Non-UAPRN Conference Announcement- Why We Worry: Understanding and Treating Anxiety Disorders

Registration information found at www.IBPCEU.com (Institute for Brain Potential). Cost for seminar if you are pre-registered is $79.00

This new 6-hour program describes the anxiety disorders, common coexisting conditions, such as depression, eating disorders and insomnia and evidence-based treatments. Although anxiety-related disorders often undermine the quality of life, most forms of anxiety can be effectively treated. 

Participants completing this program should be able to: 

1. Describe diagnostic criteria and treatment of panic disorder, phobic disorder, social anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, generalized anxiety, mixed anxiety-depression, and posttraumatic stress.
2. Develop strategies for managing and preventing recurrent anxiety associated with professional or lifestyle issues.

Panic Disorder 

• Diagnosis: intense fight-or-flight symptoms; triggers. 
• Agoraphobia: avoidance of situations and sites associated with panic. 
• Treatment: why cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), “in vivo”exposure techniques, or controlled breathing are effective in over 80% of clients. 

Social Anxiety Disorder

• Symptoms: embarrassment, shame, and avoidance of social situations; how much of introversion is inherited, how much is a way of coping? 
• Treatment: CBT, tailored group therapy, and pharmacotherapy. 

Phobic Disorder

• Diagnosis: what initiates a fear of nightmare intensity? 
• Treatment: “ in vivo” exposure and CBT for specific phobias. 
• Management: helping people overcome phobic disorders in medical, dental, home and school settings. 

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

• Origins: what underlies repetitive, ritualistic thoughts and behaviors? 
• Common Obsessions: contamination, doubt, body concerns, sexual, aggression. 
• Common Compulsions: checking, cleaning, counting, confiding. 
• OCD Spectrum Disorders: Tourette’s syndrome, hypochondriasis, skin picking, nail biting, kleptomania, jealousy, gambling and compulsive shopping. 
• Treatment: exposure, response prevention, CBT, and pharmacotherapy. 
• Management: OCD at home and at work: helpful guidelines. 

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

• Diagnosis: excessive anxiety of at least 6 months; restlessness, fatigue, irritability and insomnia. 
• Treatment: tailored CBT, anxiety-management training, controlled breathing and pharmacotherapy. Mixed Anxiety And Depression 
• Diagnosis: the role of low-grade, everyday dysthymic disorders versus psychobiological depression; relation to eating disorders. 
• Treatment: effectiveness of CBT; pharmacotherapy; guidelines for pharmacists concerning adverse interactions with other drugs, OTC products and nutrients. 
• Sleep: anxiety and depression: how they each affect sleep (falling and staying asleep). 

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

• Primary PTSD: horror frozen in memory in children and adults; diagnosing the aftermath of domestic violence, sexual assault, or combat. 
• Symptoms and the Brain: flashbacks, dissociation and shrinkage of the hippocampus; hypervigilance, disturbed sleep and expansion of the amygdala. 
• Secondary PTSD: health workers at-risk of experiencing other’s trauma. 
• Treatment: cognitive restructuring, EMDR, SSRIs, beta blockers and newer drugs. Is PTSD a lifelong disorder? 

Clinical Insights and Tools

• Close Relationships: daily habits of people who maintain close relationships. 
• Problem Solving: how to dispute irrational fears using the ABCDE method. 
• Social Intelligence: how to reframe issues to resolve conflicts. 
• Coping With Adversity and Loss: one door closes, another opens. 
• Pathways to Mindfulness: sources of serenity. 
• The New Science of Happiness: what happy people know; keys to developing a more resilient, peaceful, and fulfilling life.