Free Republic

U.S. stocks and bond yields dropped Thursday, erasing most of the previous days’ gains and signaling renewed anxiety of the coronavirus outbreak. The Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeted by more than 1,000 points, or around 3.75 percent. The S&P 500 dropped 3.5 percent and the Nasdaq Composite fell by around 3 percent.

The alternative is to tell them they’re simply going to die and turn to dust. As a therapist, I’m often asked to explain why depression and anxiety are so common among children and adolescents. One of the most important explanations—and perhaps the most neglected—is declining interest in religion. This cultural shift already has proved disastrous for millions of vulnerable young people. Skip The result? Children or teens who reported attending a religious service at least once per week scored higher on psychological well-being measurements and had lower risks of mental illness. Weekly attendance was associated with higher rates of volunteering,...

Someone asked this question on Quora:Is there a flaw to the American school system? Why do so many teens have depression? Why don’t people do anything about it?My answer: Okay, let’s suppose you’re a ninth-grade student in the school system. What are some reasons you might feel anxious and depressed? First, you sense from the early grades nothing very serious is going on in your school. People never really learn to read. They don’t know any geography, any history, any science. Many students can hardly add and subtract. People sometimes think that taking it easy is a good idea. Yes,...

When the 2020 Democratic presidential contest kicked off earlier this year, the massive field was hailed as the most diverse in history, with candidates who spanned the ideological spectrum and offered enough in a broad buffet of options to excite any voter. But after 10 months of campaigning and 15 hours of nationally televised debates, another emotion is rising: anxiety. Party leaders and activists are citing weakness in all of the leading contenders, including former vice president Joe Biden, who has been forced on the defensive about his family’s ethics, performed haltingly in debates and set off alarms with his...

When I came to faith as a 16-year-old, drug-using, hippie rock drummer, I was told that Jesus was returning very soon. The end of the world was near. Very near. Today, there is a new religious narrative, especially among young people, with a new "end of the world" scenario. But this one is depressing and grim, with nothing redemptive about it. I'm talking about the new religion of manmade global warning. It has its unique gods (like Mother Earth). It deifies the created world (with seminarians confessing to plants in a chapel service). It has its high priests and religious...

A former Hezbollah leader was found dead in his apartment outside of Beirut Sunday, Lebanese media outlets reported. Sheikh Ali Hatoum, who was a senior member of the Iranian-backed Shia terrorist organization before his departure from the group two years ago, was found dead in his home in Bourj el-Barajneh, a suburb of Beirut. Citing unnamed sources, Lebanon24 reported that there was “no security action related to the killing of the [Hezbollah]” official, noting that Hatoum was no longer affiliated with the terror group. No cause of death has been reported thus far, and local officials are expected to make...

“The foundation of my marriage is built on a lie.” That’s a line I’ve used when new friends would ask me how I met my wife, Maura. Over our eight years together, I’ve gone back to the well so often with that joke that Maura doesn’t even feign offense anymore. She knows it’s meant for a dry laugh. But it is 100 percent accurate. In a borderline-desperate attempt to ask my future wife on a date, I lied. I did not, despite my request, actually need her help to buy one very, very red pair of Asics DS Trainers. In...

Most Tuesdays, I run early in the morning with a woman named Meredith. For such close friends, we’re quite different. Meredith is a voluble social worker who draws energy from crowds. I’m an introverted editor who works from home. Meredith runs her best in large races and loves training with big groups. I’ve set PRs in solo time trials and tend to bail when a run’s head count gets above five. Meredith is a worrier, beset by regrets and anticipated outcomes, who has sought treatment for anxiety. I have dysthymia, or chronic low-grade depression. We like to joke that Meredith...

It’s not youth and inexperience. It’s not even government-run schools and idiotic celebrities. Not primarily. Why do so many young people embrace socialism? For the same reason any middle-aged or older person embraces socialism: Anxiety and envy. By “anxiety” I mean neurotic anxiety, which means a false or exaggerated belief that one will be unable to properly survive or take care of oneself, so that unspecified help is needed to ensure survival. Envy is often a byproduct of anxiety. If one starts out feeling, “I’m unable to care for myself,” then it’s not a stretch to look at someone else...

People cope with disappointment in all kinds of different ways, but what one Eagles fan reportedly did after Sunday’s playoff loss takes things to an entirely different level. According to court records, a 31-year-old Eagles fan became so enraged after Philadelphia’s loss to the Saints on Sunday, that she assaulted her girlfriend and put her dog in a microwave. The incident occurred at a Best Western motel in Hanover Township, Northampton County. As the Daily News reports, “Kirsten Gaskins of Philadelphia was charged with simple assault, harassment, cruelty to animals and possession of drug paraphernalia. She was arraigned by District...

