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A SUICIDE CRISIS

BRAIN ABNORMALITIES SEEN IN SUICIDAL PEOPLE

Here are 4 of the most common SPECT findings in Amen Clinics patients with suicidal tendencies along with proven strategies to heal the brain.

Head Trauma

Temporal Lobes

Prefrontal Cortex (PFC)

Anterior Cingulate Gyrus (ACG)

HEALING THE BRAIN HELPS PREVENT SUICIDE

Normally, you can handle life’s everyday stressors. You keep your cool when your ADD child can’t stay focused on homework. You work through any relationship issues with your significant other. You find healthy ways to decompress from your stressful job.

But not these days.

Any little thing in your life that isn’t humming along is becoming a compounded trauma due to what you’re experiencing from the pandemic, economic shutdown, and months of physical distancing. The result?

Your nerves are frayed. You’re losing your temper with your ADD child. Your marital problems seem insurmountable. You feel like you need a Quarantini—or 2 or 3 of them—to help you cope with work stress.

What can you do about it?

5 Ways to Cope with Compounded Stress

1. Disinfect your thoughts.

During a stressful pandemic, mental hygiene is just as important as washing your hands. If your head is filled with ANTs (automatic negative thoughts), it is only adding to your stress. Learning to question your thoughts and eliminate unhelpful ANTs can help you begin to see options and come up with solutions for your everyday stressors.

2. Find some “me” time.

Are you so focused on taking care of others—your kids, your spouse, your coworkers—that you’re neglecting your own health and well-being? When you spend all your time helping others without giving yourself the self-care you deserve, you’re left with nothing in the tank. If you’re running on empty, you don’t have the bandwidth to handle additional stress. Schedule time in your day for self-care. Make it an appointment so you’re more likely to stick with it.

3. Boost your blood flow.

When you have low blood flow in the brain, especially in the frontal lobes, it reduces your ability to problem-solve, impairs judgment and decision-making, lowers your empathy, and makes it less likely that you’ll bite your tongue before saying something hurtful to someone you care about. Simple ways to increase blood flow to this area of the brain include physical exercise, meditation, and taking fish oil supplements that are high in omega-3 fatty acids.

4. Share your feelings with a friend.

Feeling like you’re all alone with nowhere to turn for help can compound the stress you’re experiencing. Find an ally with whom you can share your feelings. This is different from complaining, which typically centers on blaming or judging others. Sharing feelings helps you get negative thoughts and emotions out of your head so you can move ahead with constructive solutions to the issues you’re facing.

5. Seek professional help.

If you had been coping fairly well with your temper, anxiety, or drinking, or if your child’s ADD or behavioral problems had been treated effectively, but now things have spiraled out of control, it may be time to seek help from a professional.

Anxiety, ADD/ADHD, addictions, behavioral problems, and other mental health issues can’t wait. During these uncertain times, your mental well-being is more important than ever and waiting until life gets back to “normal” is likely to make your symptoms worsen over time.

At Amen Clinics, we’re here for you. We offer in-clinic brain scanning and appointments, as well as mental telehealth, remote clinical evaluations, and video therapy for adults, children, and couples. 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.

Just for a moment, pretend that an “Evil Ruler” was running our world with the intent of causing more mental illness. (Note: this Evil Ruler is a completely fictitious character that I conceived of long before the coronavirus pandemic ever hit and that I wrote about in my book The End of Mental Illness. This fictional character is NOT a representation of any real-life political figures, political party, government leaders, policymakers, or any other person or entity).

These days, it seems this no-good fictional character has been going wild with the pandemic, the lockdown, the economic fallout, the protests, the looting, and more—all in an effort to make us more anxious, depressed, and stressed.

Here are 8 ways the imaginary Evil Ruler is making our current situation even worse.

1. Waging biological warfare.

With the stay-at-home orders, the Evil Ruler has been promoting quarantine baking with high-glycemic and pro-inflammatory foods, spending hours on the couch binge-watching TV shows, and endlessly scrolling through social media feeds—all of which contribute to depression. And spending more time indoors robs us of much-needed vitamin D, which we get from sunshine Low levels of this important nutrient are also linked to depression and lowered immunity, putting us at greater risk of developing COVID-19 and having poorer outcomes from the virus.

2. Calling it “social” distancing.

In terms of COVID-19, we need “physical” distancing to help stop the spread of the virus, but we need a “social” connection more than ever. Calling it social distancing has inadvertently caused even more people to avoid others to the detriment of their mental health, since living alone and isolating from others has been shown to increase depression and other conditions. In addition, being alone or feeling lonely can cause people with addiction problems to slip back into unhealthy habits.

3. Cleaning with toxic products.

Encouraging us to obsessively wash our hands with sanitizers, wipe counters, and clean packages that come into the house exposes us all to more harmful toxins. Most household cleaning products are filled with toxic chemicals that poison the brain and increase the likelihood of psychiatric issues.

4. Pumping out frightening news 24/7.

With news channels spewing out terrifying projections and showing scary images in an effort to “keep us informed,” it’s enough to fire up the fear and anxiety centers of the brain. The constant updates also keep you in a state of FOMO (fear of missing out) that keeps you glued to the anxiety-inducing messages, making you feel even worse.

