Basic Stroke Information

Brain cells die when they no longer receive oxygen and nutrients from the blood or when they are damaged by sudden bleeding into or around the brain. These damaged cells can linger in a compromised state for several hours. With timely treatment, these cells can be saved.

Could Anxiety Be Putting You at Risk of Panic Attacks?

Out of the blue, you feel terror. Your heart is pounding. You're dizzy and you can't catch your breath. You begin to sweat profusely and perhaps even feel pain in your chest. You're certain that you're on the brink of a heart attack--or even, as inexplicable as it may seem, fear you're going to die. You may have just had a panic attack.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder--When the Trauma Lives On

People who are afflicted with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) suffer from pronounced symptoms of distress after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event such as military combat, rape or other criminal assault, child abuse, natural disasters, or catastrophic accidents that prompted intense fear, helplessness, or horror.

Navigating the Turbulent Waters of Change

By Jim Weinstein, MFT

Many changes, particularly gradual ones, can be negotiated relatively effortlessly and painlessly. But at dozens, or perhaps even hundreds of times in life, changes occur that are abrupt (perhaps unexpected, perhaps not) and often painful, even if the changes are so-called "positive" ones.

How Do Young Kids and Teens Respond to Trauma? Is Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) a Concern?

We hear it on the nightly news all too frequently: young kids and teens becoming the victims of life-endangering violence or witnessing frightening events first-hand. Based on research from Oklahoma City, high rates of PTSD may also be related to exposure to media coverage and to children who have a friend or family member that was killed or injured.

Helping Kids Cope With Traumatic Events

By Bruce D. Perry, M.D., Ph.D.

An important first step in talking with your child about traumatic occurrences is to first find out what they have seen or heard and how they're feeling about it. Young children often make false assumptions about the causes of major events. Often these distortions will magnify his or her sense of fear and make them more likely to experience persisting emotional or behavioural problems.

Crisis In Our Lives: How To Help Our Children

By Charlotte Reznick, Ph.D

The emotional effects on our children of a crisis or disaster can be tremendous. One of the difficulties experienced by parents is that they have not had adequate time to deal with their own reactions when they are called upon to deal with the impact of the disaster or crisis on their child.

Dealing With Stress Caused By a Disaster

A major disaster--e.g., flood, tornado, hurricane, earthquake, fire--threatens to not only leave a trail of lives lost, physical injuries, and property destruction in its wake, but can also result in its victims suffering from a severely damaged sense of emotional balance.

How To Discuss War With Your Child…

Kids ask a lot of tough questions, but the range of questions they can have about war can be some of the hardest for parents to answer. We want to do whatever we can to reassure our kids and take care of their emotional health, especially when confronting such complex and distressing situations as war. So, when your child now turns to you for answers, just what should you tell them?--and how do you make sure that your efforts to comfort them don't end up making them even more afraid?

Anger and Change

By Denise O'Doherty, LPC, MSN, LMFT, LCDC

We live in a changing world where everyone doesn’t always think like us, nor do they honor our values and beliefs. Anger, therefore, can become a part of life. Everyone gets angry sometimes, but healthy people choose to seek out solutions so that their anger doesn’t control them.

You Can Weather That Storm—Ten Steps To Help You Do Just That

By Claire Arene, MSW, LCSW

Often, crisis becomes tragic or needlessly agonizing because those involved completely give up hope that change can occur or better times are possible. This article discusses ten coping techniques that comprise mental attitudes, thought patterns, and actions that can help steer you down the path of successful rebuilding.

Tips for Coping with the Aftermath of Natural Disasters

By David S. Genac, Ph.D.

In addition to healing bodies, mourning losses, restoring buildings, and replacing material possessions during the recovery period, all of those affected, directly and indirectly, need to devote time to restoring their own emotional equilibrium.

Should You Look to Therapy?

In response to unfolding war-related events, it's very normal to feel varying levels of upset and stress as you cope with fear and anxiety associated with each day's new uncertainties. But for many, the symptoms of disturbing--even debilitating--distress are getting in the way of being able to respond adequately to everyday routines and responsibilities. When that's the case, therapy can prove to be a lifesaver.

After Disaster Strikes--What You Can Do

Whether or not you were directly affected by a disaster or violent event, it's normal to feel anxious about your own safety and that of your loved ones, to picture painful details of the event in your mind again and again, to experience nightmares, to feel hyper-alert and constantly on-edge, and to fearfully imagine how you would react in a similar emergency. The important thing is that you have someone you trust to confide in about such troubling feelings as sorrow, loss, anger, fear, guilt, confusion, and denial.

Breathing Technique Can Calm Emotion of Fear

By Dr. Bradley Olson

If the emotion of fear becomes intense or overwhelming, it's helpful to breathe deeply, from the lower abdomen as in a yoga exercise, and simply continue to follow one's breath.

Quick Definition of Trauma When Helping Kids Cope After Exposure to Physical and/or Emotional Catastrophe

It’s important to understand that even second-hand exposure to violence can be traumatic. For this reason, all children and adolescents exposed to violence or a disaster, even if only through graphic media reports, should be watched for signs of emotional distress.

Helping Kids Cope With Violence and Disaster

Helping young people avoid or overcome emotional problems in the wake of violence or disaster is one of the most important challenges a parent, teacher, or mental health professional can face. Even second-hand exposure to violence can be traumatic. For this reason, all children and adolescents exposed to violence or a disaster, even if only through graphic media reports, should be watched for signs of emotional distress.

Economic Analysis Estimates Cost of Providing Comprehensive Mental Health Care Following Disasters

Making evidence-based mental health services accessible to everyone in a disaster-stricken area would have substantial public health benefits, according to a statistical model developed by NIMH-funded researchers. Rough estimates of cost show such comprehensive care would be within the range of other accepted medical practices.

