Differential Diagnosis Is Not the Hard Part I have recently been wrestling with differential diagnosis, particularly within the anxiety disorders. Some diagnoses are relatively straightforward. Social anxiety disorder, for instance, has clear telltale signs. A disproportionate fear of social judgment, embarrassment, and performance situations usually points in a single direction, assuming the person is actually seeking treatment for these problems. Other presentations are far less clean. Repetitive, distressing thoughts could indicate OCD, health anxiety, or generalized anxiety. The thematic differences matter, but when you look at gold-standard treatment, the overlap is striking. Across these conditions, the therapeutic sequence is largely the same.

Differential Diagnosis Is Not the Hard Part

The end of semester in grad school goes haaaard 🏔️

OCD is a “what if” disorder → hence why the treatments for health anxiety + GAD + OCD are isomorphic

People with OCD are constantly exposed to their obsessions; if exposure alone worked, they wouldn't need therapy

Why Winter is the BEST time to start running! The image depicts my very first 30k run with team UltraForm last December. A lot has happened since then. I've run a marathon, two ultramaratons, raced on the trail, and participated in numerous road races. But winter is approaching us again. It’s dark. It’s cold. And for a lot of runners, it feels like the season is over. We just spent months scrolling through sun-drenched finish lines and glorious race medals. The story we’re sold is that running is a summer sport. For seasoned runners, it can feel like an ending.

Why Winter is the BEST time to start running!

We have just spent months scrolling through finish lines and glorious race medals.

For seasoned runners, it can feel like an ending.
For a beginner, it can feel like you’ve missed the boat entirely.

That is a lie.

Watch the video to find out why!

www.instagram.com/reel/DQFNzwn...

The ADHD Tax: A Bureaucracy Nightmare I had a moment earlier this week. As a professional, I know all the statistics on access to mental health care. As a patient, dealing with the Swedish (or any) system for my own ADHD medication is just soul-crushing. They are requiring my fifth application because old notes are suddenly “not valid.” This isn’t just an administrative error; this is a systemic barrier to care. This is the bureaucracy that stops people from getting well. It’s why waitlists are long. It’s why compliance is difficult. It’s why people with conditions like ADHD are forced to jump through endlessly frustrating hoops just to function.

The ADHD Tax: A Bureaucracy Nightmare

I had a moment earlier this week. As a professional, I know all the statistics on access to mental health care. As a patient, dealing with the Swedish (or any) system for my own ADHD medication is just soul-crushing. They are requiring my fifth application…

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Bacillskräck? 🦠 Gratis behandling för OCD (tvångssyndrom).
👉 Läs mer & anmäl dig idag!

jonhlynsson.com/gratis-behandling-for-oc...

I ran 100km a week.
It sounded impressive.
Until I broke.

Here’s what I’d do differently if I could start over 👇

www.instagram.com/reel/DPCVq64...

Presenting my poster on stigma and hoarding in #eabct2025

That's at least a less bad way of handling it -- but the question of why use it even at screening when it might be as reliable and valid as a coin toss still remains (I'm intentionally hyperbolic in my comment to make a point NB -- I really appreciate your input! ☺️)

Why the Widely Used PHQ-9 Might Not Be Telling the Full Story The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) is a short, nine-item questionnaire that has become a go-to tool for assessing depression symptoms and even diagnosing major depression in primary care and research. It's recommended by clinical guidelines and used globally to inform crucial decisions about treatment and clinical trial eligibility. But what if this widely adopted tool isn't as reliable as we think? Our recent study titled "Why are we still using the PHQ-9? A Historical Review and Psychometric Evaluation of Measurement Invariance" published in Psychiatric Quarterly raises significant questions about the PHQ-9's validity, particularly its ability to accurately measure depression severity and track changes over time.

Why the Widely Used PHQ-9 Might Not Be Telling the Full Story

The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) is a short, nine-item questionnaire that has become a go-to tool for assessing depression symptoms and even diagnosing major depression in primary care and research. It's recommended by…

Rauðavatn 6h: Longest Run, Silver Medal, and the Race I Needed Rauðavatn Ultra was held for the first time last week and I competed. What a race! Official timing gave me 57.948 km in 6:00:00 and a silver medal. After the Stockholm Marathon, I had unfinished busin...

Running is my safe space and happy place when the chaos of everything else becomes a bit much!

Last week, I competed in Rauðavatn Ultra, a new race in Iceland. Official timing gave me 57.948 km in 6:00:00 and a silver medal 🥈

jonhlynsson.com/raudavatn-6h...

Frontiers | Evaluating the necessity of booster sessions in relapse prevention for depression: a longitudinal study IntroductionMajor depression is a highly prevalent and heterogenous mental disorder. Although therapeutic advances for major depressive disorder over the pas...

Hlynsson, J. I., Kristjánsson, T., Andersson, G., & Carlbring, P. (2025). Evaluating the necessity of booster sessions in relapse prevention for depression: a longitudinal study. Frontiers in Psychology, 16. doi.org/10.3389/fpsy...

