Mental Health Topics

It is entirely natural to experience a range of emotions after a traumatic event. Most people recover from these initial reactions and feelings within a few weeks. However, if you have ongoing problems, there could be something else going on, like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This practical guide will help…

Eating disorders are serious conditions that affect both one’s mental and physical health, and they can be extremely difficult to endure alone. Not to be confused with bulimia or avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder, anorexia nervosa, more commonly known as anorexia, causes a person to restrict their food intake with the…

There’s an old woman sitting on a bench, sobbing loudly into her hands. Surrounding her are countless people: a man sitting on the bench next to her, a few people standing at a nearby bus stop, and many walking right by. While some clearly notice the distressed woman, nobody asks…

How many of us have felt suddenly unwell for a time, and out of concern, googled our symptoms? Later on, when we’re better, we might feel a little bit embarrassed that we were so concerned—maybe our mysterious symptoms were all in our heads.  Experiencing this fear of illness or disease…

Individuals who suffer from obsessive-compulsive personality disorder seek to uphold a feeling of control through their meticulous attention to rules, details, procedures, instructions, schedules, or lists—to an extent where the behavior can interfere with everyday functioning, relationships, or quality of life.  They are very careful in all of their actions…

This guide is for parents who are struggling to understand their child’s ADHD symptoms or diagnosis of ADHD, and for the adults who grew up believing that something was wrong with them – because their brains didn’t work like other people’s. The ADHD mind has its own rules. When you know…

The definitions for anxiety, stress, and sleep are quite different: Anxiety is a feeling of fear or apprehension, stress is a response to a perceived threat or challenge, and sleep is a natural state of rest that is essential for physical and mental health.  However, these conditions might be more…

Most people struggle with self-esteem and perception at some point in their lives. During these times, it can be difficult to believe that those around us really do care about us. Sometimes, it seems more logical that they actually don’t like us, or may even hate us.  Other times, we…

Life can get stressful and overwhelming, and sometimes our methods of dealing with it are helpful in the short term but become more problematic over time. These unhelpful behaviors are referred to as “maladaptive behaviors” or, more specifically, actions or responses that are not suitable or effective in a given…

Humans subscribe to patterns of behavior that are influenced by their thoughts, and their thoughts are influenced by their patterns of behavior. For instance, we might wash our hands (an action) because we want to cleanse them of germs (a desire). Or we might start thinking of ourselves negatively (a…

Artificial intelligence has become a focal point of conversation in many fields, each looking to discern whether technology like chatbots or digital assistants will—or should—play a larger role.  Now this question is being posed in the field of mental health. Though having access to therapy services via ChatGPT and other…

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) will affect nearly seven million adults in the U.S. each year. Individuals with generalized anxiety disorder often have difficulties controlling even the most mundane of daily worries. They may worry more than is realistically necessary about actual events or expect the worst outcome when there seems…