welcome to anxieties 101!

anxieties 101 homepage
about anxieties 101
about mental illness
my personal inventory...
anxiety: general & social
caregiver anxiety
panic disorder
phobias
obsessive compulsive disorder
post traumatic stress disorder
depression
more about depression
Testimonials / Recovery Stories
how it all works
children & mental illness
teens
young adults
women overwhelmed
men & mental illness
senior citizens
lifestyle diet....
lifestyle exercise
lifestyle sleep
lifestyle relaxation
lifestyle counseling
lifestyle medications
diasters unpredicted

nowhere within the emotional feelings network of sites is any opportunity for me to make any profit from any of the 28 + sites within this network. this network of sites has been put together as a personal mission to help others by informing those who need information concerning mental health, eating disorders, lifestyle factors, and every other topic listed within.

navigational hint: all underlined link words open up a new window instead of changing your present one, taking you to another site within the emotional feelings network of sites - or to another site referencing the underlined link word!

welcome to the emotional feelings network of sites

welcome to anxieties 101....

welcome!
There are large numbers of people experiencing the realization that their mental health is not as it needs to be. While mental illness is being recognized by a more accepting social sphere, it's also the stigma placed upon mental illness that we hold, inside of our own selves that keeps us from finding the help we so desperately need.

emotions & feelings... find out more. click here!

5 very long years ago, I was in the same place that many of the visitors of this website have found themselves in:
 
"experiencing intense pain, hurt, confusion, lethargy, apathy & a severe depression."
 
In a recent article I wrote,
 

"Five years isn’t a very long time; but it seems like a very long time when you are struggling to notice every inhale and exhale, every step your foot takes, every smell you breathe in, every single thing that you touch, all the sounds that you hear and the struggle involves becoming “aware” of each of those factors I’ve mentioned. I know this because I’ve been consumed with doing this very thing for the exact amount of time - five years.

 

I’ve been aware of my diagnosis, my need for recovery and personal growth from a wide array of dysfunctions, illnesses – both physical and mental, an eating disorder, and several dozen traumas for five years. Four marriages, five children, a few abortions, one custody fight, and many abusive relationships have colored my past as well. Can you believe I hadn’t been aware of what I was coping with for forty-five years until I began this recovery journey?

 

I was unaware."

open 24 hours a day... always here for you....

what happens when you've been abused? click!

24 hours a day, seven days a week, I was unaware of what I was experiencing in my life. Unaware of what was happening inside of my brain. I had an aunt with mental illness. My grandmother had her "nerve pills" that were really Valium. And  yet, no one including my own mother and father had ever mentioned I needed to be aware that I may have a genetic predisposition to mental illness.
 
I only knew pain, hurt and sadness. I only knew guilt and shame for experiencing what I knew was a mental problem. I had no idea how to deal with hurt, sadness, guilt or shame - never mind - "mental illness." I had lived in a world where everything was supposed to be "fine" my entire life. I wasn't allowed to have emotions or feelings or cry. 
 
That's what this site and the other twenty seven sites are here for. You are with millions mind you - millions of people - experiencing the very same thing. If you want to feel better, understand and learn more about yourself than you've ever realized before...
 
Then hang out here for awhile.
 
kathleen

have you been wondering if you can recover? click!

Suicide, Depression & Antidepressants in Young People
By David Neubauer, M.D.
Posted Wed, Oct 03, 2007
 

"CDC Report Shows Largest 1-Year Increase in Youth Suicide Rate in 15 Years" reads the headline of a recent press release from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.

The CDC notice points out that, after a decline of 28% over 13 years, the suicide rate for 10- to 24-year-olds increased by 8% from 2003 to 2004.

Is this increase in suicides among young people perhaps due to the FDA's warnings to physicians & parents about a possible connection between SSRI's & suicide in young people?

I've written before about the 2004 decision by the FDA to extend its child & adolescent black-box warning to include young adults up to age 24. This new warning was in response to the concern that suicidal thinking & self-harm may increase among those young people taking antidepressants.

The issue is complicated, however, by the fact that antidepressants are prescribed for people who are already more vulnerable to suicidal thinking due to their psychiatric symptoms.

