Larry King says talking about depression is a good cure

Posted on January 9, 2013 by david

Larry King is a household name in America and has cast his influence across the Pacific and Atlantic oceans reaching shores across the world. The lively TV personality has anchored the entertainment industry for years and has notched an impressive amount of interviews down the years – more than 40,000 to date.

He has soldiered on dogmatically since 1987 when he suffered a heart attack and had to undergo quintuple bypass surgery.

Larry looks back at his life prior to the heart attack and pins the blame squarely on his three-packs-a-day smoking habit. The heart problems subsequently triggered depression and led him down the path to the darkest period of his life. Despite the crippling depression he remained open about his illness ad spoke honestly about it on his shows ‘Larry King Live’ and ‘Larry King Weekend’.

His family background is littered with stories of depression, his brother being the worst affected.

Larry’s first encounter with his own behavioural change disturbed him deeply: “What was most puzzling to me, I would be crying and not know why I was crying.”

After diagnosis of post heart-attack depression, King was put on anti–depressants for a period of six months and while undergoing the treatment he said, “The tough part is distinguishing between depression and bad news.”

But Larry found a way out of the situation and soon got work on raising awareness of mental health conditions. Although he interviewed numerous celebrities in his career it was his special show on depression got really drew all the plaudits.

Celebrities including Drew Barrymore, Carrie Fisher, Mariel Hemingway and Brooke Shields poured their hearts out on the show and he sympathetically listened to their stories of depression and their remedies, solutions and recoveries, all the while understanding their situations.

King, with his undying spirit to fight depression insisted on creating awareness and is of the belief that “the more knowledge you have, the better… This is not having a bad day. [These people] need comfort and understanding… The one thing you can’t do with a person with depression… is you can’t say ‘Feel good. Get out of bed. This is silly.’ That won’t work.”

Jemma Kidd opens up about Anxiety Disorder

Posted on January 8, 2013 by david

Jemma Kidd is a successful career woman, mother of twins and somehow manages to be both model and girl-next-door with consummate ease. Behind the often smiley demeanor portrayed in the media, Kidd hides a torrid struggle with anxiety and panic disorder; an overwhelming illness that can literally paralyse sufferers.

Panic disorder and anxiety attacks are the most common anxiety disorders and affect at least 20% of adult Americans. In an interview with Fiona Shield for Celebrity Angels, Jemma described how the crippling disorder adversely affected her life on a daily basis.

“The attacks are so random and debilitating that you become fearful of the fear that they bring. You start to anticipate them and find yourself doing anything to avoid them. I stopped driving on my own; I manipulated my life so that when I had to go somewhere, I had someone with me. I couldn’t go into the supermarket or anywhere crowded. If I was going to stay at someone’s house for the weekend, I would be anxious for about ten days before and would insist on knowing how close they lived to a hospital. The symptoms were so real that I believed I could have a heart attack at any time.”

A panic attack is an exaggeration of the body’s normal response to fear or stress. According to the Anxiety and Panic Disorder Center of Los Angeles, when we experience a threatening situation, the ‘fight or flight‘ response takes over and the body prepares itself for danger by releasing adrenalin. The physical symptoms that accompany this include rapid heart rate, palpitations and an increase in blood pressure and hyperventilation.

For most of us these symptoms taper off and the body is restored to it’s normal state but when the body produces too much adrenalin, the sufferer can be left experiencing absolute terror that can linger on for hours. In the worst case scenarios a person might pass out but according to records nobody has ever died as a result of a panic attack.

Jodie suffered from the disorder throughout her twenties and she credits Charles Linden ( who developed the Linden Method) with helping her find mechanisms to deal with panic. Experiencing up to 20 panic attacks a day, Linden came up with a routine to treat his own symptoms and break the habitual nature of anxiety.

Although there is no “quick fix”, Linden suggests practising the following techniques to help divert a panic attack:

The dive reflex– When you feel a panic attack building up, take a towel, soak it with cold water then place it on the back of your neck. You can also splash your face with cold water.
Diversion– Do anything to divert your mind. Put on headphones and listen to music, practical chores, count trees or lampposts, immerse yourself in whatever is present and practical at the time.
Eat a cold apple– When you feel an attack is imminent take an apple from the fridge and eat it very slowly. This will help to slow your breathing and the coldness of the apple helps to create positive, non-anxious sensations.

