Alprazolam: Physical dependence and withdrawal

There is a consensus among psychiatrists today that alprazolam and other benzodiazepines cause withdrawal symptoms after long-term treatment and discontinuation should be done gradually over a period of months (or even up to a year) to avoid serious withdrawal symptoms such as agitation, panic attacks, rebound anxiety, muscle cramps and seizures.[citation needed] Some patients on alprazolam (Xanax) may benefit from a substitution with diazepam (Valium) or chlordiazepoxide (Librium) as these drugs remain in the bloodstream longer and therefore have less potential for abuse and dependence.

Karen Horney: Feminine psychology

Horney was also a pioneer in the discipline of feminine psychiatry.[9][10] As one of the first female psychiatrists, she was the first of her gender to present a paper regarding feminine psychiatry. The fourteen papers she wrote between 1922 and 1937 were amalgamated into a single volume titled Feminine Psychology. As a woman, she felt that the mapping out of trends in female behaviour was a neglected issue. In her essay entitled “The Problem of Feminine Masochism” Horney felt she proved that cultures and societies worldwide encouraged woman to be dependent on men for their love, prestige, wealth, care and protection. She pointed out that in the society , a will to please, satiate and overvalue men had emerged. Women were regarded as objects of charm and beauty — at variance with every human being’s ultimate purpose of self-actualization.

Karen Horney: Neo-Freudianism

While Horney acknowledged and agreed with Freud on many issues, she was also critical of him on several key beliefs. Freud’s notion of “penis envy” in particular was subject to criticism by Horney.[6] She thought Freud had merely stumbled upon women’s jealousy of men’s generic power in the world. Horney accepted that penis envy might occur occasionally in neurotic women, but stated that “womb envy” occurs just as much in men: Horney felt that men were envious of a woman’s ability to bear children. The degree to which men are driven to success may be merely a substitute for the fact that they cannot carry, nurture and bear children.