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All teenagers get moody and anxious as they go through adolescence, right? Well, while it may be a cliché to think of teens as sad and moody, there may be something making many teen’s lives harder than just changing bodies. A study on depression in adolescents and young adults, published in the journal Pediatrics, found a startling increase in the amount of young people struggling with depression. It was found that the number of teens who reported an MDE (Major Depressive Episode) rose from 8.7% in 2005 to a staggering 11.5% in 2014, a 37% increase. However, after analyzing data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, they found no evidence of a corresponding increase in mental health treatment for adolescents. This means that there are potentially hundreds of thousands of young adults struggling every day in a battle with depression in addition to the more than 3 million adolescents between 12-17 who reported an MDE last year. This is a very real problem, but there are also very real solutions. If you or someone you love have been feeling sad, empty, hopeless, or angry, even at little things for more than just a couple bad days, there may be steps you can take to help. Here are some other signs to consider; a depressed person might: Everyone experiences depression a little differently, so there is not a definitive list of symptoms. However, the best thing you can do is be aware, be active, and be informed about the severity and nature of depression. Depression is not the results of a character flaw or personal weakness. If you or a loved one is struggling, contact Amen Clinics today or call (888) 288-9834. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 40 million Americans struggle with anxiety disorders, which equates to roughly 18% of the population. Although anxiety disorders are the most common class of mental disorders present in the general population, only one-third of those suffering will receive treatment. There are different types of anxiety, and each has its own unique list of symptoms. Social anxiety, an intense fear of social situations, afflicts many in our society, particularly introverts. According to a recent study, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) more than doubles the risk of cancer mortality in men. Long-term effects of anxiety include high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease.

There is Hope for Healing Your Anxiety

While daily exercise, quality sleep, supplements and good mood foods are essential stress reducers, there are many other effective strategies for treating anxiety, including: 1. Be Grateful- Write down five things you are grateful for every day. Focusing on the things you are thankful for helps to calm the deep limbic or emotional areas of your brain. 2. Take a Time-Out- There are a variety of relaxation methods, including meditating, diaphragmatic breathing and listening to brain-enhancing music. Find a technique that works for you and use it whenever you become stressed. 3. Face Your Fears- Unless the situation is life-threatening, do not leave, run away from, or ignore whatever is causing you to have anxiety. Like standing up to a bully, you must face the fear or concern directly, or it will always have control over you and increase your anxiety. 4. Learn to Let Go- Accept that you can’t control everything. If you’re holding on too tightly, you might be causing yourself unnecessary stress, which will only make your anxiety worse. 5. Repeat a Mantra- Repeating simple words like “May I be safe and secure” can increase positive emotions and decrease negative ones. Research has shown that Loving Kindness Meditations (LKM) can minimize pain, migraine headaches and the symptoms of PTSD. 6. Talk It Out- This is an absolute must. Let friends and family know when you’re emotionally overwhelmed. Seek professional help if necessary, but don’t fight your battles alone. 7. Use a Visual Anchor- Whether it’s looking up at the clouds or staring at a picture of a tropical paradise, find a visual anchor that will calm you down during stressful situations. 8. Exaggerate Your Greatest Fear- Tell your fear to someone in as dramatic fashion as possible. Repeating the story several times will make your fear seem downright silly. 9. Laugh- When all else fails, laugh. Laughing releases stress-reducing endorphins into your bloodstream. Laughter truly is the best medicine and can work wonders in relieving anxiety. Untreated anxiety robs you of your quality of life. If you would like to know more about how Amen Clinics can help you with the anxiety in your life, it is important that you contact us today at 888-288-9834 or online. Losing your memory or developing brain fog is not normal – it’s a sign of trouble. In an article published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease depression and dementia have been linked with findings showing that brain SPECT imaging has the proven ability to distinguish depression or dementia in people with both with 83% accuracy. One of the most important ways to decrease risk for depression, dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease is to decrease all of the risk factors. Here we’ve outlined four risk factors to address to keep your mind healthy as you age.

Excessive Stress

Stress is a major risk factor for depression and dementia. Some major causes of stress include: Whenever you’re exposed to a flood of stress hormones, it not only disrupts your sleep, but it can damage your immune system and shrink the memory centers in your brain. Since stress is everywhere, ALL of us would benefit from a regular stress management practice. Exercise and meditation can help, but another option is medical hypnosis which we have used with patients for many years. Research has shown that medical hypnosis can: Recently, a woman from Australia came up to one of our clinics and said she used our medical hypnosis program to help her fall and stay asleep.

