What Happens to Our Body When We Experience Anxiety?

Tasina Emma Westberg

Writer

Are These Mushrooms Magic? The Psilocybin Psychedelic

You have all probably heard about the famous “magic mushrooms” or “magic truffles'', which are legal in The Netherlands. Since I live in the Netherlands, I have heard way too much information, positive and negative, about these hallucinogens. Prompted by my own curiosity, I did research on the substance contained in these “fungi”, and ended up finding many studies related to psychology! The substance is named psilocybin and although it is dominated by a cultural stigma attached to its hallucinogenic effect, numerous studies have proven that it has potential therapeutic benefits for some mental conditions. Let’s take a closer look.

Georgia Lepenioti

Writer

Panic Disorder

Panic attacks are sudden episodes of intense fear followed by cognitive and somatic symptoms such as losing breath, increased heart rate, and having a numb feeling in your hands. Panic disorder is a mental disorder defined by recurring panic attacks that become chronic, and a constant fear that the attack might occur again. People experiencing this disorder have the tendency to adopt maladaptive behaviors such as avoidance of certain places, people, or situations to prevent the attacks to occur.

Diana Birjac

Writer

Generalised Anxiety Disorder

We all feel anxious and nervous sometimes, especially when life becomes hectic, or stressful. We might worry about financial, health, work, and family issues. However, in some cases, anxiety can become excessive and can interfere with everyday functioning and with our daily activities. This excessive worrying can be perceived as uncontrollable, disproportional to the actual dangers, and intolerable. It might be a sign of Generalized Anxiety Disorder, a highly prevalent disorder, which is associated with persistent suffering and considerable impairments.

Georgia Lepenioti

Writer

Selective mutism in children and young adults

Selective Mutism (SM) is defined by the inability to speak in certain situations, and the ability to do so in other more familiar circumstances. Selective mutism should not be confused with a physical disability to speak, as it is merely a failure to speak due to anxiety rather than brain-dysfunction-related. The disorder is mostly present in children, teenagers, and young adults. Because of its selective nature, most parents are oblivious to their child’s impediment and as a consequence, SM is often detected only when the child enters school. It is diagnosed between the ages of 5 and 8 years old and it has a very high probability to disappear as the child becomes an adult. Although Selective Mutism Disorder has the potential to fade in time it might still constitute a sign of underlying psychopathology. SM is associated in over 70 % of the cases with anxiety, but also with obsessive-compulsive symptoms and phobias. When the young adult becomes an adult, mutism dims but the anxiety persists throughout adulthood. Fortunately, a wide range of non-medication and medication-based interventions have shown to be effective in treating Selective Mutism.

Diana Birjac

Writer

Alcohol Use Disorder: Conditioning and Sensitization

When people say “alcoholic” a certain image comes to mind: a weak-minded person with no willpower. That they are abusive, aggressive, and should be kept away from “us” for our own safety. However, that isn’t an accurate description of people who suffer from Alcohol Use Disorder. Stereotypes about them may prevent them from getting professional help. So, actually what is Alcohol Use Disorder? How do people experience it? Learning together about this disorder helps us become more sympathetic to those affected by it, and dismantle the current persisting stigmas. ‍

Keisha Amalia

Writer

Scrolling for hours: Is it an addiction?

Can you imagine a world without social media or the internet? Well, some for sure can, but most of us probably cannot, especially the younger generations. This is how we keep in contact with each other and the world today, which makes us feel connected no matter where we are. When you look around, you feel like everyone spends at least 3-4 hours on the internet keeping up with the latest trends, memes, and news. However, have you ever actually checked out the time you spend on your phone? How do you think your social media usage affects you? If you spend at least 9-10 hours everyday on social media does that mean you are addicted? Would the use of addiction be correct?

