Hamilton Depression Scale

Mexican Literature. The literature of Mexico is internationally renowned, with inspirational authors such as Carlos Fuentes, Juan Rulfo and Octavio Paz

The literature of Mexico is internationally renowned and prolific, with inspirational Mexican authors such as Carlos Fuentes, Juan Rulfo and Octavio Paz, the country's strong literary tradition is still very much celebrated today.

Prior to colonization, Mexican books were in scarce supply. The indigenous population had their own system of writing, but its uses were limited to specific purposes. Instead they tended to rely heavily on the use of oral narration for transmitting and relying mythology and stories.

However, things quickly changed with the arrival of colonizers. European settlers began to write eye witness accounts analyzing the new land that they had discovered. Some of the first books about Mexico were written by conquerors or chroniclers like Álvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca and Bernal Díaz del Castillo. As the Spanish continued to exert their authority on all realms of culture, Mexican writers were greatly affected by their influence, and as such soon the literature produced developed distinct characteristics. A hybrid of Spanish and Mexican literature developed, known as 'mestizaje', which saw the blending of common language used in the colonial Mexico with European subject matters. Some of the most prolific Mexican authors of the time included Bernardo de Balbuena, Juan Ruiz de Alarcón, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz and Carlos de Sigüenza y Góngora

The Mexican Revolution was a fundamental subject matter and inspiration in the development of modern Mexican novels such as Como Agua Para Chocolate and Los de Abajo.  Mexican writers of the last century are perhaps the most celebrated throughout the history of Mexican literature, with household names such as Carlos Fuentes, Juan Rulfo's unique representation of the Mexican Revolution in Pedro Paramo, and El laberinto de la soledad by Octavio Paz. Mexico really has earned its place in the international literary forefront.

Wherever your literary interests lie, this section will provide you with more detail about the fascinating range of Mexican literature on offer.

Reference

Mexico Entry Requirements for Tourists and Short Term Visitors

Minors traveling to Mexico alone, or unaccompanied by at least one parent or their legal guardian

Visitors Permit – Visitante

Passport holders from countries on Mexico’s Error! Hyperlink reference not valid. do not need to apply for a formal visa to visit Mexico. They may, instead, use a visitor’s permit, known as a FMM (Forma Migratoria Multiple).

If the country that issued your passport does not appear on the ‘no visa required list’, you should check with your nearest local  for details of visa requirements before you travel to Mexico.

Mexico Visitor’s Permit (FMM)

For a Mexico Visitor’s Permit (FMM) will need to be filled out in place of a visa. This is a simple form: pick one up from the check-in counter at the airport and fill it out on the airplane before you land or you can acquire one at all land border crossings. If the airline you are traveling with does not have any forms at the check-in desk or on-board the plane, don’t worry, you can get one when you land in Mexico and fill it out before you line up to have your documents checked and stamped by the officials at the airport.

Mexico charges a fee to all tourists and business visitors arriving in the country. The fee is approximately US$22, and the money collected is handed to the Tourism Ministry to promote Mexican tourism.

Airlines normally collect the permit fee on behalf of the Mexican government and include the cost within the total airfare (under ‘taxes and surcharges’), so in the majority of cases, there will be no need for you to pay the fee separately.

If you do not arrive in Mexico by airplane, then you will need to pay Mexico’s Visitor’s Permit fee separately if you travel beyond the 22 miles/35 km ‘free zone’ after crossing a land border into Mexico or arriving by sea on a private vessel. If you do this, you will have to complete the Visitor’s permit at the immigration check-point and pay the fee separately.

Lost your FMM Permit? If you lose your FMM, you will need to visit one of the immigration offices situated in towns and cities across the country, or at the airport, and apply for a replacement before you can leave.  This will involve some form-filling and filing, and a trip to a local bank to pay your permit replacement fee (about US$30) before you return to the immigration office to receive your FMM replacement.

Kept your FMM Permit? We sometimes get emails from readers who have arrived home and realized that they still have their FMM tourist permits.  The best thing to do, if this happens to you, is to contact your nearest , who will advise what to do—and may ask you to send back it to them.

Over-Stayed on your FMM? If you overstay the time you were granted on a FMM permit (usually 180 days), you will need to visit an immigration office (or the immigration center at the airport) and pay a fine before you can leave the country.  The amount of the fine depends on how long you have over-stayed; it is calculated on a per-day basis and, at time of writing, will not be more than MX$6,000 pesos.  As with lost permits, you should arrange to secure your exit visa before your planned flight departure date, as otherwise you might miss your flight.