Understandably, many health care professionals worry that the FDA-mandated, black-box warning could inhibit doctors from prescribing antidepressants for young people with depression. Less treatment with SSRI's could then mean more depression & actual suicides.

Several reports suggest that this is exactly what might be happening.

In one study, researchers investigated the decrease in prescriptions for SSRI antidepressants for young people in the U.S. & The Netherlands. From 2003 to 2005, there was a 22% decrease in SSRI prescriptions in both countries. The youth suicide rates during this same period rose 14% in the U.S. & 49% in the Netherlands.

It's hard to blame the FDA warning directly. There are many influences on mood & behavior. The use of antidepressants, however, is definitely much lower now in children & adolescents following the agency's warning. So it's possible that the black-box warning may be having the wrong effect in some young people's lives — instead of greater safety, there may now be greater risk.

What's important here is to identify young people who are experiencing depression & suicidal thinking & to make sure that they are effectively treated - including with the appropriate use of antidepressants.

The warning on the box states "to watch closely for increased suicidal thinking." That's fine, as long as it doesn't lead to a decrease in or total lack of appropriate treatment.

source: click here

are you dealing with mental illness? read more!

anxieties 101 is the mental health site for the emotional feelings network of sites.
 
This site includes information concerning mental illness. The mental illness described within this site includes anxiety disorders & depression.
 
There's information about other mental illnesses, but the main focus is the anxiety disorder & depression because they very often are found existing together.
 
Five years ago, I was diagnosed with Post traumatic stress disorder, depression & an eating disorder. I had been experiencing symptoms from the PTSD since childhood. I believe my mother was depressed. I believe my father experienced symptoms of PTSD as well. Some of his experiences in combat resulted in his symptoms.
 
I made a personal decision to find out why I was experiencing mental illness, learn as much as I could about mental illness & find out what I had to do to feel well, both physically and mentally for the rest of my life. I made a commitment to myself for the first time in my entire life at the age of 45 years old.

are you dealing with mental illness? read more!

While I have a huge amount of empathy and concern for our military personnel right now, especially those in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as their families, it's still a fact that millions of people around the globe are in search of a "quick fix" to be happy and healthy after all!
 
I believe that we are all in pain, all of us, all needing help - so here I am, in my efforts to show you how I've had a very complete and successful recovery/personal growth journey over the past five years that continues still.
 
First of all, you must educate yourself about your diagnosis or what you believe you are experiencing! Here is what I have to offer you! 

are you dealing with mental illness? read more!

the underlined link word system... how it works wonders for you!

emotions & feelings... find out more. click here!

When I began designing my first website, I was practically computer illiterate. I spent more time on figuring out how to use codes & how to make certain graphics - that corresponded with mental illness & emotions & feelings. Some people are very visual. For these people, I've put together some graphics.
 
I was also freshly indoctinated into a diagnosis of post traumatic stress disorder, depression, eating & sleeping disorders with a chronic case of panic attacks to boot!
 
I had isolated myself from my family & friends, spending one year hidden in my upstairs office/bedroom!

So while I searched for information, I began to collect it on my hard drive. I copied & pasted all day & all night long. What to put on the websites for others to read had to be considered carefully, I decided. I read every article. I pondered & reflected upon the articles & informational data that I was accumulating. How to put it all together just came to me one day...
 
"I think that if others can do the same thing that I'm doing, by reading all these articles, offering those who need help - a simpler method of collecting information to expand their understanding of what was happening to their minds & their bodies.
 
In my excitement...  I thought....
 
I'll look up the words that seem more difficult to understand, post the definitions & I'll include an underlined link word system so if you're say, 'depressed,' you can click on that word to go to a page on a site within my network that speaks volumes on depression!!! 
 
Click on the underlined link word above, "depression!"  Suddenly realizing that I needed, not wanted, but needed to help others discover what I had. Thus, my theory of helping yourself, by helping others.
 
This will help people who are so helplesslost in the intensity of their symptoms from experiencing either a crisis or a trauma, a life dysfunction (divorce maybe), a mental illness or any other traumatic life event that is causing them to suffer difficult, even painful - symptoms!
 
