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Coping with catastrophic thinking is possible so that this pattern does not have a negative effect on your life. 4 ways that you can cope with this type of thinking include:
1. Face the fears that you have so that they do not become larger than life. If you continuously shy away from the things that make you fearful then you will never overcome the fear and it will continue to haunt you. If you are worried that you will fall to your death from a high height then try rappelling with safety equipment. If you are scared of flying because you just know the flight will crash then schedule a flight just to address this fear head on.
2. Pay attention to your thoughts and feelings, so that you learn to recognize valid fears from those that are unrealistic or highly unlikely. When you focus on your thoughts this can help short circuit the catastrophic thinking and reset your frame of mind.
3. Instead of trying to control every little thing in your life take control over things that you can. This can help minimize the anxiety that you feel over a loss of control and it can be an effective coping mechanism.
4. Seek professional help from a mental health expert. Sometimes catastrophic thinking requires professional treatment and assistance, and self help measures do not always work for everyone. If you have difficulty coping with your thoughts or you always seem to be in an anxious or negative state of mind then a counselor, psychologist, or psychiatrist should be consulted.
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The use of psychedelic substances is illegal in most parts of the world, but one United Kingdom expert is psychiatry believes that these substances have the potential to treat psychiatric disorders and that these drugs “should be legally reclassified so that researchers can investigate their therapeutic potential.” According to Dr. James Rucker, who is associated with King’s College London, U.K., “Psychedelic drugs, especially LSD and psilocybin, which is found in magic mushrooms, were extensively used and researched in clinical psychiatry before their prohibition in 1967. Hundreds of papers, involving tens of thousands of patients, presented evidence for their use as psychotherapeutic catalysts of mentally beneficial change in many psychiatric disorders, problems of personality development, recidivistic behavior, and existential anxiety. But no evidence shows that psychedelic drugs are habit forming; little evidence shows that they are harmful in controlled settings; and much historical evidence has shown that they could have use in common psychiatric disorders.”
Not everyone agrees that psychedelic substances have the potential to treat psychiatric disorders though. Journal of Public Mental Health editor Dr. Woody Caan explained that “Some patient populations may be more, or less, vulnerable to psychedelic substance use. Some hallucinogenic substances have clear “cumulative toxicity.” Caan continued by saying “Unlike our present conventions on drugs, a good system of legislation and regulation would balance risks and benefits and comprehend some individual variation among patients. Users become sensitized to repeated doses, progressing to disturbances of perception that are spontaneous, uncontrollable, and potentially distressing.” The use of these substances for any reason is highly controversial.
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According to research that was recently published in the Molecular Psychiatry journal new blood tests and questionnaire instruments have been developed which may help more accurately identify suicide risk through biomarkers and questionnaire answers. The combination can help predict the suicide risk with a rate that s higher than 90%, far higher than other tests. These tests can predict which individuals will start to contemplate suicide or actually attempt this step. Indiana University School of Medicine researchers developed these tools in order to provide an accurate assessment of the suicide risk. Many different types of mental disorders may involve suicidal thoughts or actions, including depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder. IU School of Medicine professor of psychiatry and medical neuroscience Alexander B. Niculescu III, M.D., Ph.D. Explained “We believe that widespread adoption of risk prediction tests based on these findings during healthcare assessments will enable clinicians to intervene with lifestyle changes or treatments that can save lives.”
When discussing the research on the biomarker and questionnaire testing Dr. Niculescu “We now have developed a better panel of biomarkers that are predictive across several psychiatric diagnoses. Combined with the apps, we have a broader spectrum predictor for suicidality. In additional to reproducing and expanding our own previous work, we reproduce and expand other groups’ results in this burgeoning field.” The blood samples were analyzed for RNA biomarkers, and then used along with answers from newly developed questionnaires. Researchers had the ability to accurately predict the suicide risk of patients around 92% of the time.
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Severe depression can lead to a very high suicide risk, but can this risk be influenced by the decision skills that the individual has? Many people struggle with severe depression or even suicidal thoughts at times, but in the past there was no way to identify people who were the most likely to actually attempt suicide. Only a small percentage of people who are severely depressed actually attempt to commit suicide, and new research may be able to identify this percentage by their decision skills. Some people are naturally more susceptible to suicide and if these individuals can be identified early on then the outcome may be greatly different. The new research has determined that the way decisions are made by a person can determine whether the individual is vulnerable to suicide.
High risk decision making skills have been shown to make an individual more vulnerable to suicide. The research results can be found n the Journal of Psychiatric Research. McGill University Assistant Professor of Psychiatry Dr. Fabrice Jollant was involved in the research study and explained “We know that the close relatives of people who commit suicide carry certain traits linked to suicide vulnerability, even if they have never expressed them through a suicidal attempt. People who have a tendency to make risky decisions lean toward solutions that provide short-term benefits despite the high risk, instead of solutions that are safer over the long term. They also have difficulty identifying alternative solutions when faced with a problem. We have specifically demonstrated that individuals who make risky decisions experience more problems in their personal relationships, which represent classic triggers for suicidal crises.”
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There are many forms of child abuse, and new research shows that emotional abuse is often overlooked but that this form of abuse can be the worst form. The study shows that the consequences of emotional abuse can be worse than those of sexual or physical abuse. The study also showed that emotional abuse or neglect is frequently under the radar and is rarely addressed by physicians, mental health experts, and clinicians. Joseph Spinazzola, Ph.D, the lead author of the study, said “Given the prevalence of childhood psychological abuse and the severity of harm to young victims, it should be at the forefront of mental health and social service training.” The study data and results can be found in a special issue of Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy.
The study on child abuse, and the oversight of emotional neglect and abuse in children, is disturbing. Spinazzola stated “Child protective service case workers may have a harder time recognizing and substantiating emotional neglect and abuse because there are no physical wounds. Also, psychological abuse isn’t considered a serious social taboo like physical and sexual child abuse. We need public awareness initiatives to help people understand just how harmful psychological maltreatment is for children and adolescents.” The study used a national set of data on childhood traumatic stress, and the data involved more than 5,600 children and adolescents. Children who experienced emotional or psychological abuse were more likely to suffer from conditions like PTSD, suicidal thoughts or attempts, low self esteem, depression, and anxiety.