Important! KEEP YOUR VISITOR’S PERMIT SAFE!

If you do not have your FMM (Visitor’s Permit) with you when you leave, you will need to undergo some Mexican Immigration red-tape and apply to get a replacement at one the country’s immigration offices or at the airport. The fee to replace thee permit is about US$30,  A lost permit, especially if you only notice at the airport when you are ready to leave, will delay your exit and may cause you to miss your scheduled flight.

Passports Now Required for Air Travel to USA

As of January 23 2007, all passengers—including US citizens—traveling to or through the USA by air will need to hold a valid passport. US Citizens are no longer able to use their birth certificate or driver’s licence to enter the US by air from Mexico.
See Blog: Error! Hyperlink reference not valid..

U.S. Passport Cards

U.S. passport cards are less expensive than passport books and can be used by U.S. citizens who cross the border between the United States and Mexico by land or sea. These look like a driver’s licence, and are more robust and less bulky than a passport book. You can learn more about Passport Cards on . of the US State Department web site.

US Passport Cards Not Valid for Air Travel: If you are a holder of a U.S. Passport Card, please note that this is NOT valid for air travel to Mexico. Passport Cards can only be used to cross the border between the United States and Mexico by land or sea ports. A passport is required for air travel to and from the the United States (see previous heading).

Criterios para el diagnóstico de Crisis de Angustia o Pánico (DSM-IV)

Aparición temporal y aislada de miedo o malestar intensos, acompañada de cuatro (o más) de los siguientes síntomas, que se inician bruscamente y alcanzan su máxima ex-presión en los primeros 10 min:

(1) palpitaciones, sacudidas del corazón o elevación de la frecuencia cardíaca

(2) sudoración

(3) temblores o sacudidas

(4) sensación de ahogo o falta de aliento

(5) sensación de atragantarse

(6) opresión o malestar torácico

(7) náuseas o molestias abdominales

(8) inestabilidad, mareo o desmayo

(9) desrealización (sensación de irrealidad) o despersonalización (estar separado de uno mismo)

(10) miedo a perder el control o volverse loco

(11) miedo a morir

(12) parestesias (sensación de entumecimiento u hormigueo)

(13) escalofríos o sofocaciones

Bibliografía:

1              DSM-IV. American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.). Washington, DC.

This material was taken from the DSM-IV. It is intended for educational purposes only.

Se registra un salto en casos de influenza AH1N1; van 68 muertes

Se registra un salto en casos de influenza AH1N1; van 68 muertes: Se han detectado 945 casos de H1N1 esta temporada, comparados con sólo cuatro casos y ninguna muerte la temporada anterior

psicologíaenCubas: CÓMO AYUDAR A LOS NIÑOS CON ANSIEDAD

psicologíaenCubas: CÓMO AYUDAR A LOS NIÑOS CON ANSIEDAD: . Thomas J. Huberty, PhD, NCSP Universidad de Indiana La ansiedad y los trastornos de ansiedad en niños Información para los padres  ...

Trends Endocrinol Metab. 1993 Mar;4(2):62-9.

Stress update Adaptation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis to chronic stress.

Dallman MF.

Abstract

The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis exhibits a circadian rhythm, activation by stress, and inhibition by corticosteroids. Activity in the HPA axis is very sensitive to inhibition by corticosteroids when they are administered exogenously. When stress-induced corticosteroid secretion occurs, however, normal activity in the HPA is not inhibited and may even be augmented. Experiments in rats have shown that stress also induces facilitation of subsequent activity in the HPA axis that appears to balance the inhibitory effects of corticosterone and thus maintains responsiveness to new, acute stresses in chronically stressed rats. Stress-induced facilitation of HPA axis activity may be mediated by a parallel stress-induced (CRH-dependent) increase in the capacity of brain noradrenergic cell groups to respond to acute stress. A continually responsive HPA axis, even under conditions of chronic stress, appears to be important for survival. Stress-induced increases in glucocorticoid secretion to levels sufficient to occupy glucocorticoid receptors enable appropriate thermoregulatory and cardiovascular responses to acute stress. There is, however, an overall metabolic cost to the animal of maintaining continued activity in the HPA axis during chronic stress.