Birsu Obalar

Writer

Bipolar Disorder

Mood swings are common and relatively normal, especially as a response to events or situations in our lives. However, mood swings can become problematic if they are persistent and cause significant psychological distress. In these cases, the person may be suffering from Bipolar Depression. People with bipolar depression experience episodes of (hypo)mania which may alternate with episodes of depression, depending on the subtype. But what exactly do manic and depressive episodes look like? Find out in this article!

Denisa Alfoldyova

Writer

Hollow Face Illusion: A test for Schizophrenia?

The topic of illusions is one of a kind. It shows that, as humans, our bodies and senses are not perfect and we can make mistakes when it comes to perceiving objects, things, and so on. In this article, we dive deep into what hollow face illusion is and how it is related to schizophrenia.

Birsu Obalar

Writer

Chemical Castration: a treatment for sex offenders and its ethical concerns

Chemical castration. Decades ago, it was used as a ‘treatment’ for homosexuality which was then considered a mental illness. Nowadays, it is becoming a topic of discussion in relation to sex offenders. If successful, chemical castration could lower recidivism rates among sex offenders or even prevent sex offending among those who are aware of their urges before they act on them. However, there are also multiple ethical concerns to take into account. Should it be considered a treatment or a punishment? Is consent necessary? Let’s find out in this article!

Denisa Alfoldyova

Writer

Narcissistic Personality Disorder

When we think of individuals with Narcissistic personality disorder, many of us associate them with stigmatizing words like “evil”, “inhumane”, and “vile”. Indeed, this disorder is covered by misconceptions in daily life. Clearly, this does more harm than good, as those with the disorder may be much less likely to seek help given all the dehumanizing ideas about them. In order to erase these damaging stigmas, it helps to learn about it to represent people with NPD with a much more humane perspective.

Keisha Amalia

Writer

ADHD: How does it affect an individual's everyday life?

You all know that one person who is always late, loses their keys, is constantly agitated and lazy or procrastinating at the same time. It can be inferred that it is a character flaw, but “what if is not?”. What if this person might have ADHD? Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder and one of the most researched areas in mental health. It is characterized by impaired concentration, impulsivity, and, in specific cases, hyperactivity. It is often diagnosed early, around the age of 7, as the attention issues become more clear when children enter primary school. The disorder persists into adulthood and affects social, academic, and occupational functioning.

Diana Birjac

Writer

Antisocial Personality Disorder

We often hear people refer to someone as anti-social simply because they are shy and might find it difficult to interact with strangers. However, in clinical terms that is not quite what antisocial means. Antisocial personality disorder is an official diagnosis defined in the DSM-5. Moreover, it is often linked to crime and other antisocial behaviours. So, what exactly is antisocial personality disorder and is it really linked to criminal behaviour? Let’s find out!

Denisa Alfoldyova

Writer

Health Anxiety

You feel a sudden pain in your stomach and immediately think the worst: ‘Is this it? Am I dying?’ Then you turn to Google and your worst fears are confirmed… Many of us experienced this at least once. In more extreme cases, it might be indicative of health anxiety. Why are some people preoccupied with their physical health despite the lack of symptoms? And how might the ongoing pandemic affect people with health anxiety? Let’s find out!

Denisa Alfoldyova

Writer

Psychedelics in treatment for addictions, time to break the stigma?

For decades, researchers have been investigating the potential benefits of psychedelic-assisted therapy for various mental disorders and trauma recovery. The results are extremely promising but also very controversial. Specifically, their focus is mainly on additions to alcohol and tobacco use. Thus, these will be the main scope of this article. So how do these drugs operate? What are their potential benefits? Let’s find out!

Denisa Alfoldyova

Writer

Test Anxiety

Test anxiety is a psychological condition characterized by intense fear and excessive stress in an exam, which lowers performance ability. Can you relate to this? What are the symptoms of test anxiety? What are the causes? How can it be treated?

