“Ask Dr Neuman” Advice Column
The treatment of a worry In order for human beings to manage their lives, they have to accommodate to constantly changing circumstances. They have to adapt to the demands of daily life. So constant is this process that it goes unnoticed unless something goes wrong....
The Treatment of an Exaggerated Fear Often, those who have particular fears, such as the fear of cancer or of a panic attack, have other fears also. Generalized Anxiety Disorder is not so much a particular illness as it is a description of someone who is fearful of...
A Misunderstanding Central to OCD The big difference between a little and a lot. Individuals suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder are unable accurately to assess risk. They think that if something is dangerous—such as radiation or germs—then it is always...
I grew up in Manhattan, and I do not remember anyone ever discussing the weather unless there was a hurricane coming—or a blizzard. In fact, I remember once, during a hurricane, going downstairs to buy a newspaper. I went for a piano lesson during a blizzard. Day to...
Since I put up a post describing pure obsessions, a considerable number of readers have written to ask me if I know of a treatment center in their area. Usually, I do not. I recommend contacting The Obsessive-Compulsive Foundation. They know of trained therapists in...
Earworms: A treatment suggestion Getting rid of that annoying mental music. An earworm is a short musical phrase that catches hold somehow to your imagination and repeats endlessly in your mind. It is common and similar to an obsession, which is an annoying and...
Exposure and response prevention. There is an old joke about doctors: “Doc, it hurts when I do this.” “So, don’t do that.” A version I hear frequently: “Doc, I get upset when I read about all the side-effects of these drugs.” “So, don’t read about the side-effects.”...
Six principles Health anxiety is, simply, a condition in which certain individuals (“health worriers”) worry too much about their health. They include patients who cross a number of theoretical and diagnostic categories, including generalized anxiety disorder,...
Figuring out what matters Some patients come to me because they feel very stressed at work. Usually, stress comes from a fear of making a mistake, or an overlapping fear of being scolded. Since everyone makes mistakes, no matter how important the job, and everyone is...
The treatment of an idea. In order to recover from agoraphobia and panic disorder, only two things need to be learned: No one is ever trapped, truly, in any of the settings phobics dread, obviously not in restaurants or on a line at a bank, or standing about at a...
Edna, the cavewoman, knew what she was talking about.Bernie and Charlie, the cavemen, were both friends even though Bernie was a worrier and Charlie was relaxed. Charlie slept outside the cave on humid nights where he could look at the stars and listen to the...
Bernie, the caveman, was a worrier. He worried about big things and little things; but some people only worry about the big things. I know a joke about this: One guy is talking to another at a bar. (Imagine some sort of ethnic accent) “I worry about the big...