Mental Health Topics

I entered my first real relationship in the 7th grade (I know—young) and stayed in this relationship until my freshman year of college. I’ll do the math for you: this relationship took up roughly six years of my life. In other words, at the age of 18, I had spent…

There may come a time when someone with a mental illness — like depression, anxiety, or PTSD — needs your help. While mental health conditions require proper treatment from a mental health professional like a counselor or psychiatrist, you can provide help in the form of comfort, reassurance, and support….

“Forgive yourself. Let it go. Forget about it. Move on.” They’re easy phrases to say, but so much harder to actually do. We all mess up sometimes, whether it’s lashing out at a friend, engaging in self-destructive behavior, or cutting corners at work. Those mistakes often come with overwhelming feelings…

Whether it’s about location, career goals, kids, religion, money, or something else, realizing you and your partner have different visions for the future can make you question everything. It can cause you to worry about whether or not you truly belong together or if you can have “it all”. And…

There is a common misconception that men don’t have feelings—or, at least, not to the same degree as women. In reality, we all experience a wide range of feelings. We feel happy, sad, angry, frustrated, heartbroken, scared, betrayed, and the list goes on. However, men are often less likely to…

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a condition that can make trusting other people and establishing lasting relationships extremely difficult. This can make coping with BPD in relationships frustrating for the person carrying the diagnosis, as well as for a loved one trying to understand and be supportive.  While navigating borderline…

Being in a romantic relationship has its ups and downs. But what about dating someone who has a mental health condition like bipolar disorder?  As it so happens, dating someone with bipolar disorder I or II may not be so different from dating anyone else. Although it’s true that people…

Overthinking in a relationship is something we all do from time to time. However, if it happens all the time, it can become unhelpful and even detrimental. The constant internal chatter can make you believe thoughts that are not necessarily true, such as convincing yourself that people you love don’t…

Trust issues are characterized by fear of betrayal, abandonment, or manipulation. And this fear is often triggered as a result of betrayal (such as infidelity), abandonment (think: leaving a child or foregoing a relationship with them), or manipulation (for example, dishonesty or gaslighting). If someone you trusted — a partner,…

Attachment disorders in adults often stem from childhood issues and impact how a person relates and connects with others and themselves. If you think you have an adult attachment disorder, it can be worthwhile to explore the causes and symptoms. Once you better understand attachment disorders, you can begin healing…

How we’re treated as children, the dynamics of our family, and how we interact with our parents can have a long-lasting impact. When parents expect too much from a child, by giving them adult responsibilities and making their love conditional on fulfilling expectations, their child may develop golden child syndrome….

If you are in therapy, or trying therapy for the first time, you might wonder if you can tell your therapist everything, or if there are certain things you should never tell your therapist. It can be especially difficult to know what to say and not to say in therapy…