Stockholm Syndrome

23rd of August 1973, Stockholm: Janne Olsson entered Kreditbanken, fired his gun and took a number of people as hostages. He asked for money and a car to help him escape. Chaos reigned in the bank, Olsson released most of the hostages but kept three women who he tied up and used as a cover to escape police gunfire, who he shot when they tried to enter the bank. Stockholm syndrome (hostage captor effect) is created between hostages and their captor and requires a positive bond to be created. Read more in the article.

Demi Anagnostouli

Head of Contents

Insomnia and Insomnia Disorder

Insomnia and Insomnia Disorder are known to affect both our physical and mental health. Are you interested in learning more about its consequences, causes, and some tips you can follow? Then keep reading to find out more.

Paraphilic Disorders: Truths and Challenges

Paraphilia comes from Greek ‘para’, meaning around or beside, and ‘philos’, meaning love. Paraphilias are sexual stimuli or acts that deviate from socially accepted sexual behaviour, but that may be necessary for someone to experience sexual arousal.

Demi Anagnostouli

Head of Contents

Dissociative Identity Disorder: One body, multiple personalities

Split, Identity, The Three Faces of Eve, Primal Fear… These are only some of the movies depicting people with multiple personalities. While some of them might be more accurate than others, all of them in one way or another contribute to the stigma and misconceptions surrounding this disorder. So, what exactly is Dissociative Identity Disorder? Why and how is it developed? And why is there some much controversy surrounding it? Let’s find out! 

Denisa Alfoldyova

Writer

Memories of Child Sexual Abuse

Traumatic experiences, like childhood sexual abuse, can have multiple adverse consequences if not treated. They can affect a child's development, cognition, and attitude. Childhood sexual abuse also constitutes a risk factor for the development of certain mental disorders, such as anxiety and panic disorder [1]. Why do some people struggle to recall such memories? Are these memories accurate? What are the different perspectives explaining childhood sexual abuse memory recovery?

Schizophrenia: The Split Personality Myth

Countless movies and TV shows have depicted schizophrenic people as having split personalities with violent tendencies. Is this portrayal accurate? The answer is... no. Schizophrenia continues to be one of the most misunderstood mental illnesses. But if not split personality, what is it then? Let’s find out. 

Denisa Alfoldyova

Writer

Eating Disorders, an invisible Epidemic

Eating Disorders (ED) can be considered a proper epidemic because of their exponential increase in recent years, especially in the Western world. They are the world's second deadliest mental illness (after opioid overdose): approximately one person every 50 minutes dies of direct medical complications of an eating disorder. These numbers are even higher if we consider the amount of people who commit suicide as a consequence of this mental illness. Differently from public opinion, only 6% of people suffering from an ED are clinically underweight, making this epidemic invisible to the eye [2].

Margherita Caissotti di Chiusano

Co-Founder

Thought Suppression: To think or not to think?

Often, people try not to think about negative events or thoughts that cause them distress, and they do this consciously. Some believe that suppression is a powerful tool for intentional forgetting, while others think that it only causes more harm. Where do suppressed memories go? Do we forget them or simply inhibit their retrieval? 

Ludovica Arvigo

Co-Founder

Are you really OCD?

How many times have you seen a video on social media, with a person enthusiastically claiming they have OCD and then they proceeded to show you their perfectly organised pantry as a proof? There is a widespread public belief that having OCD simply means constant organising, cleaning or hand-washing. While those behaviours are commonly exhibited by people with OCD, there is a lot more to it than you might think. Such misconceptions can have many negative consequences and therefore it is very important to change the narrative surrounding OCD.

Denisa Alfoldyova

Writer

The Danger of Stigmatizing Pedophilia

To this day, pedophilia remains one of the most stigmatized and taboo mental illnesses both in the mainstream and sex research worlds. This can be attributed to the dangerous implications that it can have if not controlled but also to the incredibly flawed narrative that surrounds it. So, what consequences does all this stigma really have? Can stigma actually increase the risk of child sexual offending?

Margherita Caissotti di Chiusano

Co-Founder