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This page shows you the latest news and research items in this category.

Klonopin (Clonazepam) Medication Profile
This article covers precautions and warnings, recommended dosage, and common side effects. (Source: About.com Bipolar Disorder)
Source: About.com Bipolar Disorder - June 17, 2013 Category: Psychiatry Authors: bipolar.guide at about.com Tags: health Source Type: news

I Can’t Hold a Job! What Do I Do?
For many people with bipolar disorder, the ability to work is seriously compromised. Debilitating depressions, manic-based bad decisions, struggles with medications and side effects as well as psychotic features, panic attacks and other extreme symptoms of this illness make it difficult for some to obtain or hold a job for very long. A possible solution may be disability -- Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI). (Source: About.com Bipolar Disorder)
Source: About.com Bipolar Disorder - June 15, 2013 Category: Psychiatry Authors: bipolar.guide at about.com Tags: health Source Type: news

15 Small Steps You Can Take Today to Improve Anxiety Symptoms
“Anxiety is a normal, predictable part of life,” said Tom Corboy, MFT, the founder and executive director of the OCD Center of Los Angeles, and co-author of the upcoming book The Mindfulness Workbook for OCD. However, “people with an anxiety disorder are essentially phobic about the feeling state of anxiety.” And they’ll go to great lengths to avoid it. Some people experience generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), excessive anxiety about real-life concerns, such as money, relationships, health and academics, he said. Others struggle with society anxiety, and worry about being evaluated or embarrassing themselves, h...
Source: Psych Central - June 12, 2013 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S. Tags: Anxiety Disorders Healthy Living Motivation and Inspiration Self-Help Stress Anxiety Disorders Anxiety Symptoms Balanced Response Clinical Psychologist Corboy Diaphragmatic Breathing Excessive Anxiety Flight Response Fulfilling Source Type: news

Intolerance of Uncertainty as a Contributor to Fear and Avoidance Symptoms of Panic Attacks.
Abstract Panic disorder symptoms are persistent for 50-80% of cases even after treatment, resulting in experiences of disability and dissatisfaction in life. Previous research has focused on anxiety sensitivity (AS) and its dimensions as contributing to symptoms of panic disorder; however, recent research has suggested that intolerance of uncertainty (IU)-the tendency for a person to consider the possibility of a negative event occurring as threatening, irrespective of the actual probability of its occurrence-may also play a critical role. The current study was designed to assess the specific relationships between ...
Source: Cognitive Behaviour Therapy - June 12, 2013 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Carleton RN, Fetzner MG, Hackl JL, McEvoy P Tags: Cogn Behav Ther Source Type: research

The unbearable lightheadedness of seizing: wilful submission to dissociative (non-epileptic) seizures
Research on the subjective experience of dissociative (psychogenic non-epileptic) seizures (DS) is dominated by that on objective semiology.1 2 Patients with DS tend not to spontaneously volunteer any warning symptoms, nor feelings of resistance to seizure onset, both of which are more common in epilepsy.3 But when an ‘aura’ is sought, studies in DS have found rates of 25–60%,4–7 typically with somatic symptoms of autonomic arousal such as dizziness, depersonalisation and chest tightness along with cognitive symptoms such as fear of losing control. This cluster of symptoms may sometimes meet criteri...
Source: Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry - June 9, 2013 Category: Neurosurgery Authors: Stone, J., Carson, A. J. Tags: PostScript Source Type: research

Influence of trauma history on panic and posttraumatic stress disorder in returning veterans - Barrera TL, Graham DP, Dunn NJ, Teng EJ.
The current study examined the role of predeployment sexual and physical abuse, combat exposure, and postdeployment social support in predicting panic disorder and PTSD diagnoses in a large sample of returning veterans. A chart review was conducted for 174... (Source: SafetyLit: All (Unduplicated))
Source: SafetyLit: All (Unduplicated) - June 7, 2013 Category: Global & Universal Tags: Economics of Injury and Safety, PTSD, Injury Outcomes Source Type: news

