Category: General Psychiatry
Codependency: How it Affects Mental Health
Putting others’ needs before your own can be a positive quality, but how much of this seemingly harmless behavior is too much? People pleasing is one of many characteristics that can be observed in an individual suffering from codependency disorder. Control issues, low self-esteem, avoidance patterns and compliance patterns are a few additional identifying qualities.…
What is Social Anxiety Disorder?
Have you ever been uncomfortable in a social situation and felt an urgency to seek solitude? This experience is more common than you may expect, affecting approximately 15 million adults across the nation. Living with social anxiety can make simple situations seem overwhelming, causing individuals to pass up job offers, new hobbies, potential relationships and…
Reality vs. Delusions – Living with Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a complex mental illness that affects 51 million people worldwide. Most individuals who suffer from schizophrenia experience hallucinations that can range from loud voices encouraging the victim to harm themselves or others to visions of shadows; it can vary a lot from person to person. Having schizophrenic thoughts can cause someone to become…
Depression – Defeating the Social Stigma
“I am so depressed!” This statement is used so often that we have become desensitized to its seriousness. Every one of us feels sad at times. When we are dealing with the loss of a loved one or common everyday struggles, we can feel overwhelmed, hopeless and alone but sometimes these feelings can become far…
Psychosis and Schizophrenia – An Overview
Psychosis is a severe mental disorder in which thought and emotions are so impaired that people who are afflicted with it lose contact with external reality. It is a symptom, rather than a mental illness in and of itself. In some cases, other mental illnesses cause psychosis. These include schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder, dementia and borderline…
Coping Skills for Mental Illness and More
Finding the strategy or strategies that help you frame your thinking so that you can live more comfortably day to day is key to safeguarding and improving your mental health. Although it might take some time to discover what works best, it’s essential to your well-being and overall quality of life that you find coping…
Dealing with a Difficult Teenager
“In the next twenty-four hours, 1,439 teens will attempt suicide.” “In the next twenty-four hours, 15,006 teens will use drugs for the first time.” -TeenHelp Teenagers are beautifully unique, each possessing a different mindset, honing a different skill set and cultivating different goals and dreams for the future. For some, that same glorious, shining future…
What is EMDR
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a therapy treatment that allows individuals to heal from the physical symptoms, sensations and emotional distress that are the result of disturbing life experiences (Shapiro, 1989a, 1989b). EMDR therapy facilitates the accessing and processing of traumatic memories to bring these to a resolution. EMDR therapy shows that the…
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Understanding OCD
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a type of anxiety disorder that is defined by repetitive behaviors involved in reducing anxiety, as well as intrusive thoughts that produce anxiety, or both. Day-to-day functioning can be difficult for someone with OCD since the symptoms of this disorder can be life-encompassing and seem inescapable. Statistics indicate that 1–3% of…
Ways to Improve Mental Health
“Every day begins with an act of courage and hope.” Do you remember the very first time you consciously recognized that you or someone close to you had depression? It happens to us all, we get down in the dumps sometimes, but some individuals experience much more severe symptoms of depression than others. Far too…
Depression Statistics in the State of Florida
Shocking depression statistics from a report generated by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) draw attention to the mental health of individuals residing in the state of Florida. Figures derived from this analysis consider such factors as age, severity of mental illness and whether or not treatment has been provided. What are…