Eyewitness memory plays a significant role in up to 75% of wrongful convictions in a criminal justice system. Because of the nature of our memories, some information might get lost or new piece of information might alter what we remember. According to Gail S. Goodman and Jennifer M Schaat, it is still up to debate if accepting misleading information that is suggested in leading questions may change children’s memory. Emotions may play a big role as the misleading questions during an interview when a child is an eyewitness and, therefore, memory accuracy may depend on the child’s emotional state. It is important that the interviewee does not take advantage of the children because they interpret the world differently than we do. More research is needed in order to determine whether children are reliable as eyewitnesses and if an age restriction should also be required for children’s testimony to be taken as evidence during trials.
If you or someone you know is struggling with their mental health, please contact our psychotherapy offices in New York or New Jersey to talk to one of our licensed professional psychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, or psychotherapists at Arista Counseling & Psychotherapy. Contact our Paramus, NJ or Manhattan, NY offices respectively, at (201) 368-3700 or (212) 722-1920 to set up an appointment. For more information, please visithttp://www.counselingpsychotherapynjny.com/
Hypnosis: What can you do to help with your anxiety?
By, Maro Mikhaeil
Anxiety has occurred amongst millions of individuals from all over the world. In fact, Anxiety is the most common mental illness for its effect on a wide range of individuals.
There are many treatments for individuals experiencing symptoms of anxiety. One of the most successful treatments is hypnosis, which entails hypnotic inductions. Hypnosis essentially teaches you how to be in a state of trance and deep relaxation. Hypnosis helps to decrease feelings of anxiety by keeping your emotions in check and actually helps you anchor these calm feelings. Anchoring is a technique being used here that teaches an individual undergoing hypnosis to associate to more positive triggers instead of negative ones (Leming, 2023).
Hypnosis may even allow individuals to recall memories and revisit them, in a way that decreases one’s anxiety. In other words, it may take you into a dream-like state where you will go back to the time that caused your anxiety and help you conquer it.
If you or someone you know is struggling with their mental health, severe anxiety please contact our psychotherapy offices in New York or New Jersey to talk to one of our licensed professional psychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, or psychotherapists at Arista Counseling & Psychotherapy. Contact our Paramus, NJ or Manhattan, NY offices respectively, at (201) 368-3700 or (212) 722-1920 to set up an appointment. For more information, please visithttp://www.counselingpsychotherapynjny.com/
Narcissistic Personality Disorder: Being the Child of a Narcissistic Parent
By, Dyami Efroimson
Narcissistic Personality Disorder is characterized by having an inflated sense of importance. Those that have this disorder crave attention and admiration from those around them and have an obsession with others agreeing with their convictions. If these people feel as though they are not receiving this validation, they can be unpredictable in their reactions, sometimes lashing out at the people around them. Having narcissistic parents can result in an unstable household that leads to harmful personality traits in developing children. Some of these traits include
Fawn Effect: This act of befriending and appeasing a perceived threat is also known as people pleasing and can manifest in children going along with whatever they believe will make their parents happy out of fear of retaliation. From this, their lives may begin to revolve around the happiness of others.
Poor self-esteem: Because narcissistic parents desire to have the spotlight on them at all times, they may tear down their children and play off of their insecurities to then build themselves up, leading to their children holding a low opinion of themselves.
Inability to set boundaries: After being trained to consider their parents wants and needs before everything, children of narcissistic parents can have trouble setting boundaries and doing what is best for themselves without feeling guilty.
Although these traits can make transitioning into adulthood incredibly difficult for these children, it is possible for them to break out of these ingrained processes through therapy and can lead a healthy and happy life.
If you or someone you know is struggling with having a narcissistic parent or with their mental health please contact our psychotherapy offices in New York or New Jersey to talk to one of our licensed professional psychologists, psychiatrist, psychiatric nurse practitioners, or psychotherapists at Arista Counseling and Psychotherapy. Contact our Paramus, NJ or Manhattan, NY offices respectively, at (201) 368-3700 or (212) 722-1920 to set up an appointment. For more information, please visit http://www.counselingpsychotherapynjny.com/
Self Esteem: Inadequacy-Breaking the Chains of “Not Good Enough”
By: Lorentliz Sosa
With the New Year coming, people start thinking about what should be their New Year resolution. These thoughts may make people to start analyzing themselves and their lives, leading to the question “Am I even good enough”?
