Conclusions: Given the beliefs of young people and professionals that prevention is possible, there is fertile ground for health promotion in this area. However, young people need to be aware that avoiding stressful situations may not be helpful for anxiety. (Source: Journal of Affective Disorders)MedWorm Message: Register for MedMatcha, MedWorm's medical advertising network, and receive $5 free advertising.

Conclusions: Identifying lifetime manic symptoms with the MDQ in persons presenting with (unipolar) depressive or anxiety disorders, can not only help the recognition of actual bipolar disorder (as described in previous studies), but also the identification of a subgroup of patients with more severe symptomatology, more comorbid anxiety and alcohol dependence disorders, and more suicidality. (Source: Journal of Affective Disorders)

Conclusions: Emotional neglect seems to be differentially related to depression, dysthymia and social phobia. This knowledge may help to reduce underestimation of the impact of emotional abuse and lead to better recognition and treatment to prevent long-term disorders. (Source: Journal of Affective Disorders)

We performed a quantitative review of associations between the higher order personality traits in the Big Three and Big Five models (i.e., neuroticism, extraversion, disinhibition, conscientiousness, agreeableness, and openness) and specific depressive, anxiety, and substance use disorders (SUD) in adults. This approach resulted in 66 meta-analyses. The review included 175 studies published from 1980 to 2007, which yielded 851 effect sizes. For a given analysis, the number of studies ranged from three to 63 (total sample size ranged from 1,076 to 75,229). All diagnostic groups were high on neuroticism (mean Cohen's d = 1.65) and low on conscientiousness (mean d = −1.01). Many disorders also showed low extraversion, with the largest effect sizes for dysthymic disorder (d = −1.47) and so...

Conclusions: People with GAD receiving treatment for depression may benefit from additional services targeting anxiety more specifically, while those with comorbid fear disorders may benefit from services targeting maintenance of gains after treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: Rehabilitation Psychology)

Understanding fears is the first step in conquering them, expert advises Source: HealthDay Related MedlinePlus Pages: Anxiety, College Health, Phobias (Source: MedlinePlus Health News)MedWorm Message: Register for MedMatcha, MedWorm's medical advertising network, and receive $5 free advertising.

Understanding fears is the first step in conquering them, expert advises Source: HealthDay Related MedlinePlus Pages: Anxiety, College Health, Phobias (Source: MedlinePlus Health News)MedWorm Message: Register for MedMatcha, MedWorm's medical advertising network, and receive $5 free advertising.

Understanding fears is the first step in conquering them, expert advises Source: HealthDay Related MedlinePlus Pages: Anxiety, College Health, Phobias (Source: MedlinePlus Health News)MedWorm Message: Register for MedMatcha, MedWorm's medical advertising network, and receive $5 free advertising.

Understanding fears is the first step in conquering them, expert advises Source: HealthDay Related MedlinePlus Pages: Anxiety, College Health, Phobias (Source: MedlinePlus Health News)MedWorm Message: Register for MedMatcha, MedWorm's medical advertising network, and receive $5 free advertising.

Understanding fears is the first step in conquering them, expert advises Source: HealthDay Related MedlinePlus Pages: Anxiety, College Health, Phobias (Source: MedlinePlus Health News)MedWorm Message: Register for MedMatcha, MedWorm's medical advertising network, and receive $5 free advertising.

Understanding fears is the first step in conquering them, expert advises (Source: The Doctors Lounge - Health News)

Social anxiety refers to the fear of being around people due to the threat of embarrassment.  People who are socially anxious frequently freeze and are unable to seek the very company their hearts desire.  They may make adaptations: they may decide that they “hate” being around people; they may isolate and play video games; they may absorb themselves in their work, but no matter what they do, this anxiety always exists at baseline whether they are being social or not. The issue with social anxiety, as with most forms of anxiety, is that the anxieties and fears are not just conscious.  “Dealing” with them through avoidance may get rid of the conscious fears but the unconscious fears still wreak havoc on the human brain.  Beneath the surface, the brain is still â€...

