How to use this Page

Recent years have brought recognition that sportsmen and women may have mental health needs that are just as important as their ‘physical’ health – and that may need to be addressed. Athletes are people too, subject to many of the same vulnerabilities as the rest of us. In addition to our everyday anxieties, the sports world contains a whole host of different stressors.

The post Olympian pressure appeared first on OUPblog.

In June 2015, I co-chaired the organising committee of the first international mathematics education conference of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications (IMA) titled ‘Barriers and Enablers to Learning Maths’ with the University of Glasgow, who also hosted it. The two and a half day conference explored approaches to teaching and learning mathematics and was structured around ten parallel sessions that delegates could choose from, including ‘Addressing mathematics & statistics anxiety’ and ‘Enhancing engagement with mathematics & statistics.’

The post Addressing anxiety in the teaching room: techniques to enhance mathematics and statistics education appeared first on OUPblog.

The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B is basically described in one word: INCREDIBLE. Just seriously, wow. This book takes a really honest and relatable look at mental illness (specifically OCD). I got totally sucked in and emotionally tangled within mere pages. It’s only 270-pages and WOAH does it pack a punch. Basically it’s about Adam who […]

Books are a great way to reach out to kids. I think that anxious children can really connect and relate to a character, such as Nellie.

Books are a great way to reach out to kids. I think that anxious children can really connect and relate to a character, such as Nellie.

Special Needs Publishing is pleased to announce the release of “Nervous Nellie,” a book for children who worry, written by Dr. Urmila Pai, M.D. and illustrated by Jackie Schuld.

Special Needs Publishing is pleased to announce the release of “Nervous Nellie,” a book for children who worry, written by Dr. Urmila Pai, M.D. and illustrated by Jackie Schuld.

My Anxiety web comic has a brand-new home.
I am reposting all the old episodes, edited and tidied a bit, and there are many new ones to come.

Anna Walker; master creator of picture books encompassing emotion, wisdom, sensitivity, adventure, charm and humour. And equally as gentle, creative, genuine and profound as her delightful stories and pictures is the author / illustrator herself, with which I had the utmost pleasure in meeting recently at her Mr Huff Exhibition. I am honoured that the […]

Anna Walker; master creator of picture books encompassing emotion, wisdom, sensitivity, adventure, charm and humour. And equally as gentle, creative, genuine and profound as her delightful stories and pictures is the author / illustrator herself, with which I had the utmost pleasure in meeting recently at her Mr Huff Exhibition. I am honoured that the […]

Al Feldstein and JErry Robinson at SDCC 2008

Tomorrow at 9 am pst, noon est the big one gets underway, the Super Bowl, the Kentucky Darby, the Masters — registering for a 2015 San Diego Comic-Con badge. The day before the big event, the con has posted a The Ultimate Comic-Con 2015 Open Online Registration FAQ and let’s be honest, it is made to weed out people who can’t follow instructions:

Q: Where is my Registration Code? Did you email it to me?

A: Comic-Con did not email registration codes for Open Online Registration. To access your personal registration code, log in to your Member ID account and select the “Registration Info” tab. Your registration code will be displayed under “Registration Details.”

The rest of the procedure has many steps, but then does any path to true enlightenment. Instant gratification is not the path to moksha, grasshopper.

In answer to MANY MANY questions posed to me, PRO REG IS NOT DUE TOMORROW.

Nor is PRESS REGISTRATION.

For those who are not “verification due.” both of these, as well as “industry support staff” the mystery third group little known to us comics types (that all those people who work at entertainment booths) will have their registration at a FUTURE DATE., Registration for each will be open for a few weeks for each, until the quota is filled, and while I don’t anticipate a gold rush, probably staying alert is a good idea.

Anxiety disorders adversely affect millions of people and account for substantial morbidity in the United States. Anxiety disrupts an individual’s ability to effectively engage and interact in social and non-social situations. The onset of anxiety disorders may begin at an early age or occur in response to life events. Thus, the effects of anxiety are broad ranging, affecting both family and work dynamics, and may limit an individual’s quality of life.

While there has been a great deal of research focused on anxious behavior and anxiety disorders in the past few decades, there is still much we do not know. In order to better understand anxiety disorders, and to develop novel options for those who are nonresponsive to current treatments, scientists need to investigate the biobehavioral mechanisms that underlie the expression of anxiety related behavior. Research with humans subjects is one strategy used to gain insight on how to effectively treat anxiety disorders. However, there are inherent difficulties with such studies, including complex life histories and differences in access to resources (such as health care), as well as ethical issues. Common physiology between humans and other animals allow for the development of animal models that allow scientists to examine the neurobiological underpinnings of anxiety disorders. The non-human primate (NHP) has been used in the study of anxiety due to the physiological, behavioral and neural commonalities we share.

