Sleep difficulties are very common in people with depression, and both issues can wreak havoc on your ability to perform at your best—whether it’s on the field, in the boardroom, or in the classroom. Did you know that about 75% of depressed people also struggle with symptoms of insomnia? Many aspects of sleep are linked to depression. How many of the following sleep issues do you have?
Many people who are depressed want to sleep more, as it is considered an escape from their suffering. Many find it difficult to get out of bed in the morning due to reduced motivation and lack of energy, resulting in more time spent in bed trying to sleep. This worsens insomnia because the bed becomes associated with wakefulness and negative thoughts.
Although early morning awakenings are more common in depressed people, they may also be due to simply being an “early bird” or “lark.” To know the difference, think about whether you were an early riser prior to the depression setting in.
People who have a delayed sleep schedule (“eveningness” tendencies), in which they go to bed later at night, are more likely to have a lower mood in the morning and a better mood in the evening. So, they tend to delay their bedtime because they finally feel better in the evening, and they tend to postpone getting out of bed because they have a lower mood in the morning.
This often means higher alertness in bed, which can lead to an increased effort to go to sleep, which leads to more wakefulness of the mind, which perpetuates the cycle of insomnia.
Sleep apnea—which is characterized by snorting, gasping, or temporarily stopping breathing while sleeping—may be more prevalent among patients with insomnia and depression. One possibility for the connection may be because of depression-associated inactivity and weight gain, as excess weight and obesity are the most common causes of sleep apnea.
When repeated thoughts (ruminations) occur in bed at night, they will interfere with your sleep.
When you can’t sleep, it’s a good idea to get up so you don’t associate the bed with sleeplessness. However, depressed people often fail to do this because they may have low energy and less motivation, and they already use the bed for negative thinking and as an escape from “the depressing real world” (the wish for sleep to provide an escape from emotional suffering).
Surprisingly, many of these sleep problems do not resolve with psychotherapy or antidepressant medication. In fact, several antidepressants are known to contribute to sleep disruptions. Medications like bupropion and venlafaxine can be activating and keep you up at night. Common side effects of most antidepressants include a number of digestive problems, which could also affect sleep. Medications such as mirtazapine can cause weight gain and potentially worsen conditions like sleep apnea. Most antidepressants worsen or contribute to Restless Leg Syndrome, a condition that causes your legs to move involuntarily, making it difficult to get restful sleep. And most antidepressants that work on the neurotransmitter serotonin can worsen or contribute to dream enactment (REM sleep behavior disorder), thereby disrupting sleep.
In addition, when stimulants are used off-label for motivation and energy in depressed patients, they can cause insomnia. When bipolar depression is treated with medications, such as olanzapine and quetiapine, they can cause weight gain and worsen sleep apnea, which in turn causes sleep disruption.
In general, individuals with co-occurring depression and insomnia tend to have a more serious disability, greater severity of depression, and poorer depression outcomes than those without insomnia. Depressed people with disturbed sleep are also at increased risk for suicide and are more vulnerable to a recurrence of depression. This is why it’s so important to address both issues. If you’re struggling with both depression and sleep deprivation, be sure to have your insomnia diagnosed and treated in addition to treating the depression.
You can find many more common sleep saboteurs that compromise performance, in addition to solutions to optimize sleep, in Dr. Shane Creado’s book, Peak Sleep Performance for Athletes: The Cutting-edge Sleep Science That Will Guarantee a Competitive Advantage.
In “Peak Sleep Performance for Athletes: The Cutting-edge Sleep Science That Will Guarantee a Competitive Advantage” author Dr. Shane Creado, who is board-certified in both psychiatry and sleep medicine and is on the Board of Directors for the International Society for Sports Psychiatry, shares his unique sleep optimization program for athletes that he uses with his patients at Amen Clinics. Order your copy here.
If you or a loved one is looking for that competitive edge or is struggling with sleep problems or depression, Amen Clinics can help. Speak to a specialist today at 888-288-9834 or schedule a visit online.
Mental telehealth and video therapy can provide you with the vital care you need—when, where, and how you need it. At Amen Clinics, we understand that this time is very valuable to you, and we want you to get the most out of it. To make virtual mental health as effective as possible, follow these tips for before, during, and after your appointment.
If you’re used to seeing your mental health professional in their office, it may take some time to adjust to this new process. Take heart that our patients typically find video conferencing beneficial. Here’s what some Amen Clinics physicians are saying about virtual appointments:
“My patients are enjoying connecting via video conference calls. They seem to be more relaxed talking from their own home.” —Dr. Jennifer Love
“My patients have found the video conference evaluations to be meaningful and they are surprised at the level of connection that is being made.” —Dr. Robert Johnson
Make a list of the main symptoms you want to address in the conversation. Also be sure to indicate when your symptoms started, what tends to exacerbate them, and what, if anything, seems to soothe them.
Remember that mental health appointments are a two-way street. This is your chance to ask questions you have about your symptoms, brain scan, diagnosis, and treatment. Having a list of questions ready can help you remember to ask them.
Your Amen Clinics specialist may ask questions about past medical or psychological issues in addition to inquiring about names and dosages of medications you have taken. Having this information available can save precious minutes during your appointment so you can spend more time talking about how you are going to get healthy.
One of the best strategies to ensure a meaningful appointment is to eliminate distractions. Close your door, turn off the notifications on your phone, and make sure someone is watching the kids so you can focus. Being able to hear clearly is another important element of an effective mental telehealth appointment. Try to minimize any background noise, such as the TV, the washing machine, or a barking dog. In addition, it’s important that you feel comfortable in your setting during your appointment. Find a spot where you are relaxed and at ease.
Find out what technology will be used and make sure you know how to use it prior to your appointment. Are you signed up for Zoom, Skype, or another video conferencing app? Do you know how it works? If you have never used the app before, do a practice call with a friend beforehand so you can work out the kinks.