This is how I came to my ever present motto:
 
Education is the key to understanding! Understanding is the key to recovery & personal growth!

post traumatic stress can develop in abuse cases

 After figuring out all the small details concerning codes, graphics & other practical issues concerning website design, I immersed myself in a daily routine of finding information on the internet concerning my own problems.
 
Post traumatic stress disorder was something I knew little about. I knew very little about depression & panic attacks as well. I had been unknowingly abused throughout my lifetime by my baby boomer parents; experienced domestic violence throughout my childhood that was accepted & then continued the legacy throughout my own marriages. My experience with domestic violence culminated into two years of running for my life throughout the domestic violence shelter system thoughout 2 states.
 
I had such intense symptoms that it was almost impossible for me to think straight. I had tried almost 15 counselors over the years and I had done what each one of them had told me to do, but I had never been diagnosed. This spoke volumes to me, most importantly, the unmet need I'd had most of my life concerning validation of my mental illness!!!
 
I finally knew what was wrong & what the name of it was. I wasn't going nuts, I was mentally ill!

what happens when you've been abused? click!

If you were to click on all of the above underlined link words, you would have visited several sites within the emotional feelings network of sites.
 
It took me years to find out that mental illness is connnected to all of these topics. Within this network, if you utilize the underlined link word system, you will speed up your own recovery / personal growth progress. You won't have to use the trial & error method that I did. It's truly a useful tool. This set up will show you why there are now 28 sites to visit within the network.
 
You could ignore the underlined link word system.
Then you might not experience the joy, sense of accomplishment & pure satisfaction of recovery & personal growth for at least 5 years - maybe more!

are you dealing with mental illness? read more!

a very important question to consider:
 
 
Is it mental illness you're experiencing? Get familiar with the term, "mental illness" by clicking on the above underlined link provided for your convenience!

are you dealing with mental illness? read more!

the mental disorders covered within the site are:

are you dealing with mental illness? read more!

 
on this page there is included:
 
a glossary of mental health terms: as well as other important words that are associated with mental health, physical health, lifestyle factors, and how our brain works 
 
the brain: a section covering the different parts of our brains and how they are connected to our functioning
 
memory: includes information concerning how we remember things & what our brain does with old & new information
 
as well as other information that is helpful in understanding the whole scope of mental health

after absorbing all the information i could find pertaining to mental illness, lifestyle factors, and age or gender specific factors -
 
i found that there are certain life transitions and factors that directly affect mental health. one that was too important to go unmentioned was "trauma." traumatic experiences in our lives are quite often the beginnings of our anxiety, anxiety disorders & depression.
 

are you dealing with mental illness? read more!

as we all can relate to - because of the recent Hurricanes - Katrina & Rita - disasters unpredicted - explains trauma experienced through natural disasters

what happens when you've been abused? click!

taking trauma a step further:
 
taking trauma a step further, i decided i had to explore the traumatic experiences i had gone thru in my own life. after understanding the effects that trauma could have on mental illness - i mapped out my life as far back as i could remember.
 
you know, all the small - insignificant things that always come to mind as "oh, that was horrible" situations in my life.
 
then, to understand these experiences in depth, i took this a step further to take each situation and research it to fully understand the reasoning, (you know, all the "why did that have to happen?") behind each factor.
 
researching these factors like:
 
absent father
cultural & time specific beliefs
physical illnesses
parental relationship dysfunctions
abortion
alcohol & drug abuse
divorce
domestic violence
 
helped me to understand even deeper the direct impact these experiences had on my mental health.

are you dealing with mental illness? read more!

our recovery journey isn't complete until we explore our emotions & feelings. we don't often associate our mental health with emotions & feelings, but after educating yourself about mental illness - you may understand the importance of learning more about them.
 
what started as a single sub site has now become an entire network of emotions & feelings. the emotional feelings network of sites is accessed thru the underlined link words throughout the site that deal specifically with emotions, feelings, stress, self esteem & other important topics.
 
these underlined link words are especially helpful for you to explore even further what is important to understand on your own personal journey into mental & physical well being.
 
check over in the left hand column to see more specifically what is covered in each site!

are you dealing with mental illness? read more!

emotions & feelings... find out more. click here!

hidden pages within the site:
 
 
 
 
the phobia list
 
children:
 
 
 
 
women
 
hormonal changes that may affect mental health
 
sleep:
 
 

are you dealing with mental illness? read more!

site #1 in my network is anxieties 101!

