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In today’s world, we’re faced with all kinds of psychological stress daily—there’s no escaping it. Unfortunately, too much stress is bad for your brain and body. Keep your stress levels low and support the health of your brain with these 5 stress-busting techniques:

1. Gather Information

What you do not know has power over you, whereas knowledge brings you choices and control. Fear of the unknown can increase your stress and anxiety. When you have questions, ask them and find answers. Getting more information about your challenges will bring you closer to your goals and help you manage the confusing and stressful situations that life brings your way. When it comes to personal relationships, gathering more information and avoiding assumptions is critical. If you are confused about a loved one’s behavior or believe that they are upset with you, pick a calm moment and gently ask for clarification. Without questioning your thoughts, assumptions can take over and little issues can turn into BIG issues that ruin your relationships.

2. Develop a sense of personal control

Taking personal responsibility for what happens in your life and looking for creative ways to solve your problems will stop you from feeling like a victim and will instantly give you more control. This practice can be uncomfortable at first, but taking personal responsibility will help you feel a greater sense of freedom in the long run.

3. Keep your pleasure centers healthy

Deep inside your brain, your pleasure centers respond to several neurotransmitters, particularly dopamine. When dopamine is low, depression and low motivation are much more likely—it can be harder to find your sense of joy and lift yourself out of a funk. Naturally boost dopamine by engaging in meaningful and pleasurable activities on a regular basis. Do work that you love, get lots of exercise and take time to have fun with your loved ones. It is equally important to avoid wearing out your pleasure centers through substance abuse or too many repetitive behaviors, such as gambling, video games, and compulsive eating or shopping.

4. Clear up past traumas

To be resilient, it is essential to clean out the closet in your head of past or current traumas so they no longer control your future. If you experience reoccurring stress from traumatic memories, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) combined with a psychotherapeutic treatment technique called EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) may help. The focus of EMDR is to resolve or eliminate emotional distress by shifting how a memory is triggered in the brain. EMDR can be particularly helpful for people with a history of abuse or those with PTSD (posttraumatic stress disorder).

5. Build a community

If you have ever felt euphoric after getting together and bonding with a group of friends, you have experienced the brain-boosting power of social connection! Spending time in a positive community of like-minded people is a wonderful way to boost your bliss hormones, such as oxytocin. In fact, numerous studies have indicated that those who feel close, connected, loved and supported have a lower incidence of depression, anxiety, heart disease, infections, and cancer. Conversely, unhealthy habits can also be contagious, so bring awareness to the kind of company you keep and focus your energy on people who are positive and engage in healthy habits. Need More Help? Having a regular stress-management program is critical to keeping your brain healthy in the long run. You really CAN learn to manage your stress and make your brain better, but you need a very specific program to do so. You have a choice about how you respond to the stress in your life. Amen Clinics has helped tens of thousands of people manage stress and anxiety. If you feel that you or a loved one could benefit from an evaluation, contact us today or call 888-288-9834. “It is believed that as much as 80% of all disease and illness is initiated and aggravated by stress.” – The National Safety Council Wow! A statement like this gives good reason for us all to ponder the role stress plays in our lives—and more importantly, what we can do to neutralize it and minimize its ill effects on our bodies… and brains. A first step is to understand the physiological response our bodies have to stress. We’ve all heard of the “fight or flight” response. It’s our built-in system for dealing with threats, real or perceived. For instance, let’s say you encounter a danger—you are on a hiking trail and you see a rattlesnake crossing your path. Immediately, your hypothalamus at the base of your brain sends an alert signal out to your body. A combination of signals triggers your adrenal glands to release a surge of hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol. The adrenaline gets your heart rate and blood pressure up and gives you a rush of energy to escape the danger. In a flash, you step back to a safe distance. Cortisol, your body’s primary stress hormone, releases glucose into your bloodstream, enhances your brain’s use of glucose and signals substances to be on the ready for tissue repair. It also puts your body in survival mode, reducing nonessential functions—altering immune responses and suppressing the digestive and reproductive systems and growth processes. Mentally, your body’s natural alarm response communicates with the area of your mind that manages mood, motivation, and fear.