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Frontiers | Evaluating the necessity of booster sessions in relapse prevention for depression: a longitudinal study IntroductionMajor depression is a highly prevalent and heterogenous mental disorder. Although therapeutic advances for major depressive disorder over the pas...

Publication alert!

How much therapy is enough? In this paper, we evaluate the value of adding booster sessions to validated, NICE-guideline vetted, treatment modalities for depression. Read more below!

www.frontiersin.org/journals/psy...

New Publication: Are There Meaningful Differences Between OCD and the Anxiety Disorders? Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a complex and often misunderstood condition that goes far beyond simple quirks or cleanliness preferences. OCD is a debilitating disorder, and many individuals avoid seeking treatment because of barriers such as cost and social stigma. Nobody is ‘just a little OCD’! Understanding OCD requires recognizing its close relationship with the anxiety disorders, as these conditions share important features like heightened responsibility, catastrophic beliefs, and safety-seeking behaviors. In fact, a strong case can be made for simply just labelling OCD as an anxiety disorder! Example: In contamination-related OCD, avoiding public bathrooms for fear of becoming contaminated and spreading the contaminants to loved ones serves the same function as bringing a companion to feel reassured that a catastrophe will not take place or avoiding public transport out of fear that escape would be difficult (as is seen in…

Hlynsson, J. I., Bergström, J., & Carlbring, P. (in press). Seeing Beyond the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual: A Function-Centered Review of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Anxiety Disorders. Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jocrd.2025.100967

Understanding OCD Through Cognitive Models The cognitive model for anxiety disorders, as delineated by experts such as Clark (1986) for Panic Disorder, Clark and Wells (1995) for Social Anxiety Disorder, and Salkovskis (1985) for OCD, has demonstrated a profound clinical impact on specific disorders. This impact persists despite the supposed neurological differences in different anxiety disorders postulated by researchers like Gray and McNaughton (to take but one example). The effectiveness of these treatment models, nested in the cognitive theory of anxiety disorders (see Clark, 1999), is potentially attributable to their influence on an underlying sensitivity to threat (i.e., selective attention to threatening stimuli, physiological arousal, and subsequent performance of safety-seeking behaviors), often associated with trait Neuroticism.

Understanding OCD Through Cognitive Models

The cognitive model for anxiety disorders, as delineated by experts such as Clark (1986) for Panic Disorder, Clark and Wells (1995) for Social Anxiety Disorder, and Salkovskis (1985) for OCD, has demonstrated a profound clinical impact on specific…

Historical Development of Behavioral Activation Recently, while researching behavioral activation in depth, I explored its historical development. Though this historical angle proved irrelevant to my project and I had to set it aside (cf. kill your darlings), I thought I'd share those findings here! The Origin of Behavioral Activation Behavioral activation for depression is grounded in behavioristic tradition. In 1973, Ferster outlined a mechanistic behavioral description of the depressed state. Concomitantly, Lewinsohn (1974; as cited in Dimidjian et al., 2011) outlined a behavioral approach to depression. According to the behavioral tradition, depression was defined as a set of frequent instrumental behaviors (e.g., complaints and avoidance) that resulted in a loss of activity and loss of pleasure.

Recently, while researching behavioral activation in depth, I explored its historical development. Though this historical angle proved irrelevant to my project and I had to set it aside (cf. kill your darlings), I thought I'd share those findings with you!

For Valentine’s Day: Measure your relationship with a scientific self-test - Stockholm University Answer seven questions and get an indication of how your relationship is right now. Just in time for Valentine’s Day, researchers at Stockholm University are publishing a new study in the journal Cogn...

Just in time for Valentine's Day – measure your relationship with the scientifically validated Valentine Scale! Answer 7 questions to see how your relationship is doing and get suggestions on exercises to strengthen your emotional bond: www.su.se/english/news...
doi.org/10.1080/1650...

Valentine's Scale: A scientific tool for assessing relationship health with seven simple questions Answer seven questions and get an indication of how your relationship is right now. Just in time for Valentine's Day, researchers at Stockholm University are publishing a new study in the journal Cognitive Behaviour Therapy that introduces a scientifically validated scale, the Valentine's Scale.

The Valentine's Scale, a new tool from Stockholm University, offers a quick assessment of relationship health through seven questions, aiding in reflection and dialogue for improved well-being. doi.org/g84q43

Taktu púlsinn á sambandinu þínu fyrir Valentínusardaginn!  Náið parasamband er eitt mikilvægasta lífsmarkmið mannsins.  Rómantísk parsambönd geta stuðlað að heilbrigðri hegðun og spornað gegn þróun geðraskana. Sem dæmi stuðlar stuðningur frá maka að auknu sjálfsöryggi til að standa sig í stykkinu hvað varðar það að bæta svefnvenjur sínar og stunda líkamsrækt, en hvort tveggja eru dæmi um verndandi lífsstílsþætti í samhengi líkamlegrar og andlegrar heilsu. Hins vegar skiptir sköpum að sambandið einkennist af stuðningi og virðingu fyrir þörfum beggja aðila. Á hinn bóginn geta sambönd sem einkennast af mjög lítilli ánægju reynst yfirþyrmandi. Í slíkum tilfellum er mikilvægt að bera kennsl á meginþemu ágreinings og vandkvæða í sambandinu, svo sem tilfinningalega fjarlægð eða tilhneigingu til átaka og ýgi.