To learn more about his anxiety elimination techniques visit www.charles-linden.com

Thylane Lena-Rose blondeau: Vogue's 10-year-old model causes public outrage

Posted on August 5, 2011 by david

With the increase in the ‘nanny state’ approach to society and the continued stepping up of extreme security measures at airports, on the internet and in general everyday policing, it’s incredible that Vogue magazine have managed to slip a sexed up 10-year-old model through the net and in doing so rouse complete contempt in the public eye, added further anxiety to the minds of those with eating disorders while fuelling paedophilic fantasies of the more depraved social elements in one fell swoop.

With so much controversy surrounding the Vatican last year amid rumours and accusations of child abuse and paedophilia, and the recent scandal surrounding Rupert Murdoch and his phone tapping exploits at the News of the World, you might think that society deserves a break from underhanded, exploitative media.

Cue 10-year-old Thylane Lena-Rose Blondeau, daughter of former French footballer Patrick Blondeau and French TV presenter Veronika Loubry, who is one of the hottest properties in fashion modelling currently.

Thylane has modelled in Vogue Enfants for a number of years but in January this year, Vogue took a step too far by publishing images of the child dressed in high heels, a plunging dress and full make up, aiming to give her the appearance of someone twice her age but actually making her look like a child prostitute.

[adsense]The implications associated with such material are massive; dressing a child as a woman is denying her the opportunity to be a child and one only has to look at other child stars such as Michael Jackson, Drew Barrymore and Gary Coleman to see where that can lead.

Furthermore, with the dramatic rise of paedophilia in the last two decades, images like these will only add fuel to the fire and could lead to even greater desensitising among the public. Violent films, video games and certain musical styles have already lowered the threshold and we live in a world filled with violent and pornographic images which pass us by almost unnoticed, such is the extent to which things have decayed.

Christopher Paul Neil tops Interpol’s paedophile hitlist

As of yet neither Tom Ford, who edited the January edition, or Vogue have made no apologies or excuses for that publication.

Publishing such pictures could have a massive psychological effect on women with eating disorders, who, in many cases already aspire to have the body of a teenager, and the anxiety of seeing even younger models with formless bodies may well exacerbate their bodily issues.

One also has to question the motives and thoughts of Thylane’s parents. Both have made plenty of money through their own careers so if they’re using their daughter as a form of cash calf then greed truly has overridden their sense of taste, decency and core parental instincts – to protect.

They need to understand the ramifications of exposing their pre-teen child to a world which harbours dangerous, twisted minds who will see her as an opportunity or a use her visage as a fantasy enacted upon another hapless victim.

Ultimately, Patrick Blondeau, Veronika Loubry, Vogue and agents alike need to ensure that children are protected from paedophiles, human traffickers and the porn industry by not allowing images of 10-year-olds dressed as 30-year-olds to be taken, let alone publicised, thus negating the risk of a rising epidemic and new wave of child abuse.

Please share your thoughts on Vogue using under age models and the impact it might have on society by leaving a comment.

Read about other models who courted controversy like Ana Carolina Reston, Crystal Renn, Stephanie Seymour and Kate Moss.

images: ABCnews; theoriginalgreenwichdiva.com, news.sky.com, carregwenimages.com

Andy Irons: acute mixed drug ingestion led to heart attack

Posted on June 10, 2011 by david

After his shocking and untimely death in November 2010, the family of world champion surfer Andy Irons have released the results of his autopsy. Contrary to initial reports at his time of death which suggested his death came as a result of Dengue ever, the findings indicate that he in fact died of a heart attack around 30 hours after taking cocaine.

The toxicology report found a cocktail of chemicals in his bloodstream including Xanax which Irons took for anxiety and insomnia, along with benzoylecgonine, a by-product of cocaine ingestion.

The autopsy was carried out by a Tarrant County medical examiner who quickly ruled out Dengue fever after discovering a severe blockage of he heart’s main artery which led to cardiac arrest.

Andy Irons at the US open.

Irons’ family then requested an independent review of the autopsy which was conducted by forensic pathologist Dr. Vincent Di Maio. He concluded that Andy Irons had suffered from hardening of the arteries, saying that, “A plaque of this severity, located in the anterior descending coronary artery is commonly associated with sudden death.”