Untreated Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)

Studies have shown that ADD is associated with low activity in an area called the prefrontal cortex, which acts as the brain’s brakes. It stops you from saying or doing impulsive things. When the prefrontal cortex is low, people tend to be easily distracted and have trouble controlling themselves, making it very hard to stay on track and consistently make good decisions—even though they want to. Amen Clinics has treated many patients experiencing memory issues. One of our patients was 94-years-old when she first came to the clinic. She couldn’t focus and could never finish reading the newspaper. A month after she started treatment, she told said with a big smile on her face that she had read her first book! Other patients are much younger, including one patient who was 50-years-old.

Infrequent Exercise

If you exercise less than twice a week it increases your risk of dementia, but you can eliminate that risk today by exercising more than twice a week. Walk like you’re late for 45 minutes, 4 to 5 times a week and lift weights twice a week. The stronger you are as you age the less likely you are to get dementia and, in fact, it could save your life. Also, exercise can be very effective for combating depressive symptoms.

Absence of New Learning and Addiction to Technology

No new learning or being addicted to your email, text messages or video games increases your risk of dementia and depression. In one study sponsored by Hewlett-Packard, people who were addicted to their gadgets lost 10 IQ points over a year. It was more harmful than smoking marijuana, which also decreases IQ. You can decrease these risk factors TODAY by limiting your gadgets and adding mental exercise to your life. Your brain is like a muscle, the more you use it in positive ways, the more you CAN use it. You have to work out your whole brain. Work out your brain for at least 15 minutes a day! If you’re ready to take control over your future, call us today at 888-288-9834 or visit our website to schedule an appointment. The limbic system is an area known to be vastly involved with some of the most fundamental processes of being human.  Through Amen Clinics SPECT imaging work, we have found that when the deep limbic system is overactive, it results in mood-related problems, especially depression. Also, we have observed that depressive symptoms can arise when the brain has low activity. Injury can cause low activity from events such as concussions, infection, loss of oxygen, and exposure to toxins. By looking at our patient’s brain function through SPECT, we can identify the underlying brain biology of a person’s depressive systems, allowing us to target proper treatment efficiently. Here are two simple yet powerful lifestyle strategies that can be helpful in reducing depression:

#1. Your Brain is Happy When You Exercise

Exercise is the most important thing to do when feeling depressed. When we exercise our brain releases “feel good” chemicals that help with our sense of well-being. In fact, a study that compared antidepressant medication with exercise found that both therapies were equally effective after sixteen weeks, and after ten months, exercise was more effective.

#2. Identify and Kill Your “ANTs”

ANTs are the Automatic Negative Thoughts that pop into your head, causing you to get upset, depressed, and anxious. There are nine species of ANTs: To overcome automatic negative thoughts, you must first become aware of the dialogue in your head. Once you identify an ANT, write it down, identify it and then kill it by writing down a more realistic version of the same thought. For example: Practice these two strategies whenever you need to overcome feelings of depression. Make exercise and identifying your feelings part of your life. Apply them and you will feel a difference in your day. Depression is not the results of a character flaw or personal weakness. If you or a loved one is struggling, contact Amen Clinics today or call (888) 288-9834. Neuroimaging of decreased blood flow in specific regions of the brain can differentiate between depression and cognitive disorders. Does a patient have depression or a cognitive disorder (CD) such as Alzheimer’s disease or both? Since both disorders have overlapping symptoms, how can a clinician tell them apart to make the appropriate diagnosis? In an article published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, researchers have found that single photon emission computed tomography or SPECT, can help to distinguish between these diagnostic categories.

Comparison of Both Dementia and Depression Patients

In one of the largest studies of its kind, 4541 subjects were examined, 847 of whom were diagnosed with dementia, 3269 with depression, and 425 with both conditions. Using brain SPECT imaging, a nuclear medicine study that measures blood flow and activity, researchers found that people with cognitive disorders had reduced blood flow in multiple brain areas compared to those with depression, particularly in the hippocampus, temporal, and parietal lobes. They also found that SPECT could distinguish depression from CDs with 86% accuracy. Also, brain SPECT imaging showed the ability to identify depression or dementia in people with both with 83% accuracy. “This is a critical clinical question that has practical implications for patient management and treatment,” explained lead researcher and psychiatrist Daniel G. Amen, MD. “These disorders have very different prognoses and treatments and being able to improve diagnostic accuracy can improve outcomes for some patients.”