Most of us can benefit from helpful reminders and alerts from our digital calendars. Setting your calendar to send you an alert 5-10 minutes prior to your virtual session can give you the time to gather your lists and questions and to prepare yourself mentally. Reminders can be especially critical if you have a tendency to be forgetful or inattentive.
If you’re doing a phone call, make sure your phone isn’t set to block unknown callers and answer your phone at the designated time even if it shows that it’s from an unknown caller.
When you begin your call, ask if it will be recorded or if you’ll be receiving a recap of what you talk about. It’s always a good idea to take notes to help you remember the most important insights and recommendations.
Don’t hold back emotionally. Be unreservedly honest and open about your symptoms, fears, challenges, and frustrations, and be equally candid about what you’re hoping to get from treatment.
Check with your mental healthcare professional about follow-up sessions so you have a complete understanding of your treatment path.
Your virtual sessions are only part of a comprehensive treatment plan. To make the most of it, you need to stick with your provider’s recommendations and keep any follow-up appointments.
On a routine basis, remind yourself that seeking treatment for your mental health is one of the most important things you can do for your overall quality of life. And always remember that you deserve it. By taking the steps now to engage in mental telehealth, you’re setting yourself up for enhanced brain health and emotional well-being, so you can feel better fast.
If you’re struggling with anxiety, panic attacks, depression, or other mental health issues, you aren’t alone—45% of Americans say the coronavirus pandemic has impacted their mental health. Just because you’re sheltering at home doesn’t mean you have to wait for the pandemic to be over before seeking help. In fact, during these uncertain times, your mental well-being is more important than ever, and waiting to get treatment is likely to make your symptoms worsen over time.
At Amen Clinics, we’re here for you. We offer mental telehealth, remote clinical evaluations, and video therapy for adults, children, and couples, as well as in-clinic brain scanning to help our patients. Find out more by speaking to a specialist today at 888-288-9834. If all our specialists are busy helping others, you can also schedule a time to talk.
When the coronavirus pandemic hit, Justin Bieber—who revealed in his 2020 docuseries that he has been seeing neuropsychiatrist and brain imaging specialist Dr. Daniel Amen for years—and his wife Hailey Baldwin put themselves into self-quarantine in their home in Canada.
That may have been a smart move for the superstar, who also recently announced that he’s been diagnosed with Lyme disease.
“Having Lyme disease may increase vulnerability to the coronavirus and could raise the risk of serious consequences if you’re infected with COVID-19,” says Mark Filidei, D.O., the director of integrative and functional medicine at Amen Clinics in Costa Mesa, California.
That’s bad news for the estimated 300,000 people who are diagnosed each year with Lyme disease, according to the CDC. In many areas of the country, it’s tick season, and according to a report from Boston 25 News, one doctor said they’re already getting more calls about tick bites than usual.
The threat of developing Lyme disease while sheltering at home can be especially frightening during the pandemic because it causes many of the physiological symptoms as those seen in COVID-19—fevers, sore throat, headache, and body aches. Nobody wants that now.
Lyme disease (Borrelia burgdorferi) is a bacterial infection caused by the bite of an infected black-legged tick, also known as a deer tick. It is associated with a telltale bulls-eye rash that develops within a few days of a tick bite. “But a considerable percentage of people never get a rash, and many people don’t even realize they have been bitten by a tick,” says Filidei.
This is one reason why Lyme disease has been vastly under-diagnosed in the U.S. Other reasons include inadequate testing methods and a general lack of acknowledgment by the medical community that it is a real illness.
If the infection is caught early, antibiotics can often successfully treat it and avoid any lasting problems. However, when Lyme disease remains undetected, it allows the infection to fester, wreaks havoc on the immune system, causes a host of inflammatory responses, reduces blood flow, and impairs healthy brain function.
Immune system disruption is the last thing anyone needs now with COVID-19 spreading around the globe, infecting nearly 2 million people and causing over 100,000 deaths.
A 2018 study in the Journal of Immunology found that Lyme disease disrupts the immune system. The findings show that the disease activates T cells, soldiers of the immune system that are intended to target foreign invaders in the body. In the case of Lyme disease, however, the activated T cells interact with the bacteria from the tick bite, producing a cascade of inflammation.
In some people, treatment with antibiotics doesn’t alleviate symptoms, and 5%-30% of people develop chronic symptoms, a condition known as post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS). A 2019 study in BMC Public Healthestimated that nearly 2 million people are living with chronic symptoms of Lyme disease.
In a 2017 study with 61 PTLDS patients and 26 healthy controls in Frontiers in Medicine, 50% of the chronic Lyme disease patients reported severe fatigue, 31% had severe sleep issues, 28% suffered from severe pain, 23% struggled with severe cognitive issues. By comparison, the healthy controls reported no “severe” symptoms.
“People with chronic Lyme disease struggle with a host of neuropsychological symptoms, including memory problems, trouble with focus, impulsivity, poor problem-solving, slower mental processing speed, addictive behaviors, changes in personality, suicidal thoughts, and more,” according to Filidei.
Traditionally, the medical community has dismissed the fact that infections can be associated with these types of symptoms, but that is changing. A 2016 editorial in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease written by a worldwide group of 33 scientists suggested the medical community has been neglecting to look at infectious diseases as a root cause of many memory problems, including Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.
Because many traditional healthcare providers still don’t acknowledge that psychiatric symptoms may be caused by Lyme disease, symptoms are often misdiagnosed. People with undetected Lyme disease may be diagnosed with depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, schizophrenia, dementia, or other mental health conditions. Filidei says that “unless the underlying Lyme disease is addressed, traditional treatments for these issues may not be effective, or they may actually make symptoms worse.”