It is here, in this section that your first association may begin in seeing the connection between your lifestyle factors & your mental health. Physical health has a direct bearing upon these factors as well.
 
You must take this seriously and learn as much as possible. There are other sites that you will visit from the underlined link word system mentioned above. Please, for the most beneficial visit to the emotional feelings network of sites, use that underlined link word system....  it's really good to learn to the "nth" degree.
 
It's not easy to change life long habits. It is also necessary to take a look at important factors such as:

You will visit, "the layer down under" where these topics are discussed through the underlined link word system. These important topics must be learned and practiced!

are you dealing with mental illness? read more!

what happens when you've been abused? click!

after reading many brief & incomplete descriptions with only hints as to a "connection" between diet & mental health with almost every site i visited on the web, i was frustrated enough to give up.
 
long story made short - there's a connection between you diet & your mental health.
 
the lifestyle diet page offers info that's circulating around the internet concerning the "connection" between diet & mental health as well as a further "connection" between physical illnesses that are affected by diet.
 
those trying to find answers to their unmet needs in obtaining ultimate well being - both physical & mental - need to learn a new way to think about the diet.

anaerobics

site #2 in my network, 5 sites of feeling emotions

this is a subject that i've personally struggled with my entire life.
 
although until recently, i've always had the physical ability to exercise in almost any way possible - if i could work up the motivation - to do it.
 
exercise causes the body to release chemicals within that can help to alleviate the symptoms of mental illness. not only do we need to exercise to be physically fit, we must exercise to be mentally fit.
 
i broke my leg almost 3 years ago & suffered serious consequences from the injury. it refused to heal. i spent 14 months in a wheel chair & gained tons of weight from not being able to move around. now i need to force myself to become physically active again.
 
i have a web page on the changes site that deals with obstacles to exercise! no excuses. exercise defeat is welcoming you to challenge me on that statement.

sub topics:

anxieties 101 divider

so already you know....
 
by simply making some small changes in your diet & adding a 30 minute walk to each day - you can improve your mental health...
 
it's that easy...

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anxieties 101 divider
Beautiful Dreamer
site #1 in my network is anxieties 101!

sleep is more important than diet, in determining the state of our mental health...  our sleep needs are often overlooked to the point that we tend to "doze off" no matter where we are.. sometimes at work, sometimes during a movie... & wow! do we ever get "irritable" with a lack of sleep...
 
investigating this lifestyle factor was very important for me because i've had trouble sleeping my entire life. another reason is my experience with - night eating syndrome - click on the underlined link to learn more about night eating, eating disorders & sleep disorders.

sub topics include:
 

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"We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time."

T. S. Eliot

it's a very important lifestyle factor....

lifestyle relaxation...

site #4 in my network, changes deals w/ lifestyle!

the first inkling i had concerning relaxation & mental health was the conclusion of a very difficult situation for me personally...
 
i experienced over 300 visits to the emergency room in one year.
 
i was in severe pain. i was in such severe pain that i compared it to childbirth. the pain was at my solar plexus in my chest & it totally disabled me.
 
after one year, i had visited several specialists, been humiliated by several emergency room doctors, who had asked behind the curtain, "why doesn't this woman get a "grip" on her life?" and had wasted thousands of taxpayers dollars on medical services.... i was on medicaid at the time...
 
no one could tell me what was wrong.. instead they medicated me severely... i was administered shots of demerol, valium & other very controlled substances to get me out of pain and off of their patient rosters... then a physician prescribed percocet to me for daily pain..... i was hooked, believe me.
 
then after another visit to another specialist, the woman sat me down at her desk. i was horrified when she asked me to hand over my drugs. she was totally frank with me, sparing no hurt feelings or confusion, and told me i had been experiencing severe panic or anxiety attacks. i had to get off of the medicine & learn to do relaxation breathing.
 
she told me to get a therapist.
 
read about how important relaxation breathing is & how we can't overlook the lifestyle factor of relaxation in our daily lives!

