Author: Florida Behavioral Health

Panic Attack Myths and Realities Each year, 40 million American adults live with anxiety disorders, including panic attacks. Although anxiety is the most common type of mental disorder in the country, myths about the issue persist throughout society. Misguided beliefs about panic attacks and anxiety not only spread false information about an important topic, but they can also keep people from getting the help…

Calming Strategies to Use During Panic Attacks When you’re in the middle of a panic attack, everything can feel terrifying. From the physical symptoms to the belief that something awful is about to happen, the whole experience can be frightening. In the throws of anxiety, you may feel like nothing could help. However, several strategies can help people find some calm in the middle…

4 Ways That Untreated Anxiety Impacts Physical Health In the United States, the most common type of mental disorders is different kinds of anxiety. In fact, more than 18 percent of American adults experience anxiety in any given year. This class of illness includes panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, specific phobias, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Although anxiety is terrifying and overwhelming, professionals can help. These…

What All People with Depression Need to Know About Medication While counseling is a powerful tool in the fight against depression, some people need more help. When patients and their doctors decide to turn to medication as a depression treatment, it can make people understandably nervous. After all, antidepressants are mind-altering substances by their nature. Unfortunately, myths surrounding mental health medication can make the…

How to Recognize Depression in Children and Teens The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that approximately 3.2% of children aged 3 to 17 in the United States suffer from depression. The rates of depression are higher in teens than in young children. In fact, the Child Mind Institute estimates that 14.3% of teens aged 13 to 17 have major depression or…

How Postpartum Depression Differs from Other Types of Depression Many people refer to the weeks directly after giving birth as the “fourth trimester.” This term refers to the fact that new mothers often go through intense hormonal, physical, and emotional changes during this time, similar to the ways their bodies change during pregnancy. While some low moods, called “baby blues,” are normal during the…

5 Surprising Signs of Depression When depression goes undiagnosed and untreated, patients increase their risks for things like heart attack, stroke, and insomnia. Some people with untreated depression turn to self-medication in the form of substance abuse. In the worst cases, the illness turns fatal with suicide. There are several explanations for why some people never get the help they need for depression. For…

How to Talk to Teens About Electronic Cigarettes The number of high schools seniors who report using e-cigarettes grew by more than 10% between 2017 and 2018. Now, more than 37% of these teenagers have used an e-cigarette in the preceding 12 months. The use among younger teens has grown as well. As many as one in every ten eighth graders has tried vaping…

The Connection Between Television and Violence in Children Parents have worried about the effect of television on children essentially since the invention of the television. As such, scientists have conducted many studies to see what effect, if any, different types of show and movies have on children. The results have overwhelmingly shown that exposure to violent visual media correlates with an increase in violent…

Can Certain Foods Help Depression and Anxiety? If you’ve ever had one too many cups of coffee and felt your heart racing soon after, you may have noticed the connection between food and mood. After all, a racing heart can lead to racing thoughts and panic attacks. Similarly, increased caffeine intake can cause a lack of sleep and depressed mood the next day. Caffeine…