If you suspect you may have this tick-borne disease, it’s more critical than ever to seek help in light of the coronavirus pandemic. But Lyme disease can be challenging to diagnose. Seeing an integrative or functional medicine physician is a good place to start.
In addition, brain imaging can help. On brain SPECT scans, infections in the brain tend to show an overall pattern of significantly low blood flow and may appear toxic. When these abnormal brain patterns are visible, it calls for additional testing to determine the type of infection that may be causing cerebral blood flow issues. Lab tests for Lyme disease include the Western Blot (WB), Immunoblot, and C6 Lyme ELISA, and although they offer critical data, Filidei cautions that they are only part of a comprehensive diagnostic process. Diving into a person’s clinical history helps complete the picture.
With a precise diagnosis, you are better able to address underlying infections and related symptoms. And that makes you better able to fend off other infections and to cope with the mental strain associated with quarantine.
At Amen Clinics, our integrative and functional medicine physicians have seen hundreds of patients with resistant complex psychiatric symptoms or cognitive problems who tested positive for Lyme disease. When the underlying infection is addressed as part of a comprehensive treatment plan, symptoms improve significantly.
Just because you’re sheltering at home doesn’t mean you have to wait for the pandemic to be over before seeking help. In fact, during these uncertain times, your mental well-being is more important than ever, and waiting to get treatment is likely to make your symptoms worsen over time. At Amen Clinics, we’re here for you. We offer mental telehealth, remote clinical evaluations, and video therapy for adults, children, and couples, as well as in-clinic brain scanning to help our patients. Find out more by speaking to a specialist today at 888-288-9834. If all our specialists are busy helping others, you can also schedule a time to talk.
Imagine if an Evil Ruler was in charge of our society and their top priority was to create and perpetuate mental illness as a way to diminish and control their subjects. How would they do it? Quite simply, the Evil Ruler would create policies and promote behaviors guaranteed to contribute to brain health issues and mental health problems. Sadly, our society is largely fostering habits that are doing just that, as the rates of mental illness have skyrocketed in recent years. On the flip side, imagine a Benevolent Ruler, who is passionate about ending mental illness in order to create more effective, happier humans. What would they do to end mental illness? They would encourage people to enhance their brain health and advocate policies to reduce their risk factors. In this blog, you’ll discover how the Evil Ruler is fueling the mental health epidemic, how the Benevolent Ruler would help minimize suffering, and what you can do personally to overrule the Evil Ruler. Sadly, our society is largely promoting habits that contribute to brain health issues and mental health problems, as the rates of mental illness have skyrocketed in recent years.Have you ever blamed your child’s teacher for not motivating your child to finish their schoolwork? Thought the teacher must not be any good because your child is really smart but doesn’t do well on tests? Or assumed the teacher doesn’t know how to deal with a child with attention-deficit disorder (ADD) or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)? (Note, in this article, we will use the term ADD since many people who have this condition do not have hyperactivity.)
With the nation’s schools closed and most of us living under some form of quarantine due to the coronavirus pandemic, parents are being forced to homeschool their kids. And for some of you, you’re getting a first-hand look at just how challenging your ADD child can be. You may finally be realizing your child’s teacher wasn’t the problem after all. And you may be struggling to get your offspring to pay attention and complete any schoolwork.
What can parents do to help create an effective homeschool environment for ADD kids?
It’s important to recognize the most common symptoms seen in children with ADD:
Short attention span: Children with ADD have trouble with boring, routine, everyday tasks and need stimulation and excitement in order to stay engaged.
Distractibility: Children with ADD tend to notice more in their environment than others, which makes them easily distracted by outside stimuli, such as light, sounds, smells, certain tastes, or even the clothes they were. Their keen sensitivity causes them to get easily off task.
Disorganization. Most children with ADD tend to struggle with organization of time and space. They tend to be late and have trouble completing tasks on time. Many things get done at the last moment or even later. They also tend to struggle to keep their spaces tidy, especially their rooms, book bags, drawers, closets, and homework.
Procrastination. Tasks and duties get put off until the last moment. Things tend not to get done until there are deadlines or someone else is mad at them for not doing it.
Poor internal supervision. Many young people with ADD have issues with judgment and impulse control, and they struggle not to say or do things without fully thinking it through. They also have a harder time learning from their mistakes.
ADD is a brain-based disorder. It tends to affect the frontal lobes, in particular, an area called the prefrontal cortex (PFC). The PFC is involved in focus, forethought, judgment, organization, planning, impulse control, empathy, and learning from one’s mistakes.
Brain SPECT imaging studies show that ADD brains work differently. SPECT (single-photon emission computed tomography) is a nuclear medicine study that evaluates blood flow and activity in the brain. Basically, it shows three things: healthy activity, too little activity, or too much activity.
SPECT studies show that in the healthy brain when a person concentrates, blood flow increases to the PFC. In people with ADD, however, concentration causes blood flow to decrease to the PFC. In fact, the harder someone with ADD tries to concentrate, the worse it gets. Research shows that the low activity in the front part of the brain is often due to lower levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine. Dopamine is a chemical heavily involved with attention span, focus, follow-through, and motivation. When its availability is low, people tend to struggle in these areas.
What’s a stressed-out parent supposed to do? Here are 7 strategies to create a more effective learning environment for kids with ADD.
Kids with ADD have trouble with uncertainty and have difficulty delaying gratification. On the flip side, they are more likely to thrive in a structured environment. Be sure to post a daily schedule in the house where they can see what activities will be happening at what times.
A short attention span is one of the hallmarks of ADD, so plan homeschooling lessons accordingly. Think of teaching in short segments rather than lumping all schoolwork into one continuous block. Depending on your child’s attention span, you may do a 30-minute or 45-minute lesson followed by 15 minutes of free time, especially active playtime. Physical activity boosts dopamine and enhances blood flow in the brain, both of which can be beneficial for kids with ADD.