5. Giving conflicting recommendations.

Being faced with too many opinions and opposing viewpoints about the best ways to stay safe—for example, wear masks, don’t wear masks, wear masks sometimes—fuels uncertainty. When you don’t have clear direction on what to do it drives stress, anxiety, and feelings of powerlessness and depression

6. Spreading conspiracy theories.

Suggesting that there are underlying forces that are intentionally causing the spread of the virus or the collapse of the economy for nefarious reasons ramps up paranoia and delusions, especially in people who already struggle with conditions like schizophrenia.

7. Promoting pills as the one and only way to treat mental illness.

Airing commercials from pharmaceutical companies that make it seem as if taking a pill is all you have to do to overcome conditions like anxiety, depression, or bipolar disorder does a disservice to us all. Taking medication should never be the first or only thing you do to address a mental health condition. In fact, there are many alternatives to antidepressants and natural solutions to calm anxiety that can help you feel better now and later.

8. Continuing to insist that mental illness is all in the mind.

The Evil Ruler continues to hammer home the traditional belief that mental illness is psychological. But brain imaging studies clearly show that conditions like ADD/ADHD, depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia are not mental health issues, but rather brain health issues that steal your mind. Getting your brain right by following a brain healthy lifestyle will help heal your mind even during times of extreme stress, so you can resist the Evil Ruler’s efforts to create mental illness.

UPDATE from Daniel G. Amen, MD:

Depression, ADD/ADHD, anxiety, and other mental health issues can’t wait. During these uncertain times, your mental well-being is more important than ever and waiting until life gets back to “normal” is likely to make your symptoms worsen over time.

At Amen Clinics, we’re here for you. We offer in-clinic brain scanning and appointments, as well as mental telehealth, remote clinical evaluations, and video therapy for adults, children, and couples. 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.

By Daniel G. Amen, MD

Father’s Day will be different this year. With the ongoing pandemic and physical distancing, many families won’t be celebrating the way they usually do. For me, this holiday will never be the same since my dad died earlier this year. Many of you may also be missing your late fathers on this special day. Be prepared that the holiday may give rise to feelings of grief and sadness which is completely normal. For others, it may bring on a depressive episode. And for those whose parents died in a violent or sudden way it may trigger symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Whatever feelings arise, remember that there are a variety of ways to honor your late father, even if he passed years ago. See if any of the following ideas resonate with you.

1. Create a tribute video.

Using your smartphone, tell a memorable story about your dad or narrate a slideshow, and share it with your family or on your social media pages. Sharing what made your father special to you can put a smile on your face. And it’s likely to generate support from others that can help fill the void you may be feeling.

2. Visit his final resting place.

Spend some time at your father’s gravesite (if it’s allowed in light of the pandemic), if that helps you feel closer to him. Talk to him as if he were still alive.

3. Do something he loved.

Did the two of you like gardening, playing golf, or fixing cars together? Relive those times by engaging in that activity again. Say a few words in his memory before you start.

4. Visit his favorite spot.

Did your dad love watching the sunset from the top of a local hiking trail? Did he enjoy sitting on a park bench and watching the people passing by? Did he feel most at home just hanging out in the garage? Visit this spot, if possible, and try to see it through his eyes.

5. Write to (or about) your dad.

Some people find comfort in writing a letter to their late father every year. Share the things in your life that you wish you could have told him in person and read it out loud on Father’s Day. Or you can write something about him. When my father died this year, I wrote the following poem for him and it helped me process my feelings.

Good Grief … He’s Everywhere In My Brain

I see him in every flower that blooms; he was a master gardener,

I see him in every brilliant Pacific sunset; which he loved to photograph repeatedly,

I see him every time we play cards and someone says gin; he was a master strategist who stomped us all,

I see him in his big chair surrounded by his grandchildren; he was a great, great grandfather,

I see him in every brain we scan because he helped me invest in our first imaging cameras, and

I see him every time I check my Schwab account and look at the UNFI stock he recommended, which goes up and down like my emotions since he left.

Good Grief … he’s everywhere in my brain.

I hear his beautiful deep voice saying, … “Danny, it’s your dad, give me a call, I have tangerines, avocados, and lemons.”  When I want to cry and have good grief, I play his voicemails over and over.

I hear him when the television blares too loud because like me he has trouble hearing and won’t wear hearing aids,

I hear him whenever someone says “bullshit” or “no” or “I’m the boss, do what I say”; he was a very strong leader,

I hear him whenever I hear a tennis ball hit a racquet, as we had so many great games together. (pause)

I hear him when he tells me I can do anything I put my mind to; he encouraged so many people and set us all up for success.

Good Grief … he’s everywhere in my brain.

I sense him whenever I smell a sweet orange from his ranch or a gardenia from his garden,

I sense him every time I go into a supermarket; it was his life,

I sense him every time someone calls me a maverick; because I inherited it from him,

I sense him whenever we go on vacation because he taught us that families have fun together.