The Breakdown

The authors write, “Cognitive impairment is present in approximately half of persons who have late onset depression and depression is evident in 9-65% of individuals with dementia. Studies have indicated that the prevalence of depression in patients with mild cognitive impairment is 25%. Consequently, it is often challenging to diagnostically disentangle depression and cognitive disorders from one another.” Traditionally, depression can be diagnosed using tools such as the Beck Depression Inventory, the most widely used psychometric test for measuring the level of depression. However, there was no statistically significant difference in the burden of depression symptoms on this inventory between individuals with both depression and CDs compared to persons with either condition. This increases the difficulty of distinguishing these disorders on the basis of depression symptom severity alone. “One of the greatest new insights of the past decade is the linkage of depression to the psychology of late-life cognitive decline. Raji and coworkers extend the approach to the biological substrate by an elegant imaging approach. These studies further place brain aging on a firm biological basis,” added George Perry, PhD, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease and Dean and Professor of Biology University of Texas at San Antonio. If you or a loved one is experiencing symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, dementia or depression, Amen Clinics can help. We will help you learn more about your brain and assist with early diagnosis and intervention. Call us today at (888) 288-9834 or visit our website to schedule a visit. Social anxiety is the fear of social situations and the interaction with other people that can automatically bring on feelings of self-consciousness, judgment, and inferiority. Social anxiety is more than just being shy or having occasional nervousness. It involves intense fear of social situations. It is more common among introverts, and because each person has a unique chemical make-up, the intensity and frequency of the symptoms vary greatly from person to person. However, you don’t have to live a life of fear that ultimately neglects you of daily activities and your ability to grow your relationships. Here are some tips for overcoming the social anxiety hurdle:

Challenge Your Negative Thoughts

Social anxiety sufferers have negative thoughts and beliefs that contribute to their anxiety. Dr. Daniel Amen has created a powerful and effective exercise, “Kill the ANTs.” Killing your automatic negative thoughts (ANTs) will help reverse your negative thought process.
  1. Write it down. When those automatic negative thoughts start tumbling around in your mind, write them down to clearly identify them.
  1. Ask yourself, are these thoughts even true? Uninvestigated thoughts can lead us to act in harmful ways.
  1. Talkback. If you discover that these negative thoughts are false, talk back to them! Tell these thoughts you know they aren’t true!

What Are You Grateful For?

Another way to boost your mood and reduce anxiety is to write down five things you are grateful for every day. Research suggests that focusing on gratitude helps to calm the deep limbic or emotional areas of the brain and enhances the judgment centers of the brain. When you focus on what you love, your brain works better, and you’ll feel better. You will notice a significant positive difference in your level of happiness.

Take Supplements Daily

Taking supplements every day can help support your mood and increase positivity. Furthermore, a few other suggestions for reducing social anxiety would be a balanced diet, meditation, diaphragmatic breathing, listening to relaxing music, daily exercise, and hypnosis. Anxiety and depression are not the results of character flaws or personal weakness; they are the result of biological problems in the brain that can be balanced. If you or a loved one is struggling, contact Amen Clinics today or call (888) 288-9834. According to the National Institutes of Mental Health – 51 percent of the U.S. population will suffer from a mental health issue at some point in their lives. Anxiety disorders, depression, ADD and substance abuse are the most common. It is more normal to have a problem than not to have one. It’s important for patients to know that “normal” is nothing more than a setting on a dryer or a city in Illinois. New research reports that people with mental health issues die an average of 10 years before others and that depression, ADD, post traumatic stress disorder, and addictions all increase your risk for Alzheimer’s disease. It doesn’t have to be that way. Now is the time to get help. It’s the smart thing to do.