What You Need to Know About Anxiety Disorders
anxiety disorders panic disorder generalized anxiety disorder GAD stress tension shyness allergic to people uptight (Source: About.com Mental Health)
Source: About.com Mental Health - June 5, 2013 Category: Psychiatry Authors: mentalhealth.guide at about.com Tags: health Source Type: news

Panic Disorder
Social Anxiety Disorder is also called Social Phobia. It is sometimes thought of as a fear of social situations. Other phobias are fears of specific things or situations. (Source: About.com Mental Health)
Source: About.com Mental Health - June 5, 2013 Category: Psychiatry Tags: health Source Type: news

What are manifestations of inadvertent pediatric marijuana intoxication?
3.5 out of 5 stars Pediatric Marijuana Exposures in a Medical Marijuana State. Wang GS et al. JAMA Pediatr 2013 May 27 [Epub ahead of print] Abstract In October 2009, the US. Justice Department decided not to prosecute medical marijuana users and suppliers who were conforming to state laws. As a result, in Colorado the use of medical marijuana skyrocketed. The effects of this change — especially on children — are not yet completely understood. The goal of this paper, from the Rocky Mountain Poison Center and the University of Colorado School of Medicine, was to compare the number of children seen in a tertiary-care pe...
Source: The Poison Review - June 4, 2013 Category: Toxicology Authors: Leon Tags: Medical marijuana pediatric ingestion THC Source Type: news

Prevalence and sociodemographic associations of common mental disorders in a nationally representative sample of the general population of Greece
Conclusions: The findings of the present study can help in the better planning and development of mental health services in Greece, especially in a time of mental health budget restrictions. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles - June 4, 2013 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Petros SkapinakisStefanos BellosSotirios KoupidisIlias GrammatikopoulosPavlos TheodorakisVenetsanos Mavreas Source Type: research

Influence of trauma history on panic and posttraumatic stress disorder in returning veterans.
The current study examined the role of predeployment sexual and physical abuse, combat exposure, and postdeployment social support in predicting panic disorder and PTSD diagnoses in a large sample of returning veterans. A chart review was conducted for 1740 OEF/OIF veterans who received mental health screenings at a large VA hospital between May 24, 2004 and March 26, 2008. Assessments included psychosocial evaluations conducted by psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers in addition to self-report measures. Results suggested that the prevalence of panic disorder (6.1%) and PTSD (28.7%) are elevated among OEF/OIF v...
Source: Psychological Services - June 3, 2013 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Barrera, Terri L.; Graham, David P.; Dunn, Nancy Jo; Teng, Ellen J. Source Type: research

Does sex moderate the clinical correlates of pediatric bipolar-I disorder? Results from a large controlled family-genetic study
Conclusions: We found more similarities than differences between the sexes in the personal and familial correlates of BP-I disorder. Clinicians should consider bipolar disorder in the differential diagnosis of both boys and girls afflicted with symptoms suggestive of this disorder. (Source: Journal of Affective Disorders)
Source: Journal of Affective Disorders - June 2, 2013 Category: Neurology Authors: Janet Wozniak, Joseph Biederman, Mary Kate Martelon, Mariely Hernandez, K. Yvonne Woodworth, Stephen V. Faraone Tags: Research Reports Source Type: research

Psychiatric Disorders and Fatigue
This article describes sleepiness and fatigue commonly seen in psychiatric disorders. (Source: Sleep Medicine Clinics)
Source: Sleep Medicine Clinics - May 31, 2013 Category: Sleep Medicine Authors: John Herman Source Type: research

Panic attacks, anxiety linked to low vitamin B and iron levels: Study
If you suffer from anxiety or develop occasional panic attacks marked by bouts of hyperventilation, you could merely be experiencing the side effects of an underlying nutrient deficiency that is easily correctable. This definitely appears to have been the case with 21... (Source: NaturalNews.com)
Source: NaturalNews.com - May 31, 2013 Category: Consumer Health Advice Source Type: news