También el cerebro enferma y es necesario ir al médico, sin que basten tan sólo la voluntad y la disciplina espiritual

Por: Orlando Enríquez | Fuente: psicologia cristiana.com 

En más de una ocasión escuché que la enfermedad mental es algo que no existe para el cristiano.

Así, sin más. Parecieran haberse olvidado los casos de los que Dios nos habla en su Palabra.

Como las palabras son nuestras aliadas, pero también evocan cosas muy distintas en quienes las escuchan, aclaremos en lo posible los términos. Me referiré hoy a los trastornos de ansiedad o depresivos, subrayando el matiz médico del término, diferente al uso común en la calle o en muchos medios de comunicación.

Observo que aún en nuestros círculos hay una resistencia, por múltiples causas, a aceptar la posibilidad de que también un cristiano tenga dichas alteraciones, y que requiera la ayuda médico-psiquiátrica y psicológica necesarias, viendo todo este arsenal como contrario a la fe a priori. Es cierto que algunas escuelas psicológicas han combatido aspectos de la fe cristiana. Por ejemplo, los planteamientos de Freud en torno a la idea de Dios son rechazables para un cristiano (de hecho a veces el psicoanálisis tiene más de religión que de ciencia), pero no todo es así. Las más de cien escuelas de psicoterapia existentes, muestran lo complejo del abordaje de los procesos mentales del hombre y su sociedad. Pero no por ello hemos de tirarlas a la papelera. Como siempre: habrá que examinarlo todo y retener lo bueno (3) Pueden ser herramientas muy útiles para guiar al paciente hacia la recuperación.

Por ejemplo: la escuela cognitiva-conductual trabaja sobre las ideas irracionales que nos perjudican. Por supuesto: el marco existencial que el Dios de la Biblia nos propone es el más adecuado y el terapeuta integral será aquel que con el adecuado discernimiento, la sabiduría necesaria y una fe bien entendida (que pueden incluir perfectamente una sólida formación en psicología y desde luego es indispensable una potente formación bíblica), lleve al paciente a una restauración cuya plenitud sólo está en Dios. En el ejemplo anterior: el objetivo para trabajar las ideas irracionales sería la transformación mediante la renovación de nuestro entendimiento.

El ser humano ha sido creado como una unidad de espíritu alma y cuerpo (4). La mente influye sobre el cuerpo y el cuerpo sobre la mente. Por eso en esta reflexión es crucial dejar sobre la mesa el ignorado ingrediente de lo orgánico, de lo físico.

En un sentido, al igual que lo hacen el estómago, los huesos, etc., también el cerebro enferma y es necesario ir al médico, sin que basten tan sólo la voluntad y la disciplina espiritual. Hace ya años que se ha demostrado que pacientes con trastornos depresivos tienen, entre otras cosas, un conjunto de alteraciones neurobioquímicas, transitorias, un alteración del funcionamiento de unos mensajeros químicos entre las neuronas de nuestro cerebro que llamamos neurotransmisores, o incluso alteraciones del flujo sanguíneo cerebral.

Puede ser que una alteración de las hormonas tiroideas, algo que un médico de atención primaria puede determinar fácilmente si lo ve indicado, esté en el origen de trastornos del ánimo nada desdeñables. En la génesis de ciertos trastornos de ansiedad se conoce ya la implicación de estructuras cerebrales concretas que disparan lo que conocemos como catecolaminas, sustancias responsables de que el paciente tenga sensaciones muy desagradables y variadas en su cuerpo originando las crisis de ansiedad, cosa que le puede ocurrir aunque se encuentre en el más bucólico de los entornos.

Claro que no es todo bioquímica, pero ésta tiene su papel. Por eso la indicación de la toma de ciertos medicamentos que regulan este aspecto. Es, pues, necesario el discernimiento ante las personas con estos trastornos, para dar un cobijo y cuidado integral y equilibrado en el seno de nuestras iglesias. La labor pastoral correcta no ha de desestimar nunca, todo lo contrario, la ayuda médica en dicho abordaje, para no incrementar el sufrimiento de quienes ya están tan heridos, añadiendo kilos de culpabilidad a la espalda.

