Coping strategies (referred to interchangeably as coping mechanisms or coping skills) are behaviors that are designed to help us reduce the negative emotions associated with difficult events, situations, relationships, and more. Coping mechanisms may be learned both consciously or unconsciously.  Learning and implementing healthy coping strategies is a routine part…

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…

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects focus, concentration, and memory, and often causes hyperactive or impulsive behavior. People with ADHD can find tasks like complex projects or deciding between too many choices overwhelming, and often get distracted or find themselves avoiding tasks altogether when faced with stress.  This feeling of overwhelm is…

At some point, you may have heard someone talk about ADD and wondered, “Is that the same thing as ADHD, or is it something else?” The difference between ADD and ADHD confuses many people—largely because there really isn’t a difference. Attention-deficit disorder (ADD) refers to people who have a specific…

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…

Every person has challenges. As does every couple and every family. Together, that’s a lot of challenges! Which is why marriage and family therapy exists.  Licensed marriage and family therapists (LMFTs) are mental health professionals who are trained in psychotherapy and family systems. They’re able to help people through the…

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…

Right now, millions of people are suffering from depression—and some might not even know it. Despite being one of the more well-known mental health conditions, not everyone knows the signs.  You may ask yourself: “How can I be depressed and not know it?” That question has many answers, but the…

Have you ever had moments of overwhelming fear and anxiety for seemingly no reason? Maybe you felt intense amounts of dread and thought you might be having a heart attack. Though panic attacks aren’t lethal, they can certainly feel that way. Panic attacks are defined as a sudden surge of…

Most people who menstruate can tell you that period symptoms are no fun. However, though many people struggle with premenstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms, some have it even worse. What is PMDD? Well, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, or PMDD, is a depressive disorder similar to PMS, though more serious. The symptoms, such…

Anxiety is a human response to stressful stimuli. In other words, it’s normal. Whether we’re late for work, have ruined our favorite shirt, or totally failed a first date, life certainly offers us a lot to be anxious about.  However, when anxiety stops becoming an intermittent experience and becomes more…

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects focus and executive function, and causes hyperactivity. Many of us probably know someone who has ADHD, since according to Psycom, about eight million adults demonstrate symptoms of ADHD. However, you may not know that girls and women struggle to get diagnosed…