Archive for Social Anxiety / Social Phobia
Athletes With Anxiety
Last week, we discussed recent news reports about professional baseball players struggling with Social Anxiety. This week, we broaden the topic to cover athletes in numerous sports with various anxiety disorders. Second of a two-part series.
As we noted last week and in prior posts, the past few years have seen a significant increase in the number of professional baseball players going on the disabled list due to Social Anxiety. This trend is remarkable for numerous reasons, the most noteworthy being that the issue of mental health in baseball is being openly discussed at all. The overall issue of mental health has long been shrouded in secrecy and shame, leading many public figures to go to great lengths in order to ensure that their mental health issues remain private. So when professional baseball players not only acknowledge their psychological issues, but actively seek help for them, this is a sign of cultural progress. › Continue reading
Social Anxiety in Baseball Revisted
This is part one of a two part series on anxiety disorders in sports.
This past week marked the arrival of the 2010 Major League baseball season. And as with last year, this season already has three developing stories of athletes dealing with Social Anxiety. › Continue reading
Reassurance Seeking in OCD and Related Conditions
People with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) who experience the pain and terror brought on by unwanted intrusive thoughts will use whatever means necessary to alleviate their discomfort. If they can’t make themselves feel sure about something internally, they reach out to the nearest person who they think can do it for them. If they are unavailable, the person with OCD will often reach out to the cold, unforgiving internet where the answers they hope not to find will always be waiting. › Continue reading
OCD & Anxiety: The Year 2009 in Review
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and anxiety were in the news throughout 2009. Some news was good, some bad, and some flat-out ugly. Here are our votes for the top stories of the year related to OCD, Social Anxiety, Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), Trichotillomania, Phobias, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): › Continue reading
Cy Young, Zack Greinke, and Social Anxiety
Baseball’s best story of 2009 just got better.
As reported in a previous entry here (July 2, 2009), major league baseball has in recent years seen a spike in the number of players reporting symptoms of Social Anxiety. Perhaps the most noteworthy example of this trend is Zack Greinke of the Kansas City Royals, who missed much of the 2006 season due to his struggles with the condition.
What a difference a few years makes. › Continue reading
Exposure Therapy for OCD and Anxiety
At the heart of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for OCD and related anxiety disorders is the process of “exposure therapy”, during which we help clients repeatedly do the very thing that most terrifies them. For a client with OCD, this might mean purposely touching doorknobs without then washing. For someone with Pure Obsessional OCD, this could mean purposely thinking about being a pedophile or a murderer. A client with Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) may be asked to go out for a walk without the hat they usually wear to hide their face or to go to a brightly-lit restaurant with a group of friends. Someone with Panic Disorder exposure might mean driving on the freeway or taking a plane flight. And an individual with Social Anxiety may be urged to go to the mall to initiate conversations with strangers. › Continue reading
Social Anxiety / Social Phobia Research
Anyone who has ever been socially rejected or had their heart broken knows that it really hurts. And now, researchers at UCLA have discovered evidence of a biological basis for this pain. It appears that people with a variation of a specific gene are not just more sensitive to physical pain, but also more sensitive to social pain. › Continue reading
OCD, Mental Health, and the National Health Care Debate
Recent months have seen an enormous amount of discussion on the issue of developing a national health care plan. This issue has become a lightning rod for activists on the left and right, and promises to provide ongoing debate for months to come. One part of this story that has not received much discussion in the media is how a national health plan might address mental health care. › Continue reading
Social Anxiety in Baseball
Anyone who reads the sports page of their local newspaper knows that there have recently been a number of professional baseball players who have been sidelined due to being diagnosed with Social Anxiety Disorder. Just this past week, Khalil Greene of the St. Louis Cardinals was placed on the disabled list (DL) for the second time this season due to Social Anxiety. He had previously been listed on the 15 day DL starting on May 29th of this year. When he first came off the DL and returned to play in mid-June, he appeared to have responded well to the time off, as he hit home runs in his first three games. Unfortunately, he soon started to experience batting problems, and was returned to the DL after going 1 for 17 in his next five games. › Continue reading
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