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Cortisol May Help Reduce Some Phobias

March 28, 2011 -- An extra dose of the stress hormone cortisol may help reduce stress-inducing phobias like the fear of heights, a study shows. Cortisol is a hormone released by the brain in response to stress and has long been thought to play a role in memory and learning. In the study, people who
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Talk Therapy May Help Treat Social Anxiety

Feb. 22, 2011 -- A 12-week course of talk therapy, when used to treat social anxiety disorder, produces changes in the electrical activity of the brain, according to new research. The findings appear in Psychological Science. Symptoms of social phobia or social anxiety disorder include anxiety and s
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Did Facebook Trigger an Asthma Attack?

Nov. 18, 2010 -- Can Facebook actually trigger asthma attacks? A case study out of Italy suggests it’s possible. Reporting in the Nov. 20 issue of The Lancet, researchers led by Gennaro D’Amato, MD, of High Specialty Hospital A Cardarelli in Naples, Italy, discussed symptoms experienced by an 18-yea
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Anxiety May Increase Risk of Heart Disease

June 23, 2010 -- Anxiety disorders significantly increase a person's risk of developing heart disease and also raise the odds of suffering a fatal cardiac event, two new studies suggest. The first study, by Annelieke M. Roest, MSc, of Tilburg University in the Netherlands, combined data from 20 stu
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Kava for Anxiety: Is Short-Term Use Safe?

May 14, 2009 -- A water-soluble extract of the plant kava was found to be safe and highly effective for the short-term treatment of anxiety in a new study. But concerns about its long-term safety and the safety of other kava formulations remain. A decade ago, kava supplements were a popular alternat
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Medication for Anxiety Helps Older Adults

Jan. 20, 2009 -- Medication for anxiety is "modestly beneficial" for very anxious older adults, according to a new study, but it takes four weeks or so to work. Researchers looked at one specific drug, Lexapro, part of a class known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), to see if it co
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Child Anxiety: Therapy Plus Zoloft Best

Dec. 24, 2008 - Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and Zoloft are effective treatments for childhood anxiety disorders -- but the combination works best, a government-funded study shows. Anxiety disorders and social phobias limit the lives of at least one in 10 children. Yet up to half of these kids
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Antipsychotic Drug May Ease Anxiety

Sept. 4, 2008 -- Seroquel XR, an antipsychotic drug approved to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, may ease generalized anxiety disorder, new research shows. Seroquel XR (the "XR" stands for "extended-release") is approved to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Its maker, the drug compa
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Gamma Knife Snips OCD in Bud

May 8, 2008 (Washington) -- A high-tech procedure that delivers radiation deep within the brain relieved symptoms in half of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder who got no help from medication or talk therapy, a small study shows. The procedure uses a gamma knife to target brain circuits tha
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Lower Your Stress, Spare Your Heart

March 31, 2008 (Chicago) -- Here's another reason to learn relaxation techniques. Researchers have found that lowering or keeping anxiety levels in check dramatically cuts the risk of heart attack or death in people with heart disease. In a study of more than 500 heart patients, those who reduced or
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