Anxiety & Depression

[waltky]

Anxiety disorders 'need more research'...

Anxiety disorders 'need more research', says global study
Sun, 05 Jun 2016 - Anxiety disorders need more research and women are twice as likely to be affected as men, a global review by University of Cambridge scientists finds.

Anxiety should be given more attention in mental health research because it is more common than we think, says a global review of the disorder. Scientists from the University of Cambridge said women, young people under 35 and those with health problems were particularly affected. They estimate that four out of every 100 people are affected by anxiety. But the review said more research was needed to find out which other communities were at greatest risk.

Published in the journal Brain and Behavior, the global review of 48 studies found that more than 60 million people were affected by anxiety disorders every year in the EU. North America is thought to be worst affected, with eight in 100 people having anxiety, and East Asia least affected (three in 100). Although the proportion of people suffering with this mental health problem stayed fairly constant between 1990 and 2010, the authors said it was a problem which was rarely researched, unlike depression.

'Debilitating'

Review author Olivia Remes, from the department of public health and primary care at the University of Cambridge, said anxiety disorders could make life extremely difficult. "There has been a lot of focus on depression - which is important - but anxiety is equally important and debilitating; it can lead to the development of other diseases and psychiatric disorders, increase the risk for suicide and is associated with high costs to society." She added: "It is important for our health services to understand how common they are and which groups of people are at greatest risk."

What is an anxiety disorder?

It's feelings of worry, fear and unease which persist for a long time and become overwhelming, affecting everyday life. Physical sensations such as raised blood pressure, feeling nauseous and disrupted sleeping are common At this point, it becomes a mental health problem and a diagnosis of a specific anxiety disorder can be given. Globally, women were found to be twice as likely to experience anxiety as men. Ms Remes said this could be because of hormonal fluctuations or because women are more prone to stress in general, or because of their traditional role of caring for the young. The review said people with a chronic health condition were at particular risk, "adding a double burden on their lives". For example, 32% of people with multiple sclerosis have an anxiety disorder and 15 to 23% of cancer patients are affected.

The review noted that data on anxiety was particularly lacking in some populations, such as indigenous cultures, and some communities, like drug users, sex workers and lesbian, gay and bisexual people. Pregnant women were also found to be particularly prone to obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) - a form of anxiety disorder - before and immediately after the birth of their baby. Stephen Buckley, head of information at mental health charity Mind, said anxiety was one of the most common mental health problems in the UK. "Many people wait too long before seeing their GP, discounting social anxiety as just day-to-day stress. "But it's not the same as being 'a bit shy' and it's important to seek help as soon as possible if you feel like your anxiety is interfering with your ability to do the things you normally would."

Anxiety disorders 'need more research', says global study - BBC News

 

[Gracie]

Have I told you lately that I am glad you are here at usmb, Waltky?

 

[waltky]

Ya makin' possum blush...

... Uncle Ferd glad ya here too.

 

[emilynghiem]

People who use a combination of prayer and meditation
tend to find their own ways for dealing with the causes of
their stress and anxiety. The way I summarize it is that
internal FEAR on an individual level comes from unresolved
or unforgiven conflicts carried from the past. When these
are projected onto "other people in relationships" this causes
STRESS by involving at least one other person and their own
fears issues and conflicts, so it compounds. Then when these
stresses are processed collectively, with larger groups of people
in society and whole institutions, this creates ANXIETY on a collective scale.

When working backwards, to identify the layers of stress and anxiety,
I recommend starting with Mother and Father relationships, then seeing
how these patterns have repeated and projected onto Family relations
and Romantic relations; then collectively work relations and perceptions
of politics, economics and external dynamics.

by meditating on the root causes and praying for forgiveness, letting go,
peace, acceptance and closure, the mind can sort through the steps
and try to take them one at a time.

The process of resolving things can have severe ups and downs of
manic phases and depressive stages, also the stages of grief and recovery.

All this is part of the spiritual process and path to learning growing and changing.

Most symptoms people exhibit are a manifestation of this process that is
unique to each person. but I do see similar patterns in the maternal relations
and paternal relations that repeat and can be projected onto future relations
until the patterns are identified and the person finds ways to manage these.

 

[Lumpy 1]

I'm probably wrong but their seems to be an uptick in anxiety and depression, first I wonder if this is a result of both illegal and legal drug use over the past 50 years and the resulting generational chromosome mutations of the human species.