Di Maio also added that Irons had a genetic predisposition which caused the early onset of artery hardening, a condition normally associated with people nearing their 50‘s. According to his family Irons also caught typhoid in 2006 which could have contributed to the problems with his heart.

Andy Irons in action - at home amongst the waves.

With heart attack as the primary cause of death the autopsy listed an ‘acute mixed drug ingestion’ as a secondary cause.

[adsense]”The family believes Andy was in some denial about the severity of his chemical imbalance and tended to blame his mood swings on himself and his own weaknesses, choosing to self-medicate with recreational drugs,” said the Irons family in their statement.

The full report will be available on June 20th once the injunction to keep them private has expired. The records were kept on hold after the family placed the injunction while Andy’s wife Lyndie was pregnant. Given her loss and the additional stress of the pregnancy they felt it best to wait until some time after she had given birth to their son.

Andy Irons sizes up the surf.

The events leading to his death began with Irons pulling out of the Rip Curl Search surf contest in Puerto Rico after he came down with flu-like symptoms. He was put on an intravenous drip to avoid the risk of dehydration after which he boarded a plane from Miami to his home in Hawaii.

For some reason Andy Irons missed the connecting flight and booked into a Dallas hotel where he passed away in the night.

Please share your thoughts on Andy Iron’s autopsy findings by leaving a comment.

Read our previous report on Andy Irons and other stars who died young including Matt Hughes, River Phoenix, Heath Ledger and Greg Giraldo.

images: surfexperience.blogspot.com, continentseven.com, guardian.co.uk, surfingmagazine.com, byosmosis.tv

Jemma Kidd speaks out about how she overcame her anxiety disorder

Posted on January 23, 2011 by david

Jemma Kidd. Successful career woman, mother of twins and blessed with ravishing looks. Rewind back to her 20s and her life was far from as peachy as it may have appeared to the outside world: Jemma was hiding the fact that she was suffering from an overwhelming anxiety disorder that was affecting every sphere of her life.

Panic attacks are anxiety attacks are the most common anxiety disorders, affecting at least 20% of adult Americans. In an interview with Fiona Shield for Celebrity Angels, Jemma described how the crippling disorder, often temporarily diabling, disorder affected her life on a day-to-day basis.

A panic attack is an exageration of the body’s normal response to fear or stress. According to the Anxiety and Panic Disorder Center of Los Angeles, when we experience a threatening situation, the fight or flight response kicks in and the body prepares itself for danger by releasing adrenalin. The physical symptoms that occur include rapid heart rate, palpitations and an increase in blood pressure.

For most of us these symptoms taper off and the body is restored to it’s normal state. But when the body produces too much adrenalin, the sufferer can be left experiencing absolute terror that can linger on for hours, sometimes days.

[adsense]Jodie, 36, suffered from the disorder throughout her 20s and she credits Charles Linden — who developed the Linden Method — with sorting her out. Experiencing up to 20 panic attacks a day, Linden came up with a routine to treat his own symptoms and break the habitual nature of anxiety.

Although there is no “quick fix”, Linden suggests trying the following to help divert a panic attack:

The dive reflex When you feel a panic attack building up, take a towel, soak it with cold water then place it on the back of your neck. You can also splash your face with cold water.

Diversion Do anything to divert your mind. Put on headphones and listen to music. Do practical chores, count trees or lampposts. Immerse yourself in whatever is present and practical at the time.

Cold Apple When you feel an attack is imminent, take an apple from the fridge and eat it very slowly. This will help to slow your breathing and the coldness of the apple helps to create positive, non-anxious sensations.

To learn more about his anxiety elimination techniques, visit his website: www.charles-linden.com

Other celebrities who have battled with anxiety are Hugh Grant and Heather Locklear.

Images: PR Photos and macmillan.org.uk

Erica Blasberg’s doctor pleads guilty in suicide

Posted on December 2, 2010 by david

Thomas Hess has pleaded guilty to misdemeanor obstruction in the suicide of 25-year-old golfer Erica Blasberg.

