Mental Health Topics

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a form of psychotherapy treatment which focuses on changing one’s negative thinking and/or behavioral patterns that lie behind their difficulties. These may be sleep or relationship difficulties, issues with drug abuse, alcohol dependence, or anxiety and depression. It works by first helping an individual to…

Learning a new language is all fun and games until somebody asks you to speak it. Spanish class, 4th period, every day for three years. We started out with the basics, of course—I learned all of the colors and animals; then we moved on to elementary verbs; and then to…

My niece is practically fluent in Spanish. It started with colors and numbers, which she would impressively recite at family gatherings. But now, a few years later, she can spew out full, complex sentences in Spanish that, of course, none of us adults can understand. And the truth is, I’m…

In movies and TV shows, there’s the classic trope of the bully and the bullied. The bully stuffs his or her victim into lockers, trips them in the hallways, makes fun of their appearance, and laughs at them in front of the whole class—whatever it takes to guarantee utmost embarrassment….

Depression: a crippling illness characterized by fatigue, feelings of worthlessness, and a depressed state that affects 350 million people worldwide. This overwhelming statistic reminds us that any one of us could develop the condition—but not a single one of us hopes to. So we do what we can to prevent…

My dad is the hardest working person I know. At the ripe old age of 76 he spends the majority of each day on his feet—mowing the lawn, vacuuming, walking the dog, wandering up and down the aisles of the grocery store. He’s so active, in fact, that I often…

A little boy spends each night looking under his bed, making sure the door is locked, opening and closing his blinds 5 times, and brushing his teeth for exactly 45 seconds—he can’t sleep until he does. His mom realizes this might be a sign. She was right: the doctor informs…

Affluenza may sound like a cold or similar sickness, but it is actually a term used to describe a more “metaphorical” illness, whereas privileged kids who grow up emotionally and developmentally isolated from their mother and father feel an intense pressure to be successful. These individuals feel this weight at…

There’s rural and then there’s urban—those who relish in wide open spaces and those who prefer the city bustle. I’ve always been the former: I grew up in a very small town with acres of farmland, woodland, and waterways. And while I love the quiet, a good hike on the…

Today is National Boss’s Day, so we thought it was the perfect time to give the bosses of the world some easy tips on how to be an amazing boss. Now, we’re in no way implying that your aren’t currently an awesome boss and beloved by your employees, but hopefully…

Schizophrenia is a debilitating mental illness characterized by a range of cognitive, behavioral, and emotional dysfunctions. Individuals who suffer with this disease often experience delusions, hallucinations, incoherence, and dysfunction in major areas of life, such as at work or in their personal relationships. And while much has been discovered about…

Last Saturday, I lost my incredible grandmother at the age of 96, and while her death was incredibly sad, it was also a celebration of a truly amazing life. Her name was Barbara, and she literally spent almost every waking of moment of her 96 years smiling, laughing, and bringing…