Mental Health Topics

If you’ve found yourself reading every update about the cyclosporiasis outbreak, replaying everything you’ve eaten over the past two weeks, checking recall lists multiple times a day, or wondering whether you should stop eating certain foods altogether, you’re not alone. Outbreaks like this can be stressful for anyone. It’s normal…

Whether you’re currently on an SSRI or considering starting one, there’s one question that comes up a lot: Are antidepressants addictive? Perhaps you know someone who had a rough time coming off of their medication or you’ve heard alarming claims from politicians. Either way, it’s important to reiterate that antidepressants…

Gabapentin can be a confusing medication, not least of which because of how many things it’s used for. It’s a seizure medication. It’s a nerve pain medication. It’s something people take for restless legs. And some people even use gabapentin for anxiety. While gabapentin isn’t FDA approved for anxiety, it’s…

As a licensed mental health counselor at Thriveworks, Jaclyn Bencivenga hears about anhedonia all the time—though most patients don’t mention it by name. “Even if they’ve never heard the term, many people come to me and talk about how nothing makes them feel good or happy anymore,” she says. If…

Anyone struggling with insomnia has probably already tried the usual sleep hygiene checklist: limiting caffeine, cool dark room, no scrolling before bed, etc. If that’s not doing the trick and you’re still stuck in an exhausted cycle every night, you might be curious to know that there’s one treatment sleep…

The first couples therapy session can be a bit like a first date. There will probably be some nerves, a decent amount of information gathering, and by the end you’ll both probably be contemplating whether you want a second one. Starting any type of therapy can be intimidating, but couples…

Next time you’re at a party, look around and consider this: Nearly half of the people in the room have probably taken mental health medication at some point. Still, most people feel uneasy about it. That’s one of the central findings in Thriveworks’ 2026 Pulse on Mental Health Report—our third…

I became a therapist specializing in OCD before realizing I was living with it myself. When I first started my private practice, I specialized in generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) because anxiety was something I understood well, both professionally and personally. Early in my practice, I attended a training on obsessive-compulsive…

The behavioral health industry is rightly shifting toward measurement-informed care as a standard. We started measuring clinical outcomes at Thriveworks not because the industry expected it of us, but because we believe clinicians can make better decisions when they can track patient progress by the hard numbers, rather than solely…

When you’re burned out, the usual mental health advice can start to feel almost insulting. Prioritize self-care? Set more boundaries? Sure, if you were able to do that, you probably wouldn’t be burned out in the first place. While going to therapy for burnout can certainly help, it can also…

Racing heart, sweaty palms, shallow breathing. If you’ve ever felt anxiety in your body like this, you know how debilitating it can be—and how great it would be to dial down those symptoms in a pinch. You’ve probably heard that taking propranolol for anxiety can do exactly that. Beta blockers…

There’s a version of the future where you never wait for a therapist again. Feeling low at midnight? A chatbot is standing by—endlessly patient, free, and fluent in every coping skill ever published. It sounds like an appealing pitch, but most Americans aren’t so sure they want AI in their…