El creyente tiene poderosos recursos en Dios, pero ha sido Dios también quien, en su providencia, nos regala la posibilidad de, por ejemplo, inventar fármacos que, correctamente indicados, ayudan en el proceso, colocados en el marco correcto de un tratamiento integral. La recuperación física adecuada antes de hablar de otros temas. Claro que los médicos y psiquiatras no cristianos sólo pueden participar en parte del proceso de recuperación de la persona (no los despreciemos por ello).

Pero no tengamos miedo: la verdadera ciencia ni sustituye ni contradice a la Escritura. Y claro que es en ella donde encontraremos la fuente de la que nutrir nuestra vida, enseñada en todos sus aspectos y con el equilibrio adecuado.

Notas

(1) 1ª Reyes 19

(2) 2ª Corintios 2:

(3) 1ª Tesalonicenses 5:20

(4) 1ª Tesalonicenses 5:23

HIV AND DEPRESSION

American Psychiatric Association

Ejercicios de respiracion y relajacion

Depression and cancer

Depression and cancer

Feelings you may experience with Cancer 

Fear It’s frightening to hear you have cancer. Most people cope better when they know what to expect. 

Anger You may feel angry with health care professionals, your God, or even yourself if you think you may have contributed to the cancer or a delay in diagnosis. 

Disbelief: You may have trouble accepting that you have cancer, especially if you don’t feel sick. It may take time to accept the diagnosis. 

Sadness It is natural for a person with cancer to feel sad. If you have continual feelings of sadness, and feel sleepy and unmotivated – talk to your doctor – you may be clinically depressed. 

Guilt It is common to look for a cause of cancer. While some people blame themselves, no-one deserves to get cancer. loneliness It’s natural to feel that nobody understands what you’re going through. 

You might feel lonely and isolated if your family and friends have trouble dealing with cancer, or if you are too sick to work or socialise with others and enjoy your usual activities. 

Loss of control Being told you have cancer can be overwhelming and make you feel as though you are losing control of your life. 

Distress Many people, including carers and family members, experience high levels of emotional suffering as a direct result of a cancer diagnosis.

Emotions and Cancer A guide for people with cancer, their families and friends First published July 2002. This edition April 2013. © The Cancer Council NSW 2013 ISBN 978 1 921619 76 2

10 Ways to Catch a Liar

Experts have 10 tips that can let you know if someone isn't telling you the whole truth.

By Heather Hatfield
WebMD Feature

Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

WebMD Feature Archive

J.J. Newberry was a trained federal agent, skilled in the art of deception detection. So when a witness to a shooting sat in front of him and tried to tell him that when she heard gunshots she didn't look, she just ran -- he knew she was lying.

How did Newberry reach this conclusion? The answer is by recognizing telltale signs that a person isn't being honest, like inconsistencies in a story, behavior that's different from a person's norm, or too much detail in an explanation.

While using these signs to catch a liar takes extensive training and practice, it's no longer only for authorities like Newberry. Now, the average person can become adept at identifying dishonesty, and it's not as hard as you might think. Experts tell WebMD the top 10 ways to let the truth be known.

Tip No. 1: Inconsistencies

"When you want to know if someone is lying, look for inconsistencies in what they are saying," says Newberry, who was a federal agent for 30 years and a police officer for five.

When the woman he was questioning said she ran and hid after hearing gunshots -- without looking -- Newberry saw the inconsistency immediately.

"There was something that just didn't fit," says Newberry. "She heard gunshots but she didn't look? I knew that was inconsistent with how a person would respond to a situation like that."

So when she wasn't paying attention, he banged on the table. She looked right at him.

"When a person hears a noise, it's a natural reaction to look toward it," Newberry tells WebMD. "I knew she heard those gunshots, looked in the direction from which they came, saw the shooter, and then ran."

Sure enough, he was right.

"Her story was just illogical," says Newberry. "And that's what you should look for when you're talking to someone who isn't being truthful. Are there inconsistencies that just don't fit?"

Tip No. 2: Ask the Unexpected

"About 4% of people are accomplished liars and they can do it well," says Newberry. "But because there are no Pinocchio responses to a lie, you have to catch them in it."

Sir Walter Scott put it best: "Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive!" But how can you a catch a person in his own web of lies?

"Watch them carefully," says Newberry. "And then when they don't expect it, ask them one question that they are not prepared to answer to trip them up."