One of the things children with ADD have trouble with is follow-through. Because of this, you need to take an active role to make sure they know exactly what is expected of them in each school lesson and then check to make sure they have completed it on time. Check in frequently with your child to help keep them on track rather than waiting until the deadline.
ADD kids react better to positive encouragement and lots of it. Rather than pointing out what they’ve done wrong—not finishing an assignment on time, wrong answers on a test, or fidgeting—be sure to notice what they’re doing right. Saying things, such as, “Excellent job
When trying to teach your child at home, NO YELLING! Due to low levels of dopamine, children with ADD often find themselves seeking conflict or playing “let’s have a problem.” They can be masterful at making other people mad or angry at them. Don’t lose your temper with your child, which often just makes things worse.
Brain imaging studies have found that ADD is not one thing. There are 7 different types, so one treatment will never work for everyone. The 7 types of ADD are: Classic, Inattentive, Overfocused, Temporal Lobe, Limbic, Ring of Fire, and Anxious.
ADD is a generational disorder, meaning it tends to run in families. Often, when a child is suffering from the condition, one or both of the parents may also have it. In many cases, the parents may never have been tested for ADD or diagnosed with the condition, so their symptoms remain into adulthood. If you’re really struggling to manage your ADD child, it’s worth investigating if a short attention span, disorganization, procrastination, or other issues may be getting in the way of your ability to homeschool your little one. Addressing your own problems will improve your ability to be an effective home teacher. This Healing ADD at Home online course from BrainMD can be very helpful for adults with ADD.
If you’re struggling with your ADD child and it’s causing you stress, anxiety, and frustration, it’s important to address it sooner rather than later. Just because you’re sheltering at home doesn’t mean you have to wait for the pandemic to be over before seeking help. In fact, during these uncertain times, tending to your family’s mental well-being is more important than ever, and waiting to get treatment is likely to make symptoms worsen over time.
At Amen Clinics, we’re here for you. We offer mental telehealth, remote clinical evaluations, and video therapy for adults and children, as well as in-clinic brain scanning to help our patients. Find out more by speaking to a specialist today at 888-288-9834. If all our specialists are busy helping others, you can also schedule a time to talk.
Anxiety can make you feel nervous, panicky, or self-conscious, and it can strike when you least expect it. It is like an uninvited houseguest who drops in and stays for a brief visit or settles in for the long haul and becomes a constant unwanted companion. Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health condition in America, and anyone suffers from it wants it to stop. Just ask any of the 40 million Americans currently coping with some form of anxiety.
Anti-anxiety pills are often the first line of defense, but they aren’t necessarily the best treatment option. Many people with this condition are looking for alternative ways to manage the problem, and with good reason. Brain SPECT imaging studies show that some anti-anxiety medications, such as benzodiazepines, aren’t good for brain health. They offer a short-term solution that can create other long-term problems.
Nutritional psychiatry is a more natural approach that centers on the use of food and supplements to help manage mental health conditions. It is often used as part of a complete treatment program that can include psychotherapy and other solutions. If you’re looking for ways to calm your nerves, try these 8 research-backed, anxiety-fighting foods.
Salmon, tuna, herring, and sardines are high in omega-3 fatty acids, which have been found to calm anxiety. A 2014 study found that men who ate Atlantic salmon three times a week showed a reduction in self-reported anxiety. In a study in Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, medical students who supplemented their diet with omega-3 experienced a 20% reduction in anxiety symptoms. Eat fatty fish at least twice a week for optimal brain benefits.
High in potassium, fiber, the trace element chromium, and vitamins (A, C, E, and K), asparagus has strong anti-anxiety properties. In China, an asparagus extract has been government-approved as a functional food for its anxiety-reducing effects. A 2013 study suggested that asparagus extract could be considered an alternative approach for the management of anxiety disorders.
Rich, buttery avocados are high in B vitamins, which are involved in the production of the neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine, which influence mood. In some people, B vitamin deficiencies have been associated with an uptick in anxiety. Avocados are also rich in brain healthy fats that may also protect against anxiety.
If you suffer from social anxiety, which is a form of the condition that makes people experience extreme fear and discomfort in social settings, think about increasing your intake of fermented foods, such as sauerkraut and kefir, which are considered probiotic foods. A 2019 review of 34 controlled clinical trials in Psychiatry Research found that probiotic foods had a significant anxiolytic effect on anxiety. Earlier research has found that probiotics are particularly helpful for social anxiety.
Eggs have been enjoying a culinary renaissance in recent years, and this is a good thing for people who suffer from nervousness. Eggs contain an amino acid called tryptophan that is involved in the production of the neurotransmitter serotonin, which plays a role in the regulation of anxiety and mood.
You don’t have to wait until Halloween to munch on pumpkin seeds, which are packed with anti-anxiety nutrients, including magnesium, B vitamins, and zinc. A 2017 review shows that magnesium helps reduce anxiety, and B vitamins help lower mental stress, according to research in Human Psychopharmacology. Zinc also plays a role in managing stress. Be sure to opt for raw and unsalted pumpkin seeds for a healthy snack.
As if you needed another reason to indulge in your love of chocolate, a 2014 study found that it decreases perceived stress. Dark chocolate is also a good source of magnesium and it contains the neurotransmitter phenylethylamine, which is involved in regulating moods and releasing feel-good endorphins in the brain. For the full health effect, stick to chocolates that are at least 70% cacao.
Chamomile tea has been hailed for centuries for its relaxation properties. This herbal tea helps promote sleep, and in a 2016 study in Phytomedicine, chamomile significantly reduced moderate to severe symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder.
