of learning how to deal with it and eventually overcome it: denial, hiding it, being ashamed of it, and finally, learning to accept it and work through it.
One thing that really helped was reading about someone famous, someone I admired and respected, who admitted they had Social Anxiety and even laughed about it! At the time, I felt deeply ashamed of my anxiety around people, and it really amazed me that this person could be so light-hearted about it. He spoke about it openly and unapologetically, as if he were admitting that he had diabetes, or some other very common condition.
I thought about this for a long time and it began to make me feel much better about my situation. So, cautiously at first, I began to tell my closest friends and relatives about my anxiety situation. Not in an apologetic way or asking asking anyone to feel sorry for me (because that’s not helpful at all), but in a very matter-of-fact way: “Oh, by the way, did you know I have social anxiety?”
For the most part, my loved ones and close friends were extremely understanding about the whole issue and didn’t make a big deal of it at all. The relief I felt was unbelievable, like a large stone had just been lifted from my shoulders. I was reallly beginning to make progress.
I’ve learned much about Social Anxiety since then, and probably the most important thing is this: Social Anxiety is largely about feeling “overwhelmed.” The feeling of being overwhelmed is what pushes people into limiting their life to a greater and greater extent, until they find themselves living in a very small world indeed. But it doesn’t have to stay that way. Understanding that your Social Anxiety is really about feeling overwhelmed can help you to gradually begin making changes to eliminate it.
A simple plan of action…
1. Accept the situation and DO NOT feel bad about it at all.
2. Begin putting your self in social situations for very brief periods of time. This is extremely important, because when you do this, you are limiting yourself, instead of having your anxiety limit you. This is an incredibly important distinction because you are taking back control over the situation, and are not reacting, as a victim would.
3. Talk to those who are very close to you and might be affected by this plan, and let them know what you are doing and exactly why you are doing it. Remember to be unapologetic about explaining it to them. There is nothing to apologize for! Be very matter-of-fact about it.
4. As stated, keep your social interactions very brief. If 5 minutes is all you are comfortable with, then do 5 minutes and feel perfectly fine about that. Even if 1minute is all you can do, that’s just fine. Remember, you are in control, and you are placing the limits–not anything outside of you.
5. Gradually, begin to increase the time you spend in social interactions. But…do this very gradually. Don’t push it! Even if you increase by a few minutes every month, that is better than letting yourself get overwhelmed in a situation.
6. Remember this phrase, “Nothing succeeds like success.” This is true because success (in any endeavor) builds momentum and leads to greater success. This is particularly true with Social Anxiety. It is very important that you continue to have good social interaction that does not overwhelm you. It does NOT matter how long the interaction is; all the matters is that you get through it without any strong negative feelings. Do not push yourself too hard. You don’t have to!
Jon Mercer
http://www.articlesbase.com/stress-management-articles/six-steps-to-overcome-social-anxiety-107668.html
Venice, An Inspiration For The Writer
In my last article about writing and Venice, I raised the following question.
How can a city so possess a writer so that no other place could possibly be a proper setting for the events, which must unfold in the story? And so, in telling you more of my own journey through Venice, I continue to search for an answer. Put another way, the question might be For me, has the city of Venice dictated the story of A Trial of one?
In Venice, I was staying in the area between San Marco and the Rialto. The darkened streets or calles were narrow and arranged in a devious maze, which, at first, appeared rather sinister. But once I realized I was perfectly safe wandering about, I went down the narrowest calles at night, without a second thought.
The setting was so inspiring as to send my protagonist in the Osgoode Trilogy, Harry Jenkins rushing panic stricken through the narrow calles. In this part of A Trial of One, Harry is on a search for thirty million dollars for his elderly client, Norma Dinnick. And he is shadowed every step of the way by Garth, the vicious but not too bright, emissary of Dr. Robert Hawke, also claimant to the millions.
In his hurry, he [Harry] stumbled on broken cobblestone and nearly toppled into the canal. Loud off-key singing and then laughter filled the ever-narrowing passageway. From above, came a clatter of tins. Suddenly, a torrent of dirty water poured down not a foot away from him. Abruptly, he turned back and, with labored breathing, rushed deeper into another maze of twisting alleys. Again his pathway narrowed, then ended abruptly at the next doorway. He froze, trapped in a dead end! To his left was the canal. One step and he would be in the water! Over his shoulder, he saw the ominous bulk [Garth] not ten yards from him and heard his whistling. Rivulets of sweat ran down Harry’s face.
For me, the setting inspired the events. I cannot think of a better place than Venice to create the sense of being actually caught in a labyrinth and the panic, which would ensue. Remember Theseus? He’s the one in Greek Mythology who received the thread from Ariadne to find his way out of the labyrinth after slaying the fearsome minotour. Maybe Harry’s task is not so different!
By setting, I do not mean just the physical surroundings. Don’t you think that a city could have a psychological setting- an all-pervasive atmosphere in which certain events were bound to happen? Perhaps we are coming closer to an answer to the idea of a city being a character in a novel-even one strong enough to drive the plot.
In my wanderings, I found many shop windows filled with brightly colored masks and marionettes, including Pinocchio. Venice is the city of the Carnevale, a fantastic tradition of escaping the daily grind. Psychologists would say that this kind of Mardi Gras serves as a release from the persona you must wear each day and is thus a welcome [and healthful] relief. If you have ever worn a mask, you know instantly that you may become a different person from your daily self. Some would say that a hidden being leaps out from the dark side of humanity. Others would simply call it the true, unfettered soul. So, take your choice.
One of the themes in the Final Paradox, the second in the Osgoode Trilogy, is masks and what happens when you wear one. In Final Paradox, Peter has a lover, Roger an antique dealer [sometime drag queen], who collects Aboriginal Masks. Here’s the scene in which Peter first tries on the mask.