Overexposure to cortisol and other stress hormones can disrupt almost all your body’s processes and lead to:

1. Anxiety 2. Depression 3. Digestive Problems 4. Heart Disease 5. Sleep Problems 6. Weight Gain 7. Memory and concentration impairment No wonder so many of us lie awake at night, report fatigue, headaches, ongoing irritability and unexplained mood swings because of feeling stressed out. Studies are now showing that overall stress levels have increased, with greater percentages of adults reporting extreme levels of stress. Adults report that stress has a negative impact on their mental and physical health.

Address the Stress

While you may know about managing stress through lifestyle choices—exercise, diet, meditation, pursuit of hobbies, etc., you may not be addressing the underlying physiologic issue. If you suffer from everyday stress, you can supplement with herbs and nutrients that support your body’s natural return to calm. And that can make a huge difference.

A Holy Solution

If you’ve got stress, get holy…basil that is. (It’s not the basil you find in your favorite pasta dish.) Holy basil is an adaptogenic herb native to the Indian Subcontinent with a fitting name, as it is highly revered in the Hindu religion. Widely used in Ayurvedic medicine, clinical research suggests that it may help support the body’s natural response to stress: • A six-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled human study examined subjects with stress symptoms. Those who received a holy basil extract formula showed a 39% greater improvement in stress symptoms than those who received placebo. • Additional research showed that after a period of introduced stress and elevated stress hormones, the introduction of holy basil extract supplementation was correlated with a return to normal corticosterone and other stress hormone levels in the test subjects. It appears that holy basil may play a role in helping your body to turn off the “stress alarm.” When you address the stress response in your body, you’ll also be supporting the health of your brain, too. The Amen Clinics biomedical evaluation is part of The Amen Method “Four Circles Approach” to mental and physical health. We treat each patient as an individual, and take a full personal history before beginning SPECT imaging or recommending any treatment program. Call us today at 1-888-288-9834 or schedule an appointment online. Most people think of stress as bad but stress is actually both good and bad. Stress can motivate us to study for an exam or pay our bills on time, it can protect us we buy alarm systems for our homes, businesses or cars, and it can feed us since we go to work to put food on the table. However, too much stress is really bad for your brain and body, and unfortunately, too much of it can also kill you. In fact, did you know that, according to the National Safety Council, as much as 80% of all disease and illness is initiated and aggravated by stress? Chronic exposure to high levels of stress hormones has been associated with countless problems that make us unhappy, such as increased appetite, sugar and fat cravings, and abdominal obesity. Additionally, long-term exposure to high levels of stress hormones has been associated with: The problem with stress in our modern-day world is that, for many of us, it never stops – traffic, bills, bosses, employees, unhappy in-laws, too little sleep, illnesses, and too much to do.

So what do you do if you are dealing with too much stress?

Here are just a few of the helpful things you will hear about: Having a regular stress-management program is critical to keeping your brain healthy in the long run. You really CAN learn to manage your stress and make your brain better, but you need a very specific program to do so. You have a choice about how you respond to the stress in your life. Amen Clinics has helped tens of thousands of people manage stress and anxiety. If you feel that you or a loved one could benefit from an evaluation, contact Amen Clinics Care Center today or call 888-288-9834. Ten years prior to coming to Amen Clinics, Theresa would have described her life as “amazing.” However, a series of very stressful life events had sent her into a tailspin. This began in 2006 when her infant daughter was diagnosed with cancer she developed stress, struggles with mood, and anxiety. “Dear God, if I am not going to get any better, just let me die.”  After her decade-long struggle battling trauma, working with a variety of therapists, and trying countless medications, 43-year-old Theresa recalls uttering these words aloud. Theresa began experiencing difficulty sleeping, which was addressed with different sleeping medications. When Theresa came to Amen Clinics for an evaluation, she was suffering from depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation.