Jazz Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: JAZZ) is having an awful day, and frankly this is a situation that could have been even worse for holders considering the speculative phase that the company is in versus its existing portfolio. The FDA advisory committee voted against Jazz’s fibromyalgia candidate in a voted tallied at 20-2 against approval.  The committee noted that risks outweigh the benefits.  The FDA also asked it to review the risk evaluation mitigation strategy. We wanted to see what else Jazz has.  Its Xyrem is on the market to treat excessive daytime sleepiness and cataplexy and Luvox CR to treat OCDs and social anxiety disorder. Xyrem is currently the major source of the firm’s revenues (about 80% on last count).  The company’s pipeline has targets aimed at bipo...

BRAVE: Be Ready and Victory’s Easy is a 96-page, large-print, softcover book is a quick and easy read geared toward helping children and parents find solutions for those who suffer from social anxiety.  The story is more for younger people; Danny, a fifth grader, is its main character. Danny comes up with the typical excuses many of us might use to get out of some situation or event: a stomachache, headache, or some other form of pain. His classroom, friends’ homes, places he has never been and even his own home are presented as obstacles. Situations such as school assignments, public speaking, playground play and gym class trigger negative reactions in Danny, bringing out the need to find a way out. The book includes a class bully, Sam, who finds any way he can to tease or an...

This study examined changes in anxiety, as well as predictors of these changes among 77, predominantly Caucasian (88%), male and female (52%) adolescents from Grades 6 to 8. Repeated measures analysis of variance was conducted to examine the predicted grade and gender differences. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine the prediction of eighth grade anxiety symptoms by sixth grade self-worth, perceived social acceptance, and social support, as well as the potential moderating role of gender in these relations. Results suggested a significant decrease in anxiety, particularly social anxiety, over this period for boys but not girls. Examination of predictors of changes in anxiety suggested that, in general, global self-worth, social acceptance, and gender were each associated...MedWorm Message: Register for MedMatcha, MedWorm's medical advertising network, and receive $5 free advertising.

Authors: Izelle Labuschagne, K Luan Phan, Amanda Wood, Mike Angstadt, Phyllis Chua, Markus Heinrichs, Julie C Stout & Pradeep J Nathan Keywords: mood; anxiety; stress disorders; neuropeptides; imaging; clinical or preclinical; psychopharmacology; oxytocin; social anxiety disorder; amgydala; fear; emotion; functional magnetic resonance imaging (Source: Neuropsychopharmacology)

Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: JAZZ) was up $0.88 (9.31%) today to $10.33 following a Q2 loss of $6.4 million due to a debt extinguishment.  The company also raised its expected 2010 EPS to between 32 cents and 41 cents per share from the previous expected earnings of between 26 and 41 cents. Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a biopharma company that develops and sells products for neurology and psychiatry.  The company’s products include Xyrem, used to treat excessive daytime sleepiness, and Luvox CR, used to treat obsessive compulsive disorder and social anxiety disorder. -Michael B. Sauter (Source: BioHealth Investor)

Authors: Dodd HF, Porter MA Williams syndrome (WS) is associated with an unusual profile of anxiety, characterised by increased rates of non-social anxiety but not social anxiety (Dodd and Porter, J Ment Health Res Intellect Disabil 2(2):89-109, 2009). The present research examines whether this profile of anxiety is associated with an interpretation bias for ambiguous physical, but not social, situations. Sixteen participants with WS, aged 13-34 years, and two groups of typically developing controls matched to the WS group on chronological age (CA) and mental age (MA), participated. Consistent with the profile of anxiety reported in WS, the WS group were significantly more likely to interpret an ambiguous physical situation as threatening than both control groups. However, no between-g...

This study used the Experience Sampling Method (ESM) – a structured diary technique – to examine social interaction in daily life of 8 adults with PDD, compared to 14 healthy controls. Multilevel linear regression analyses showed that PDD subjects a) did not spend more time alone, b) had no increased preference to be alone when in company, and c) spent more time with familiar people, compared to control subjects. Patients experienced more negative affect and anxiety when in the company of less familiar people compared to when they are alone, whereas no difference in affect could be found between being alone or being with familiar people. All these lines of evidence suggest that PDD subjects do have a desire to interact. However, this may be thwarted as is seen in social anxiety. Therap...

Conclusions: Although women self-reported higher depression severity, more severe general psychopathological symptoms and lower health status, no differences in disease severity were found on interviewer ratings. These findings could have implications for clinical decision making and treatment. (Source: Journal of Affective Disorders)MedWorm Message: Register for MedMatcha, MedWorm's medical advertising network, and receive $5 free advertising.