I sense him whenever our very large family gathers, which he and my mother created with love.  When I told my mother that cinnamon was a natural aphrodisiac, she hit her forehead and said that’s why we have 7 children he would never leave me alone. Lebanese cook with a lot of cinnamon.

Good Grief … he’s everywhere in my brain.

I feel him every time I lift weights, as we did so many Sunday workouts together,

I feel him whenever I do a plank, knowing he will go longer than anyone in the room, even me because he was so stubborn,

I feel him every time I walk Mr. Vinnie.  I remember buying him for dad because he was so sad when the original Vinnie died.  He loved his dogs … sometimes more than his kids.

I feel him every time I remember kissing the top of his head when I’d say see you next week, and

I’ll always feel his soft hands before they took him away the day he died.

Good Grief … he’s everywhere in my brain and is intricately woven into the fabric of my soul.

He was bold, brilliant, outspoken, and the essence of the American Dream.  I won’t lie, early on it was hard being his son … the boss’s kid.  How could anyone live up to the success he created. As a grocer he fed thousands, he was a leader in his industry and a financial wizard.  He was tough, opinionated, and yes I know many of you don’t want to hear it, but he could be brutal.  He used to say, “I don’t get heart attacks, I give them.”

In 1980 when I told him I wanted to be a psychiatrist, he asked me why I didn’t want to be a real doctor, why did I want to be a nut doctor and hang out with nuts all day long?  It hurt my feelings.  He later came to respect what I did and sent me many, many patients.  Apparently, he also knew a lot of nuts 😊. 

Good grief … my father is everywhere in my brain …

From longing for his approval as a child while he was away working to build an empire …

To adopting his work ethic … he was working the day he died, and I suspect I will be working too when my time comes …

To finally being one of my best friends in the last years of his life and the father who was perfect for me.

If you’re suffering from grief, depression, anxiety, or other issues, understand that mental health problems can’t wait. During these uncertain times, your mental well-being is more important than ever, and waiting until life gets back to “normal” is likely to make your symptoms worsen over time.

At Amen Clinics, we’re here for you. We offer in-clinic brain scanning and appointments, as well as mental telehealth, remote clinical evaluations, and video therapy for adults, children, and couples. 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.

“I was in Ireland & had been invited to open up, solo, for U2. It was the day of the show… I spent the whole day getting more & more anxious that I didn’t have anything to wear. Instead of going to the arena where the show was being held, I went to a huge shopping mall… I started to get a string of texts from U2’s tour manager asking where the hell I was & why I was skipping soundcheck… Then I got a final text from U2’s tour manager: ‘Don’t bother coming. Show has been canceled. Bono has just died suddenly and unexpectedly from COVID-19…’”

This is an excerpt from one of the many submissions to “I Dream of COVID,” a website where people are documenting the weird and wild dreams they’re having during the global coronavirus pandemic. People are also posting their nightly subconscious escapades on Twitter using #pandemicdreams, including this one:

“I had a dream last night that I went food shopping and people kept intentionally touching me, circling me and intentionally coughing on me. Apparently my subconscious along with the rest of me is pretty damn terrified. #pandemic dreams”

Apparently, the coronavirus isn’t just attacking people’s health and mental well-being, it’s also messing with our minds as we sleep.

What’s Causing Pandemic Dreams?

“Our dreams are being influenced by our heightened stress and anxiety, changes in sleep patterns, isolation, and more,” says Dr. Shane Creado, a psychiatrist and sleep medicine physician at Amen Clinics in Chicago and the author of Peak Sleep Performance for Athletes.

Dr. Creado says he’s been hearing from many patients that not only are they having dreams that are extremely vivid and strange, but they also seem to be remembering more of their dreams. They’re not alone. French scientists from the Lyon Neuroscience Research Center have found a 35% increase in dream recall due to the global pandemic.

Dr. Creado, who does sleep consults and who hosts an online course on Overcoming Insomnia, explains that this may be because the anxiety we’re experiencing during our waking hours is impacting the quality of our sleep. According to Dr. Creado, the fears and stress surrounding the coronavirus pandemic are causing more awakenings, or what is known as sleep fragmentation. This means that when you’re anxious, you lose sleep.

More importantly, to make up for sleep loss, your brain may quickly take a dive into rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep, which is when our most vivid dreams typically occur. “Thus, worry can not only trigger nightmares,” says the sleep specialist, “but the sleep loss associated with them can increase their frequency.”

Why Nightmares Aren’t All Bad

As many as 85% of adults occasionally experience nightmares, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. What are the most common nightmare themes? A 2016 study found that the top 10 nightmares involve:

1. Falling
2. Being chased
3. Death
4. Feeling lost
5. Feeling trapped
6. Being attacked
7. Missing an important event
8. Waking up late
9. Loved one passing
10. Sustaining an injury

Other common nightmares include your teeth falling out, being paralyzed, or bugs crawling on you.

But nightmares aren’t all bad. Dream experts believe they may serve a purpose. “In some ways, nightmares may help us better navigate stressful situations in our waking lives,” says Dr. Creado, who trained in sleep analysis from a psychoanalyst from Harvard, and who helps his patients in dream analysis sessions.

