Ketamine, the drug known as special K, has long been a favorite on the club scene. Originally developed as a battlefield anesthetic during the Vietnam War it found greater use as a veterinary tranquilizer the 1980s. In the 1990s however, it become a popular club drug. When snorted it causes euphoria, disassociation, and in large doses hallucination. Users also report feeling more social and open.

Several recent studies, however, suggest the drug can also combat depression. Unlike other anti-depressants that take weeks to work a dose of ketamine reverses depression in hours and for weeks after the high has faded. This has led several pharmaceutical companies to try to develop a drug that has ketamine’s depression fighting ability without the high.

Ketamine isn’t the only club drug getting medical attention. Mdma (ecstasy) is being used to combat PTSD and autism. LSD and psychedelic mushrooms are also being tested to combat depression and PTSD with positive results. Doctors claim these drugs are not dangerous when administered under the supervision of a doctor.

Ketamine has come under even more legal scrutiny recently because a legal analog of the drug methoxetamine, which has even more powerful effects is being sold online legally. The drug is technically unscheduled though state lawmakers are moving fast to change that. Look for advice online about enrolling in doctor supervised trails for ketamine and depression.

Knowing how best to use a Twitter account is one of those social skills that is only now beginning to take shape, however when he contacted me asking for advice I was happy to let him know that in the world of Tweeting you are almost never obligated to respond. Especially if you have something like a new found celebrity status.

People on Twitter are begging for attention and just because you are receiving some of their attention does not necessitate you return the favor. This is the wonderful nature of the service. Twitter is there for you to be as engaged as you feel like. It is completely obligation free communication. You are your own arbiter of what deserves your attention and what does not!

If you are at shows of the heavier more mosh friendly variety there is even more to be concerned with. Sure in many cases these mosh pits can be quite comfortable for everyone with their own internal policing system but some people still abuse the pit.

I am particularly sick of crowd surfers. Sure once or twice during a show someone might crowd surf that is fine and can be quite fun. But more and more I notice the same guys going up for crowd surfing over and over again. It is a clear abuse of the mosh pit and bad karma for everyone. Repeatedly crowd surfing is one of the lamest things you can do in a concert environment. Do it once, and wrap it up.

You can’t tell me that you’ve never been to a party where at least a few awful things happened. Here are some of the most common problems that arise and how to solve them.

Problem: You try to find a seat next to close friends and end up having to settle next to a stranger who sucks at small talk. Odd glances, fumbled conversation, and eventual silence ensues.

Solution: There must be something you can find in common. Try telling a story about what happened to you today and see if you can get the other person to open. If that fails, it’s fine. Not all friends of friends get along. Talk with others in close range or, if it’s at a bar or other non-restaurant place, ask a friend to get up for a drink or dance and preoccupy yourself away from the table for a brief while.

Problem: Someone brought baggage to the party, a fight breaks out, and all the friends have to either ignore it or choose sides.

Solution: Do not get involved. Ever. Indulging in the drama will only make it worse. Also, avoid gossip about it for the night. Your best bet is to steer clear until the air settles. Go to the refreshments or look for other friends.

Problem: You accidentally walk-in on the couple who tried to sneak away for some heavy action.

Solution: Cover your eyes. This is instinctual for some, but many people do that awkward gawk with their jaw open. All this while, apologize very quickly and walk out. Act like nothing happened and get yourself another drink.

Problem: Either you or someone you know spills something or gets something spilled on them. In the worst scenarios, this is an opportunity for the host to throw a fit.

Solution: The guilty one should never just stand there like a tool. Apologize and get napkins. Clean up the mess. The one who got the drink or food spilled on them should not start a fist fight, and absolutely should not insult or berate the perpetrator. Handle it with grace and complain about it when you get home.

Problem: You laugh at someone thinking they were joking but soon realize they’re telling their miserable life story about their childhood abuse or other traumatic event.

Solution: There’s no way to really take this one back. If you’re holding food just act like you’re choking on it. Sometimes the laugh will be construed as a cough. If you don’t have food or you have a terrible poker face when you screw up, simply apologize gracefully. Don’t go on about how sorry you are. Just say a quick, “Oh. I’m sorry,” and move on. You can berate yourself in your head.

This list can go on forever. There are so many more things that could go wrong, but hopefully you will adapt and think on your feet.

The guy is like, Mama Dukes made some mac n’ cheese today, it’s really good. I’m like okay, I like mac n’ cheese. He’s like you want more or less. I say more; I’m hungry. Okay, 8.50. I’m like hmm, this is probably gonna be really good.

I get home. It’s lukewarm and it’s pretty bland. I add some hot sauce and it’s good. To make myself feel better about how much I paid I save some bites to convince myself it was a meal and a half.

Cat texts me today a picture of a side of mac n’ cheese, some fresh fried chicken, a cut up apple, a coffee and a black cherry soda. Ten bucks.

Are you kidding me? Now I understand they know Cat, maybe they gave her a discount, but charging $8.50 for some mac n’ cheese? Really? Should I let it go and hope they go out of business? Is bitter invective enough? NEVER GO TO THE BUSHWICK DELI AT THE LOOM! Or should I go back and ask them what the fuck is up with that. Hint: what day of the week is it?