Perievent panic attacks and panic disorder after mass trauma: a 12-month longitudinal study - Wood CM, Salguero JM, Cano-Vindel A, Galea S.
Panic attacks frequently lead to psychopathological disorders, including panic disorder. Even though panic disorder is a highly comorbid and disabling mental health problem associated with stressful life or traumatic events, perievent panic attacks and the... (Source: SafetyLit: All (Unduplicated))
Source: SafetyLit: All (Unduplicated) - May 29, 2013 Category: Global & Universal Tags: Economics of Injury and Safety, PTSD, Injury Outcomes Source Type: news

Clinical features and axis I comorbidity of Australian adolescent pathological Internet and video game users.
Conclusions:PTU among Australian adolescents remains an issue warranting clinical concern. These results suggest an emerging trend towards the greater uptake and use of the Internet among female adolescents, with associated PIU. Although there exists an overlap of PTU disorders, adolescents with PIU appear to be at greater risk of axis I comorbidity than adolescents with PVG alone. Further research with an emphasis on validation techniques, such as verified identification of harm, may enable an informed consensus on the definition and diagnosis of PTU. PMID: 23719181 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: The Aus...
Source: The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry - May 29, 2013 Category: Psychiatry Authors: King DL, Delfabbro PH, Zwaans T, Kaptsis D Tags: Aust N Z J Psychiatry Source Type: research

Neural time course of threat-related attentional bias and interference in panic and obsessive-compulsive disorders.
Abstract Attentional biases to threat are considered central to anxiety disorders, however physiological evidence of their nature and time course is lacking. Event-related potentials (ERPs) characterized sensory and cognitive changes while 20 outpatients with panic disorder (PD), 20 with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and 20 healthy controls (HCs) responded to the color (emotional Stroop task) or meaning of threatening and neutral stimuli. ERPs indicated larger P1 amplitude and longer N1 latency in OCD, and shorter P1 latency in PD, to threatening (versus neutral) stimuli, across instructions to attend to, or...
Source: Biological Psychology - May 29, 2013 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Thomas SJ, Gonsalvez CJ, Johnstone SJ Tags: Biol Psychol Source Type: research

A Cure For Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia
A number of misconceptions underlie all of the anxiety disorders. Panic disorder and Agoraphobia are based on two of these false ideas. Treatment involves discovering that they are false.read more (Source: Psychology Today Anxiety Center)
Source: Psychology Today Anxiety Center - May 23, 2013 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Fredric Neuman, M.D. Tags: Anxiety Cognition Psychiatry Therapy agoraphobia anxiety disorder anxiety disorders cognitive-behavioral therapy different reasons doctors emotional disorder emotional disorders exaggeration exposure therapy. Fears future tim Source Type: news

Symptom severity of panic disorder associated with impairment in emotion processing of threat‐related facial expressions
ConclusionThis study suggests that symptom severity of PD might be associated with impairment in emotion processing of threat‐related facial expressions. (Source: Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences)
Source: Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences - May 20, 2013 Category: Neuroscience Authors: Sheng‐Min Wang, Yura Kim, Bora Yeon, Hae‐Kook Lee, Yong‐Sil Kweon, Chung Tai Lee, Kyoung‐Uk Lee Tags: Regular Article Source Type: research

Perievent Panic Attacks and Panic Disorder After Mass Trauma: A 12‐Month Longitudinal Study
Panic attacks frequently lead to psychopathological disorders, including panic disorder. Even though panic disorder is a highly comorbid and disabling mental health problem associated with stressful life or traumatic events, perievent panic attacks and their association with panic disorder have hardly been investigated as a central topic after mass trauma. Using data from a longitudinal population‐based assessment of Madrid residents after the March 11, 2004 train bombings (N = 1,589), with assessments conducted 1, 6, and 12 months after the attacks, the rate of perievent panic attacks was 10.9%. Level of exposure, prev...
Source: Journal of Traumatic Stress - May 20, 2013 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Cristina M. Wood, José M. Salguero, Antonio Cano‐Vindel, Sandro Galea Tags: Research Article Source Type: research