A 2019 study in Human Brain Mapping suggests that nightmares help decrease anxiety by acting like a sort of rehearsal for how to deal with daytime stressors.

Having nightmares during this global pandemic is understandable. But having repetitive nightmares can be very troubling and can prevent people from even wanting to go to sleep.  They are common in people who have been traumatized. And we are all currently being traumatized by the fear of COVID-19. Dr. Creado says, “It’s very likely that after things go back to ‘normal,’ we’ll be seeing rising numbers of people suffering from recurring nightmares and sleep disturbances.”

How to Reduce Nightmares Even During a Pandemic

To minimize nightmares, you need to get restful sleep. The following simple strategies can help you get better quality sleep to reduce the sleep fragmentation that can increase vivid dreams and nightmares.

• Don’t watch stressful TV news at bedtime. Limit your exposure to news about the coronavirus, and don’t tune in when it’s time to hit the sack.

• Avoid alcohol. So many people are using alcohol to calm their anxieties while in quarantine, but this can backfire. Alcohol may make you feel drowsy initially, but its effects wear off and make you more likely to wake up in the middle of the night.

• Skip caffeine. Similarly, consuming coffee, tea, or chocolate in the afternoon or evening can disrupt sleep. Avoid these substances after lunch.

• Stop eating 3-4 hours before bedtime. If you’re indulging in comfort foods and snacking on the couch while you’re binge-watching Netflix, can interrupt your sleep.

• Try natural supplements. Melatonin, magnesium, l-theanine, GABA, and 5-HTP—all found in Put Me To Sleep Naturally—help to calm the brain and promote healthy sleep.

• Seek professional help for sleep disturbances before you start popping sleeping pills. Brain imaging studies show that sleeping pills can harm the brain, and once you start taking them they can be very hard to stop. You don’t have to live with sleep disorders like chronic insomnia, sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, or others. Finding a sleep specialist who is also trained in psychiatry like Dr. Creado, can help identify the root causes of your issues so you can fully address them.

If you’re struggling with sleep disturbances, 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.

Over 15,000 lives lost. Nearly half a million people infected. Millions of jobs lost. Nearly all of us forced into isolation. As a nation of over 327 million people, we are all feeling the effects and being traumatized. For some of us, it may develop into posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a condition that affects approximately 3.5% of American adults.

PTSD has been making headlines in recent years as awareness about the condition grows, but there’s another side to trauma that few people know about. In some people, trauma can actually lead to something positive. And during these unprecedented times, it may spark post-pandemic growth.

What Trauma Does to the Brain

First, let’s look at the effects of trauma on brain activity. Brain imaging research has shown that PTSD is associated with hyperactivity in the amygdala (the brain’s fear center) and other emotional parts of the brain. It also leads to decreased activity in parts of the prefrontal cortex (PFC), which is the region involved in impulse control, judgment, empathy, and forethought. This means that people who suffer from trauma can have heightened fear responses (high amygdala activity) and lower self-control (lower PFC activity).

The combination of heightened fear and lowered self-control is a prescription for trouble and often leads people to try to self-medicate. Common forms of self-medication, such as alcohol, opiates, marijuana, or a diet laden with sugar and foods that turn to sugar, can help to calm the amygdala and anxiety in the short run, but they also reduce the activity of the PFC even more, giving someone less control over these behaviors. It all adds up to further trouble, including addictions and obesity.

But it doesn’t have to.

Strive for the “Post-Pandemic Growth”

One of the most exciting areas of trauma research is in posttraumatic growth (PTG). The term was coined in the mid-1990s by psychologists Richard Tedeschi and Lawrence Calhoun at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

They have found that whenever a group of people is traumatized—as we are all currently being traumatized—about 10% will develop PTSD. Considering our current population, this means that following the pandemic, about 30 million people could develop symptoms of PTSD, such as nightmares, flashbacks, or feeling numb. Approximately 80% of people will return to their normal baseline within a few months. Another 10% will actually be stronger than they were before the trauma happened—they will experience post-pandemic growth. 

Achieving this type of growth is based on 5 factors that can improve symptoms of distress. The mnemonic SPARK can help you remember them. Here’s a look at how some people are already planting the seeds for post-pandemic growth.

• A deepening of Spiritual life, a significant change in one’s belief system, a new or stronger sense of meaning and purpose. For example, one woman said she felt guilty about staying home and felt like she wasn’t doing enough to help people with coronavirus. However, by staying at home, she is actually being heroic for doing the right thing to help prevent the spread of the virus. You are too. If you’re staying at home, you’re saving lives, which can give you a stronger sense of purpose.

• Seeing new Possibilities because of the trauma or grief. New opportunities have emerged from the situation, opening up possibilities that were not present before. What are the possibilities you’re going to experience in your life because of the imposed quarantine? Are you learning a new skill or changing the way you do business? For example, in the healthcare industry, some providers have had to introduce telemedicine practically overnight. Amen Clinics has been using telehealth for 30 years. With patients in 120 countries, some foreign patients may come to the clinic for a scan, but all follow-up appointments are via phone, Zoom, or some other form of video conferencing. Try to embrace the possibilities this situation presents.