Asktheinternettherapist.com has audiovisual and text chats available for anyone looking for someone to talk to about mental health issues. Although there is a disclaimer at the bottom that the information on the site is meant to complement information from your physician, not replace it, it can still be helpful for many.

Also on the site are free discussion boards where people can connect and network with other individuals who share similar experiences. As far as mediums of communication via the world-wide-web we offer video, telephone, chat, e-mail, and face-to-face in-office therapy. According to their site, “As far as mediums of communication via the world-wide-web we offer video, telephone, chat, e-mail, and face-to-face in-office therapy.The different issues covered by our online counselors and medical staff can range from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Substance Abuse, Alcoholism, Family Issues, Relationship Problems, Marriage Problems, Career Coaching, Grief Help , Life Transition, Spiritual Guidance, Chiropractor Questions, Family Medicine, Massage Therapy, Nutrition Advice, Natural Medicine, Alternative Medicine, among many others.”

Costs range for $40-$120.

John Markoff of the New York Times, wrote a really great article in November of ’08 profiling Microsoft’s study of Cyberchondria. Cyberchondria is a term that was coined around 2000 that refers to the jumping to conclusions of one’s health conditions after reading health info on the web. If you’ve ever know someone who had a headache, looked it up on WebMD and then promptly determined they had a brain tumor, you’ve met a Cyberchondriac.

Microsoft ended up taking on a study that to survey popular health related web searches on popular search engines. The goal of the the study was to use the results to help shape the features of Microsoft’s search service, so it could be thought of as more of an adviser than a blind information retrieval tool.

From the article:

“They found that Web searches for things like headache and chest pain were just as likely or more likely to lead people to pages describing serious conditions as benign ones, even though the serious illnesses are much more rare.

For example, there were just as many results that linked headaches with brain tumors as with caffeine withdrawal, although the chance of having a brain tumor is infinitesimally small.

The researchers said they had not intended their work to send the message that people should ignore symptoms. But their examination of search records indicated that researching particular symptoms often led quickly to anxiousness.

They found that roughly 2 percent of all Web queries were health-related, and about 250,000 users, or about a quarter of the sample, engaged in a least one medical search during the study.

About a third of the subjects “escalated” their follow-up searches to explore serious illnesses, the researchers said.”

Pretty interesting stuff!

It may be surprising to know that mild anxiety might in fact be helpful to you to keep you focused and alert during circumstances which need your high attention. But a lot of times these mild anxieties grow into troublesome anxiety disorders where the person might become panicky for longer periods of time and observe symptoms like headache, stomach disorders, hyper tension etc. usually associated with excessive stress. Fortunately, treatment is available for such disorders. If you know that you have an anxiety disorder and if you seriously want to overcome it, anxiety therapy is a good and promising option. Different therapists suggest different therapies for the successful treatment of anxiety.

Major kinds of anxiety disorders:

- Generalized anxiety disorder: People having this kind of disorder develop a pessimistic attitude towards life usually. Such people have recurring fears and are constantly anxious about the future.

- Panic disorder: People facing panic; observe sudden feelings of fear and terror, which make them act abnormally at times. These people often become introverts and avoid getting involved in any activity for the fear of facing panic suddenly.

- Phobias: These are fears related to certain objects, people of circumstances.

- Obsessive-compulsive disorder: The person might get obsessed with some activity, routine, or a person. They might do some things more than often example-cleaning things obsessively to prevent germs.

- Post traumatic stress disorder: These occur in individuals who have witnessed or been a part of some terrible, traumatic incidence. As soon as they are reminded of that event or incidence they experience nausea, breathlessness, trembling and uncontrollable flood of emotions ranging from anger to sorrow.

Importance of anxiety therapy: As we can observe, most of the anxiety disorders occur as a result of fear which is the root cause of most of the problems. Anxiety therapy uses different methods to eliminate that fear and teaches the patient ways to cope with such issues later on. Anxiety disorder if left untreated may have unwanted consequences. Panic attacks may increase and might prove fatal for the sufferer. The fear which is growing inside the individual might prevent him from fulfilling his social, emotional as well as professional obligations. The life turns dull and the person either becomes totally unenthusiastic or turns into a social criminal. Appropriately trained therapists can successfully cure anxiety disorders. Two most popular kinds of therapy are: Behavioral therapy and cognitive therapy. Both are known to be highly effective in providing strength to anxious minded people. Anti anxiety medications may also form a part of therapy. The dosage and proper usage of drugs must be closely monitored by the physician who prescribes it.

One must understand that anxiety therapy is not instantaneous but is a complete process. It is very important for the patient to feel comfortable with the therapist and the overall proposed method of anxiety treatment,

All individuals are unique and so are the problems associated with them. Hence the anxiety therapy must be specifically designed for any person keeping in mind hi/her comfort level and lifestyle. Anxiety therapy is the best way to recover from any kind of fear, shock or trauma which might trouble you throughout your life.