Learning Resource Center (Library)

A concise, accessible introduction to anxiety covering everything from its causes to its symptoms, available treatment options, and prevention. While anxiety is commonly associated with modern stresses and problems, few realize that disorders of this kind have existed since the beginning of time. What defines "anxiety" as a mental health condition? Who gets it and why? This book looks at this highly treatable condition that is responsible for many lost days of school and work and contributes to rising health care costs. Mental health practitioner Rudy Nydegger addresses the full spectrum of anxiety conditions, examining how they are treated and considering the advantages and disadvantages of each therapy method. From myths and misconceptions to the various scientific theories surrounding anxiety, the author dissects the various disorders stemming from this psychological issue, including obsessive-compulsive behaviors, post-traumatic stress, and phobias; examines the physical responses of our organs to stress--from our skin, to our heart, and to our immune system; and analyzes the epidemiology of those affected. The work concludes with tips for dealing with and preventing anxiety disorders.

By exposing the sickening conditions people with mental illness endured in jails, almshouses, and basement cells, Dorothea Dix (1802-1887) single-handedly transformed the U.S. system of mental health care in the 19th century. Dix traveled from state to state, describing the hideous suffering people who were both poor and mentally ill endured at the hands of their captors. Her tireless research and personal lobbying of legislators led to construction of asylums for the mentally ill in state after state.Oxford Portraits are informative and insightful biographies of people whose lives shaped their times and continue to influence ours. Based on the most recent scholarship, they draw heavily on primary sources, including writings by and about their subjects. Each book is illustrated with a wealth of photographs, documents, memorabilia, framing the personality and achievements of its subject against the backdrop of history.

30th ANNIVERSARY EDITION * NATIONAL BESTSELLER * In 1967, after a session with a psychiatrist she'd never seen before, eighteen-year-old Susanna Kaysen was put in a taxi and sent to McLean Hospital. Her memoir of the next two years is a "poignant, honest ... triumphantly funny ... and heartbreaking story" (The New York Times Book Review). WITH A NEW INTRODUCTION BY THE AUTHOR The ward for teenage girls in the McLean psychiatric hospital was as renowned for its famous clientele--Sylvia Plath, Robert Lowell, James Taylor, and Ray Charles--as for its progressive methods of treating those who could afford its sanctuary. Kaysen's memoir encompasses horror and razor-edged perception while providing vivid portraits of her fellow patients and their keepers. It is a brilliant evocation of a "parallel universe" set within the kaleidoscopically shifting landscape of the late sixties. Girl, Interrupted is a clear-sighted, unflinching document that gives lasting and specific dimension to our definitions of sane and insane, mental illness and recovery.

Holistic, functional, integrative medicine meets the parenting world! Board-certified holistic family physician and author of The Holistic Rx Madiha M. Saeed, MD shifts the focus from adults to children in her timely new book. The Holistic Rx for Kids offers holistic parenting guidelines for raising the whole child--healthy brain, body and soul--in a changing world. As chronic physical and mental health conditions and destructive behaviors are on the rise, we need to shift the way we parent our children to address these concerns. Based on the latest science, Dr. Saeed uncovers how our children's brains, bodies, and behaviors are being hijacked and presents real-life, actionable steps parents can take to help their children make better decisions, build resilience, and heal and prevent acute and chronic conditions at any age. The Holistic Rx for Kids gives readers, parents, and their children everything they need to know without overwhelming them. As a physician mom of four young boys, Dr. Saeed offers evidence-based, easy, time- and cost-effective recommendations. Accompanied by the author's clinical and personal experience, this book also features easy action plans based on age, weaning guides, shopping lists, and kids' brain- and body-friendly recipes for any busy parent's lifestyle.