Theresa’s Downward Spiral

A few years later, her older daughter was diagnosed with anorexia and a few years after that, her father’s health began failing. Theresa became his primary caretaker until his death two years ago. Additionally, she was experiencing financial stress due to the mounting medical bills and she had gained a substantial amount of weight due to “stress eating” and feeling too fatigued to exercise. She felt that these issues had caused her to become forgetful. During this time, her insomnia, depression, and anxiety significantly increased. Again, she was given a variety of different medications to try to alleviate her symptoms, some of which seemed to work for a little while before losing their effectiveness. She was also in and out of therapy but didn’t seem to be getting any better.
Prior to coming to Amen Clinics, Theresa feared that no one would be able to figure out what was wrong with her.
The findings from Theresa’s scans revealed marked increased activity in her thalamus which is associated with mood problems as well as marked increased activity in her basal ganglia which is found with anxiety disorders. There were some surprising findings as well – notably, flattening of her prefrontal pole and decreased activity of her temporal, parietal and occipital lobe as well as her prefrontal pole. These findings are indicative of past brain injury she didn’t realize she had! The clinical history viewed in the context of SPECT imaging allowed the Amen Clinics physicians to more fully understand Theresa’s underlying brain physiology so they could create the best possible and most individualized treatment plan for optimizing her brain health. This included personalized supplement, nutritional, and exercise recommendations. In addition, it was recommended that she begin Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) which helps address emotional trauma and Neurofeedback which can help train one’s brain waves to produce healthy patterns, activating areas that need greater stimulation, and calming areas that are overactive.

Theresa’s Improvement

By following these recommendations, Theresa began to feel significantly better. “I am really looking forward to going on a date with my husband tonight. But you know the best part? Last weekend, instead of hiding in my room, I played ball with my kids – they have their mom back!” Theresa’s story wonderfully illustrates the importance of SPECT imaging and how it can transform an individual’s life. If the Amen Clinics physicians had not had the ability to physically see her brain, they would have had to simply guess at what was going on in Theresa’s brain – just as all of the other treatment professionals had done up to that point. At Amen Clinics, we want to help you learn more about your brain and how you can make it better, not only for yourself but for the generations that follow. Call us today at 888-288-9834 or schedule a visit today. *names and/or medical details have been changed to protect the former patient’s identity. It is important to be able to “keep your cool” and remain flexible with your emotions throughout life’s ups and downs. This ability allows you to adapt more effortlessly to new obstacles, situations, and experiences. Being cognitively flexible allows you to grow as a person and to have a better overall attitude.

The ACG and Emotions

By using SPECT brain imaging, we’ve observed that the area in the front part of the brain called the anterior cingulate gyrus (ACG) tends to be overactive in those who have difficulty with cognitive flexibility. The ACG is involved in shifting attention. When it is operating well, it allows us to focus on something, move on, and then shift focus to something else. However, when it is overactive, there is a tendency for people to get stuck. Here are some simple strategies you can integrate into your life to help you overcome a negative mindset, become more flexible, and adjust more easily to life’s curveballs.

Use Nutrition to Boost Your Mood

Your ACG has many “serotonergic” receptors, meaning that people who tend to be stubborn in their thinking or behavior may have a deficit of serotonin. For many, a diet with a higher ratio of complex carbohydrates to protein can be effective. Serotonin levels can also increase by eating foods rich in L-tryptophan which is a building block of serotonin. Such foods include chicken, turkey, salmon, beef, nut butter, eggs, and green peas.

Exercise

You can also increase L-tryptophan by exercising. Exercise increases your energy levels, diminishes your worries, and can distract you from the repetitive thinking patterns that get stuck in your head.

Thought Stopping

An important part of gaining control over your repetitive thoughts is to becoming aware of them when they occur.  When you notice negative thoughts start to creep in, you should envision a red stop sign, and say to yourself, “STOP!” The more you practice this, the more you will gain control over your thoughts.

Write Out Options and Solutions

Writing down your thoughts helps to “get them out of your head,” and allows you to view them more rationally. Follow these steps:
  1. Write down the thought that is stuck in your head.
  2. Write down what you can do to help offset the thought.
  3. Write down the things that you have no control over with regard to the thought.

Think Before Automatically Saying NO

Some people have the tendency to say “no” automatically–even before thinking about what was asked of them. This can be especially problematic in relationships. It is limiting and unnecessary to always dismiss ideas or deny your partner his or her request. To help with this, before responding, take a deep breath, hold it for three seconds, and then take five seconds to exhale while considering what the best way to respond would be. These techniques can help you vastly improve your mental flexibility which in turn will help you reduce your worries, improve your relationships and reduce the distress you experience when you get stuck on unhealthy or negative thoughts and behaviors. If you or a loved one is struggling with emotional flexibility, contact Amen Clinics to schedule a visit, or call our Call Center today at (888) 288-9834. Anxiety and depression are real illnesses. If you or a loved one suffers with either of these potentially debilitating conditions, you are not alone. Left untreated, anxiety and depression can have serious personal and social consequences, including: Anxiety and depression are not the results of character flaws or personal weakness; rather, they are related to biological problems in the brain.