Faster Antidepressant Discontinuation, Faster Recurrence of Symptoms
A 2010 study found that patients with bipolar disorder, panic disorder and major depressive disorder who stopped taking antidepressants quickly had new episodes sooner than those who discontinued antidepressants over a longer period. About half the patients who took part in the study, entitled Illness Risk Following Rapid Versus Gradual Discontinuation of Antidepressants, stopped taking antidepressants in 1-7 days, while the others took 14 days or more. Following up over almost three years, researchers found that those who had discontinued rapidly became ill again in an average of 3.62 months, while those who stopped more...
Source: About.com Bipolar Disorder - May 20, 2013 Category: Psychiatry Source Type: news

6. Neuroplasticity, epilepsy and neuroplasticity as a potential treatment for some forms of epilepsy
Conclusion: Neuroplasticity is a major phenomenon in neuroscience. How effective the Andrews Reiter approach will be in these two subjects is not yet known but certainly neuoplasticity and neuroneogenesis is a major field of investigation. (Source: Clinical Neurophysiology)
Source: Clinical Neurophysiology - May 18, 2013 Category: Neuroscience Authors: Michael G. Sumner, Paul A. Hwang Tags: Society Proceedings Source Type: research

Is Nocturnal Panic a Distinct Disease Category? Comparison of Clinical Characteristics among Patients with Primary Nocturnal Panic, Daytime Panic, and Coexistence of Nocturnal and Daytime Panic
Conclusions:DP/NP could be a severe form of PD, while primary NP could be a relatively mild subcategory that may partially share common pathophysiology with adult type night terror.Citation:Nakamura M; Sugiura T; Nishida S; Komada Y; Inoue Y. Is nocturnal panic a distinct disease category? Comparison of clinical characteristics among patients with primary nocturnal panic, daytime panic, and coexistence of nocturnal and daytime panic. J Clin Sleep Med 2013;9(5):461-467. (Source: Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine : JCSM)
Source: Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine : JCSM - May 17, 2013 Category: Sleep Medicine Source Type: research

The Separation Anxiety Hypothesis of Panic Disorder Revisited: A Meta-Analysis.
CONCLUSIONS A childhood diagnosis of separation anxiety disorder significantly increases the risk of panic disorder and any anxiety disorder. These results support a developmental psychopathology conceptualization of anxiety disorders. PMID: 23680783 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: The American Journal of Psychiatry)
Source: The American Journal of Psychiatry - May 17, 2013 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Kossowsky J, Pfaltz MC, Schneider S, Taeymans J, Locher C, Gaab J Tags: Am J Psychiatry Source Type: research

Abstract 167: Predictors of Anxiety Disorder Episodes and Device Related Distress in the First Five Years following Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator Placement [Poster Session II]
Trait anxiety is a dispositional factor that predisposes individuals to respond to perceived threats with more frequent and intense elevations in emotional states associated with arousal of the autonomic nervous system, which is thought to lead to the development of anxiety disorders. Trait anxiety has demonstrated promise in the empirical literature as a potential predictor of long term outcomes in ICD recipients. The present study adds novel information to this body of literature by studying the relation of trait anxiety to clinical diagnoses of anxiety disorders based on the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-TR A...
Source: Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes - May 15, 2013 Category: Cardiology Authors: Magyar-Russell, G., Morrell, C. H., Tomaselli, G. F. Tags: Poster Session II Source Type: research

Not Otherwise Specified: Anxiety & the Work of Dr. Robert Hudak
Southwest Pennsylvania National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) held its annual conference at the beginning of April, and one of their afternoon breakout workshop presenters was Dr. Robert Hudak, assistant professor of psychiatry at Western Psychiatric Institute & Clinic, University of Pittsburgh. “Pathways to Hope: Shaping a Positive Future in Uncertain Times” was the conference topic; Dr. Hudak’s contribution was “Coping with Anxiety and Panic Attacks.” I communicated with Dr. Hudak recently, to clarify some questions, get his take on some extrapolations of anxiety and even to inquire about an interestin...
Source: Psych Central - May 13, 2013 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Lisa A. Miles Tags: Addictions Alcoholism Anti-anxiety Cognitive-Behavioral Disorders Dual Diagnosis General Medications Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Psychology Psychotherapy Substance Abuse Treatment Anxiety And Panic Attacks Breakout Workshops Source Type: news