One type of anxiety assessment in non-human primates relies on direct behavioral observations, either in the animal’s ‘home environment’ or in a situation in which the animal is mildly challenged to induce an anxious state. In these procedures, observers typically look for the presence of behaviors indicative of anxiety, including fear and displacement behaviors (normal behaviors that may occur at seemingly inappropriate times). For example, in certain stressful situations, macaques may pick at their hair, a behavior similar to hair twirling in humans. Importantly anxiolytic drugs that reduce the occurrence of these behaviors in humans have been shown to reduce these behaviors in non-human primates, suggesting a common biological mechanism.

One commonly used procedure to assess anxiety in non-human primates is the “Human Intruder Test” (HIT). This procedure was designed to evaluate an animal’s response to the “uncertainty” of the presence of an unfamiliar human. The species appropriate response when presented with this mild challenge is to remain still and vigilant; however, there is a range of responses, with some animals showing little response and others excessive freezing behavior. Variations of this procedure have used similar stimuli, including unfamiliar conspecifics and predatory threats (e.g., stuffed predator) to measure anxiety-related responses. Animals that exhibit heightened anxiety responses in the Human Intruder Test also show alterations in the same neurobiological systems affected in humans with anxiety disorders.

Another class of anxiety tests in non-human primates relies on measuring physiological response following the presentation of an unexpected auditory or motor stimulus. For example, anxious people are more likely than others to react to a brief, unexpected sound with an exaggerated heart rate. Researchers have adopted similar methodology to assess startle response for nonhuman primates using a wide range of stimuli and physiological parameters.

Other research has focused on the cognitive processes involved in the regulation of anxiety responses. These tests of “cognitive bias” are based on the idea that an individual’s tendency to attend to potentially noxious stimuli tell us something about how the individual processes or weighs the experience. Therefore, an individual’s “anxious” state can be by assessed from his or her judgment about or attention to stimuli with different potentials to evoke anxiety. Cognitive bias procedures have been adapted and successfully employed in humans and other animals with similar response strategies across species, making these tests valuable comparative tools in our understanding of anxious behavior behavior.

Our review presents non-human primate models used by scientists in an effort to understand the biobehavioral mechanisms that mediate anxiety. The cross-species approach of modeling human psychopathology aims to discover targets for treatment toward the goal of reducing human suffering caused by anxiety disorders. Additionally, the knowledge gained from our investigation of anxiety-like behavior inform captive care of non-human primates. The studies reviewed have refined our understanding of factors that may result in anxiety-like behavior and provide information on how to manage them. Modeling psychopathology in non-human primates is necessary and critical to our understanding and treatment of these disorders in humans and nonhuman primates.

The post Anxiety in non-human primates appeared first on OUPblog.

        

Related Stories

• Does workplace stress play a role in retirement drinking?
• Evidence-based interventions in pediatric psychology
• World Philosophy Day reading list

 

you may have been told that life is a game

and that you can win it or lose it, in some way you probably almost understand but not quite

(which is worrying)

and that love is a reward

I would like you to know that a mistake has been made there

life is not a game

love is not a reward

love is a tidal thing

and if you don’t know this you will be like a child crying on the beach because the sea went away

because the sea didn’t like you

we often don’t know what strange moons are dragging

at the reservoirs of love held by those we wish to rely on

cancer moons and money moons and that big old sky-smothering satellite that drives your parents mad

but

generally speaking

it is probably not about you

most of the time

it would be a strange world in which it is all about you

and where everyone carefully checks how much love you deserve before handing it over

sometimes we try because we are silly and we have been told lies about life and love, too

but frankly we are far too self-involved to keep track

unconditional love is so much easier

Father Christmas doesn’t keep a list

you are loved

not by everyone all the time

but this world is full of decent people with hearts that have been broken enough to be quite elastic

and they will not let you go without a fight

they will write stories for you and give birth to you and carefully do your dental work

they may notice that you are sad and maybe not even say anything and maybe kick you in the shin because they think it might help or they may do the right thing and one of them might be your dog and some of them are probably imaginary but it’s a strong team working shifts

and they won’t let you go without a fight

even though they are scared

like you

you can help not let them go either

once you got some rest

you are welcome

sleep well.

When a child experiences big feelings or emotions, it can be confusing, deflating, and sometimes scary for parents and the child. The 5 books listed here can help parents and children talk about and navigate the sometimes windy road of emotions.