Then I say, eh ..

 

[asheihamei]

You need to have POSITIVE thinking and love yourself more and more. Exercise, no matter how badly you do not want to do it. Rest and try to laugh. Believe in yourself. Put notes with positive and uplifting thoughts all over the place, so that you will see them all the time. Listen to uplifting music, watch relaxing and pleasant movies. Medication helps, but not on its own. Do the above mentioned things and love yourself. Believe in yourself! You are stronger than you think, since you are able to cope with both an anxiety and depression.

 

[midcan5]

Knowing several people close to me who suffer anxiety I don't think those of us who don't have it can fully understand it? There are moments in life when you may feel anxious but it goes away, for those who suffer, it is physical as well as mental, it often involves panic attacks, heart palpitations, and the need to be still and left alone. That can be a relief and a burden as they need to break out of it. Medication and meditation help. If you view health forums you get a sense of how complex it is for some people.

 

[waltky]

New blood test for depression...

New blood test targets depression
Tue, 07 Jun 2016 - UK scientists have developed a blood test to help doctors pick the best drug for patients with depression.

Medics currently have to rely on trial and error, meaning around half of the time the first type of antidepressant given fails to work. The researchers from King's College London say checking a patient's blood could help identify accurate treatment. Those who test positive for inflammation need more aggressive therapy from the outset, they say. So far the researchers have tried out their blood test on a small number of volunteers - 140 people with depression. They say they will need to do a large trial to check how well it might work in the real world. The blood test, described in the International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, is the culmination of years of investigation. It looks for two specific markers of inflammation - a compound called macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) and another called interleukin-1beta.

In the study, patients with high levels of these markers were unlikely to respond to conventional, commonly prescribed SSRI and tricyclic antidepressants. Lead researcher Prof Carmine Pariante said this knowledge could help tailor treatment to the individual. "About a third of patients might have these inflammatory markers and they would be people we might encourage to go on more aggressive treatment." Antidepressants are safe but they can have side effects. Prof Pariante said: "We would not want to go in prescribing too much medicine if it's not necessary, but we would want to escalate people sooner rather than later if they need it."

He suspects the inflammation is the body's response to stress, but, paradoxically, it gets in the way of drug treatment. High levels of inflammation can interfere with the same biological processes that are crucial for antidepressants to work. Prof Pariante and his team are looking to test whether giving anti-inflammatory drugs alongside antidepressants might help. But he cautioned: "Patients should not change their medication on their own or take an anti-inflammatory without guidance from their doctor."

Experts also point out that medication is not the only answer when it comes to managing depression. Stephen Buckley from the mental health charity Mind said: "Different people will find that different treatments help to manage their mental health - what is most important is that people have the knowledge needed to access the treatment that works for them, whether this is medication, or alternatives such as talking therapies, or a mixture of both." Marjorie Wallace from the mental health charity SANE said: "Being able to target those people with depression who don't respond to medication would be one of the most exciting steps forward in the treatment of mental illness for decades." Jenny Edwards of the Mental Health Foundation said: "If this test is as comprehensive and effective as thought then today's news could mark a real sea-change in treatment."

Treating depression

There are a number of things you can do yourself to help improve your mood Doctors recommend people with depression try to keep active and busy, both physically and socially. Self-help groups may also be useful to share experiences and meet people who are going through the same thing While medication may also help, guidelines for the NHS say other therapies should be offered alongside antidepressants. These therapies include cognitive behavioural therapy (to combat negative thoughts) and mindfulness training (to focus on appreciating the here and now).

New blood test targets depression - BBC News

 

[anotherlife]

It is possible that the national anxiety level is much higher now than ever before, because the existential safeguards of social services are transferred away completely to outsiders, and regular people get no insurance for anything any more.

 

[Alex.]

People who use a combination of prayer and meditation
tend to find their own ways for dealing with the causes of
their stress and anxiety. The way I summarize it is that
internal FEAR on an individual level comes from unresolved
or unforgiven conflicts carried from the past. When these
are projected onto "other people in relationships" this causes
STRESS by involving at least one other person and their own
fears issues and conflicts, so it compounds. Then when these
stresses are processed collectively, with larger groups of people
in society and whole institutions, this creates ANXIETY on a collective scale.