• Increased Appreciation of life in general; better at appreciating each moment. With COVID-19 stomping around the globe like Godzilla making people afraid, this may be the first time you’re faced with a real fear of death. But when you come to terms that death is inevitable, it can make you realize that you need to truly enjoy this gift of life. You can flip this to a positive by using this time to ask yourself, “What is important to me?” Is it your family? Your career? Giving to others? You can begin building more appreciation for life while you’re in quarantine so it will flourish when things get back to some semblance of normalcy.

• A change in Relationships or relating to others in more meaningful ways than before the trauma occurred. There is an increased sense of connection. People appreciate family and friends more. During this pandemic when people are being forced to shelter at home, it’s an ideal time to deepen your relationships with loved ones. One Amen Clinics patient is married to a professional athlete, who is typically traveling for much of the year. But now, he is able to be home with their young children, and it’s turned out to be a great opportunity for family bonding. What are you doing to enhance your relationships?

• Increased sense of Kick-ass personal strength. This is seen in expressions such as, “If I lived through that I can live through anything!” Now is the time to work on your mental toughness. You need to practice mental hygiene and disinfect your thoughts on a regular basis, just like you wash your hands multiple times a day. To begin planting the seeds for post-pandemic growth, start making the following part of your daily habits:

• Start each day with, “Today is going to be a great day.”
• End each day with “What went well today?”
• Before making any decisions, ask yourself, “Is this good for my brain or bad for it?”
• Whenever you feel mad, sad, nervous, or out of control, write down your thought and ask yourself, “Is it true?”

In this current time of coronavirus-fueled trauma, ask yourself what changes you can start making now to spark post-pandemic growth. According to Dr. Tedeschi, as many as 90% of trauma survivors report at least one aspect of posttraumatic growth. Which aspect of your life can you improve?

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. 

On March 31, Dr. Daniel Amen was featured on the Dr. Phil show to talk about how to do a mental health checkup during the coronavirus pandemic. In this special feature, the two doctors provide the tools you need to boost your brain function and your psychological health to help you cope better with the current global health crisis. Here are some of the highlights of what they share.

1. Practice mental hygiene.

With people experiencing high levels of anxiety, fear, stress, and depression, it’s more important than ever to think about our mental well-being. “We have to pay attention to what we say to ourselves,” says Dr. Phil.

According to Dr. Amen, “Mental hygiene is just as important as washing your hands…literally we have to disinfect our thoughts.”

On the show, Dr. Amen offers several solutions to help viewers learn how to practice mental hygiene and to go from being filled with anxious and fearful thoughts to more positive and empowering thoughts that can help boost brain function as well as immune system function.

2. Don’t let your amygdala hijack your brain.

As Dr. Amen explains on the show, the amygdala is considered the fear center of the brain. When activity in this region goes up, activity in your frontal lobes goes down. The frontal lobes are involved in planning, judgment, and decision-making. This disconnect drives panic and fear and interferes with good decision-making. To keep your amygdala from hijacking your brain, avoid anything that lowers activity in the frontal lobes.

On the show, Dr. Amen shares 4 common things you may be doing that could be decreasing activity in your frontal lobes. And he offers a simple breathing technique that can calm your amygdala to help you feel better fast.

3. Remember, some anxiety is a good thing.

Too much stress and anxiety can attack areas of the brain involved in mood and memory and can suppress the immune system, however, some anxiety is beneficial. According to Dr. Amen, it’s what drives you to do the right things, like social distancing. Dr. Phil, a pilot since he was a teenager, says it’s a good thing “to recognize true danger.” Achieving a healthy level of anxiety is the key, and Dr. Amen offers a number of suggestions to help you mitigate rampant anxiety and replace it with appropriate concern.

4. Changing tiny habits can make a big difference.

On the show, Dr. Amen discusses the simple lifestyle changes and foods that can improve brain function, boost moods, and support the immune system.

5. Make sleep a priority.

The #1 thing you can do to keep your immune system operating at peak capacity is to get adequate sleep. In this feature of Dr. Phil, the pair of doctors offer simple strategies to help you sleep better.

Watch the Episodes here:

Self-Isolating? ‘Mental Hygiene Is Just As Important As Washing Your Hands,’ Says Psychiatrist

Psychiatrist Says Writing Down Negative Thoughts Helps To Get Them Out Of Your Head

Brain Specialist Offers Breathing Exercise To Help Relieve Anxiety During COVID-19 Pandemic

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. 

Everybody worries from time to time, but some people seem to have a Ph.D. in worrying. Are you one of them? Do you spend your days (and nights) ruminating over every little thing you might have done wrong or that might go wrong in the future? Worried about the germs on every surface you touch? Worried that you should have changed that one PowerPoint slide on that big project at work? Worried that your child might get sick? Or even worse, worried that you might in some way put your child in harm’s way?

Ruminating about things you can’t control or fixating on fears of what might happen isn’t healthy. But is it normal? When worrying becomes chronic and intrusive thoughts become distressing, it can be a sign of a mental health condition that is often underrecognized and undertreated—obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).

