911…Virginia Tech Massacre…Plane crashing…   How do you combat Fear in our world today?   Although we hail the miraculous landing of US Airlines Flight 1549, the event still escalates many people’s anxiety about flying. Postings on Face Book, blogs, and other sites show just how many people are fearful of flying. Why is this? Perhaps it [...]

Childhood sexual abuse has only become a societal issue in the past several decades. Consequently there is a lack of research, much of which began in the 1980’s. Finkelhor and Brown (1986) defined sexual abuse as any sexual activity involving a child under eighteen in which the other person is five or more years older [...]

Cartoons represent dog bites as silly, seemingly harmless events. The truth is far more serious. A large percentage of dog attacks leave their victims with debilitating scars, both physical and psychological. The sound of dogs barking or even venturing outdoors can become a fear provoking situation. Because dogs target the face, neck and head of [...]

“I have heard of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), but never understood what it is. Could you provide some information about this disorder?” PTSD is an anxiety disorder that is related to surviving a traumatic event, in which you feel your life or someone else’s life is threatened. These events can be catastrophic, such as natural [...]

I recently received a phone call asking, “Is it possible to have PTSD after a car wreck? I thought this disorder mainly occurred in veterans or child abuse survivors.”Absolutely! Car accidents can certainly be traumatic! You don’t have to experience military combat or childhood abuse to develop it. The probability of developing PTSD increases if [...]

“She was my good girl . . . she was ashamed of her sister’s behavior over the past couple of years and swore to learn from her mistakes . . . she was always home by curfew . . . she’s my baby.” These are quotes from Lynn Spears mother of Brittany and Jamie Lynn [...]