When working backwards, to identify the layers of stress and anxiety,
I recommend starting with Mother and Father relationships, then seeing
how these patterns have repeated and projected onto Family relations
and Romantic relations; then collectively work relations and perceptions
of politics, economics and external dynamics.

by meditating on the root causes and praying for forgiveness, letting go,
peace, acceptance and closure, the mind can sort through the steps
and try to take them one at a time.

The process of resolving things can have severe ups and downs of
manic phases and depressive stages, also the stages of grief and recovery.

All this is part of the spiritual process and path to learning growing and changing.

Most symptoms people exhibit are a manifestation of this process that is
unique to each person. but I do see similar patterns in the maternal relations
and paternal relations that repeat and can be projected onto future relations
until the patterns are identified and the person finds ways to manage these.

"People who use a combination of prayer and meditation
tend to find their own ways for dealing with the causes of
their stress and anxiety."

Could not agree more. Never underestimate the power of prayer and meditation.

Many answers we have at our fingertips if only we look and ask.

 

[emilynghiem]

People who use a combination of prayer and meditation
tend to find their own ways for dealing with the causes of
their stress and anxiety. The way I summarize it is that
internal FEAR on an individual level comes from unresolved
or unforgiven conflicts carried from the past. When these
are projected onto "other people in relationships" this causes
STRESS by involving at least one other person and their own
fears issues and conflicts, so it compounds. Then when these
stresses are processed collectively, with larger groups of people
in society and whole institutions, this creates ANXIETY on a collective scale.

When working backwards, to identify the layers of stress and anxiety,
I recommend starting with Mother and Father relationships, then seeing
how these patterns have repeated and projected onto Family relations
and Romantic relations; then collectively work relations and perceptions
of politics, economics and external dynamics.

by meditating on the root causes and praying for forgiveness, letting go,
peace, acceptance and closure, the mind can sort through the steps
and try to take them one at a time.

The process of resolving things can have severe ups and downs of
manic phases and depressive stages, also the stages of grief and recovery.

All this is part of the spiritual process and path to learning growing and changing.

Most symptoms people exhibit are a manifestation of this process that is
unique to each person. but I do see similar patterns in the maternal relations
and paternal relations that repeat and can be projected onto future relations
until the patterns are identified and the person finds ways to manage these.

"People who use a combination of prayer and meditation
tend to find their own ways for dealing with the causes of
their stress and anxiety."

Could not agree more. Never underestimate the power of prayer and meditation.

Many answers we have at our fingertips if only we look and ask.

Two of my friends told me they see it as talking TO God/the Universe for help and wisdom is the purpose of Prayer, and sitting still and letting God's wisdom answer is the purpose of meditation. So they saw it as a two way conversation or process. I also see it as three way, that when we share prayer and exchanges of insights and corrections, we are editing and implementing these insights into actions to direct our relations. So it multiplies from there in thought word and actions. Humans collectively influence each other by our social and spiritual interconnections on many levels, conscious and unconscious. The highs and lows we feel are like the tide of energy going in and out. As we open up and normalize the flow, we will see less extremes of droughts here and tsunamis there, but flowing water that sustains life everywhere in harmony. We pray for this peace and we receive it the more we forgive the storms and disasters in life along the way. We are all growing together, but each on our own unique paths. How much better that we support each other to walk and run instead of stumbling. We can win the race together. And celebrate victory for all.

 

[Alex.]

People who use a combination of prayer and meditation
tend to find their own ways for dealing with the causes of
their stress and anxiety. The way I summarize it is that
internal FEAR on an individual level comes from unresolved
or unforgiven conflicts carried from the past. When these
are projected onto "other people in relationships" this causes
STRESS by involving at least one other person and their own
fears issues and conflicts, so it compounds. Then when these
stresses are processed collectively, with larger groups of people
in society and whole institutions, this creates ANXIETY on a collective scale.

When working backwards, to identify the layers of stress and anxiety,
I recommend starting with Mother and Father relationships, then seeing
how these patterns have repeated and projected onto Family relations
and Romantic relations; then collectively work relations and perceptions
of politics, economics and external dynamics.

by meditating on the root causes and praying for forgiveness, letting go,
peace, acceptance and closure, the mind can sort through the steps
and try to take them one at a time.