Why OCD is So Misunderstood

Many people know that OCD can involve repetitive rituals, such as excessive hand washing, checking and re-checking that the door is locked, or extreme cleaning. What people don’t understand is that these compulsions are typically a way for people to deal with unwanted thoughts and worries that loop in the brain. And you don’t have to have physical rituals to have OCD. Some people with the condition develop mental rituals—such as praying, counting, or saying words silently to oneself—to cope with their worries.

If you’re one of the 1 in 40 adults affected by OCD or if your child is one of the 1 in 200 kids who have it, you may have repetitive thoughts and worries about:

• Germs
• Contamination
• Disease
• Fear of making mistakes
• Fear of making the wrong decision
• Forbidden sexuality
• Harming someone
• Losing control
• Religion
• A need for symmetry
• A need for things to be “perfect”
• Superstitions or fears about “bad” numbers or colors

These unwanted worries can trigger distressing feelings of anxiety or disgust. People with OCD often make a great effort to suppress or resist these intrusive thoughts and worries, but the more a person tries to control them, the more powerful they become.

Why OCD is One of the Most Misdiagnosed Conditions

Many mental health conditions can be misdiagnosed, but OCD is one of the most likely to be mistaken for other conditions because it involves so many overlapping symptoms. In fact, a 2015 study among primary care physicians found that half of OCD cases were misdiagnosed. And other research on the diagnosis and management of OCD reported that it takes an average of 11 years to receive treatment after meeting the diagnostic criteria for OCD.

OCD can be misdiagnosed as:

ADD/ADHD: People with ADD/ADHD tend to struggle focus and attention and often don’t complete tasks. People with OCD may also have trouble finishing projects, but it’s due to a need for everything to be perfect, and if things aren’t just right they don’t complete it.

Anxiety: Like people with OCD, those with anxiety may be filled with anxious thoughts and worries. The difference is that people with anxiety tend to worry about real-life concerns while those with OCD may have irrational thoughts and worries.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD): People with autism may display repetitive behaviors, which can mimic some of the ritualistic patterns seen in people with OCD.

Mood disorders: In depression, people have many negative thought patterns that are also common in those with OCD.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD): People with PTSD often make an effort to avoid places that bring up memories of traumatic events, while those with OCD may use avoidance to minimize the risk of triggering unwanted worries.

Psychosis or schizophrenia: These disorders are characterized by delusions. People with OCD may have irrational fears that can be mistaken for delusions. The difference is that people with OCD typically recognize that their worries are unfounded but are unable to control them, whereas those with psychosis or schizophrenia believe their delusions.

Tourette syndrome: Involuntary vocal or motor tics are the hallmarks of this condition. Some of the repetitive rituals common in people with OCD may be mistaken for Tourette.

How Chronic Worrying Plays Out in the Brain

Brain imaging studies show that the chronic worrying associated with OCD isn’t a mental health problem, but rather a brain health issue. Brain scans using SPECT imaging technology reveal abnormalities in the brains of people with OCD. In particular, SPECT scans show increased blood flow in two regions of the brain—the basal ganglia and anterior cingulate gyrus.

• Basal ganglia: This region helps set the body’s anxiety level and is involved in forming habits. When there is too much activity in the basal ganglia, it is associated with increased anxiety and heightened fear.

• Anterior cingulate gyrus (ACG): This area is involved in allowing people to shift attention from subject to subject. When the ACG is overactive, people tend to get “stuck” on the same thought or behavior.

• Low serotonin: Low levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin are often seen in people with an overactive ACG and in people with OCD.

Getting Unstuck from Your Worries

You can overcome chronic worrying and OCD. It starts by calming the areas of the brain that are overactive. To see some strategies you can use, read this blog on 5 simple things you can do if you have OCD.

At Amen Clinics, we take a whole-body approach to helping people overcome symptoms of chronic worrying and OCD. 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.

“No one has ever grown up in the history of humanity like Justin Bieber. No one has ever been that famous worldwide in an era of social media where every year of your adolescence you were the most Googled person on the planet.” 

In Justin Bieber’s new docuseries, “Seasons,” that’s how his manager Scooter Braun describes what it was like for the superstar to grow up in the public eye. The “Baby,” “Sorry,” and “Love Yourself” artist was discovered at age 13 and shot to instant fame, becoming the world’s biggest YouTube sensation, a social media phenom, and an international chart-topper.

Despite his enormous talent and the adulation that came with fame, he faced some serious struggles like so many people do. “Being human is challenging for everybody,” he says in the docuseries. “We’re all struggling to some degree. We all have our individual pains, and fears and anxieties, worries.” Justin knows this only too well because while his career was soaring, his personal life was spinning out of control into anxiety, depression, and addiction. And his brain was under assault.

Drugs, Rock ’n’ Roll, and the Adolescent Brain

The adolescent brain is a remarkable work in progress, with billions of connections called synapses being created at lightning-fast speeds, and an important process called myelinization underway. With myelinization, brain cells are coated with a protective sheath that increases the brain’s processing speeds. The process begins at the back of the brain and works its way forward, with the prefrontal cortex (the area involved in impulse control, forethought, judgment, and empathy) the last area to gain the protective covering, usually around a person’s mid-20s.