Social media is here to stay, and Logged In and Stressed Out presents the right information and tools to improve our lives through examining and changing our digital habits. America is facing a mental health crisis. Studies show that the average American is spending more than 10 hours a day in front of their screens, suicide rates are at an all-time high, and mental health professionals are working hard to address social media's role in this epidemic. Social media can sometimes feel like an unpredictable roller coaster ride. One's mood can swing from elated after getting a slew of "likes" on a post to worthlessness and deflation in response to being criticized in a comment thread. Too often, bad feelings from social media interactions linger, negatively affecting our off-line lives and worsening already present mental health issues. Instead of demonizing social media by taking a one-note, "digital detox" approach, Logged In and Stressed Out recognizes social media is not, itself, the problem--it's how we use it that needs examining. Paula Durlofsky guides readers through its impact on break-ups and infidelities, social distortion and comparison, trauma and triggers, social media binging, depression, anxiety, and other common concerns, using real stories from her own practice to personalize concepts and recommendations. By setting needed limits and embracing new practices, it is possible to improve mental health when using social media. Durlofsky details the whys and hows of creating a safe digital space, cultivating digital and social media mindfulness, applying the techniques of metalizing while consuming social media, and decreasing social media and digital reactivity. She offers suggestions for how to use social media and digital technology to create meaningful social interactions and positive mental health and provides readers with practical steps to put these ideas into action. Social media is here to stay, and Logged In and Stressed Out presents the right information and tools to improve our lives through examining and changing our digital habits.

"Mark Henick is a powerful storyteller." --Rosie O'Donnell "So-Called Normal is a call to arms, yes, but it's also a call to care, highlighting the power of kindness. Required reading for anyone working with children and teens." --The Globe and Mail A vital and triumphant story of perseverance and recovery by one of Canada's foremost advocates for mental health When Mark Henick was a teenager in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, he was overwhelmed by depression and anxiety that led to a series of increasingly dangerous suicide attempts. One night, he climbed onto a bridge over an overpass and stood in the wind, clinging to a girder. Someone shouted, "Jump, you coward!" Another man, a stranger in a brown coat, talked to him quietly, calmly and with deep empathy. Just as Henick's feet touched open air, the man in the brown coat encircled his chest and pulled him to safety. This near-death experience changed Henick's life forever. So-Called Normal is Henick's memoir about growing up in a broken home and the events that led to that fateful night on the bridge. It is a vivid and personal account of the mental health challenges he experienced in childhood and his subsequent journey toward healing and recovery.

Written by a clinical psychologist and illustrated with vignettes from the author's experience, this book offers a clear understanding of how suicidal thought develops, how we can help prevent death from suicide, and how suicidal people can recover and change their way of thinking. The message and purpose of this book are both simple and essential: with a little knowledge and awareness, you can help save a life. This book provides details in recognizing the warning signs of someone who may be suicidal and specific steps in how to intervene and prevent a suicide. Written specifically for mature high school students and college-aged individuals, Suicide Prevention will enable readers to understand why someone may be suicidal. It also empowers readers to give a suicidal individual hope and explains how to get that person help. The book explains why suicidal thoughts may develop and presents interventions for concerned others to help the suicidal person shift their mindset of hopelessness and find resources to heal. Vignettes and suicide prevention measures are provided to bring to life the interventions a concerned other can make that could save a life. This book could be the most valuable and impactful read in a young adult's life.

Straightforward and easy to read yet thorough and accurate, this book provides a complete overview of depression that describes the historical background of clinical depression, the various types of mood disorders, and their impact on the health and well-being of people and society.Depression is a serious health issue that affects a greater proportion of people than many would suspect. A recent report by the World Health Organization stated that depression is the predominant cause of illness and disability for those age 10 to 19 worldwide, and more than 40 percent of U.S. college students reported experiencing symptoms of depression. Written by a clinical psychologist who has treated depressed patients and has also taught and done research in the clinical area for more than 40 years, this book presents the best and most current information that is available about depression that covers general background, theory, research results, and treatment methods in easy-to-understand, nontechnical language.The book discusses the various different types of mood disorders and what their impact is on the health and well-being of people and society. It helps readers to understand how those who are depressed suffer, what it feels like, and how their symptoms affect their daily lives. One chapter of the book is dedicated to answering a very common question regarding depression: "Who gets it, and why?" Many major and different types of depression are covered, including adjustment disorder with depressed mood, atypical depression, depressive personality disorder, dysthymic disorder, major depressive disorder, postpartum depression, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, seasonal affective disorder, and unipolar depression. The final chapter of the book draws conclusions based on the information presented, identifies effective treatments for depression, and suggests ways that individuals can cope with depression.