Mental Health Topics

Spirituality varies from person to person; however, it is essentially the practice of finding peace and purpose in life. It also involves evaluating and creating one’s identity—their purpose, experiences, and connections. Many benefits come with tapping into your spiritual self; first, it can help you to cope during stressful times,…

Here’s an undeniable truth a lot of us don’t like to talk about: we all have problems. We suffer from emotional turmoil—post-breakup, mid-job change, as a consequence of depression… you get the idea. And often, to cope with these unfavorable circumstances and difficult feelings, we need to reach outside of…

You’ve probably come across an online mental health forum before. It’s a site for talking about all things mental health, from depression to breakups, stress, anxiety, family issues, and so on. But now there’s this new thing (which isn’t really a new thing) everyone’s talking about: online counseling. And you’re…

Online counseling—or maybe you know it as teletherapy, e-counseling, or cyber-counseling—challenges the traditional therapy model, being that sessions are held online via video, phone call, or chat widget. That being said, it isn’t a completely new idea… but it’s certainly picked up speed and increased in popularity. The concept of online…

Assuming too much responsibility could increase your chances of developing OCD and anxiety. Researchers from Hiroshima University surveyed American college students about their feelings related to three types of responsibility: responsibility to prevent or avoid harm, responsibility for negative results, and responsibility to resolve a problem. The team found that…

Do you have trouble falling or staying asleep? Researchers from the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience say your insomnia might stem from emotional distress. The team asked participants to relive shameful moments from their past, while receiving an MRI scan of their brain activity. Researchers found that good sleepers neutralized those…

The unfortunate reality is that mental illnesses do go undiagnosed, for years or even lifetimes. There are multiple layers to why this occurs, including the individual’s failure to recognize that something is wrong or that the problem requires mental health treatment—additionally, many are hesitant to seek treatment out of fear…

Millions of people in the US alone struggle with a mental illness, from major depression to anxiety, schizophrenia, and many others. Unfortunately, there are still many misconceptions out there about mental illness—let’s dismiss them for good. First, mental illness is real despite the myth that those who claim they have…

Steroid use could increase the risk of cocaine use and addiction among teens. This, from researchers at the University of Puerto Rico who studied female rats. The team first exposed half of the rats to nandrolone, a performance-enhancing steroid commonly used by teens. After ten days, they split all of…

Every single year, millions of Americans suffer with a mental illness. By definition, a mental illness is a disorder that negatively affects a person’s thoughts, feelings, mood, and/or behavior. Examples include depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Each individual has a unique experience, as far as which symptoms they…

Despite the popular notion that humor is inappropriate during difficult times, humor and laughter can actually help us cope with tough losses. Looking for the humor and turning to laughter enables us to put the loss or the moment into perspective. If you’re grieving the loss of a loved one,…

Humor can help us cope during embarrassing or uncomfortable situations, as well as manage stress and anxiety. However, it isn’t always helpful—it can stand in the way of our addressing serious challenges and even cause harm to our relationships. This makes determining the appropriate time and circumstances for humor important….