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Featured Article
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by Irwin Savodnik, MD
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From the ISMED NewsGram Mar. 2005
A Closer Look at Stress - II
The Neuro-Endocrinology of Stress
Last month, we looked at the specific features of a stress-related syndrome.
This month, we can look at what happens inside the body when a person experiences a sudden, overwhelming stressor that is too much for him or her to adjust to in a short period of time.
The genesis of the stress response is in the brain. Specifically, neurotransmitters are secreted in various parts of the central nervous system that generates the characteristic alterations in physiological functioning we see in someone whose health or life have been threatened.
The three transmitters are norepinephrine, serotonin and g-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Let's take a brief look at each of them . . .
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From the Archives
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by Irwin Savodnik, MD
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From the ISMED NewsGram Dec. 2004
How to Tell if the Person Sitting Next to You is Crazy
If you think it takes a psychiatrist to determine if someone is crazy, i.e., psychotic, schizophrenic, out of touch with reality, you're mistaken. It's in the nature of psychiatric disorders that they are all too recognizable by ordinary people, individuals with no special training in psychiatry. Some people, though, are able to tell if someone they've just met is not tuned in to the same wavelength as those around him. What are the signs and symptoms of being crazy?
Before jumping right in to this issue, let's keep in mind a few points: First, we usually find that the whole person in his strangeness and peculiarity seems out of balance. Second, such a person may appear lost in a world of peculiar beliefs - often called delusions.
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