The effect of escitalopram on metabolic parameters in patients with major depressive disorder, generalised anxiety disorder, and panic disorder: A prospective 6-month follow-up study.
Authors: Peh AL, Nieng CH, Ling YH, Kheng TW, Neng TS, Koon OG PMID: 23642988 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Asian Journal of Psychiatry)
Source: Asian Journal of Psychiatry - May 7, 2013 Category: Psychiatry Tags: Asian J Psychiatr Source Type: research

Threat-Related Attention Bias in the Early Stages of Cognitive-Behavior Therapy Action for Panic Disorder
Cognitive theories of anxiety propose that information-processing biases play a pivotal role in the etiology and maintenance of anxiety disorders . Along with the application of conditioning principles derived from learning theories, such cognitive models inspired the development of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), now considered the first-line treatment for anxiety disorders . But although extensive evidence indicates that automatic attention is biased toward threatening information in anxious individuals , such threat-related attention biases were typically thought to be outside the realm of the direct therapeutic eff...
Source: Biological Psychiatry - May 6, 2013 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Rany Abend, Yair Bar-Haim Tags: Commentaries Source Type: research

Childhood Anxiety Disorder Linked to Earlier Drug UseChildhood Anxiety Disorder Linked to Earlier Drug Use
Symptoms of social anxiety and panic disorders are more likely to precede marijuana use in children than vice versa, a new study showed. Medscape Medical News (Source: Medscape Psychiatry Headlines)
Source: Medscape Psychiatry Headlines - May 6, 2013 Category: Psychiatry Tags: Psychiatry News Source Type: news

Mental disorders and smoking trajectories: A 10-year prospective study among adolescents and young adults in the community
Conclusions: Several mental disorders appear to be non-specific markers of the range of smoking trajectories while others predict specific trajectories. Numerous disorders (e.g., alcohol/drug use disorders) do not appear to occur only prior to and predict increased smoking trajectory as had been previously suggested, but rather they also occur concurrently, with high levels of smoking and in some cases smoking persists at a steady level over time. (Source: Drug and Alcohol Dependence)
Source: Drug and Alcohol Dependence - May 5, 2013 Category: Addiction Authors: Renee D. Goodwin, Axel Perkonigg, Michael Höfler, Hans Ulrich Wittchen Tags: Full Length Reports Source Type: research

The Break-Up
Medicating a mental illness is an intimate affair.read more (Source: Psychology Today Anxiety Center)
Source: Psychology Today Anxiety Center - May 3, 2013 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Abby Sher Tags: Anxiety Integrative Medicine addiction adjectives anafranil androgynous anxiety and panic disorders baby monitor best intentions cheerios depression anxiety dr sinclair fear of contamination hallucinations healthcare coverage Source Type: news

Lost days—Diaries for ICU patients
Introduction: Jones et al. (2001) found that, patients who had memories of ICU, even unpleasant ones, suffered less anxiety, panic attacks and other PTSD-related symptoms compared to those who had no memories of their stay in ICU, Bergbom et al. (1999), undertook a small study involving 10 patients in a general ICU, who were given retrospective diaries. Her findings suggest that the use of diaries helped to reduce stress and anxiety following and ICU stay. (Source: Australian Critical Care)
Source: Australian Critical Care - May 1, 2013 Category: Nursing Authors: E. Bell Source Type: research

Sex differences in anxiety and emotional behavior.
Abstract Research has elucidated causal links between stress exposure and the development of anxiety disorders, but due to the limited use of female or sex-comparative animal models, little is known about the mechanisms underlying sex differences in those disorders. This is despite an overwhelming wealth of evidence from the clinical literature that the prevalence of anxiety disorders is about twice as high in women compared to men, in addition to gender differences in severity and treatment efficacy. We here review human gender differences in generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, posttraumatic stress disor...
Source: Pflugers Archiv : European Journal of Physiology - May 1, 2013 Category: Physiology Authors: Donner NC, Lowry CA Tags: Pflugers Arch Source Type: research