The process of resolving things can have severe ups and downs of
manic phases and depressive stages, also the stages of grief and recovery.

All this is part of the spiritual process and path to learning growing and changing.

Most symptoms people exhibit are a manifestation of this process that is
unique to each person. but I do see similar patterns in the maternal relations
and paternal relations that repeat and can be projected onto future relations
until the patterns are identified and the person finds ways to manage these.

"People who use a combination of prayer and meditation
tend to find their own ways for dealing with the causes of
their stress and anxiety."

Could not agree more. Never underestimate the power of prayer and meditation.

Many answers we have at our fingertips if only we look and ask.

Two of my friends told me they see it as talking TO God/the Universe for help and wisdom is the purpose of Prayer, and sitting still and letting God's wisdom answer is the purpose of meditation. So they saw it as a two way conversation or process. I also see it as three way, that when we share prayer and exchanges of insights and corrections, we are editing and implementing these insights into actions to direct our relations. So it multiplies from there in thought word and actions. Humans collectively influence each other by our social and spiritual interconnections on many levels, conscious and unconscious. The highs and lows we feel are like the tide of energy going in and out. As we open up and normalize the flow, we will see less extremes of droughts here and tsunamis there, but flowing water that sustains life everywhere in harmony. We pray for this peace and we receive it the more we forgive the storms and disasters in life along the way. We are all growing together, but each on our own unique paths. How much better that we support each other to walk and run instead of stumbling. We can win the race together. And celebrate victory for all.

I also see it as dialog where prayer is asking and meditation listening. It takes a great deal of time to actually trust the process because as with a y relationship it grows and deeps with time, if I allow it.

There are times that the answer I get is silence and even more than that a "dark night of the soul" as discussed by the Trappist monk Thomas Merton. That is an especially difficult time and somewhat painful.

 

[waltky]

'these drugs is so bad the researchers cannot be sure if any are truly effective or safe'...

Study: Most antidepressants don't work for young patients
Jun 8,`16 -- Scientists say most antidepressants don't work for children or teenagers with major depression, some may be unsafe, and the quality of evidence about these drugs is so bad the researchers cannot be sure if any are truly effective or safe.

In the biggest analysis yet conducted of previously published studies, researchers studied 14 antidepressants and found only one drug that seemed to be useful. "We now have a hierarchy of pharmaceutical treatments and the only one that is better than placebo and other drugs is Prozac," said Dr. Andrea Cipriani of the University of Oxford, one of the study authors. He said psychological treatment such as behavioral therapy should be tried before prescribing drugs, echoing the recommendations of some current guidelines.

Cipriani and colleagues analyzed 34 drug trials that included more than 5,000 patients. Of those, 22 studies were paid for by pharmaceutical companies. The scientists called the quality of the evidence in the research they studied "very low" - so low that they said their findings weren't enough to change how patients are treated. The authors cautioned that their results were based on flawed trials and that they couldn't figure out whether or not the drugs were truly effective or gauge the impact of serious side effects.

A bottle of Eli Lilly & Co.'s Prozac is pictured at a company facility in Plainfield, Ind. Scientists say most antidepressants don’t work for children or teenagers with major depression and that some may even be unsafe, in the biggest analysis yet conducted of previously published studies. In a review of 14 common antidepressants, researchers found that only one seemed to be actually effective. “We now have a hierarchy of pharmaceutical treatments and the only one that is better than placebo and other drugs is Prozac,” said Dr. Andrea Cipriani of the University of Oxford, one of the study authors.​

Still, the review was enough to call into question the vast majority of medications used to treat young people with depression. "There is little reason to think that any antidepressant is better than nothing for young people," wrote Jon Jureidini of the University of Adelaide in Australia in an accompanying commentary. Among findings on individual drugs, the researchers found that Sensoval was less effective than seven other antidepressants and a placebo and that Tofranil, Effexor and Cymbalta led to the worst side effects. When compared to five other drugs and a placebo, Effexor was linked to a risk of increased suicide attempts and suicidal thoughts. The new study was published online Wednesday in the journal Lancet .

Even with all of the limitations the authors highlight in the study, Cipriani said doctors shouldn't shy away from prescribing antidepressants if children need them. "We have an effective tool," he said of Prozac. "There is also a risk of not prescribing drugs to patients who really need them," he said. Major depression affects about 3 percent of children aged six to 12 years and about 6 percent of teenagers aged 13 to 18. Doctors have sometimes been wary of prescribing antidepressants for young patients because some medications can be harmful to their developing brains.