Tip No. 3: Gauge Against a Baseline

"One of the most important indicators of dishonesty is changes in behavior," says Maureen O'Sullivan, PhD, a professor of psychology at the University of San Francisco. "You want to pay attention to someone who is generally anxious, but now looks calm. Or, someone who is generally calm but now looks anxious."

The trick, explains O'Sullivan, is to gauge their behavior against a baseline. Is a person's behavior falling away from how they would normally act? If it is, that could mean that something is up.

Tip No. 4: Look for Insincere Emotions

"Most people can't fake smile," says O'Sullivan. "The timing will be wrong, it will be held too long, or it will be blended with other things. Maybe it will be a combination of an angry face with a smile; you can tell because their lips are smaller and less full than in a sincere smile."

These fake emotions are a good indicator that something has gone afoul.

Tip No. 5: Pay Attention to Gut Reactions

"People say, 'Oh, it was a gut reaction or women's intuition,' but what I think they are picking up on are the deviations of true emotions," O'Sullivan tells WebMD.

While an average person might not know what it is he's seeing when he thinks someone isn't being honest and attribute his suspicion to instinct, a scientist would be able to pinpoint it exactly -- which leads us to tip no. 6.

Tip No. 6: Watch for Microexpressions

When Joe Schmo has a gut feeling, Paul Ekman, a renowned expert in lie detection, sees microexpressions.

"A microexpression is a very brief expression, usually about a 25th of a second, that is always a concealed emotion," says Ekman, PhD, professor emeritus of psychology at the University of California Medical School in San Francisco.

So when a person is acting happy, but in actuality is really upset about something, for instance, his true emotion will be revealed in a subconscious flash of anger on his face. Whether the concealed emotion is fear, anger, happiness, or jealousy, that feeling will appear on the face in the blink of an eye. The trick is to see it.

"Almost everyone -- 99% of those we've tested in about 10,000 people -- won't see them," says Ekman. "But it can be taught."

In fact, in less than an hour, the average person can learn to see microexpressions.

Tip No. 7: Look for Contradictions

"The general rule is anything that a person does with their voice or their gesture that doesn't fit the words they are saying can indicate a lie," says Ekman. "For example, this is going to sound amazing, but it is true. Sometimes when people are lying and saying, 'Yes, she's the one that took the money,' they will without knowing it make a slight head shake 'no.' That's a gesture and it completely contradicts what they're saying in words."

These contradictions, explains Ekman, can be between the voice and the words, the gesture and the voice, the gesture and the words, or the face and the words.

"It's some aspect of demeanor that is contradicting another aspect," Ekman tells WebMD.

Tip No. 8: A Sense of Unease

"When someone isn't making eye contact and that's against how they normally act, it can mean they're not being honest," says Jenn Berman, PhD, a psychologist in private practice. "They look away, they'resweating, they look uneasy ... anything that isn't normal and indicatesanxiety."

Tip No. 9: Too Much Detail

"When you say to someone, 'Oh, where were you?' and they say, 'I went to the store and I needed to get eggs and milk and sugar and I almost hit a dog so I had to go slow,' and on and on, they're giving you too much detail," says Berman.

Too much detail could mean they've put a lot of thought into how they're going to get out of a situation and they've crafted a complicated lie as a solution.

Tip No. 10: Don't Ignore the Truth

"It's more important to recognize when someone is telling the truth than telling a lie because people can look like they're lying but be telling truth," says Newberry.

While it sounds confusing, finding the truth buried under a lie can sometimes help find the answer to an important question: Why is a person lying?

These 10 truth tips, experts agree, all help detect deception. What they don't do is tell you why a person is lying and what the lie means.

"Microexpressions don't tell you the reason," says Ekman. "They just tell you what the concealed emotion is and that there is an emotion being concealed."

When you think someone is lying, you have to either know the person well enough to understand why he or she might lie, or be a people expert.

"You can see a microexpression, but you have to have more social-emotional intelligence on people to use it accurately," says O'Sullivan. "You have to be a good judge of people to understand what it means."

Extra Tip: Be Trusting

"In general we have a choice about which stance we take in life," says Ekman. "If we take a suspicious stance life is not going to be too pleasant, but we won't get misled very often. If we take a trusting stance, life is going to be a lot more pleasant but sometimes we are going to be taken in. As a parent or a friend, you're much better off being trusting rather than looking for lies all the time."

http://www.webmd.com/balance/features/10-ways-catch-liar?page=4