Prevalence and clinical factors of anxiety and depression in neurally mediated and unexplained syncope.
CONCLUSION: Anxiety was associated with frequent syncopal episodes. Thus, anxiety might be considered in the management of syncope patients. PMID: 23549800 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Yonsei Medical Journal)
Source: Yonsei Medical Journal - May 1, 2013 Category: Universities & Medical Training Authors: Lee SH, Park SJ, Byeon K, On YK, Yim HR, Kim JS Tags: Yonsei Med J Source Type: research

Elissa Montanti: Reaching Out to Help Others is Best Cure
When 14-year-old Kenan arrived at JFK Airport with his mother, the first thing he said to me after hello was, “I like your shoes.” He was used to looking down to avoid the stares of pity and wonder. More than anything, he just wanted to be an ordinary kid again. Normal. After five years of battling near-debilitating depression and panic, I knew some of what he was feeling.read more (Source: Psychology Today Anxiety Center)
Source: Psychology Today Anxiety Center - April 29, 2013 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Jennifer Haupt Tags: Anxiety Depression Happiness Resilience Self-Help basements children of the world co author emergency room facedown gauze gunpowder helping others john f kennedy john f kennedy airport kenan medical relief panic attacks Source Type: news

Your Front Page Just Punched Me: Causes of the News Blues
Warning! Graphic Content Ahead! You can turn back now … or choose to read further. Have you ever gone to an online news source to suddenly, surprisingly encounter a gut-wrenching headline or photo? Did it make you feel sucker-punched in the stomach? Now, don’t get me wrong: I think as citizens we have an obligation to know about certain events that may be tragic, hurtful, sad, distressful or disturbing. I’m not saying that horrible events shouldn’t be reported. However, as a psychologist, I would argue that as a society we should have somewhat ‘safe spaces’ in which we can receive news without the proverbia...
Source: Psych Central - April 29, 2013 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Samantha Karpel, PhD, MPH, LMT Tags: Disorders General Policy and Advocacy Psychology PTSD Stress Comedy Sites Entertainment Comedy Entertainment News Gesture Graphic Content Health Science News Horrible Events Initial Encounter Lonely Feelings Natural Wonders Source Type: news

A brief cognitive‐behavioral intervention for treating depression and panic disorder in patients with noncardiac chest pain: a 24‐week randomized controlled trial
ConclusionsBrief CBT significantly reduces anxiety and depressive symptoms in patients with noncardiac chest pain who are diagnosed with panic and/or depressive disorders. Patients presenting with noncardiac chest pain should be screened for psychopathology and if positive, CBT should be considered. (Source: Depression and Anxiety)
Source: Depression and Anxiety - April 26, 2013 Category: Psychiatry Authors: M.H.C.T. Beek, R.C. Oude Voshaar, A.M. Beek, G.A. Zijderveld, S. Visser, A.E.M. Speckens, N. Batelaan, A.J.L.M. Balkom Tags: Research Article Source Type: research

Taking Valproate While Pregnant Raises Autism Risk
Researchers have found that pregnant women who take the drug valproate (for epilepsy) could be at an increased risk of giving birth to a child with autism, according to a new study published in the journal JAMA. Valproate is also prescribed for migraine, panic attack, anorexia nervosa, anxiety disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder, as well as some other psychiatric conditions... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)
Source: Health News from Medical News Today - April 24, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Autism Source Type: news

A breakdown of nervous breakdowns | Dean Burnett
Many people suffer from a "nervous breakdown" at some point in their lives. But despite its widespread use, the term is not one that is medically valid as it is used to describe a wide range of conditionsThere's a lot in the world to get stressed about lately. This last week alone we've seen bombings and city-wide gunfights in Boston, massive explosions in Texas, on-going violence in the Middle East, emotions raised over Thatcher's funeral, increasing measles cases in Swansea, continuing savage benefit cuts and maybe an alien invasion or two that got lost amongst the onslaught of bad news. It seems to many that the world i...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - April 24, 2013 Category: Science Authors: Dean Burnett Tags: Psychology Blogposts Mental health guardian.co.uk & wellbeing Science Source Type: news