Inadequacy is not being good enough. The feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness can be challenging and painful. These thoughts can make it difficult for a person to feel motivated, perform well, and maintain a healthy relationship. These feelings can come from childhood trauma or even workplace harassment.
People who feel inadequate may also experience:
Fear of Rejection
Low self-worth
Feelings of powerlessness
Reluctance to accept affection from others
Anxiety
Self-criticism
In order to recover, it’s important to work with a therapist to explore the source of your negative feelings. Through therapy people discover more about themselves, such as their strengths and their weaknesses, while also helping increase their self-confidence.
If you or someone you know is struggling with their mental health, or has seasonal depression please contact our psychotherapy offices in New York or New Jersey to talk to one of our licensed professional psychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, or psychotherapists at Arista Counseling & Psychotherapy. Contact our Paramus, NJ or Manhattan, NY offices respectively, at (201) 368-3700 or (212) 722-1920 to set up an appointment. For more information, please visit http://www.counselingpsychotherapynjny.com/
Social isolation is one of the biggest predictors of depression and social media has made it so you can watch all your friends and family celebrate from thousands of miles away. According to the American Psychological Association around 38% of people surveyed said their stress unfortunately increased during the holiday season which can lead to physical illness, depression, anxiety, and substance misuse. It is very common to experience depression or anxiety during the holiday season due to the loss of a family member. Stress also accompanies buying gifts, alongside with social anxiety that comes with extended family reunions. People battling with anxiety or depression can feel overwhelmed when they are met with the unrealistic expectations of the holiday season and with financial burdens that may come during this time.
To combat these obstacles, which get in the way of family fun, one can set realistic expectations of the holiday parties, and realistic expectations of one’s own self. You can do this by taking these steps:
Pace yourself: Do not take on more responsibilities than you can handle and this can also be for food and drinking.
Live and enjoy the present: don’t set yourself up for disappointment by comparing the good ol’ days of the past with the present.
Try to find holiday activities that won’t strain your pockets: going on a drive to look at the beautiful lights in a nearby neighborhood, window shopping, and watching good holiday movies.
Make time for yourself, and make time to take your mental health into account. Surrounding yourself with caring people that can understand your daily battles can be very beneficial.
Be careful not to overspend: overspending can lead to depression or anxiety later on down the road.
If you are lonely, try volunteering time to help others, this could be volunteering at your local place of worship or perhaps at a homeless shelter.
If you or someone you know is struggling with their mental health, or has seasonal depression please contact our psychotherapy offices in New York or New Jersey to talk to one of our licensed professional psychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, or psychotherapists at Arista Counseling & Psychotherapy. Contact our Paramus, NJ or Manhattan, NY offices respectively, at (201) 368-3700 or (212) 722-1920 to set up an appointment. For more information, please visit http://www.counselingpsychotherapynjny.com/
Bulimia and Binge Eating Disorder: Similarities and Differences
By: Diane Ulloa Bulimia as categorized by the DSM V under bulimia nervosa is a diagnosis assigned to individuals who recurrently overeat and use inappropriate measures to prevent weight gain afterwards, such as purging, fasting or exercising excessively. A criterion would include, “Recurrent inappropriate compensatory behaviors in order to prevent weight gain such as self-induced vomiting; misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or other medications; fasting or excessive exercise” (National Library of Medicine). There are 5 criterion for binge eating disorder that include:
Eating in a discrete period of time (within 2 hour periods), an amount of food that is larger than most people would eat in a similar period of time under similar circumstances. A feeling that one cannot stop eating or control what or how much one is eating. . Eating until feeling uncomfortably full, eating large amounts of food when not feeling physically hungry.
Recurrent inappropriate compensatory behaviors in order to prevent weight gain such as self-induced vomiting; misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or other medications; fasting or excessive exercise
The binge eating and inappropriate compensatory behaviors occur, on average, at least twice a week for 3 months.
Self-evaluation is unjustifiably influenced by body shape and weight.
The disturbance does not occur exclusively during episodes of anorexia nervosa.