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anxieties 101 divider
site #1 in my network is anxieties 101!

lifestyle counseling & lifestyle medication pages are truly self explanatory.
 
mental illness is truly a medical illness. there are still many people who do not believe this. ask some professionals & very college educated people their opinions & they'll tell you that depression is simply, "a state of mind."
 
researchers today are in "fast mode" in researching mental health. they are finding that the chemical changes in our bodies & brains have true bearings on our mental health.
 
mental health professionals themselves are quick in finding that they themselves, must be vigilent in keeping up with the newest research & medications that become available for those experiencing mental illness.
 
it's very important for you to become educated on mental health professionals, therapy options & medications to protect yourself from becoming a victim of those who aren't so professional in this field.
 
finding the "right" mental health professional is vital in recovery. learn more about it all on these pages.

sub topics include:
 
 

learn more about mental health professionals!

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anxieties 101 divider

once again to break things down to make them particularly simple for you, i've taken things a step further to add age specific categories!
 
on each of the age specific pages: there lies information for you concerning the age specific problems associated with each disorder as well as information concerning specific life transitions that may affect mental health. other information concerning age or gender is included that is pertinent to lifestyle, the noted lifestyle factors & mental or physical disorders.....
 
 
teens: sub topics include: street terms for drugs
 
 
 
 

age specific categories!

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anxieties 101 divider

the emotional feelings network of sites

the emotional feelings network of sites
 
emotional feelings: this was originally - the only site i designed for the exploration of emotions & feelings. after posting about 50 different emotions & feelings, i discovered that there wasn't enough room available (for the tripod free site) for me to adequately explore each of them.
 
throughout the past two years, i've broadened my horizons several times so that now the emotional feelings network of sites has 11 sites to completely cover the topic of emotion & feelings exploration!
 
there is a description about how the network can be best utilized on each homepage as well as some articles for your thought as well as some personal life topics that have affected me personally that may have affected you as well.
 
there is a new section, "Just Gotta Say It" that takes you to current events in our world that i find myself twisting around in my thoughts until i "just gotta to say it!"
 
the "emotional feelings" site covers emotions & feelings that begin with the "letter a."

emotional feelings 3: includes emotions & feelings beginning with the "letter b."
 
emotional feelings 2: includes emotions & feelings beginning with the "letters c & d."
 
feeling emotional 2: includes emotions & feelings beginning with the letters "e & f."
 
feeling emotional 3: includes emotions & feelings beginning with the "letters j, k, l, m & n."
 
feeling emotional 4: includes emotions & feelings beginning with the "letters g, h & i."
 
feeling emotional: includes emotions & feelings beginning with the "letters o, p & r."

extremely emotional: covers emotions & feelings beginning with the "letter s" thru the end of the alphabet! - sorry to say - extremely emotional was deleted by Tripod for some strange reason - it's being rebuilt as feeling emotional, 5! Please be patient with me as it's difficult to play catch up when you have to undo the links to the site and then - redo the links to the new site!
 
kathleen

your unemotional side!

your unemotional side: a site containing emotions & feelings beginning with the prefix "un" such as: unhappy, unloved, uncertain, unable and so on....
 

the layer down under...

the layer down under: i found myself discovering more & more important topics while exploring my emotions & feelings; such as: intuition, beliefs, thoughts, attitudes, body image, boundaries, humor, self esteem, stress, spirituality and so on... there is a complete description on each of the emotional feelings sites of each topic covered in the layer down under!

Why would someone name a website, "the layer down under?"
 
I take this entire project very seriously. Unknown to you, I've had to, "dig down deep" to make the network of sites, challenging, yet enticing enough for those picking and choosing their stops along their journey - to stop & say...
 
"Hey! the layer down under... I wonder what tha