At Amen Clinics, we take a unique brain-body approach to diagnosis and treatment that includes brain SPECT imaging, as well as laboratory testing to check physical health, and other important factors that could be contributing to symptoms. By getting to the root cause of your anxiety, we can create a more effective, personalized treatment plan for you. We believe in using the least toxic, most effective solutions for anxiety and other mental health problems.
If you want to join the tens of thousands of people who have already enhanced their brain health, overcome their symptoms, and improved their quality of life at Amen Clinics, speak to a specialist today at 888-288-9834. If all our specialists are busy helping others, you can also schedule a time to talk.
As the coronavirus continues to spread around the globe and more people hunker down at home, you may get sucked into binge-watching TV shows or endlessly scrolling through your social media feed. Neither of these activities is good for your brain, and they could increase feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression.
Get your blood pumping and the oxygen flowing to your brain with an indoor dance party. Just turn up your favorite tunes and start moving. Coordination activities like dancing activate the brain’s cerebellum, an area associated with thought processing. Dancing can be a helpful treatment for depression, according to a 2017 study, and research in The New England Journal of Medicine shows that it reduces dementia risk by 76%.
A 2016 study shows that doing things for others boosts happiness by activating the release of dopamine in the brain. A simple way to do this at home is to write letters to seniors in nursing homes. Many assisted living facilities are tightening visitor regulations or banning all visitors. You can brighten up a senior’s day—and your own—by sending a greeting card.
Your brain (and your immune system) needs nutrient-dense foods to function optimally. Try these free recipes from nurse and bestselling author of The OMNI Diet and The Brain Warrior’s Way Cookbook Tana Amen to boost your brain health. Whip up a yummy protein smoothie—like the Focus & Energy Smoothie—to start your day. Make an awesome anti-inflammatory salad—like Tana’s Rainbow Chard Salad—that’s packed with prebiotics (dietary fiber) such as cabbage and carrots. Boost immunity with onions and garlic in soups and stews like Healthy Turkey Chili. And satisfy everybody’s sweet tooth with a brain healthy dessert, like Nutty Butter Cups.
This meditation is intended to develop feelings of goodwill and warmth toward others. It has been found to quickly increase positive emotions and decrease negative ones, reduce symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), increase gray matter in the emotional processing areas of the brain, and boost social connectedness. Here’s how you do it.
Take 2-3 deep breaths, taking twice as long to exhale. Let any worries or concerns drift away and feel your breath moving through the area around your heart. As you sit, quietly or silently repeat the following or similar phrases:
May I be safe and secure
May I be healthy and strong
May I be happy and purposeful
May I be at peace
Let the intentions expressed in these phrases sink in as you repeat them. Allow the feelings to grow deeper.
After a few repetitions, direct the phrases to someone you feel grateful for or someone who has helped you:
May you be safe and secure
May you be healthy and strong
May you be happy and purposeful
May you be at peace
Next, visualize someone you feel neutral about. Choose among people you neither like nor dislike and repeat the phrases.
Next, visualize someone you don’t like or with whom you are having a hard time. Kids who are being teased or bullied at school often feel quite empowered when they send love to the people who are making them miserable.
Finally, direct the phrases toward everyone universally: “May all beings be safe and secure.”
You can do this for up to 30 minutes. It’s up to you.
The best way to slow the brain aging process is to learn something new. Take an online course (like the Change Your Brain Masters Course to conquer anxiety, depression, obsessiveness, anger, and memory problems), download a foreign language app, or read a book like Dr. Amen’s The End of Mental Illness, which offers over 100 simple things you can to heal your brain and prevent or reverse the problems that are making you feel sad, mad, or bad.
Music can soothe, inspire, improve your mood, and help you focus. After evaluating more than 800 people, researchers have found that people listen to music to regulate energy and mood, to achieve self-awareness, and to improve social bonds. In his powerful book, The Secret Language of the Heart, Barry Goldstein reviews the neuroscience properties of music. “Music stimulates emotional circuits in the brain … Releases oxytocin, the cuddle hormone, which can enhance bonding, trust, and relationships. Soothe your stress with the following research-based playlist (without lyrics because words can be distracting).
Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major (K. 448) – Mozart
Clair de Lune – Debussy
Adagio for Strings – Samuel Barber
Piano Sonata No. 17 in D Minor (“The Tempest”) – Beethoven
First Breath After Coma – Explosions in the Sky
Adagio for Strings – Tiësto
Fanfare for the Common Man – Aaron Copeland
Weightless – Marconi Union
Flotus – Flying Lotus
Lost in Thought – Jon Hopkins
The Soundmaker – Rodrigo y Gabriela
See – Tycho
Spectre – Tycho
If you’re looking for inspiration, relaxation, stress relief, background music for meditation, or something to spark your creativity, you can find instrumental music on the BRIGHT MINDS: Memory Rescue Music CD.
This is a wonderful time to enhance your brain and activate the brains of your furry family members. Studies have found many mental health benefits of pet ownership. For example, petting your pooch triggers the release of feel-good neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine, and it lowers levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Just looking in your dog’s eyes produces the bonding chemical oxytocin.
You don’t need access to a yard to get your green thumb in action. There are many indoor garden kits available that will allow you to grow brain healthy bell peppers, microgreens, and herbs (think basil, oregano, and rosemary). A 2019 study found that gardening was associated with a significant increase in levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is associated with cognitive function and memory.
Social isolation drains your brain, but social distancing doesn’t have to mean loneliness and solitude. Exercise your social skills with video conferencing, Instagram Live, FaceTime chats, and more.
Exposure to toxins can harm your brain and increase the risk of depression, suicide, ADD/ADHD, learning problems, memory problems, brain fog, autism, temper outbursts, psychotic behavior, and dementia. Download the Think Dirty app and dump the chemical-laden personal care products and household cleaners that can harm your brain.
If you’re really struggling during this time but don’t want to leave your home, take action to enhance your brain and mental wellbeing with video therapy sessions.