Taktu púlsinn á sambandinu þínu fyrir Valentínusardaginn! 

Náið parasamband er eitt mikilvægasta lífsmarkmið mannsins.  Rómantísk parsambönd geta stuðlað að heilbrigðri hegðun og spornað gegn þróun geðraskana. Sem dæmi stuðlar stuðningur frá maka að auknu sjálfsöryggi til að standa sig í stykkinu…

Being Busy is a Privilege! Having more than enough to do with my time is a privilege. Being able to prioritize many important tasks is something I deeply appreciate; both as a junior researcher and clinical intern. Of course, sometimes urgent and unexpected tasks arise—like pressing emails that need prompt responses—and I must reprioritize. But overall, having a full plate is truly a blessing! I find it hard to imagine being someone who lacks meaningful tasks or spends time unproductively. I also have a strong aversion to wasting time… I dislike it with a passion 🤓

Don't complain about your tasks—they're a blessing (and I truly mean that!). Just imagine how empty life would feel without purpose… Being busy is a privilege!

The Map is Not the Territory We all have different experiences in the world. Sometimes our beliefs do not align with reality, and we may hold fundamental core beliefs that contradict how others perceive the world. This is exemplified in the quote, "the map is not the territory." In short, even though we may have a certain belief set and perceive the world in a specific way, we may have cognitive presuppositions that shape our central cognitive map. The nature of a cognitive map is that it is ever-evolving and always changing. This reminds me of why I love to be wrong.

The map is not the territory... We all have different perceptions of the world and sometimes we are WRONG!

We are, however, allowed to change our mind and to grow as a consequence.

A growth mindset helps!

Read more below!

It’s Easier Said Than Done… Unless You Plan It! There is a common trope that states, "it's easier said than done." This is entirely true. It is easy for a friend to give advice, but it is much more challenging to be the one who has to follow it. This also applies in therapeutic settings; it's easy for me to give guidance but much more difficult for the client to follow through (understandably!!). How Can We Ensure That the Things We Say Are Easier to Do? One approach we can draw on is psychological cognitive behavioral therapy and the principles within that framework.

Reflecting on the adage "easier said than done," I find it resonates deeply in both personal and professional realms.

As a psychology intern, I've seen how planning transforms intentions into actions. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) offers a solution

Don’t Just Walk… Embrace What You Enjoy! People are often told when they’re feeling down, depressed, or lacking motivation to be more active. The most common advice is to go for a walk. However, consider this: maybe I dislike taking walks. I...

jonhlynsson.com/dont-just-wa...

When feeling low, don't just follow generic advice like "go for a walk." Instead, critically evaluate and choose activities you genuinely enjoy, as this can significantly enhance your mental well-being.

#MentalHealth #WellBeing

The Importance of Open Conversations About Suicide Open discussions about suicide, guided by compassion, connection, care, and complexity, are essential in reducing suicide risk and promoting mental well-being. The Stanley-Brown Safety Plan is a vital tool in suicide prevention, empowering individuals to manage crises through structured strategies. Understanding the suicide risk curve and fostering therapeutic alliances are crucial for effective implementation.

Suicide is a deeply complex and sensitive issue that affects individuals and communities worldwide. It's crucial to discuss it openly, with empathy and compassion, to foster understanding and support for those at risk.

Read more below...

The Hidden Dangers of Delayed Conflict Resolution Conflict delayed is conflict amplified. This statement encapsulates a profound truth about human relationships and the nature of unresolved issues. When we avoid addressing conflicts, especially with those we care about, we inadvertently allow them to grow and fester, leading to amplified problems over time. Avoiding and Delaying Conflict is the Problem! People often avoid conflict because it feels uncomfortable. They fear that others will respond negatively, and that the negative reaction will have a detrimental effect on their relationships. This reaction is understandable and something I relate to on a personal level.

What happens if we don't address our feelings? Resentment!!!
When we delay conflict, it tends to amplify over time... Read more below!

Tara Donker on LinkedIn: Oproep voor deelname aan een online interview over smetvrees! Call for… Oproep voor deelname aan een online interview over smetvrees! Call for Participants: Online Interview for fear of contamination! Ben je geïnteresseerd in…

Call for Participants: Online Interview for fear of contamination!

We are looking for 4 participants with fear of contamination to share their thoughts and ideas in a online interview.

Click the link below and contact Tara Donker :-)

www.linkedin.com/posts/tara-d...