Brain Systems Involved with Anxiety and Depression

The brain is a very complex organ. Through SPECT brain imaging at the Amen Clinics, we have found that there are five major systems in the brain involved with how we feel, what we think and how we act or behave. Abnormalities in any of these five systems – including combinations – can contribute to the symptoms of anxiety and depression.
  1. The Basal Ganglia: Allows for smooth integration of emotions, thoughts, and physical movement.
  1. The Deep Limbic System: Sets the emotional tone of your mind, stores emotional memories, controls motivation and appetite.
  1. The Anterior Cingulate Gyrus: Responsible for cognitive flexibility, this is your ability to go with the flow, adapt to change, and deal successfully with new problems.
  1. The Temporal Lobes: The storage of memories and images that help us define our sense of ourselves.
  1. The Prefrontal Cortex: The “Executive Center” of the brain.

The 7 Types of Anxiety and Depression

One common misconception is that anxiety and depression are separate problems. However, research had demonstrated that anxiety and depression occur together 75 percent of the time. Another misconception is the belief that anxiety and depression are simple and straightforward disorders. Through SPECT brain imaging of tens of thousands of people, the Amen Clinic has described 7 different types of anxiety and depression and knowing which type you have is critical to getting the right help.

Treatment For all Types of Anxiety and Depression

Rule out Medical Causes

Thyroid abnormalities, anemia, sleep apnea, brain injuries, vitamin and nutritional deficiencies, and certain medications can all cause problems related to anxiety and depression. Getting a thorough physical exam is one of the first, most important, steps.

Exercise

All types benefit from exercise because exercise boosts blood flow to the brain.  Exercise also increases your “feel good” hormone, serotonin, availability in the brain. In a study comparing exercise to common antidepressant medication, the two were equally effective after twelve weeks. However, exercise was actually more effective than antidepressants after ten months.

Kill Your ANTs

People with anxiety and depression are often filled with automatic negative thoughts (ANTs). These are the views and judgments that automatically come into your mind and ruin your day. Learning how to correct these negative thought patterns has been found to be as effective as antidepressant medication without any side effects. Amen Clinics has helped tens of thousands of people with anxiety and depression from all over the world and can help you, too. To learn more or schedule a comprehensive evaluation, contact the Amen Clinics Care Center today online or call (888) 288-9834.   Depression can make everyday life feel draining.  Low energy and lack of sleep are the most common symptoms of depression we tend to see at Amen Clinics. Quite often, these feelings can stem from your depression medication – and wind up not solving your real problem, which leaves you feeling even more helpless and frustrated. Have you been on antidepressant medications or mood stabilizers, and have seen little to no improvement?

Restlessness and Depression

When people have been on antidepressants and are not getting any better, they tend to have lower energy than normal. This type of fatigue is different for people who just didn’t get enough sleep last night, or do not live healthy lifestyles. This type of energy lag has a flow. This sort of depression consists of starting your morning feeling groggy and tired. Then by mid-morning, you have a jolt of energy. Around the late afternoon, you are starting to feel extremely worn out. By night time, when you should be falling asleep, you find yourself staying up and unable to rest. Not only is this cycle toxic to your body but it isn’t helping the depression problem that’s occurring in your body.

Depression and Low Energy Explained

When symptoms occur, a great amount of stress is placed on your body. Over time your poor body begins to secrete a neurohormone called cortisol. Cortisol is the stress hormone that has been linked to depression. When your cortisol secretion level is too high, your adrenal glands cannot keep up, resulting in:

Testing Your Cortisol Hormone or Stress Levels

At Amen Clinics, we offer a salivary cortisol test* four times per day (call for locations that offer this test). Unlike most of our human hormones, cortisol levels fluctuate. They go up in the morning and then throughout the day they slowly decrease, making us want to go to sleep by bedtime. If your stress hormone levels happen to run backward, that is when you’ll feel the effects of stress, low energy, and weight gain.