If you’re struggling with anxiety, panic attacks, depression, or other mental health issues, you aren’t alone—45% of Americans say the coronavirus pandemic has impacted their mental health. Just because you’re sheltering at home doesn’t mean you have to wait for the pandemic to be over before seeking help. In fact, during these uncertain times, your mental well-being is more important than ever and waiting to get treatment is likely to make your symptoms worsen over time.
At Amen Clinics, we’re here for you. We offer mental telehealth, remote clinical evaluations, and video therapy for adults, children, and couples, as well as in-clinic brain scanning to help our patients. Find out more by speaking to a specialist today at 888-568-6141. If all our specialists are busy helping others, you can also schedule a time to talk.
You probably know that persistent sadness, feelings of hopelessness, and withdrawal from social connections are common symptoms of major depressive disorder. But there are many other signs that you may not know are associated with the condition. At Amen Clinics, we see patients every day who complain about symptoms that they don’t realize are associated with the disorder. Based on our experience with tens of thousands of patients, here are 10 signs of depression that often go unrecognized. Do you have any of these?
Many of the patients we see complain of back pain, muscle soreness, headaches, or chest pain that isn’t related to a specific injury or activity and that doesn’t go away with treatment. In most cases, it never occurred to them that it might be related to depression. But research in CNS Drugsshows that approximately two-thirds of people with depression report unexplained physical pain. Our brain imaging work using SPECT technology shows that people who experience chronic pain tend to have high activity in a part of the brain called the limbic system. When there is too much activity in this area of the brain, it is also associated with depression.
One of the things we notice in our depressed patients is that they tend to catch every cold or flu bug that’s going around. They are usually surprised to learn that depression may negatively impact your immune system, making you more susceptible to viruses and infections. It can also make it harder for you to fight off infections, which means it may take you longer to get over that cold.
When negative thoughts keep swirling in your head, it’s hard to stay focused on the task at hand. A 2014 study in Plos One found that aside from sad moods, concentration problems were one of the most common and debilitating symptoms among depressed people. In our clinics, we see many people who think their problems with focus are a sign of ADD/ADHD, but their brain scans show that it’s actually depression.
Do you find yourself getting irritated at the smallest things your family, coworkers, or friends do? Are you feeling angry at the world? Research in the Asian Journal of Psychiatry shows there is a close relationship between anger and major depressive disorder. In our experience, people often don’t make the link between irritability and depression. That’s what happened with Chad. He came to see us because his wife said he needed to get anger management, or she would divorce him. She was tired of Chad getting mad at her and their kids for really insignificant things. When we scanned his brain, however, it was consistent with one of the 7 patterns of depression we have identified. Treating his depression helped him feel less annoyed and more accepting.
At Amen Clinics, many of the people we see who have memory issues are unaware that it may be related to depression. A growing body of scientific evidence shows that untreated depression significantly raises the risk of developing memory problems and cognitive impairment. For example, a 2015 study concluded that depression is associated with short-term memory loss. Other research has found that people who are depressed have a harder time recalling the intricate details of their lives, meaning you may remember general events but have trouble with the specifics.
At Amen Clinics, we know that physical health is tied to mental health, so we delve into our patients’ overall wellbeing as part of our evaluations. People are often stunned to learn that having constipation is linked to depression. According to a 2011 report, 22% of constipated people studied showed symptoms of severe depression and 13% had borderline depression levels.
Some people we see don’t think they’re depressed because they don’t feel sad or weepy. One woman, Sarah, said she didn’t feel much of anything at all and was basically devoid of any emotion. She wasn’t even sad about her child’s high school graduation. “It’s just the next step in life,” she said flatly. She mistook her lack of emotion as a sign of strength. When you don’t feel anything no matter what happens in your life, it can be a sign of depression.
These days, it seems like everybody’s perpetually tired. The majority of our depressed patients say they feel exhausted, but they often blame it on something else like not getting enough sleep. When you’re depressed, it takes so much extra effort just to get through your day, it can leave you feeling wiped out.
For some people with depression, the idea of relaxing or having nothing on your calendar can induce stress and anxiety. Our patients often say that downtime is just that—a time when the ANTs (automatic negative thoughts) infest their brains and make them feel down. For example, Shailene thought she was just a type-A go-getter who liked to feel productive at all times and didn’t realize that her need to fill up her time was really just a way to avoid the negativity that would creep in when she wasn’t busy.
Some of our patients say they feel like they’re wearing a mask during the day, trying to appear cheerful and motivated. This can be a sign of “smiling depression,” in which people look like the picture of success on the outside, but they feel empty inside.
If you’re experiencing any of these issues, it’s a good idea to investigate if it might be a sign of depression.
At Amen Clinics, we take a unique brain-body approach to diagnosis and treatment that includes brain SPECT imaging, as well as laboratory testing to check physical health, and other important factors that could be contributing to symptoms. By getting to the root cause of your symptoms, we can create a more effective, personalized treatment plan for you.
If you want to join the tens of thousands of people who have already enhanced their brain health, overcome their symptoms, and improved their quality of life at Amen Clinics, speak to a specialist today at 888-288-9834. If all our specialists are busy helping others, you can also schedule a time to talk.
Marie Kondo, the bestselling author, and star of the Netflix hit show Tidying Up with Marie Kondo has inspired millions of Americans to declutter their homes with her revolutionary KonMari Method. Basically, you hold each item and see if it “sparks joy.” If it does you keep it, if it doesn’t you toss it. Although the tidying craze has taken the country by storm, it strikes fear and panic in some people. You may be one of them. Answer the following questions to find out:
If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may have a problem with hoarding.