A “feeling as though the world is going to end.” That could describe what millions of people could have experienced in the last 100 years. World War I, World War II, the Cold War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, Sept. 11, the ISIS rampage throughout the world, all not only understandably evoked fear of the world ending, but all revolved around madness, war and genocide. But today that feeling is brought to liberals simply because their favorite lost an election. And strangely enough, it seems compounded with every good piece of news about the economy and the national security of the...

Therapists in the U.S. say they have seen a rise in politically-related anxiety under the Trump presidency. Though a condition has not been officially named, therapists and patients have referred to it as “Trump Anxiety Disorder,” according to a report from Canada’s CBC News. Elisabeth LaMotte, the founder of the D.C. Counseling and Psychotherapy Center in Washington, D.C., told CBC that there is a “collective anxiety” among her patients related to President Trump’s rhetoric and policies. "There is a fear of the world ending," she said. "It's very disorienting and constantly unsettling." She said that Trump critics who she treats...

I had to shorten the title so it's misleading Dentists can SMELL your fear: Study warns their ability to detect patients' anxiety may cause them to make more mistakesStudy of dental students found that dentists can smell when a patient is anxious It found this can make them more likely to make mistakes and perform poorly Students donated two shirts each, one worn during stress and one during calm Performed procedures on mannequins wearing the shirts, and they did significantly worse on the dummies wearing the 'stressed' clothingFear of the dentist is a real thing - but it may cause...

It turns out Oregonians are good at growing cannabis—too good. In February, state officials announced that 1.1 million pounds of cannabis flower were logged in the state's database. If a million pounds sounds like a lot of pot, that's because it is: Last year, Oregonians smoked, vaped or otherwise consumed just under 340,000 pounds of legal bud. This month, WW spoke to two dozen people across Oregon's cannabis industry. They describe a bleak scene: Small businesses laying off employees and shrinking operations. Farms shuttering. People losing their life's savings are unable to declare bankruptcy because marijuana is still a federally...

STUDY: Concern over climate change linked to depression, anxiety – ‘Restless nights, feelings of loneliness and lethargy’ By: Marc Morano - Climate DepotJanuary 20, 2018 1:55 PM with 0 comments Depression and anxiety are afflicting Americans who are concerned at the fate of the environment, according to a study of the mental health effects of climate change. Those hit hardest are women and people with low incomes who worry about the planet’s long-term health, said the study published this week in the journal Global Environmental Change. Symptoms include restless nights, feelings of loneliness and lethargy. “Climate change is a persistent...

Worried About the State of the World? Here Are 5 Bible Verses You Should Know!Gary Zimak Let’s be honest…there are some frightening things going on in the world. Every day we are bombarded with news about terrorism, natural disasters, war and many other threats. While it’s not necessarily a bad thing, advanced technology now makes it possible for weather forecasters to alert us to the possibility of tornadoes and hurricanes weeks in advance. In the same way, the popularity of the Internet makes it difficult to escape from “bad news”. It often seems like there is no place to hide....

Anyone have trouble with MRIs being too confining? I couldn't get through my first one....but, today, used Klonopin and a lavender washcloth to cover my eyes and breathed in the aroma. Worked great. No panic. Have upper back pain I needed diagnosed. What are your tips and tricks?

Ohio State has seen a 43% jump in the past five years in the number of students being treated at the university’s counseling center. At the University of Central Florida in Orlando, the increase has been about 12% each year over the past decade. At the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, demand for counseling-center services has increased by 36% in the last seven years. ... It is unclear why the rates of mental-health problems seem to be increasing among college students. Therapists point to everything from the economy and rising cost of tuition to the impact of social media...

How do you feel right now? Check yourself. Does a place in your body hurt or do you have bad thoughts or feelings? Take note of whatever it is then set it aside for the moment. Now as you are reading this, gradually start to notice your peripheral vision. Without looking away from these words you can see the edges and shape of the screen. Is it a computer screen, a laptop or smartphone? Take note of it. Continue reading and using your peripheral vision. What is beyond the boundaries of the screen? Is there a a lamp and office...

To the catalogue of anxieties her patients explore during therapy — marriage, children and careers — psychologist Alison Howard is now listening to a new source of stress: the political rise of Donald Trump.