Optimizing Adrenal Function From Stressors

With this salivary test, we are able to optimize your adrenal gland functions and help your brain stay clear and bright.  Balancing your stress hormones also allows you to lose weight, and keep it off. We also test you for depression and cortisol levels:

Why It’s Important to Receive a Proper Diagnosis

In Dr. Daniel G. Amen’s book, “Change Your Brain Change Your Life” he refers to how most people struggling with depression are diagnosed by a psychiatrist or other mental health professional who is searching for a “symptom cluster”. For example, if a patient says they are depressed they are most likely to get a diagnosis of depression and be prescribed antidepressant medication or psychotherapy for depression. However, these diagnostic labels don’t tell us about the underlying biology of these problems. That is why a one-size-fits-all treatment plan for depression, just isn’t realistic. Find a specialist who compassionately comprehends your needs and fears. If you or a loved one is depressed and not getting any better, you might suggest that cortisol hormones are checked, and full physical. For more expert advice, watch: Amen Clinic’s Live Chat on Facebook or contact us here. *Salivary tests are not available at all Clinic locations. Please call 888-288-9834. Major depression isn’t a choice or something that, “just goes away” over time. Depression is a brain issue. The longer depression is left untreated or ineffectively treated, the higher the risk of suicide becomes—especially in those with co-occurring mental health issues. In fact, a 2009 study revealed that 80% of suicide attempts were due to mental disorders, primarily related to anxiety, depression, impulse control and substance abuse. At Amen Clinics we have noticed two different types of suicide risk groups:

1. Those Who Cry Out for Help

The first suicidal risk group are those who express sadness and hopelessness through suicidal communication. This group often uses suicidal behavior to manage or work through difficult feelings. The major warning signs are: • Recklessness • Cutting or threats of self-harm • Increased alcohol consumption • Mild-to-moderate drug overdoses • Talking or writing about death/suicide

2. Those Who are Withdrawn and Hopeless

The second suicide risk group are those who withdraw, almost completely, into a deep sense of hopelessness and helplessness. This group is often quieter, and they are at highest risk for using lethal methods to complete suicide. The major warning signs are: • A lack of usual and prior emotional vitality and human connectedness • Becoming withdrawn, apathetic and disconnected from the world • The tendency to push others away, both passively and actively • No longer taking advantage of opportunities in life • Giving away personal items

What We Know Through Brain SPECT Imaging

We have seen that there are certain brain system activity patterns that demonstrate a person’s vulnerability to suicidal ideation and follow-through. If help is sought early enough, a targeted treatment plan can be created (using multiple methods) to effectively manage and recover from major depression and/or the co-occurring mental health issues that worsen depression.

A Note About Survivor Guilt

When suicide does occur, the act devastates lives. Family members are often left confused, wishing that they could have known—could have done something to prevent it. Sometimes they even blame themselves for not knowing their loved one was contemplating suicide and carry this emotional pain with them through their life. This is called survivor guilt, and left unsupported, it can also cause major depression… or lead to suicide. If you or a loved one is struggling with survivor guilt, seek help and connect to support groups. Please don’t suffer in silence.

Let Us Help Today

We will help you learn more about your brain and how to feel better. Give us a call at 1-888-288-9834 or click here to schedule an appointment. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a United States-based suicide prevention network of 161 crisis centers that provides a 24/7, toll-free hotline available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. Call 1-800-273-8255. Back in the day, pregnant women were treated like they had some sort of illness and were advised not to exercise. Today, this type of advice just sounds absurd. Moderate exercise is one of the best things you can do for yourself and your baby during pregnancy. It will help your body cope with all the changes it’s going through, will help prevent gestational diabetes, will build your strength and stamina in preparation for labor and delivery (which also reduces the likelihood of cesarean section), and is the absolute best way to reduce rising levels of stress and anxiety, which is critical.

Can Stress Harm You While Pregnant?

The answer is YES. An abundance of stress and anxiety can harm both you and your baby. Stress has been linked to premature birth, neurodevelopmental disorders, anger, and even allergies. Furthermore, untreated stress and/or anxiety will dramatically increase your chances of developing depression after the baby is born, so it’s best to manage your stress levels throughout pregnancy with calming, brain-healthy exercises.

Is Yoga a Good Type of Exercise for Pregnant Women?

Yoga is a perfect choice for expectant mothers because it doesn’t elevate the heart rate above 140 beats per minute and won’t leave you breathless, which could compromise oxygen supply going to your baby. Plus, it’s fantastic for both strength and serenity, and this study has confirmed it.