A 2018 study shows that hoarding affects approximately 1.5% of Americans or about 4.5 to 5 million people. People with hoarding disorder have trouble getting rid of things due to a perceived need to keep them. The thought of discarding items causes distress, which leads to unwieldy quantities of “important” things piling up. People with hoarding disorder may engage in compulsive shopping; buy things they don’t need or really want simply because they are a great bargain; and stockpile freebies and giveaways, such as pamphlets, pens, and tchotchkes. The hoarding process is similar to an addiction.
Some of the most commonly hoarded items include:
Many hoarders think these items may be useful in the future— “I might need this box to mail something,” “I might have to reference that article,” or “I might get invited to an event where I could wear those shoes.” Some hoarders cling to items because they were such a good bargain— “I know these shoes are a size too small, but they were 80% off!” Others can’t part with photos or other mementos that have sentimental value—” I can’t get rid of that beer can. It’s from the game when we hit a grand slam in the 9th inning to win.” Sometimes people can’t decide what to do with an item or where to put it, so they just leave it wherever it is and then it gets covered by a pile of other things—“I can’t decide if I should put that on the bookshelf or the mantle, so I’ll just leave it here on the dining room table for now.”
People who are collectors—whether they collect wine, comic books, or coins—typically organize their collections meticulously, display them proudly for others to see, and are very aware of their dollar value. Hoarders, on the other hand, generally amass large quantities of items that have no real value, store them in haphazard disarray, and are often embarrassed to let anyone else see their living space. Some hoarders, however, are ultra-fastidious about their belongings, stacking a year’s worth of newspapers in a perfectly neat row, arranging stacks of books alphabetically on each stair of a staircase, or organizing magazines by date in precise piles on a desk.
When hoarding behavior goes unchecked, it can negatively impact nearly every aspect of your life.
Relationships and families suffer: When one person is a hoarder, it can be extremely stressful for the entire family. Research shows that hoarders are more likely to get divorced, and family members may feel resentment, frustration, and anger toward the hoarder. For example, one elderly hoarder named Bob had kept every single bill he ever paid—starting in the 1950s—in a methodical system of filing cabinets that eventually took over the bedroom he shared with his wife, then the dining room, and then the garage. This caused conflict with his wife, who resented the loss of space in her bedroom, and it created a situation of social isolation for his children who were so embarrassed by all the filing cabinets in their home that they never wanted to invite their friends over.
Financial trouble: Some hoarders get into financial trouble, either because they compulsively make purchases or because they shell out cash for storage units to keep their growing amounts of stuff.
Legal issues: Legal troubles are also common among hoarders. They may face eviction or lose custody of children, and in cases of animal hoarding, people may be arrested and do jail time.
Unsafe living conditions: When clutter blocks access to certain areas of the home, it can lead to malfunctioning appliances, plumbing problems, and heating and air conditioning issues. This can leave people without access to hot water, without heat in cold winter months, and limits their ability to cook. This can lead to nutritional deficiencies, poor hygiene, and increased risk of illnesses. Hoarding can also present a fire hazard and is responsible for 24% of fire deaths, according to one study.
People with hoarding disorder tend to have issues with indecisiveness, obsessive thoughts, compulsions, perfectionism, avoidance, procrastination, disorganization, and difficulty concentrating. Although hoarding disorder is considered a unique diagnosis, these are symptoms are also associated with other mental health conditions, such as obsessive compulsive disorder, anxiety, depression, or ADD/ADHD. Research also shows that hoarding is seen in people with dementia.
Brain imaging studies, including one in the Archives of General Psychiatry, have shown that people with hoarding disorder have abnormal activity in areas of the brain involved in decision-making, impulse control, emotional regulation, attachment, and reward processing.
There is hope for people with hoarding disorder. A comprehensive treatment plan designed to normalize and optimize brain activity, coupled with specific types of psychotherapy, and medication (as needed), can help people find their way out of the clutter so they can once again find some joy from their possessions.
At Amen Clinics, we perform comprehensive evaluations that include brain SPECT imaging to make an accurate diagnosis so you can get the right treatment plan for your needs. We believe in using the least toxic, most effective solutions, including helpful forms of therapy, nutritional supplements, and lifestyle changes, as well as medications when necessary.
If you want to join the tens of thousands of people who have already enhanced their brain health, overcome their symptoms, and improved their quality of life at Amen Clinics, speak to a specialist today at 888-288-9834. If all our specialists are busy helping others, you can also schedule a time to talk.
Are you one of those people who are hoarding toilet paper and face masks? Are you freaking out from all the scary news or feeling completely depressed from all the social distancing? Or are you like those Spring Breakers flocking to the beaches like nothing’s wrong?
The way you react in a crisis like the coronavirus pandemic depends on your brain type. After studying more than 160,000 brain SPECT scans at Amen Clinics, it’s clear that not all brains are the same. SPECT is a brain imaging tool that measures blood flow and activity and shows areas of the brain with healthy activity, too much activity, or not enough activity.
Based on our brain imaging work, we have identified 5 primary brain types that influence who you are, how you behave, and how you relate to others. Here’s a look at how each of the brain types tends to respond during times of crisis and pandemics.
On brain SPECT scans, the balanced brain shows full, even, symmetrical blood flow in most areas.
If you have the Balanced Brain Type, you’re likely to be focused, flexible, and emotionally stable. You’re one of those people who shows up on time, follows through on promises, and copes well with life’s ups and downs—even with global pandemics.
In times of extreme stress, you tend to have healthy levels of worry and anxiety, which means you’ll be prepared but won’t go overboard by hoarding or panicking. In general, you aren’t much of a risk-taker, so you listen to what the government and experts say and follow the rules regarding social distancing. You stick to getting information about the virus from reputable sources like the CDC, and you also follow sound advice to boost your immune system to minimize your risk of developing COVID-19.
Support your Brain Type: Eat a healthy diet; get regular exercise; and take multi-vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamin D.
