If you or a loved one is experiencing the signs of a psychotic episode it can be an extremely frightening experience. Psychosis refers to a loss of contact with reality, when perceptions are altered to the point that it is difficult to know what is real or a figment of the imagination. A psychotic break […]
Our mental health may be more fragile than we realize, sometimes even completely sidelining us. We each have a certain capacity to withstand distressing events or situations, accessing our personal coping skills and emotional reserves as needed. But when events begin to spiral and multiply, those reserves may become depleted and any coping skills we […]
When we hear the term attention deficiency disorder (ADD) the first thing that usually comes to mind is a hyperactive 6-year-old boy struggling to focus on his schoolwork. ADD has been on the radar since the 1980s when formal diagnosis and the introduction of using drugs to help manage it. ADD diagnoses continue to rise, […]
I’m fine, how are you?” This reflexive response to the routine “How are you” question is many times a bold-faced lie. How much easier it seems in the moment to just lie about how we really are rather than deal with our own personal reality. We want to appear normal and happy as we walk […]
Anyone who has experienced job burnout knows it is awful, but is burnout a mental illness? According to the newest revisions to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Classification of Diseases, or ICD-11, burnout is new recognized officially as a “syndrome.” This has the condition falling into the realm of mental health concerns without officially […]
Men and women who carry out self destructive behavior demonstrate the habit over and over again without repose. These behaviors include every aspect of life, from work to family to romantic relationships; the list literally goes on forever. These behaviors have negative impacts on their lives, which serves them with rejection, disappointment, and failure to […]
Alcohol dependency creeps in stealthily, like a thief in the night. What might have begun as an evening relaxation ritual slowly encroached into your daily life. As tolerance to the effects of the alcohol increased, higher consumption seemed to follow. Over time, what started out as a panacea for stress or emotional issues became its […]
Panic disorder can be a very debilitating condition, to the point where staying in the safety and comfort of one’s home seems like the best solution. But isolating oneself in order to avoid the potential panic attacks only leads to more impairment, negatively impacting career and relationships, as well as possibly leading to depression in […]
The signs may be quite subtle at first. A friend or loved one may seem “off” recently, with an unkempt appearance that is not their norm at all. A coworker may have let their quality of work slip, becoming incrementally substandard over time. Maybe you are plagued with an unsettling sense that someone is watching […]
Hypomania and mania represent the manic episodes that come with bipolar disorder. While the signs of mania bipolar may at first seem to be a pleasant diversion from the dark depressive episodes that represent the opposite side of the disorder, the manic phase can also be destabilizing and self-destructive. The feelings of invincibility can lead […]
