The discovery of antidepressants was literally a happy accident. In 1952, scientists were trying to treat tuberculosis with a drug called isoniazid, and their patients became inexplicably euphoric. By the end of the 1950s, almost half a million psychiatric patients were being treated with isoniazid, the world’s first prescription antidepressant. …
What if you were depressed for so long that you forgot what happiness felt like? What if your low mood started to feel permanent, like part of your personality? This is the reality for many people with dysthymia, or persistent depressive disorder (PDD), a chronic depressive state that lasts two…
Your abuser does not get to define the rest of your life. You can know this intellectually, but it’s a whole different beast to know it in your body. People who experience sexual assault might internalize their fear and trauma so they continue to feel unsafe in their skin. They…
Adult ADHD does not have its own section in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), which clinicians often use for classifying mental health conditions. According to that manual, ADHD in adults and ADHD in children is the same neurodevelopmental disorder. And yet attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can…
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common mental health conditions in the US. Despite having the capability to disrupt our daily life and ability to focus, ADHD doesn’t have to detract from our quality of life. In fact, finding a successful form of treatment can help…
Experts estimate that less than 2% of the general U.S. population has borderline personality disorder (BPD), but roughly 25% of people claim to have experienced a symptom or two of the condition. For example, most of us have felt emotionally volatile at one point or another. We may have become…
Bipolar disorder is a mental disorder characterized by extreme fluctuations in mood. These emotional shifts may take place over the course of hours, weeks, or months, and are often accompanied by drastic changes in behavior and functioning. There are three main types of bipolar disorder. People with bipolar I (type…
Major depression is one of the most prevalent mental illnesses in our world today. According to Mental Health America (MHA), more than 16 million people in the US are affected by major depression in any given year. And while people all sexes can develop this condition, it is more widespread…
The unfortunate reality is that mental illnesses do go undiagnosed, for years or even lifetimes. There are multiple layers to why this occurs, including the individual’s failure to recognize that something is wrong or that the problem requires mental health treatment—additionally, many are hesitant to seek treatment out of fear…
Every single year, millions of Americans suffer with a mental illness. By definition, a mental illness is a disorder that negatively affects a person’s thoughts, feelings, mood, and/or behavior. Examples include depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Each individual has a unique experience, as far as which symptoms they…
A fast-acting psychedelic drug could help treat depression and anxiety. This, from a Johns Hopkins University study that surveyed 362 adults. Researchers found that the use of a synthetic psychedelic, 5-MeO-DMT, is associated with improvements in depression and anxiety when taken in a controlled setting. Approximately 80% of those surveyed…
Restless legs syndrome (RLS) causes an individual to experience uncomfortable sensations in their legs, of which can typically be alleviated by movement. These sensations usually occur at night, when the individual is sitting or lying down and can have serious implications on their sleep quality. RLS is currently classified as…
