Separation anxiety is a state of mind characterized by distress as a result of being apart from loved ones or worrying about being separated from them. Adults, teens, and children can all experience separation anxiety–and when this state of mind becomes persistent, a mental health evaluation may classify it as…
Different stages of development are associated with common childhood fears and child anxieties, like fear of darkness, fear of strangers, or separation anxiety. Kids might feel afraid of dogs or bees, social situations, natural disasters, gun violence, and more. You can help children with rational and irrational fears by validating…
It’s estimated that more than 50 million adults in America will experience some form of mental health condition in their lifetimes. That’s around 20% of the entire adult population of the United States. In addition, a recent Pew Research study found that, though self-reported religious affiliation rates have declined in…
The trauma and grief of miscarriage don’t end when a regular menstrual cycle begins weeks later. Women who lose a pregnancy can experience perinatal grief and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). People with a history of depression and/or anxiety should take special care to find support after a trauma….
According to a 2022 report from the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics, nearly 10 million people over the age of 18 in the United States have substance use disorder (SUD). That’s almost 4% of the entire population. Yet, despite the prevalence of addiction, a profound stigma surrounding addiction persists,…
Because children grieve differently from adults, they can benefit from bereavement support tailored to their specific needs. Grief camps for kids help children process grief and loss through group and one-on-one counseling, yes, but also through play and art. You can observe the power of children’s grief camps in the…
When we share an overly personal story that involves a traumatic experience we’ve endured, it’s called trauma dumping. Even though the experience may be something we’ve processed and accepted, others may not be open or ready to absorb such intensely personal information. Trauma dumping can become a way for someone…
In our modern world, we often have little direct experience with death, and we don’t like to talk about the subject when it comes up. Unfamiliarity and the fear of both death and pain are two big reasons why doctors scare us, especially as young children. We go to the…
Abandonment issues are a coping mechanism that often forms during the course of a stressful or traumatic childhood upbringing. Although abandonment issues are often formed in childhood, the full extent and damage of their long-lasting impact are often not presented until the individual attempts to form interpersonal relationships in adulthood. …
Any kind of abuse—whether it be physical, emotional, mental, sexual, etc.—can lead to PTSD, as abuse is a highly emotionally distressing experience. The overactivation of stress hormones causes the victim of abuse to experience a fight, flight or freeze response, which makes it near impossible for the individual to focus…
Dreams are puzzling and cause us to question their root cause — especially when they’re violent and they keep us up at night. As it turns out, there are several common causes of violent dreams, one being the fear of violence. Another common source of violent dreams is your thinking…
Hindsight is 2021–has everyone made that joke already?–and so we offer an illuminating review of your favorite Thriveworks content of the past year. Our readers grappled with some dark feelings in 2021, but they also searched for ways to be kinder to themselves. The Thriveworks blog has covered everything from…