Both have the shared behavior of binge eating food, but what is binge eating? When someone cannot control their eating and they eat much more food than they would normally eat in one sitting often to the point of major discomfort. Oftentimes binging happens when one is not hungry and many report binge eating home alone, or at night when no one is up or around to see them. People may binge eat as a coping mechanism when they are stressed, anxious, bored, or experiencing any other negative emotion. For those struggling with bulimia, binging and then purging can be a way of coping with those negative emotions. For someone who struggles with binge eating disorder, binging can also be a way to self-soothe or distract in the presence of very difficult emotions. Many people who engage in these behaviors have feelings of social isolation and anxiety, and many have reported feeling hopeless and helpless. What’s the difference? The main difference is that bulimia nervosa is characterized by purging after binge eating. While everyone has very different reasons and experiences, often those who struggle with bulimia also struggle with gaining weight and often have a distorted body image. As opposed to those with binge eating disorders who may feel uncomfortable in their bodies, but do not have as strong preoccupation with their body image, or weight, as those with bulimia.
If you or someone you know is struggling with their mental health, bulimia nervosa, or binge eating disorder please contact our psychotherapy offices in New York or New Jersey to talk to one of our licensed professional psychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, or psychotherapists at Arista Counseling & Psychotherapy. Contact our Paramus, NJ or Manhattan, NY offices respectively, at (201) 368-3700 or (212) 722-1920 to set up an appointment. For more information, please visit http://www.counselingpsychotherapynjny.com/
Sources:
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. DSM-5 Changes: Implications for Child Serious Emotional Disturbance [Internet]. Rockville (MD): Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (US); 2016 Jun. Table 20, DSM-IV to DSM-5 Bulimia Nervosa Comparison. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519712/table/ch3.t16/ Berkman ND, Brownley KA, Peat CM, et al. Management and Outcomes of Binge-Eating Disorder [Internet]. Rockville (MD): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US); 2015 Dec. (Comparative Effectiveness Reviews, No. 160.) Table 1, DSM-IV and DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for binge-eating disorder. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK338301/table/introduction.t1/
Marijuana/Cannabis Addiction, That Can’t Happen, Right?
By: Diane Ulloa
Cannabis use has been growing as a result of recently imposed laws. Cannabis use disorder or cannabis addiction has grown tremendously in the past few decades. Apart from the glamorization of Cannabis use in popular movies and TV shows, Cannabis has been shown to aid in medicinal practice in order to alleviate patients’ painful side effects from chemotherapy. Cannabis has also been found to alleviate symptoms in people with Tourette syndrome. Despite the common misconception that people cannot become addicted to Cannabis use, “approximately one in ten people who use marijuana will become addicted. When they start before the age of 18, the rate of addiction rises to one in six.” (samhsa.gov) “Marijuana use, especially frequently (daily or nearly daily) and in high doses, can cause disorientation and sometimes unpleasant thoughts or feelings of anxiety and paranoia.” Alongside these side effects, cannabis use can also lead to disassociation or temporary psychosis which is when the user does not know what is real and is experiencing hallucinations, paranoia. It can also have long-lasting detrimental mental disorders including schizophrenia (cdc.gov). Users know they are addicted if:
They use more marijuana than intended
Trying but failing to quit using marijuana
Spending a lot of time using marijuana
Craving marijuana
Using marijuana even though it causes problems at home, school, or work
Continued marijuana use despite social or relationship problems
Giving up important activities with friends and family in favor of using marijuana
Using marijuana in high-risk situations, such as while driving a car
Continued use of marijuana despite physical and psychological problems
Needing to use more marijuana to get the same high
Experiencing withdrawal symptoms when stopping marijuana use
Navigating cannabis addiction can be difficult without help. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy [CBT] has been shown to tackle the psychological effects of addiction and is considered the most effective form of treating addiction. One approach is called motivational interviewing which helps to turn ambivalence towards quitting into energy to quit. By combining motivational enhancement therapy and CBT, a user can gain a sense of control and clarity that was kept from them because of their addiction.