What Research Confirms

Published in the Journal of Depression and Anxiety, the study monitored 59 first-time pregnant women over a span of 8 weeks. The women were randomized into two groups: a weekly yoga class group and a treatment-as-usual group. Researchers asked both groups to self-report their stress and anxiety levels, while also recording cortisol (stress hormone) levels at both the first and last session of the 8-week course.

The Results

The outcome was impressive! • The pregnant women who attended yoga class every week for 8 weeks experienced less anxiety, compared to those who didn’t do yoga. • A single session of yoga was found to reduce self-reported anxiety among the women by one-third, and reduce cortisol levels by an average of 14%. If you often experience elevated stress levels or are anxious about giving birth, we strongly suggest that you try yoga. If there isn’t a studio where you live (or you are nervous about taking your first class in a room full of strangers) there are some great online classes to try.

Feel Better Fast

At Amen Clinics, we have spent decades helping people just like you improve their overall health and thus their brain health. We offer a full breadth of treatment options and services, including an integrative medicine program. Call us today at 888-288-9834 or schedule a visit. Even though combat action in Afghanistan is decreasing for most soldiers, it’s not translating to less stress. Members of the military committed suicide at a record pace in 2012 — almost one per day — and some experts think the trend will grow worse this year.

What Research Says

Pentagon figures obtained by The Associated Press show 349 suicides among active-duty troops last year, up from 301 the year before and exceeding the Pentagon’s own internal projection of 325. Last year’s total is the highest since the Pentagon began closely tracking suicides. The Pentagon has struggled to deal with suicides, which Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and others have called an epidemic. The problem reflects severe strains on military personnel burdened with more than a decade of combat in Afghanistan and Iraq and is increasingly complicated by anxiety over the prospect of being forced out of uniform as defense budgets are cut. “Now that we’re decreasing our troops and they’re coming back home, that’s when they’re really in the danger zone, when they’re transitioning back to their families, back to their communities and really finding a sense of purpose for themselves,” said Kim Ruocco, whose husband, Marine Maj. John Ruocco, killed himself in 2005. She directs a suicide prevention program for a support group, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, or TAPS. One such case was Army Spc. Christopher Nguyen, 29, who killed himself in August at an off-post residence he shared with another member of the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, N.C., according to his sister, Shawna Nguyen. “He was practically begging for help, and nothing was done,” she said in an interview. She said he had been diagnosed with an “adjustment disorder” — a problem of coping with the uncertainties of returning home after three deployments in war zones. She believes the Army failed her brother by not doing more to ensure that he received the help he needed before he became suicidal. “It’s the responsibility of the military to help these men and women,” she said. “They sent them over there (to war); they should be helping them when they come back.”

Finding Help for Service Members

Officials say they are committed to pursuing ways of finding help for service members in trouble. “Our most valuable resource within the department is our people. We are committed to taking care of our people and that includes doing everything possible to prevent suicides in the military,” Pentagon spokeswoman Cynthia O. Smith said Monday. The Army, by far the largest of the military services, had the highest number of suicides among active-duty troops last year at 182, but the Marine Corps, whose suicide numbers had declined for two years, had the largest percentage increase — a 50 percent jump to 48. The Marines’ worst year was 2009, with 52 suicides. The Air Force recorded 59 suicides, up 16 percent from the previous year, and the Navy had 60, up 15 percent. All the numbers are tentative, pending the completion later this year of formal pathology reports on each case.

Suicide Prevention

Suicide prevention has become a high Pentagon priority, yet the problem persists. “If you have a perfect storm of events on the day with somebody who has high risk factors, it’s very difficult to be there every moment, fill every crack, and we just have to continue to be aware of what the risk factors are,” Ruocco said. Two retired Army generals, Peter W. Chiarelli and Dennis J. Reimer, have spoken out about the urgency of reversing the trend. “One of the things we learned during our careers,” they wrote in The Washington Post last month, “is that stress, guns and alcohol constitute a dangerous mixture. In the wrong proportions, they tend to blow out the lamp of the mind and cause irrational acts.” A study also found that most service members who attempted suicide — about 65 percent — had a known behavior disorder such as depression, whereas 45 percent of those who actually completed the act and killed themselves had such a history. If you are having suicidal thoughts, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

We Can Help

If you or a loved one is experiencing symptoms of depression, anxiety or PTSD, 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.