A safe place to talk openly about mental health & illness
In this series, I dig a little deeper into the meaning of psychology-related terms. This week's term is selective mutism. Selective mutism (SM) is a rare disorder that begins in childhood and is characterized by an inability to speak in select social contexts (hence the "selective" part of the name). It used to be called… Continue reading What Is… Selective Mutism
In this series, I dig a little deeper into the meaning of psychology-related terms. This week's term is avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder. Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) is a type of eating disorder that involves restricting food intake, not with the aim of weight loss, but more along the lines of picky eating twisted to… Continue reading What Is… Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)
The Anxiety Book for Trans People by Freiya Benson aims to support trans and other non-cis identities in dealing with anxiety. Benson has previously published Trans Love, an anthology of trans and non-binary voices. The book focuses on experiences of anxiety, and in particular anxiety related to having non-cis identities, rather specifically on anxiety disorders.… Continue reading Book Review: The Anxiety Book for Trans People
Maja at Lampelina wrote quite a while back about the influence of fear on decision-making, and I'm finally getting around to exploring it on my own. Looking back, I don't think fear was a big factor in most of my decisions. If I wanted to do something, I did it, including some perhaps high-ish fear… Continue reading How Big a Role Has Fear Played in Your Decisions?
In this series, I dig a little deeper into the meaning of psychology-related terms. This week's term is avoidant personality disorder. Avoidant personality disorder (AVPD) falls within the DSM-5's cluster C of anxious/fearful personality disorders. It's characterized by intense feelings of inadequacy and fear of social rejection, and avoidance is relied upon as a coping… Continue reading What Is… Avoidant Personality Disorder
Redface by Russell Norris is a memoir of living with social anxiety disorder—with a twist. The redface of the title comes from a condition the author has called idiopathic craniofacial erythema, which produces intense and often unprovoked facial blushing. He also developed erythrophobia, where blushing itself becomes a source of fear. It sounds like any… Continue reading Book Review: Redface by Russell Norris
In this series, I dig a little deeper into the meaning of psychology-related terms. This week's term is shy bladder syndrome, also known as paruresis. Shy bladder syndrome, or paruresis, involves difficulty urinating in public settings due to fear of perceived scrutiny when others are present or anticipated to be present soon. It actually falls… Continue reading What Is… Paruresis (Shy Bladder Syndrome)
The Anxiety and Depression Workbook by Michael A. Tompkins incorporate cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) techniques to help you improve emotional flexibility. This is defined as "the ability to respond to life’s challenges with an appropriate level of emotion, and then to recover as these situations change." Sounds pretty good to me. Somewhat like Overcoming Avoidance,… Continue reading Book Review: The Anxiety and Depression Workbook
In this series, I dig a little deeper into the meaning of psychology-related terms. This week's term is the diving reflex. While the reflex itself has nothing to do with psychology, it's actually still relevant. The diving reflex is present in all mammals to some extent. It triggers a number of physiological changes that allow… Continue reading What Is… The Diving Reflex
Calm & Sense by psychotherapist Wendy Leeds is aimed at women dealing with anxiety. The author takes a very realistic perspective, encouraging readers to do what works best for them. She acknowledges that what works best may include medication, and doesn't insist that any specific strategy will work for everyone. I always find that kind… Continue reading Book Review: Calm & Sense