The passionate golfer, who turned professional in 2004 and had a five year career on the Ladies Professional Golf Association Tour, was found dead at her home on May 9.
[adsense]
In an interview reported in the Riverside County Press-Enterprise the following day, her father was quoted as saying, “At first glance it looks like she might have taken her own life, but at a second glance, something is very, very strange about it.”

According to reports, Thomas Hess, a Las Vegas physician, admitted to removing a suicide note and prescription pills from the young golfer’s home before police arrived to investigate her death, saying that he wanted to spare her family embarassment.

In August suicide was ruled as the cause of death, with asphyxia cited as the main cause of death and the presence of prescription drugs also cited as a “significant factor in her death”.

Blasberg’s father had previously denied that his daughter was clinically depressed, although he did admit that she was taking Xanax for anxiety.

Thomas Hess has been sentenced to one year probation and 40 hours of community service.

Read here about storm chaser Matt Hughes’ suicide and Own Wilson’s suicide attempt.

Images: Wikimedia Commons and Facebook

When someone you know struggles with fear anxiety and stress

Posted on November 14, 2010 by david

What do you do when someone you know has to deal with persistent fears, anxieties, or even depression? Well the first thing you need to do is to get the person to seek the services of a professional who can lead them in the right direction and give them the help they need. In addition, here are some other techniques you can use to help the person cope.

Learn as much as you can in managing anxiety and depression. There are many books and information that will educate you on how to deal with fear and anxiety. Share this information with the person who is struggling. Education is the key in finding the answers your looking for in managing your fears.

Be understanding and patient with the person struggling with their fears. Dealing with depression and anxiety can be difficult for the person so do not add more problems than what is already there.

In every anxiety-related situation you experience, begin to learn what works, what doesn’t work, and what you need to improve on in managing your fears and anxieties. For instance, you have a lot of anxiety and you decide to take a walk to help you feel better. The next time you feel anxious you can remind yourself that you got through it the last time by taking a walk. This will give you the confidence to manage your anxiety the next time around.

Challenge your negative thinking with positive statements and realistic thinking. When encountering thoughts that make you fearful or anxious, challenge those thoughts by asking yourself questions that will maintain objectivity and common sense. For example, you are afraid that if you do not get that job promotion then you will be stuck at your job forever. This depresses you, however your thinking in this situation is unrealistic. The fact of the matter is that there all are kinds of jobs available and just because you don’t get this job promotion doesn’t mean that you will never get one. In addition, people change jobs all the time, and you always have that option of going elsewhere if you are unhappy at your present location. Changing your thinking can help you manage your fears.

Another thing to remember is that things change and events do not stay the same. For instance, you may feel overwhelmed today with your anxiety and feel that this is how you will feel the rest of the week or month. This isn’t correct. No one can predict the future with one hundred percent accuracy. Even if the thing that you feared does happen there are circumstances and factors that you can’t predict which can be used to your advantage. You never know when the help and answers you are looking for will come to you.

When your fears and anxieties have the best of you, seek help from a professional. The key is to be patient, take it slow, and not to give up. In time, you will be able to find those resources that will help you with your problems.

Celebrities who have battled depression include Jim Carrey, J.K. Rowling, Kylie Minogue, Hugh Laurie and Owen Wilson.

BIOGRAPHY:

Stan Popovich is the author of “A Layman’s Guide to Managing Fear Using Psychology, Christianity and Non Resistant Methods” – an easy to read book that presents a general overview of techniques that are effective in managing persistent fears and anxieties. For additional information go to www.managingfear.com.

Images: Images: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/3264 and http://www.sxc.hu/photo/520023

Managing your persistent fears, anxieties, and stresses

Posted on November 3, 2010 by david

Everybody deals with anxiety and depression, however some people have a difficult time in managing it. As a result, here is a brief list of techniques that a person can use to help manage their most persistent fears and every day anxieties.

When facing a current or upcoming task that overwhelms you with a lot of anxiety, the first thing you can do is to divide the task into a series of smaller steps. Completing these smaller tasks one at a time will make the stress more manageable and increases your chances of success.

Sometimes we get stressed out when everything happens all at once. When this happens, a person should take a deep breath and try to find something to do for a few minutes to get their mind off of the problem. A person could get some fresh air, listen to some music, or do an activity that will give them a fresh perspective on things.