News from The Associated Press

 

[waltky]

Children of Same-Sex ‘Parents’ Twice As Likely to Be Depressed...

Study: Children of Same-Sex ‘Parents’ Twice As Likely to Be Depressed
July 19, 2016 | A recent study by Donald Paul Sullins, a research professor at the Catholic University of America, Department of Sociology, reveals that children raised by same-sex parents are twice as likely to suffer delayed-onset depression as their peers raised by heterosexual parents.

Specifically, "[a]t age 28, the adults raised by same-sex parents were at over twice the risk of depression as persons raised by man-woman parents," reads the study abstract. “As the first study to examine children raised by same-sex parents into adulthood," says Sullins, "this exploratory study aims to contribute new information for understanding the effects of same-sex parenting through the life course transition into early adulthood." The research article is entitled, Invisible Victims: Delayed Onset Depression Among Adults With Same-Sex Parents, and was published in the journal Depression Research and Treatment.

The study followed a representative sample of Americans from adolescence through young adulthood, interviewing the subjects at ages 15, 22, and 28. This “longitudinal” approach allowed Sullins to test the long-term effects of homosexual parenting on children. Sullins used data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (“Add Health”), which monitors the development of a sample of Americans from age 15 to 28, to ensure his sample would be as representative as possible. The study found that children raised by homosexual parents were more than twice as likely to be depressed as adults as were their peers raised by opposite-sex parents.

Although children of same-sex parents were slightly less likely to be depressed during adolescence, more than half suffered depression symptoms as adults. Sullins examined a variety of factors that have been shown to be related to depression, including child abuse, obesity, perceived stigmatization and parental distance. Children raised by homosexual parents showed higher rates of all these factors than their peers with heterosexual parents. However, Sullins said "these findings should be interpreted with caution. Elevated risk was associated with imbalanced parental closeness and parental child abuse in family of origin; depression, suicidality, and anxiety at age 15; and stigma and obesity. More research and policy attention to potentially problematic conditions for children with same-sex parents appears warranted."

MORE

 

[waltky]

Granny says stretchin' is good fer depression...

Stretching may ease women's depression and menopause symptoms
July 28, 2016 - Stretching just 10 minutes a day might help ease menopause and depression symptoms in middle-aged women, a small study suggests.

“Light-intensity exercises such as stretching have not been previously evaluated for its impact on menopausal and depressive symptoms,” lead researcher Yuko Kai told Reuters Health by email. Forty Japanese women, ages 40 to 61 years, participated in the study at the Physical Fitness Research Institute, Meiji Yasuda Life Foundation of Health and Welfare in Tokyo. Twenty of the women were randomly assigned to stretch 10 minutes a day before bedtime for three weeks. The other 20 were instructed to remain sedentary before bed. The research team evaluated the women’s menopausal symptoms using 10 questions about vasomotor symptoms (such as hot flashes and chills), psychological symptoms (including mood and sleep disturbances) and body aches.

They used a separate set of questions to evaluate symptoms of depression. At the start, the groups were generally similar. More than half the participants were postmenopausal and nearly two-thirds had depression. Most of the women were not physically active. On average, the stretching group stretched about five days per week. Overall, the women in the stretching group had improved scores on both sets of questions after the three-week study period, compared to the group that didn’t stretch before bed. The frequency of hot flashes wasn’t different in the two groups, however. While stretching before bed isn’t a bad idea, Dr. JoAnn Pinkerton, executive director of The North American Menopause Society, told Reuters Health by email, “it is impossible to tell if the positive effect found from stretching on menopausal and depressive symptoms was due to the stretching, the increased movement, or not doing whatever they normally do during the 10 minutes before bed such as eat, smoke or drink, etc.” Pinkerton said the results would have been more interesting if the comparison group had been assigned a task to do before bedtime, to see if it was the stretching itself that was helpful or just the fact of doing something before bed.