Treatment with Medication vs. Nutrition

Historically, the approach to treating these disorders has been psychotropic medication and therapy. Even though your brain may get sick in many different ways, it only takes one way to get better and that’s living a healthy lifestyle. In head-to-head studies, taking fish oil, exercising, and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), has been found to be as effective as medication. Now you can add improving what you eat to that list! Exciting new research confirms that not only can your diet make you feel bad (especially the Standard American Diet filled with sugar, cheap oils and processed pesticide-laden foods), it can also make you feel better. In the first randomized controlled trial study of its kind, researchers demonstrated that improving diet quality can treat major depression. In the three-month study, adults with major depressive disorder were recruited and randomly assigned to receive either social support. This has been demonstrated to be very helpful for people with depression or support from a clinical dietitian. The results were that the participants in the dietary intervention group had a much greater reduction in their depressive symptoms. Compared to those in the social support group. At the end of the trial, almost 33 percent of those in the dietary support group met criteria for remission of major depression, compared to only 8 percent of those in the social support group.

Be Mindful of Sleep Patterns

Another thing to pay careful attention to is your sleep. Previously thought of only as symptoms, now it is understood that sleep problems increase your risk of developing psychiatric disorders. In fact, people who suffer from insomnia are four times more likely to develop major depression compared to normal sleepers. Additionally, they are more likely to think about suicide and die by suicide. Other research indicates that sleep problems lead to anxiety disorders over 25% of the time and depression over 67% of the time. Be sure to practice good sleep hygiene. It is often taught that the brain doesn’t heal. But now we know that is wrong. If you put the brain in a healing environment, often it can get better, much better. But, it requires forethought and a great plan. For over 25 years, Amen Clinics has helped tens of thousands of people heal their brains and we can help you too. If you feel that you or a loved one could benefit from an evaluation, please call us today at (888) 288-9834 or visit our website to schedule an appointment. If you want to keep your brain and body healthy for as long as possible you must answer this question. It’s actually the most important question I ask my patients: Why? Furthermore, why do you want to be healthy? Why do you want a stronger mind and a more powerful brain? If you don’t know the answer to this question, no amount of great information will keep you on the right track, especially with constant exposure to unhealthy choices.

Determine Your Brain Health Now

The single most important factor in determining your health is the quality of the decisions that you make every day. You can take the time to start the necessary steps to improve your health today by beginning with the following: • Know about the health of your brain – get a base line brain health assessment. • Know your health numbers – you need to optimize your important health numbers, not just normalize them. • Avoid anything that hurts your brain and may cause brain injuries – engage in regular brain healthy habits. It is important to remember that Alzheimer’s disease starts decades before you have any symptoms and untreated Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and addictions all increase your risk for it. One of the most important ways to decrease your risk for Alzheimer’s disease is to decrease all of the risk factors for it.

The Risk Factors for Alzheimer’s disease

The risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease include: • Diabetes • Hypertension • Obesity • Heart Disease • Smoking • Alcohol Abuse • Low Thyroid and Testosterone Levels • Sleep Apnea • Insomnia • Chronic Stress • Untreated ADD or Depression • Lack of Exercise • No New Learning • Intestinal Inflammation You can do something about it, but you literally have no time to waste if you want to keep your brain healthy for the rest of your life. The older you get, the harder you have to work at staying healthy. As we age we have less room for error. We have to be constantly vigilant in our health. When you take the steps to learn about the condition of your brain, then you can begin to maximize its potential and avoid the cognitive decline that comes in our later years. If you or a loved one could benefit from a brain health assessment, please contact Amen Clinics to schedule a visit, or call our Call Center today at (888) 288-9834. When someone close to you is struggling it can be incredibly heartbreaking. Not only is it tough, but it can be even harder when that person is in denial. Unfortunately, there is a stigma associated with psychiatric illness. Your friend or loved ones could be worried that people may call them negative words or treat them differently. This prevents them from seeking help.

Treat all Problems Differently

Not all people suffering from being in denial have to do with drugs and alcohol. For instance, Dr. Daniel Amen knew a couple who had marital problems from the beginning of their marriage. The problems consisted of continuous toxic arguments and threatening to leave one another. When counseling was discussed, thoughts of embarrassment and financial excuses came to the surface from the husband. Eventually, the refusal and denial for counseling began affecting the children too.

Steps for Encouragement

Here are some suggestions to help people who are unaware of a problem or unwilling to get the help they need:

Try using a straightforward approach:

Tell the person why their actions are concerning you.

Give the loved one information:

Good information can be very persuasive, especially if it is presented in a life-enhancing way.

Plant continuous seeds of information:

Remind them of good information and new articles from time-to-time. This spikes conversation and, when done in a non-abrasive way, can be beneficial.