If you or someone you know is struggling with their mental health and/or a cannabis addiction, please contact our psychotherapy offices in New York or New Jersey to talk to one of our licensed professional psychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, or psychotherapists at Arista Counseling & Psychotherapy. Contact our Paramus, NJ or Manhattan, NY offices respectively, at (201) 368-3700 or (212) 722-1920 to set up an appointment. For more information, please visit http://www.counselingpsychotherapynjny.com/
For many students attending college and working at the same time, it may be difficult to manage one responsibility after the other. For some, this may be a necessity as college tuitions in the U.S. have grown tremendously since the early 2000’s. Working and going to school may be a hassle because it is difficult to create a good flow of work-life balance. The stress and/or anxiety associated with both school and work can be caused by many factors including homework, time management, test taking/assignments, sleep disruption, etc. A study done in a private Midwestern college concluded, “Work-life balance is an important antecedent of college students’ mental health.”(Sprung & Rogers 2021) They also advocated for institutions to place heavier emphasis on work-life balance and its connection with the mental health of students. To cope with these stressors, students can approach their activities head-on as opposed to skipping class or staying in bed all day; putting things off is actually shown to cause more anxiety overtime. Students can also practice self-care such as good sleep hygiene and a consistent sleep schedule or a limit on daily caffeine intake. Another way would be to set up a good schedule for better time management skills; knowing what your week consists of can aid in managing anxiety associated with stressors like assignments, or tests, or your next scheduled shift. Seeking out resources such as therapy, earlier on have positive outcomes for dealing with anxiety caused by stress.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health and/or anxiety please contact our psychotherapy offices in New Jersey to talk to one of our licensed professional psychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric nursepractitioners, or psychotherapists at Arista Psychotherapy & Psychiatric Services. Contact our NJ offices respectively at (201)368-3700 to set up an appointment. For more information, please visit https://counselingpsychotherapynjny.com
Sources:
Justin M. Sprung & Anna Rogers (2021) Work-life balance as a predictor of college student anxiety and depression, Journal of American College Health, 69:7, 775-782, DOI: 10.1080/07448481.2019.1706540
Healthy romantic relationships have many characteristics to keep the relationship stable. Some important characteristics are mutual respect, good communication, self-confidence, shared responsibility, and problem solving. Mutual respect means that each person values who the other person is and understands the other person’s boundaries. Good communication means having honest conversations and being open to speak about difficult topics. Self-confidence in relationships means when dating partners have confidence in themselves; it can help their relationships with others. It shows that they are calm and comfortable enough to allow others to express their feeling without judgement.
Shared responsibility means taking turns doing the different tasks around the house and in any other matter. Some examples are arranging for meals whether for restaurant reservations, take-out, or cooking, making social arrangements with family and friends, plan weekend activities and vacations, walk the dog, take out the trash, clean the house, pay bills, etc. The last characteristic is problem solving. Dating partners can learn to solve problems and identify new solutions by breaking a problem into smaller parts or by talking through the situation.
These are some characteristics which can help to keep relationships stable.
If you or someone you know is struggling with unhealthy romantic relationships, contact our psychotherapy offices in New York or New Jersey to talk to one of our licensed professional psychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, or psychotherapists at Arista Psychotherapy & Psychiatric Services. Contact our Manhattan, NY or Paramus, NJ offices respectively at (201)368-3700 or (212)722-1920 to set up an appointment. For more information, please visit https://counselingpsychotherapynjny.com
Around 4.62 billion of us are engaging on social media platforms. You can like someone’s post or share a picture or video- there is always a new update or post. After endless amounts of scrolling it can be pretty tiring. Social media as a whole can make a person feel so many different ways: meaningful, euphoric, isolated, and even depressed.
What type of depression can social media be caused by?
Social media isn’t inherently harmful to your mental health, especially if it doesn’t replace other forms of healthy social interaction. However, exposure to harmful behavior and rhetoric through social media can impact your mood and even cause depressive symptoms. Comparison, jealousy, addiction, and many more are reasons to feeling down.
Prevention
Do you notice you’re feeling more sad, lonely, isolated, or depressed when you spend time on social media? Or do you walk away feeling recharged, or like you have spent your time meaningfully? If you have an iPhone, consider using the “Screen Time” feature to track how you’re using your phone. When social media becomes too distracting, consider turning off notifications for a while or removing the app from your phone until you feel like you’re in a better place to log in again.
If you or someone you know is struggling with depression, contact our psychotherapy offices in New York or New Jersey to talk to one of our licensed professional psychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, or psychotherapists at Arista Psychotherapy & Psychiatric Services. Contact our Manhattan, NY or Paramus, NJ offices respectively at (201)368-3700 or (212)722-1920 to set up an appointment. For more information, please visit https://counselingpsychotherapynjny.com
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