Evidence-Based Prevention is Goal of Largest Ever Study of Suicide in the Military

Study investigators aim to move quickly to identify risk and protective factors for suicide among soldiers and provide a science base for effective and practical interventions to reduce suicide rates and address associated mental health problems.

Research Programs Studying Resilience Following Hurricane Ike

Weathering the emotional shocks of disasters can have long-term mental health consequences for those who have experienced these events. Post-disaster research can provide insight into what helps people cope in traumatic situations and what services can best support their ability to adapt and rebound.

Behavioral Program May Stabilize Stress Hormone Patterns in Foster Children

An newly-released study's results provide evidence of a distinct biological response to a behavioral intervention. “If improved caregiving follows early childhood neglect, disruptions in a child’s HPA axis functioning may be reversed or even prevented, giving the child a better chance at overcoming early-life challenges.”

Memory-sustaining Enzyme May Help Treat PTSD, Cognitive Decline

Study finds chemically blocking an enzyme in a specific area in the brain’s cortex, or outer mantle, can erase a long-term memory of an aversive event that had been learned. The erasing occurred even if the blocking agent was administered weeks after the event and appeared to be permanent.

Online Health Information: Can You Trust It?

There are thousands of health-related websites on the Internet. Some of the information on these websites is reliable and can be trusted. Some of it is not. Some of the information is current. Some of it is not. Choosing which website to trust is worth thinking about.

Survivor Guilt

By Mitchell Milch, LCSW

Therapy provides a holding environment; an environment of acceptance, interest and concern for the client and his guilt provoking wishes, feelings, fantasies, etc. The therapist nurtures the client’s entitlement to enjoy his life and to stand up against his self-defeating and misery-generating patterns of being. Thus, the survivors of survivor guilt learn to do better than just survive.

Helping the Child or Adolescent Survivor of Abuse, Violence, or Disaster

Early intervention to help children and adolescents who have suffered trauma from abuse, violence or a disaster is critical. Parents, teachers and mental health professionals can do a great deal to help these youngsters recover.

Answers to Your Most Frequently Asked Questions About PTSD

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened. Traumatic situations that can trigger PTSD include violent personal assaults such as rape or mugging, military combat, natural disasters, and automobile accidents. If left untreated, PTSD can become extremely disabling.

How Teachers Can Help Kids Cope With Traumatic Events

By Bruce D. Perry, M.D., Ph.D.

It's appropriate to talk about the recent terrorist attacks and the aftermath of grief and confusion in the classroom. But it's not appropriate to turn each class into an unstructured group therapy session. There should be open, honest, and accurate discussion in classes that is directed and contained by the teacher. Once this initial period of grief has subsided, try to keep discussions focused on aspects relevant to the content of your curriculum.

What Factors Increase the Risk of Lasting Readjustment Problems?

Disaster stress may revive memories of prior trauma, as well as possibly intensifying pre-existing social, economic, spiritual, psychological, or medical problems.

Helping a Friend Who's Mourning the Loss of a Loved One

When someone you care about is mourning the loss of a loved one, you want to be there for them but may feel apprehensive and/or clueless about just how to help. While there is no "perfect" thing to say or do to ease the pain of a friend's loss, there are many ways in which you can provide sensitivity and support as they find ways to cope with their grief.

Early Mental Health Intervention Reduces Mass Violence Trauma

Early psychological intervention guided by qualified mental health caregivers can reduce the harmful psychological and emotional effects of exposure to mass violence in survivors. It is vital that effective interventions reach the people who need them in a timely and efficient manner.

Be Honest & Reassuring When Explaining Terrorism and War to Kids

To some extent, the reality of the world's events should not be hidden from children. Keeping an age-appropriate approach and level of appropriate information in mind, parents need to tell their children what's going on and keep an eye on behavior--from toddlers to teens--to detect and sensitively respond to signs of fear, anxiety, and/or depression.

Healing After Loss

By Constance Clancy, Ed.D.

To lose something of material value can suddenly leave us stunned and momentarily beside ourselves. But when we lose someone of value, that loss is magnified a thousand-fold...our lives are changed forever, and our sense of who we are becomes immeasurably shaken.

Both Grief and Anxiety Can Lead to Depression

Grief and anxiety usually catch us off guard--and, in many cases, risk leading to depression. It's always a good idea to take the time to become more familiar with the symptoms of depression so you'll know what to look for, both for yourself and for those whom you care about.

The Therapeutic Benefits of Journaling

Journaling can help individuals detangle their thoughts and feelings, increase focus, know themselves better, build self-esteem, manage stress, solve problems more effectively, let go of the past, and resolve disagreements or conflicts with others. Experts believe that by understanding yourself better, you are better able to make decisions that are in line with your values and goals.

Busting Some Myths About Anger Management

By Mitchell Milch, CSW

Having worked as a social worker in a criminal court in Connecticut, I know from experience that the jails and prisons in this country are populated by folks who have used anger as a weapon, as well as those who sincerely believe they were victims of such aggression and felt they were acting in justified self defense. This article busts some of the myths responsible for the irresponsible management of anger and other emotions that can light the fuse on verbally and physically abusive behaviors.

Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED) Affects up to 16 Million Americans

A little-known mental disorder marked by episodes of unwarranted anger is more common than previously thought. Evidence suggests that IED might predispose toward depression, anxiety, alcohol and drug abuse disorders by increasing stressful life experiences, such as financial difficulties and divorce.

Surviving Significant Loss

A life change that involves significant loss--the death of a loved one, divorce, career crisis, decline in health, or any other irreversible and unwanted situation--evokes a natural emotional and behavioral response called grief. Accepting emotional support from those close to you, as well as from a caring professional therapist, can offer essential help.