Parents and teachers: Work together to identify learning disorders in kids and help them learn and live well by Alexandra Cromer, LPC | Feb 15, 2023 | Children, Teens, & Adolescents, Disorders, Mental Health Topics Learning disorders usually present in children at a young age. However, that doesn’t always mean that a diagnosis will be made promptly. Often, parents wonder if their child’s delays or behaviors are normal (because what’s normal, anyhow?) or think they’ll “grow out of it.” Fortunately, there are other key figures…
Sleep disorders: An informative guide about common sleep disturbances by Tamiqua Jackson, PMHNP | Feb 15, 2023 | Disorders, Mental Health Topics, Sleep Sleep is for the weak — right? While it might make us feel better to declare this adage after a late night, the opposite is true. Ideally, adults should get around seven or more hours of sleep per night. Sleep is essential to living a happy, healthy life, and even…
Acute stress disorder vs. PTSD: Differences in diagnosis, symptoms, and treatment by Christine Ridley, LCSW | Jan 31, 2023 | Disorders, Mental Health Topics After experiencing a traumatic or emotionally scarring event, the fear, pain, and helplessness felt in that moment can linger and affect someone’s life in the weeks and months after it happens. This reaction is completely understandable, as events like those are extremely harmful and can certainly change the life of…
Contamination OCD: What are the signs, symptoms, and treatment options? by Laura Harris, LCMHC | Jan 27, 2023 | Disorders, Mental Health Topics, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) When it comes to getting sick from what we eat or touch, we know to avoid certain things—especially in a post-pandemic world. From experience, science, or what we’ve been taught since childhood, avoiding contaminated products is often second nature. But that doesn’t mean we can’t take things too far, which…
Delusional disorder: Causes, symptoms, treatment, and more by Jason Crosby | Jan 9, 2023 | Disorders, Mental Health Topics A delusion is someone’s unshakable belief in something untrue. It’s not a part of the person’s culture or subculture—and almost everyone else knows the belief is false. Delusions can also be linked to a mental health condition, known as delusional disorder. While delusional disorder is a single condition, people with…
What is schizophrenia? Early warning signs, behavioral traits, at-risk groups, and treatment by Jason Crosby | Nov 28, 2022 | Disorders, Mental Health Awareness, Mental Health Topics Schizophrenia is a chronic mental health condition that affects less than 1% of Americans. Symptoms of schizophrenia are often severe and can include hallucinations, non-linear speech and thought patterns, as well as mood swings and social challenges. While there is no current cure, psychiatric medication forms the backbone of treatment…
Fetishistic disorder: Exploring fetishes, paraphilic disorders, and stigma-free treatment options by Jason Crosby | Nov 23, 2022 | Disorders, Mental Health Topics Most of us regularly have sexual thoughts and urges; sexuality is a unique and personal part of life. Our physical desires can manifest themselves in specific ways, and sometimes in the form of a sexual fetish, which is an attraction toward an inanimate object (or objects) or part of the…
Sexual sadism disorder: Definition, symptoms, treatment, and more by Taylor Bennett | Nov 22, 2022 | Disorders, Mental Health Topics People have different sexual preferences and fetishes are common, which create sexual excitement. In fact, they might be more common than you think: A survey conducted by CalExotics at Harvard Sex Week saw that 43% of respondents have (or believe they have) a fetish, and more than half have shared…
Marijuana addiction (cannabis use disorder): Is marijuana addictive? by Taylor Bennett | Nov 7, 2022 | Alcohol & Drugs, Disorders, Mental Health Topics According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, marijuana is the most commonly used federally illegal drug in the United States (though it is now legal on the state level in the majority of states) – with 48.2 million people, or 18% of Americans, reportedly using it at least…
Tobacco use disorder: Causes, symptoms, and treatment options by Jason Crosby | Nov 4, 2022 | Alcohol & Drugs, Disorders, Mental Health Topics Nicotine-containing products, alongside caffeinated beverages like coffee, are some of the most commonly used psychoactive substances in the U.S.—though we rarely think of them as drugs. Even though tobacco and nicotine use has steadily dropped in the U.S. since 2005, many of us know someone who smokes, chews, or uses…
Dependent personality disorder (DPD): Signs, symptoms, treatment, and more by Taylor Bennett | Oct 28, 2022 | Disorders, Mental Health Topics Personality disorders are characterized by problematic thought and behavioral patterns. Sometimes, these thoughts and behaviors appear odd or eccentric – at others, they’re dramatic and unpredictable. But with dependent personality disorder, and other cluster C personality disorders, they’re rooted in anxiety and fear. Let’s learn more about what dependent personality…
Understanding conduct disorder: Symptoms, causes, and treatment by Taylor Bennett | Oct 28, 2022 | Behavioral Issues, Children, Teens, & Adolescents, Disorders, Mental Health Topics Your 12-year-old son keeps getting in trouble at school — for picking on his classmates, lying to his teacher, and even stealing other kids’ things. You think he’s just “acting out.” Until you find out he’s been sneaking out at night for the last 6 months. It becomes apparent that…