Protect your relationship together:

Work on gaining that person’s trust and they will learn to be more receptive to your thoughts. Talk about life outside of their medical issues.

Give your loved one new hope:

Many people who are struggling have already tried to get help and it either didn’t work or ended up making them worse. Inform your loved one of new brain technology where new treatment options could be more effective.

Enough is enough

If the person resists, you have to be able to give yourself a break and say enough is enough. If the relationship becomes negative and continuously toxic you should separate yourself. Separating yourself gets you away from the toxicity in the relationship. Also, by removing yourself from the situation, it can motivate people to change. Threatening to leave is not the first approach you should ever take. But eventually, it can definitely turn into the best approach.

Using Force Doesn’t Help

If your loved one doesn’t realize they need to change their habits, then don’t force them into a situation they are constantly resisting. The only time you can force people into treatment is when they are causing harm to themselves, others, or cannot care for themselves.

When is SPECT Brain Imaging the Answer?

At the Amen Clinics we order SPECT brain imaging studies on most of our patients when: • We are considered someone’s “last hope”. • We need to look into the details and see if there is something that can be identified that may have been overlooked by another professional. • Your case is complicated, and you have not gotten better with previous treatments or providers. (In this case, a scan could be life-saving). Keep in mind, a SPECT brain imaging study alone will not give an accurate diagnosis. However, it helps the clinicians understand the way your brain specifically functions. There are many factors that contribute to a diagnosis with a SPECT brain scan. These are a combination of clinical history, personal interviews, information from families, diagnostic checklists, SPECT studies, and other neuropsychological tests. If your loved one is struggling and showing signs of being in denial, try planting a seed of information about breakthrough brain imaging. Contact Amen Clinics to schedule a visit, or call our Care Center at 888-288-9834. Losing your memory or developing brain fog in your 30’s, 40’s, 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, or even 80’s is NOT normal. Just because it happens to so many people and is somewhat common does not mean that it is normal or healthy. It is a sign of trouble and needs to be taken seriously.

Putting a Memory Rescue Plan in Place

If you experience challenges with your memory, it is important to realize that you are on a precipice – you can ignore the fact that you are standing on the edge of that cliff, keep walking and fall off. Or you can get serious about taking better care of your brain, and turn around. If you want to rescue your memory, here are 7 steps to take:

Love and Protect Your Brain

Just as a parent shields a child from harm, it is imperative to take a proactive approach in keeping your brain safe from trouble. As simple as this idea is, most people never really think about brain security. Remember – your brain is soft, your skull is hard. It is critical that you protect your brain from concussions. You can also protect your brain by reducing your exposure to toxins – such as pesticides, molds, carbon monoxide, cleaning products, heavy metals, drugs, and alcohol.

Know and Optimize Your Important Numbers

Having important health numbers at an optimal level is critical to brain function. However, you can’t change what you don’t measure. Be aware of your:

Engage in New Learning

Research is clear that new learning and stimulating lifestyles lead to better cognitive outcomes later in life. If your job does not provide new learning opportunities, create them for yourself – take a class, start a new hobby, learn a new language, begin playing an instrument.

Get Good Sleep

Healthy sleep is absolutely essential to a brain healthy life. Sleep rejuvenates all the cells in your body, gives brain cells a chance to repair themselves, helps wash away neurodegenerative toxins that build up during the day, and activates neuronal connections that might otherwise deteriorate due to inactivity. Practice good sleep hygiene to optimize your sleep habits.

Exercise

Exercise alone is the veritable fountain of youth. The more you exercise, the healthier your blood vessels and blood flow, which leads to overall improved brain function and better memory. Make sure to combine aerobic exercise four to five times per week with weight training two to three times per week. Research shows the stronger you are as you age, the less likely you are to develop Alzheimer’s disease.

Use a Multi-Mechanism Approach

When you get sick or age, it is never just one biological mechanism that fails; it is generally multiple mechanisms, such as blood flow, toxic buildup, nutrient depletion, and inflammation. Therefore, it is important to utilize a multiple mechanism approach to improving brain health.

Attack the Risk Factors for Alzheimer’s and Other Dementias

Dr. Daniel Amen’s newest book, Memory Rescue is available HERE. If you or a loved one could benefit from an evaluation, please contact Amen Clinics to schedule a visit, or call our Care Center today at (888) 288-9834.