This type typically has lower activity in the front part of the brain in an area called the prefrontal cortex (PFC).
The Spontaneous Brain Type tends to be creative, out-of-the-box thinkers who would rather do things on the spur of the moment than have a set schedule. You may struggle with a short attention span, distractibility, disorganization, and impulse control problems. These people are often adrenaline junkies—think of firefighters, for example, who are more likely to run toward a fire than away from it. Spontaneous types often don’t believe that rules apply to you, so in this pandemic, you might not be adhering to social distancing recommendations. You may even be one of those people crowding the beaches in Florida or having a “coronavirus party” with your other spontaneous friends.
These are the “Don’t worry, be happy” type of people. This means you aren’t worried about the pandemic, but you likely aren’t taking the precautions that could help you prevent exposure to it. And you may not be doing anything to enhance your immunity since you aren’t afraid of catching it. Unfortunately, a longevity study found that “Don’t worry, be happy” people die the earliest from accidents and preventable causes. This type is often seen in people with ADD/ADHD.
Support your Brain Type: Engage in lifestyle strategies that boost activity in the PFC, including eating a higher-protein diet; taking supplements, such as green tea, rhodiola, and ginseng; and doing cardio exercise.
People with this brain type often have increased activity in the front part of the brain in an area called the anterior cingulate gyrus (ACG).
People with this brain type are like a dog with a bone. You tend to be strong-willed, don’t take no for an answer, and think it’s your way or the highway. With frontal lobes that work hard, you’re always on alert, so in a crisis or pandemic, you go into overdrive. In an effort to prevent the virus, you may wash your hands so much your skin cracks, which actually increases your vulnerability for infections. You’re a natural prepper who likely has a storeroom stocked with every conceivable emergency supply. You may even be one of those people stockpiling face masks, toilet paper, and hand sanitizer. It isn’t because you lack empathy for others; it’s because you worry so much you need to feel like you have some control over the situation.
You also tend to thrive when you can follow a routine, so suddenly being out of a job, having to work from home, or having to self-isolate can cause you to get bent out of shape. You may struggle more than others with a new schedule. When the brain’s ACG is overactive, it also means you can get stuck on negative thoughts, which can be associated with anxiety, depression, and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). It’s critical for people with this type to disinfect your thoughts. Mental hygiene is just as important as washing your hands.
Support your Brain Type: To calm an overactive ACG, boost serotonin in the brain with healthy carbs (such as sweet potatoes and hummus), salmon, turkey, eggs, nuts, and seeds; supplements like 5-HTP and saffron; and burst training.
This type often has increased activity in the limbic system, the emotional centers of the brain.
Having the Sensitive Brain Type means you tend to have great empathy for others. On the downside, it means you can be deeply impacted by frightening news and distressing social media posts. In a global crisis like the coronavirus pandemic, you may be feeling so overwhelmed that you retreat from everything and everyone. You may go beyond healthy social distancing and self-isolation by completely removing yourself from any contact with anyone, which only exacerbates feelings of sadness and loneliness.
Many people with this brain type struggle with moods, can feel overwhelmed and are likely to have lots of automatic negative thoughts (ANTs). You’re a glass half empty type who tends to see doom and gloom in our future. Being highly sensitive can make you more vulnerable to depressive disorder, addiction, and cyclic mood disorders like bipolar disorder.
Support your Brain Type: Calm the emotional centers of the brain with healthy fats, such as avocado, almonds, and salmon; take omega-3 fatty acids (the kind with more EPA than DHA), s-adenosylmethionine (SAMe), and vitamin D; get some sunshine or try bright light therapy; and do physical activities like dancing. Be sure to reach out to connect with loves ones, whether it’s a phone call, a video conference, or Face Time.
Heightened activity in the anxiety centers of the brain—such as the basal ganglia, insular cortex, or amygdala—is seen in this type. This is often linked to low levels of the neurotransmitter GABA.
If you have the Cautious Brain Type, you’re likely to feel anxious, which typically makes you more prepared. You probably already had extra rolls of toilet paper and paper towels on hand before the pandemic even arrived. People with this type tend to have such busy minds that it’s hard to relax. In stressful situations, it’s common to have trouble sleeping or to experience physical symptoms from anxiety, such as headaches, muscle aches, or an upset stomach.
You may be so anxious about what’s going on that you watch the news constantly for the latest updates, but this just fuels your anxiety. You typically follow the rules, so in a pandemic, you’re doing what the experts recommend. You may even be going further by wearing a face mask at all times in your own home or preaching to your followers on social media to make sure they take things seriously.
People with this brain type are more vulnerable to anxiety and panic attacks, and substance use disorders. This means you may be turning to a glass of wine—or 3 or 4 of them—to self-medicate in times of stress. This may work in the short-term, but it boosts anxiety in the long run. There are healthier ways to soothe your nerves.
Support your Brain Type: Calm the brain’s anxiety centers by avoiding caffeine, booze, and sugary sweets; supplement your diet with GABA, magnesium, omega-3 fatty acids (higher in DHA than EPA), and theanine from green tea; and try calming activities like meditation, hypnosis, deep breathing, and yoga.
If you’re struggling with anxiety, panic attacks, depression, or other mental health issues, you aren’t alone—45% of Americans say the coronavirus pandemic has impacted their mental health. Just because you’re sheltering at home doesn’t mean you have to wait for the pandemic to be over before seeking help. In fact, during these uncertain times, your mental well-being is more important than ever and waiting to get treatment is likely to make your symptoms worsen over time.
At Amen Clinics, we’re here for you. We offer mental telehealth, remote clinical evaluations, and video therapy for adults, children, and couples, as well as in-clinic brain scanning to help our patients. Find out more by speaking to a specialist today at 888-288-9834. If all our specialists are busy helping others, you can also schedule a time to talk.