Peter did not understand why he consented to Roger’s lowering the mask over his head. His throat constricted, and he struggled to lift the heavy, wooden piece from his shoulders. Roger adjusted the mask. Moments later, Peter felt a lightness lifting him up and breezing throughout him. His breathing slowed and deepened. His hands dangled at his sides.
Roger led him to the mirrors. His voice was languorous and soothing. “See yourself transformed by the power of the mask. It awakens your true spirit. With masks, we find the ‘other’ within ourselves.”
Energy flowed through Peter. From unknown depths, his anger spurted upward into his consciousness. Always the yes-man for Pappas and all his law partners! Forever trapped under Bronwyn’s thumb. Hiding his shameful desires-Peter was sick of the pretence of happiness. Trapped in his own carefully constructed world, he was now suddenly gasping for air. Quickly, Roger lifted the mask from his shoulders.
But we have come some distance from Venice. So let’s go back.
I wandered toward the Piazza San Marco, which was described by Napoleon, as the most beautiful drawing room in Europe, for which it is only fitting that the heavens should serve as a ceiling.
Here’s another example of how much Venice has affected me in writing. During my stay, I visited San Marco at many different hours of the day. But I found it most beautiful at nightfall, when a stillness crept over it and sounds of cooing pigeons were muffled in the distance. Long arcades, cloaked in shadow lined the sides of the Piazza and mesmerized me. Often I would sit at a table in a café on San Marco with a cappuccino or glass of wine. As the sun drew low in the sky, cascades of notes from a pianist playing Chopin would drift outward on the square. If you sat very still in the shadows at this hour, you could imagine ghostly figures from the past fleeting by and hear the lilt of their quiet conversation.
It is that sense which is inspiring my next project. You can find a short story called Fleeting Moments at my site at www.authorden.com/maryemartin which I intend to expand into novel form. That way, my heart will never have to leave Venice.
Mary E. Martin
http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/venice-an-inspiration-for-the-writer-136914.html
Anxiety Disorder In Children – Immediate Steps You Must Take
Children are subjected to a number of psychological complaints as well as full blown illnesses. Anxiety in children is something that is not to be left without any consideration. Children also have things that make them worried even though the problem may seem very small to the adults. These problems may be considered quite big by the little ones as well as the adolescents. We find that minor anxieties are present in children, but serious disorders of anxiety are not prevalent. You need to understand the differences between these two to realize what the real problems are so that they can be treated well if there is a problem.
Anxiety which can be called normal in children
Children are subjected to a huge number of concerns and fears. As time passes, the normal anxiety also goes off without much effort from the side of the children. The fear of the exams that will be coming up, the fear of monsters hiding under the bed or the fear that is due to separation anxiety are real to the little children who suffer from them. If the anxiety is the normal case of anxiety, it does fade away with the advent of time.
When you need to be concerned
The fears do go over the limit sometimes and are no longer normal, that is when they have crossed a certain degree of anxiety and can not be controlled. When this happens, you can be sure that the child is suffering from a serious condition and is no longer under the normal category. Many of the problems like specific disorders, separation anxiety disorders, many classes of problems concerned with anxiety and social anxiety disorder are quite common nowadays.
A whole huge spectrum of disorders regarding anxiety has been detected in quite a number of children by the association of anxiety disorders of America. We do find teens being affected by both depression and anxiety at the same time. If you do not treat children who are affected by this disorder of anxiety, they may be at a higher risk of getting a lot more problems including substance abuse, inability in developing social skills and failure in school.
It is advised that caregivers, parents and the adults who are around need to keep track of any changes or if the children are showing any signs of anxiety. Children may get away from situations that make them feel vulnerable or uncomfortable and do isolate themselves and sometimes even go out of the way to get rid of such situations.
It is recommended that parents of those children who seem to be affected by anxiety get some professional help. This problem of anxiety can be treated easily and is also curable in a few cases. Doing this might help the children lead a better life.
Abhishek Agarwal
http://www.articlesbase.com/mental-health-articles/anxiety-disorder-in-children-immediate-steps-you-must-take-709336.html
Drug Trial to End Bad Hair Days for Bald Women
For men coping with baldness, the solution can be as simple as shaving their head. But for women the effects can be devastating. Losing their hair often means a loss of femininity and sense of self-esteem. With rates of anxiety and depression high among sufferers, some even resort to tattooing their heads to hide thinning patches on their scalps.
But a world-first trial at a Melbourne hospital is offering hope to the estimated 700,000 Australian women affected by severe hair loss.
Doctors at St Vincent’s aim to prove that a drug used to reduce excessive facial and body hair can stop hair loss on the scalp of women, as well as stimulate partial hair growth in up to a third of sufferers.
They hope that this evidence will encourage doctors — many of whom tell women there is no treatment for hair loss — to prescribe the tablets more widely.
Eventually the plan is to develop the drug in an implant form, which would allow women to receive treatment for up to three years at a time without the need for a daily tablet. A patch like those used by smokers trying to kick the habit would als
Simply call 0207 976 6868 and speak directly to one of our Westminster Trichologists today.
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So why not take advantage of our expertise and get the facts so that you can make an informed decision on what is best for the future of your hair today.
TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR HAIR LOSS TODAY
SO THAT IT DOES NOT TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR LIFE
However, not all cases are treatable. But with early diagnosis and treatment you will give yourself and us the best possible chance to help you.o be trialled.
Gary Heron
http://www.articlesbase.com/hair-loss-articles/drug-trial-to-end-bad-hair-days-for-bald-women-713694.html
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