Altered top-down and bottom-up processing of fear conditioning in panic disorder with agoraphobia.
CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest changes in top-down and bottom-up processes during fear conditioning in PD/AG that can be interpreted within a neural framework of defensive reactions mediating threat through distal (forebrain) versus proximal (midbrain) brain structures. Evidence is accumulating that this network plays a key role in the aetiopathogenesis of panic disorder. PMID: 23611156 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Psychological Medicine)
Source: Psychological Medicine - April 23, 2013 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Lueken U, Straube B, Reinhardt I, Maslowski NI, Wittchen HU, Ströhle A, Wittmann A, Pfleiderer B, Konrad C, Ewert A, Uhlmann C, Arolt V, Jansen A, Kircher T Tags: Psychol Med Source Type: research

Anna Williamson: Anxiety used to control me
SINCE 2005, Anna Williamson has presented GMTV and Daybreak’s holiday competitions, reporting from luxury locations around the world. Her life seems ideal but until recently Anna, 31, experienced such severe anxiety and panic attacks that they almost ended her dream career. (Source: Daily Express - Health)
Source: Daily Express - Health - April 22, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news

Reciprocal effects of stable and temporary components of neuroticism and affective disorders: results of a longitudinal cohort study.
CONCLUSIONS: Our results do not support a positive feedback cycle of changes in psychopathology and changes in neuroticism. In the context of a relative stability of neuroticism and affective disorders, only modest contemporaneous and small to modest delayed effects of psychopathology on neuroticism were observed. PMID: 23601142 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Psychological Medicine)
Source: Psychological Medicine - April 22, 2013 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Spinhoven P, Penelo E, de Rooij M, Penninx BW, Ormel J Tags: Psychol Med Source Type: research

Evaluation of neurotransmitters involved in the anxiolytic and panicolytic effect of the aqueous fraction of Paullinia cupana (guaraná) in elevated T maze
This study investigated the effects of repeatedly administration of an aqueous fraction of Paullinia cupana Kunth, Sapindaceae (guaraná) seeds (8 mg/kg) on rats submitted to the elevated T-maze, model of generalized anxiety and panic disorders. The selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor paroxetine (3 mg/kg), was used as a positive control. To evaluate possible neurotransmissions involvement, ineffective doses of metergoline (3 mg/kg - non-selective serotonin receptor antagonist), sulpiride (20 mg/kg - non-selective dopaminergic receptor antagonist) or ketamine (0.125 mg/kg - non-selective glutamate receptor antagonist) we...
Source: Revista Brasileira de Farmacognosia - April 17, 2013 Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: research

Acute Shift in Glutamate Concentrations Following Experimentally Induced Panic with Cholecystokinin Tetrapeptide—A 3T-MRS Study in Healthy Subjects
Acute Shift in Glutamate Concentrations Following Experimentally Induced Panic with Cholecystokinin Tetrapeptide—A 3T-MRS Study in Healthy Subjects Neuropsychopharmacology advance online publication, April 17 2013. doi:10.1038/npp.2013.61 Authors: Peter Zwanzger, Maxim Zavorotnyy, Elena Gencheva, Julia Diemer, Harald Kugel, Walter Heindel, Tillmann Ruland, Patricia Ohrmann, Volker Arolt, Katharina Domschke & Bettina Pfleiderer Keywords: anxiety; Biological Psychiatry; CCK-4; magnetic resonance spectroscopy; Neuroendocrinology; Neuropeptides; panic attacks; Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences (Sou...
Source: Neuropsychopharmacology - April 17, 2013 Category: Neurology Authors: Peter ZwanzgerMaxim ZavorotnyyElena GenchevaJulia DiemerHarald KugelWalter HeindelTillmann RulandPatricia OhrmannVolker AroltKatharina DomschkeBettina Pfleiderer Tags: anxiety Biological Psychiatry CCK-4 magnetic resonance spectroscopy Neuroendocrinology Neuropeptides panic attacks & Behavioral Sciences Source Type: research

