Health Expert Jerry Kennard shares health management news and commentary at HealthCentral.com. HealthCentral.com is one of the top health destinations on the Web, with more than 35 condition-specific, wellness and general health Web properties. http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/1950/index http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/1950/rss self application/xml en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/1950/index http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/1950/125092/antidepressants Tue, 23 Nov 2010 09:04:14 -0500 Jerry Kennard One of the essential elements of medical treatment is that the patient takes their medication. Why then do so many people choose not to follow medical advice and simply throw in the towel part way into their treatment? We're not just talking about minor ailments, some people with the most chronic conditions are the worst culprits.   Depression affects people at different levels of severity. The first line of treatment is nearly always... http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/1950/125092/antidepressants http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/1950/120342/medical-procedures Wed, 22 Sep 2010 04:22:56 -0400 Jerry Kennard Medical procedures vary greatly as to the extent of intrusiveness and complexity. Despite this even the simplest procedures can generate high levels of anxiety in patients. Unfamiliar surroundings and smells, strange people speaking in jargon and lack of understanding as to what is happening and why are just some of the reasons people feel under stress.   Some medical procedures require little more than offering a tablet. Some are... http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/1950/120342/medical-procedures http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/1950/120178/hypnosis-anxiety Mon, 20 Sep 2010 09:37:27 -0400 Jerry Kennard The clinical applications for hypnosis are well established and are used by a variety of therapists for different purposes. The technique varies somewhat but typically involves a preliminary phase of assessment, rapport building and dealing with any misconceptions the patient or client may have about hypnosis. The next phase will be along the lines of combining relaxation with the use of internal focus and imagery, a process often described... http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/1950/120178/hypnosis-anxiety http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/1950/119696/stress-management Mon, 13 Sep 2010 09:24:23 -0400 Jerry Kennard Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) is a form of intervention used as soon as possible after exposure to trauma in order to reduce symptoms and prevent post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). At its most basic, it is a form of psychological debriefing that can be traced as far back as the First World War. Techniques were originally devised for military combatants. Today, variations are used with the so-called secondary victims of trauma.... http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/1950/119696/stress-management http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/1950/119593/experience Sat, 11 Sep 2010 03:59:39 -0400 Jerry Kennard We use the term depression to mean a great many things. People might say they feel depressed because their jeans no longer fit. They may feel depressed because a favorite TV series has just finished. The use of the term in these situations is pretty tongue in cheek, but even within the context of mental health, the experience of depression varies from mild to major - two sides of the same condition that are actually poles... http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/1950/119593/experience http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/1950/119592/break-bad-news Sat, 11 Sep 2010 03:53:35 -0400 Jerry Kennard There are many occupations and situations where you may be called upon to break bad news. It can be a highly stressful time for both the giver and the receiver. Bad news can be thought of as a situation where there is a threat to a person's mental or physical state, or where the choices a person might normally exercise suddenly become limited. Bad news assumes loss. It may be a death, a loss of freedom, news of a terminal illness or perhaps a... http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/1950/119592/break-bad-news http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/1950/118605/teen-angst Thu, 26 Aug 2010 08:26:54 -0400 Jerry Kennard When it comes to examining the effects of stress in men and women, the time around adolescence seems to be a critical point when gender differences emerge. It has been observed on several occasions that girls appear to have higher rates of stressors than boys. A heightened sensitivity to social status, acceptance by others and success with romance are all potential stressors. Girls are also more vulnerable to sexual abuse and violence and become... http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/1950/118605/teen-angst http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/1950/117537/stress-depression Mon, 09 Aug 2010 06:41:13 -0400 Jerry Kennard What exactly is a stressful experience? We can look at it in different ways. First, we have negative life events such as divorce or bereavement. There are the everyday hassles to which most of us are exposed. Then we might consider more chronic difficulties such as living with a disease or disability, or perhaps being a caregiver for someone with a long-term disease. Last, but not necessarily least, are the childhood experiences that help to... http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/1950/117537/stress-depression http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/1950/116875/based-treatments Wed, 28 Jul 2010 09:34:00 -0400 Jerry Kennard Exposure therapies were originally developed to treat specific disorders such as OCD and phobias. Over time they have adapted and changed. In this post I'm going to outline some exposure techniques and talk briefly about their development and application.   One of the best known techniques is systematic desensitization (SD). Dr. Joseph Wolpe spent some time as an MD working with traumatized soldiers suffering from war neurosis (now... http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/1950/116875/based-treatments http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/1950/116441/stress-inoculation Wed, 21 Jul 2010 08:39:53 -0400 Jerry Kennard Stress inoculation training/therapy (SIT) is a cognitive-behavioral form of treatment. Its goals are to help the client understand and manage their fear reactions and to decrease the amount of avoidance behavior associated with fear.   The basic approach to SIT involves three stages. The first stage is education, followed by the development of skills and finally the application of what has been learned to real life situations. During the... http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/1950/116441/stress-inoculation