A person should visualize a red stop sign in their mind when they encounter a fear provoking thought. When the negative thought comes, a person should think of a red stop sign that serves as a reminder to stop focusing on that thought and to think of something else. A person can then try to think of something positive to replace the negative thought.

Another technique that is very helpful is to have a small notebook of positive statements that makes you feel good. Whenever you come across an affirmation that makes you feel good, write it down in a small notebook that you can carry around with you in your pocket. Whenever you feel depressed or frustrated, open up your small notebook and read those statements. This will help to manage your negative thinking.

Learn to take it one day at a time. Instead of worrying about how you will get through the rest of the week, try to focus on today. Each day can provide us with different opportunities to learn new things and that includes learning how to deal with your problems. You never know when the answers you are looking for will come to your doorstep. We may be ninety-nine percent correct in predicting the future, but all it takes is for that one percent to make a world of difference.

Take advantage of the help that is available around you. If possible, talk to a professional who can help you manage your depression and anxieties. They will be able to provide you with additional advice and insights on how to deal with your current problem. By talking to a professional, a person will be helping themselves in the long run because they will become better able to deal with their problems in the future. Remember that it never hurts to ask for help.

Dealing with our persistent fears is not easy. Remember that all you can do is to do your best each day, hope for the best, and take things in stride. Patience, persistence, education, and being committed in trying to solve your problem will go along way in fixing your problems.

Celebrities who have battled anxiety include Hugh Grant, Billy Bob Thornton and Heather Locklear

Images: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/3264 and http://www.sxc.hu/photo/520023

BIOGRAPHY:

Low dose of Prozac may help relieve PMS bouts

Posted on September 19, 2010 by david

A recent study has revealed that a small dose of Prozac can relieve women suffering from premenstrual syndrome. As reported on www.guardian.co.uk, the antidepressant increases levels of a sex hormone that often decreases considerably in women at the end of their menstrual cycle. It is believed that this sudden drop causes the symptoms of PMS and that with a low dose of Prozac this monthly suffering can be brought to an end.

The study was conducted by a team of researchers backed by the Medical Research Council and Thelma Lovick, a neuroscientist at the University of Birmingham, thinks she has evidence that a 2mg daily dose of the drug in the week before menstruation could alleviate the misery of PMS, which is mainly characterized by mood swings, irritability, tiredness, breast and joint pain and headaches.

As reported by www.independent.co.uk, the team of researchers conducted the study on laboratory rats. The study showed that these rats experienced a huge change in terms of physical as well as emotional changes, improving the symptoms of sensitivity towards pain and anxiety. The scientists said that the results of the clinical study will determine the future of Prozac as an aid for PMS

Speaking about the study, lead researcher Thelma Lovick said, “The tests we’ve used on rats, to our amazement, completely eliminated the symptoms. It was quite dramatic, it was not a one-off, we can repeat it.” She went on to say, “We don’t expect to see this in women. I wouldn’t say it’s going to cure everyone, but taken with other things, such as lifestyle changes, we may be getting there.”

Read our coverage about a new pill which may help relieve women of menstrual pains.

Images: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/747910, http://www.sxc.hu/photo/263701

Phobias: an overview

Posted on April 21, 2010 by david

What are phobias, and who has them?

Fear is a natural and normal response to something we may perceive as a danger, and is a part of every single one of us. People suffering from varied phobias try to avoid what they are afraid of (as long as what they are afraid of is something avoidable and of no or little harm) so that can avoid reactions to phobias. Some of these may include panic attacks, shortness of breath, trembling, rapid heartbeat and a strong desire to get away (the flee response).

Here are some common and uncommon phobias in a nutshell:

Acrophobia – the fear of heights

Aquaphobia – the fear of water

Arachnophobia – the fear of spiders

Ataxophobia – the fear of disorder

Aviophobia – the fear of flying

Botanophobia – the fear of plants

Chiclephobia – the fear of chewing gum

Claustrophobia – the fear of enclosed spaces

Coulrophobia – the fear of clowns

Eisoptrophobia – the fear of seeing oneself in the mirror

Hapophobia – the fear of being touched

Swinophobia – the fear of pigs

Taurophobia – the fear of bulls and cows

Celebrities who have particularly many phobias include:

Images: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1260756 , http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1238813

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