Anxiety disorders and drug dependence: Evidence on sequence and specificity among adults
ConclusionFor any particular anxiety disorder, a diagnosis of substance abuse can occur prior to or subsequent to an anxiety disorder. Nevertheless, there is also evidence for the specificity of some associations between anxiety and substance dependence disorders; these are independent of the effects of sex and other comorbid disorders, may be causal in nature, and deserve particular attention in clinical settings. The possibility that within a particular anxiety disorder there are a variety of mechanisms of association with various substances should be addressed in future work. (Source: Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences)
Source: Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences - April 15, 2013 Category: Neuroscience Authors: Renee D. Goodwin, Dan J. Stein Tags: Regular Article Source Type: research

Longitudinal course of panic disorder with and without agoraphobia using the national epidemiologic survey on alcohol and related conditions (NESARC)
Abstract: Few naturalistic, longitudinal studies of panic disorder with and without agoraphobia (PD/PDA) exist, limiting our knowledge of the temporal rates of incidence, relapse, and chronicity, or the factors that predict category transition. Data from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC) wave 1 (n=43,093) and wave 2 (n=34,653) were utilized to determine transitional rates, and predictors of category transitions, over a 3-year period. Analyses revealed very high 3-year remission rates for PD and PDA (75% and 67%, respectively), although relapse also was relatively frequent (PD=12%;...
Source: Psychiatry Research - April 15, 2013 Category: Psychiatry Authors: William Nay, Ruth Brown, Roxann Roberson-Nay Tags: Anxiety disorders Source Type: research

Prevalence of bipolar disorder in panic disorder patients in the Japanese population
Conclusion: PD patients had high prevalence of BPD. Both PD patients with BPD-I and those with BPD-II had high severity of suicide risk, trait anxiety, anxiety sensitivity, neuroticism, and agreeableness, though these characteristics were more prominent in patients with BPD-I. (Source: Journal of Affective Disorders)
Source: Journal of Affective Disorders - April 13, 2013 Category: Neurology Authors: Nagisa Sugaya, Eiji Yoshida, Shin Yasuda, Mamoru Tochigi, Kunio Takei, Toshiyuki Otani, Takeshi Otowa, Takanobu Minato, Tadashi Umekage, Yoshiaki Konishi, Yuji Sakano, Junwen Chen, Shinobu Nomura, Yuji Okazaki, Hisanobu Kaiya, Tsukasa Sasaki, Hisashi Tani Tags: Preliminary communications Source Type: research

Recurrence of anxiety disorders and its predictors
Conclusions: Recurrence of anxiety disorders is common and clinicians should be aware of the diagnostic instability within anxiety disorders. Disability and anxiety sensitivity are independent predictors of recurrence of anxiety disorders. Altering these predictors in regular cognitive behavioural therapy could contribute to the reduction of recurrence. (Source: Journal of Affective Disorders)
Source: Journal of Affective Disorders - April 13, 2013 Category: Neurology Authors: Willemijn D. Scholten, Neeltje M. Batelaan, Anton JLM. van Balkom, Brenda WJH. Penninx, Johannes H. Smit, Patricia van Oppen Tags: Research Reports Source Type: research

The effects of the catechol-O-methyltransferase val158met polymorphism on white matter connectivity in patients with panic disorder
Conclusions: These data suggested that COMT rs4680 could affect the white matter connectivity in panic disorder. (Source: Journal of Affective Disorders)
Source: Journal of Affective Disorders - April 13, 2013 Category: Neurology Authors: Borah Kim, Eunhye Yoo, Jun-Yeob Lee, Kang Soo Lee, Ah Young Choe, Ji Eun Lee, KyuBum Kwack, Ki-Hwan Yook, Tai Kiu Choi, Sang-Hyuk Lee Tags: Research Reports Source Type: research

Age differences in treatment response to a collaborative care intervention for anxiety disorders.
CONCLUSIONS: These results are consistent with the findings of other investigators suggesting that medications and psychotherapy for anxiety disorders may not be as effective for older individuals as they are for younger people. PMID: 23580378 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: The British Journal of Psychiatry for Mental Science)
Source: The British Journal of Psychiatry for Mental Science - April 13, 2013 Category: Psychiatry Tags: Br J Psychiatry Source Type: research