In most studies of methods for reducing hot flashes, the placebo group sees some improvement, too, she pointed out. In this trial, the comparison group had no improvement at all, which means, she said, that it was not an adequate control group. For more conclusive results, Pinkerton said, "this study needs to be replicated with larger, more diverse postmenopausal women with an active control group.” In the meantime, she added, women should remember that “being sedentary has been shown to be bad for (their) physical and mental health and to increase hot flashes. Being active every day has been shown to lessen severity of hot flashes, improve mood, coping ability and may decrease (their) risk of cognitive loss." Additionally, Pinkerton said, "if women were to exercise with light walking 30 minutes daily and then stretch for 10 minutes, they might improve health, menopausal symptoms, mood and cognition and, if stretching helps sleep, improve their sleep quality.”

Stretching may ease women's depression and menopause symptoms

 

[waltky]

Half a million people should be a pretty good sampling...

Researchers Target 15 Genetic Regions Associated with Depression
August 01, 2016 - In a major development toward the understanding of the biology of depression, researchers have identified 15 regions of the human genome associated with depressive illness.

Investigators conducted what's known as genome-wide association studies involving nearly 500,000 people, comparing genetic variations of those who said they had suffered from depressive symptoms with people who said they had not. The newly discovered regions will give scientists places to look in the human genome where specific depression genes may lurk. Until now, it's been a challenge identifying genes that are responsible for mood disorders because of the hundreds of thousands of genetic variants that scientists suspect are involved.

A new development offers scientists specific places to look in the human genome where depression genes may lurk.​

Each gene confers a small amount of risk of developing depression, said Roy Perlis, director of the Center for Experimental Drugs and Diagnosis at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and a co-author of the study, published in the journal Nature Genetics. Healthy people have some of these variations, he said, but if enough genes are involved, depression can be the result. "Our primary interest is how do we go from finding these genes, to making new kinds of treatments so we can better treat depression," Perlis said. The lifetime risk of developing a major depressive disorder, experts say, is anywhere from 15 to 20 percent. Symptoms of depression range from sadness, loss of appetite and lack of enjoyment in life to mood swings.

Pinpointing specific sites

Until now, Perlis says research has focused on a small number of targets in the brain. The data involved in the latest study came from an organization called 23andMe, a company that specializes in creating genetic profiles for people wanting to learn more about their ancestry. In this case, the information was from individuals of European descent who agreed to participate in the studies. Investigators sifted through the entire genomes of the participants, comparing genetic variations between the two groups.

A detailed analysis revealed more than a dozen genomic regions that increase a person's risk for depression, including 17 specific sites containing genes implicated in the mood disorder. Some of the sites pinpointed by researchers are located in or near genes involved in brain development. Two gene regions had been previously identified. One of the regions for depression had been associated with epilepsy and intellectual disability. Another contained a poorly understood gene in the brain. The latest analysis identified them as being significantly associated with depression.

‘Reduce the stigma’

 

[yiostheoy]

They make prescription drugs for this.

The neurotic builds castles in the air.

The psychotic moves into the castles.

The psychiatrist collects the rent.

Psych 101.

 

[yiostheoy]

People who use a combination of prayer and meditation
tend to find their own ways for dealing with the causes of
their stress and anxiety. The way I summarize it is that
internal FEAR on an individual level comes from unresolved
or unforgiven conflicts carried from the past. When these
are projected onto "other people in relationships" this causes
STRESS by involving at least one other person and their own
fears issues and conflicts, so it compounds. Then when these
stresses are processed collectively, with larger groups of people
in society and whole institutions, this creates ANXIETY on a collective scale.

When working backwards, to identify the layers of stress and anxiety,
I recommend starting with Mother and Father relationships, then seeing
how these patterns have repeated and projected onto Family relations
and Romantic relations; then collectively work relations and perceptions
of politics, economics and external dynamics.

by meditating on the root causes and praying for forgiveness, letting go,
peace, acceptance and closure, the mind can sort through the steps
and try to take them one at a time.

The process of resolving things can have severe ups and downs of
manic phases and depressive stages, also the stages of grief and recovery.

All this is part of the spiritual process and path to learning growing and changing.

Most symptoms people exhibit are a manifestation of this process that is
unique to each person. but I do see similar patterns in the maternal relations
and paternal relations that repeat and can be projected onto future relations
until the patterns are identified and the person finds ways to manage these.

"People who use a combination of prayer and meditation
tend to find their own ways for dealing with the causes of
their stress and anxiety."

Could not agree more. Never underestimate the power of prayer and meditation.