Certain things like alcohol, drugs, and even fame can disrupt this important process. A brain imaging study appearing in the Journal of Psychiatric Research showed that heavy marijuana use among young adults and adolescents may affect normal brain development. The study found brain abnormalities in areas involved with decision-making, memory, and executive functions—the regions in the front of the brain that are the last to undergo myelinization.

Substance use and fame at a young age can also disrupt the reward system in the adolescent brain. In a healthy brain, whenever we do something enjoyable, it’s like pressing a button in the brain to release a little bit of the neurotransmitter dopamine to make us feel pleasure. Pushing these pleasure buttons too often or too strong reduces dopamine’s effectiveness. Eventually, it takes more and more excitement and stimulation to feel anything at all.

In the YouTube docuseries, Justin reveals he started smoking marijuana when he was just 13. Then he moved on to harder substances, including a mind-numbing cocktail of cough syrup (hydrocodone) mixed with alcohol and prescription medication. The concoction was so potent, his security team would creep into his room in the middle of the night to check his pulse and make sure he was still breathing. With the substance abuse and all those screaming fans, Justin’s reward system was getting worn out. He was addicted not only to the drugs but also to fame. And he was in a downward spiral.

It became so overwhelming for him that he canceled the final dates of his “Purpose” world tour in 2017, and the media announced that he was having issues and it seemed like he was “falling into another dark place.” They were right.

What Justin Bieber’s Brain Scan Showed

In Episode 5 of the docuseries (which is currently available on YouTube premium), Justin reveals that he has been coming to neuropsychiatrist and brain imaging expert Dr. Daniel Amen at Amen Clinics for 5 years for help with the issues he’s been struggling with.

Justin bravely opened up to Dr. Amen about the trauma and instability he experienced in his childhood, his addictions, and his anxiety and depression. To find the root causes of his issues, he underwent brain SPECT imaging. SPECT measures blood flow and activity in the brain and shows 3 things: areas with healthy activity, too much activity, or too little activity.

Before coming to Amen Clinics, Justin had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, a condition that is often misdiagnosed. In fact, 57% of people diagnosed with bipolar disorder don’t actually have the condition, according to a 2008 study from researchers at Brown University. Justin’s brain scans showed something other than bipolar disorder, and it changed the course of his care. You can see more about what his brain scans revealed in the episode.

Justin’s Journey to Healing

Drawing on our brain imaging work and the latest neuroscience, Justin made the commitment to get on a path to better brain health. To help heal his brain, the young man started doing hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), a noninvasive treatment that involves breathing 100% pure oxygen in a pressurized chamber. The increased oxygen is picked up via the bloodstream and transported to damaged tissues to facilitate the healing process.

HBOT has been used to improve many issues including, but not limited to:

• Concussions and traumatic brain injuries (TBI)
• Anxiety and depression
• Attention problems
• Lyme disease
• PTSD

Justin has told Dr. Amen that he loves HBOT therapy so much he got a hyperbaric chamber for his home, and he uses it on a daily basis.

When Dr. Amen informed Justin how important nutrition and supplementation is if you want to change your brain and heal your mind, the musical artist cleaned up his diet and also started doing IV nutrient therapy on a regular basis. IV therapy provides more potent doses of important nutrients than oral supplements, and because it bypasses the digestive system you get 100% absorption without any gastrointestinal issues.

HBOT and IV therapy are only part of the brain-based plan that has been helping him cope with the anxiety, depression, and other issues he faces.

The artist has subsequently received a diagnosis of Lyme disease, a bacterial infection that can lead to a vast array of neuropsychological symptoms, including:

• Impaired attention, focus, concentration, judgment, and impulse control
• Impaired memory and speech functions
• Disorganization and getting lost
• Poor problem-solving and decision-making abilities
• Slower mental processing speed
• Symptoms similar to dementia and Alzheimer’s disease
• Psychosis and hallucinations

With a comprehensive treatment plan in place, the superstar feels like he’s on the right track to healing and getting back to the creative music-making process and performing that feeds his soul. He says it’s because he’s “in a good headspace… a better headspace.” We would say, it’s really all about being in a better “brainspace.”

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 of depression. 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.

There’s no question police officers have a very hazardous job. Every officer undergoes extensive training to be prepared for the possible dangers of dealing with an armed suspect, a hostage situation, or a robbery in progress. But they may not be fully aware of the threat associated with on-the-job concussions and traumatic brain injuries (TBIs).

Over 2 million new head injuries occur in the U.S. every year, according to the CDC. Although there aren’t specific statistics available on the prevalence of TBIs among law enforcement personnel, a 2018 study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine does show that officers are three times as likely to suffer a nonfatal injury than all other U.S. workers.

Even though most people are familiar with some of the physical effects of TBIs, very few know that they are also a major cause of psychiatric illness. Even in the medical community and the mental health field, this fact remains hidden. In large part, there are two main reasons why:

1. Traditional psychiatrists rarely ever look at their patients’ brains, so they don’t make the connection between mental health and brain health.

2. The brain imaging tools medical professionals typically use to assess a TBI, such as MRI or CT scans, look only at the brain’s structure, not its function. This results in many people with TBIs being told their results are normal, even though they may be experiencing symptoms that are anything but normal.

Common Causes of TBIs in Law Enforcement

Police officers are vulnerable to a wide range of head injuries. Some of the common causes of TBIs among police officers include:

• Vehicle crashes
• Falls
• Intentional or accidental blows to the head
• Explosive forced entry
• Flashbang devices
• Chronic exposure to low-level blasts

Research on military veterans shows that repetitive low-level blasts can cause TBIs even if they didn’t experience symptoms associated with a concussion. Tactical law enforcement personnel are also repeatedly exposed to low-level blasts and need to be aware of the consequences.

What Happens in the Brain After Physical Trauma?

Many people think the brain is rubbery and fixed within the skull, but it isn’t. In fact, the brain is soft, about the consistency of soft butter, tofu, or custard—somewhere between egg whites and gelatin. It floats in cerebrospinal fluid and is housed in a very hard skull that has many sharp bony ridges. As such, it is easily damaged.

Whiplash, falls, and blows to the head can cause the brain to slosh around, slamming into the hard ridges inside the skull. In the event of a blast, a sharp rise in atmospheric pressure sets off shock waves within the brain. These temporary effects can lead to long-term harm.

This can cause a cascade of brain injuries, including:

• Bruising
• Broken blood vessels and bleeding
• Increased pressure
• Lack of oxygen
• Damage to nerve cell connections
• Ripping open brain cells that spill out proteins like “tau” that cause inflammatory reactions

In addition, the pituitary gland, which regulates hormone production, is located in a vulnerable part of the skull and is often damaged in head injuries. This can cause major hormonal imbalances that are also linked to mental health issues.

Functional brain scans, such as brain SPECT imaging, can reveal signs of TBI in the brain. Typically, SPECT findings in TBIs include areas of decreased activity from the injury in addition to injuries in a contra-coup (opposing area) pattern. In some cases, there may be excessive activity seen in the site of an injury.

Recognize the Signs and Symptoms of TBIs

In some people, the signs and symptoms of a TBI or concussion develop immediately. In others, it may be days, weeks, months, or even years before symptoms emerge. In still other people, no symptoms surface until a second or third head injury triggers a problem.

It’s important to understand that there are physical, sensory, mental, cognitive, and behavioral symptoms associated with head injuries.

Physical and Sensory Symptoms:

• Loss of consciousness
• Feeling dazed or disoriented
• Fatigue
• Trouble sleeping
• Sleeping more than usual
• Problems speaking
• Sensitivity to noise and/or light
• Vision problems
• Ringing in the ears
• Dizziness
• Balance problems
• Nausea
• Headaches
• Changes in sense of smell
•  

Mental and Cognitive Symptoms:

• Confusion
• Difficulty concentrating
• Trouble paying attention
• Memory problems
• Difficulty with word-finding
• Mental fatigue
• Mood swings
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Impulsivity

Behavioral Symptoms:

• Social withdrawal
• Angry or violent outbursts
• Drug or alcohol abuse

When symptoms persist, they can lead to other consequences. Cognitive problems, aggression, impulsivity, and other issues can put officers at serious risk of other injuries, including additional head injuries.

Head Injuries and Mental Health

Law enforcement personnel need to be aware that TBI has been linked to depression, anxiety, panic attacks, ADD/ADHD, learning problems, memory problems and dementia, school failure, job failure, homelessness, drug and alcohol abuse, domestic violence, psychosis, borderline personality disorder, murder, and suicide.

The problem is most people don’t connect the dots between their psychiatric symptoms and a head injury that may have happened years earlier. In fact, many people forget they’ve suffered a significant head injury as amnesia surrounding an accident is common.

Getting Help for TBIs

Unfortunately, trying to treat the psychiatric symptoms alone doesn’t work and won’t until the underlying brain injury is healed. However, adopting a brain optimization program that includes taking measures to protect your brain from future injuries, good nutrition, regular physical exercise, targeted supplements, and new learning is a good place to start. Other treatments that help heal the brain include neurofeedback and hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

• Neurofeedback is an interactive, non-invasive treatment that helps strengthen and retrain the brain to achieve a healthier, more focused state. Research, including a 2017 study on 40 individuals with post-concussion syndrome, shows it is helpful for people with TBI.

• Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is a noninvasive treatment that involves breathing 100% pure oxygen in a pressurized chamber to accelerate the healing process. A brain SPECT imaging study from 2011 on people with a TBI showed significant improvement in mood, impulsivity, anxiety, and quality of life scores following treatment with HBOT.

At Amen Clinics, we have helped thousands of people with concussions or TBIs to heal their brain and minimize their symptoms. We use a combination of the least toxic, most effective therapies, which may include neurofeedback, HBOT, nutraceuticals, and medications, as well as simple lifestyle changes that can make a big difference.

If you have suffered a concussion or head injury, find out how we can help. Talk to a specialist today by calling 888-288-9834 or schedule a visit online.