Many answers we have at our fingertips if only we look and ask.

Two of my friends told me they see it as talking TO God/the Universe for help and wisdom is the purpose of Prayer, and sitting still and letting God's wisdom answer is the purpose of meditation. So they saw it as a two way conversation or process. I also see it as three way, that when we share prayer and exchanges of insights and corrections, we are editing and implementing these insights into actions to direct our relations. So it multiplies from there in thought word and actions. Humans collectively influence each other by our social and spiritual interconnections on many levels, conscious and unconscious. The highs and lows we feel are like the tide of energy going in and out. As we open up and normalize the flow, we will see less extremes of droughts here and tsunamis there, but flowing water that sustains life everywhere in harmony. We pray for this peace and we receive it the more we forgive the storms and disasters in life along the way. We are all growing together, but each on our own unique paths. How much better that we support each other to walk and run instead of stumbling. We can win the race together. And celebrate victory for all.

I also see it as dialog where prayer is asking and meditation listening. It takes a great deal of time to actually trust the process because as with a y relationship it grows and deeps with time, if I allow it.

There are times that the answer I get is silence and even more than that a "dark night of the soul" as discussed by the Trappist monk Thomas Merton. That is an especially difficult time and somewhat painful.

Prayer is when you talk to God.

Schizophrenia is when God talks to you.

Voices in your head.

Same as Muhammad.

 

[Gracie]

Prayer does wonders. Just my opinion.

 

[Alex.]

People who use a combination of prayer and meditation
tend to find their own ways for dealing with the causes of
their stress and anxiety. The way I summarize it is that
internal FEAR on an individual level comes from unresolved
or unforgiven conflicts carried from the past. When these
are projected onto "other people in relationships" this causes
STRESS by involving at least one other person and their own
fears issues and conflicts, so it compounds. Then when these
stresses are processed collectively, with larger groups of people
in society and whole institutions, this creates ANXIETY on a collective scale.

When working backwards, to identify the layers of stress and anxiety,
I recommend starting with Mother and Father relationships, then seeing
how these patterns have repeated and projected onto Family relations
and Romantic relations; then collectively work relations and perceptions
of politics, economics and external dynamics.

by meditating on the root causes and praying for forgiveness, letting go,
peace, acceptance and closure, the mind can sort through the steps
and try to take them one at a time.

The process of resolving things can have severe ups and downs of
manic phases and depressive stages, also the stages of grief and recovery.

All this is part of the spiritual process and path to learning growing and changing.

Most symptoms people exhibit are a manifestation of this process that is
unique to each person. but I do see similar patterns in the maternal relations
and paternal relations that repeat and can be projected onto future relations
until the patterns are identified and the person finds ways to manage these.

"People who use a combination of prayer and meditation
tend to find their own ways for dealing with the causes of
their stress and anxiety."

Could not agree more. Never underestimate the power of prayer and meditation.

Many answers we have at our fingertips if only we look and ask.

Two of my friends told me they see it as talking TO God/the Universe for help and wisdom is the purpose of Prayer, and sitting still and letting God's wisdom answer is the purpose of meditation. So they saw it as a two way conversation or process. I also see it as three way, that when we share prayer and exchanges of insights and corrections, we are editing and implementing these insights into actions to direct our relations. So it multiplies from there in thought word and actions. Humans collectively influence each other by our social and spiritual interconnections on many levels, conscious and unconscious. The highs and lows we feel are like the tide of energy going in and out. As we open up and normalize the flow, we will see less extremes of droughts here and tsunamis there, but flowing water that sustains life everywhere in harmony. We pray for this peace and we receive it the more we forgive the storms and disasters in life along the way. We are all growing together, but each on our own unique paths. How much better that we support each other to walk and run instead of stumbling. We can win the race together. And celebrate victory for all.

I also see it as dialog where prayer is asking and meditation listening. It takes a great deal of time to actually trust the process because as with a y relationship it grows and deeps with time, if I allow it.

There are times that the answer I get is silence and even more than that a "dark night of the soul" as discussed by the Trappist monk Thomas Merton. That is an especially difficult time and somewhat painful.

Prayer is when you talk to God.

Schizophrenia is when God talks to you.

Voices in your head.

Same as Muhammad.

hardly...the "voice" is nothling like a mental illness. it is more a spiritual knowledge