The pandemic. Social unrest, natural disasters, war. You don’t have to look very far to see traumatic events that affect large numbers of people. More personal crises include divorce, death, abuse, violence, sexual assault and accidents. A traumatic event is any experience frightening, shocking or dangerous enough to affect someone physically and emotionally, whether they are part of the event …
You head to the airport, and as you get in line to check your luggage, you wonder if you turned off the stove. This happens to everyone at times. But for people with obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD, it can happen every time they leave the house. They may double back to check stoves and light switches again and again, even …
Participating in sports offers many benefits: exercise, feel-good endorphins, camaraderie and a chance to build skills and self-esteem. This is true across all age groups, including teens in their “difficult” years. The American College of Sports Medicine points out, “Adolescent participation… is positively correlated with multiple indicators of physical health, decreased anger, positive developmental outcomes, increased sleep, and a more …
“Mental health is the overall wellness of how you think, regulate your feelings and behave. A mental illness, or mental health disorder, is defined as patterns or changes in thinking, feeling or behaving that cause distress or disrupt a person’s ability to function.” (The Mayo Clinic) While the focus is often on teens and adults, preteens also experience mental health …
Our early intimate relationships are marked by hopes and dreams and strong feelings. Due to lack of experience, teens may be blindsided when feelings turn dangerously negative. Teasing, name-calling and little “love taps” might seem like a normal part of dating, but they could be signs of abuse to come. When behaviors escalate into teen dating violence (TDV), young people …
Mental illness affects over 50 million adults in the US every year. That’s one in five people of all races, ethnicities and ages. Serious mental illness affects one in 25 adults. While it occurs in both women and men, fewer men are diagnosed with mental illness. But men are also less likely to seek or receive treatment, which means they …
Each year in the US, one in five adults experience mental illness. One in six children age 6–17 experience a mental health disorder. Fortunately, there are multiple treatment settings that offer choices appropriate for the circumstances, the disorder involved and each person’s needs. The most available, and most common, treatment setting is outpatient therapy. Of the 11.6+ million mental health …
When someone has a broken leg, the evidence is visible. They have a cast, possibly crutches; people can witness their struggle with opening doors or navigating furniture. But when someone has a mental illness or disorder, the evidence may not be obvious—if others can see it at all. And no can see “inside” the struggle of trying to navigate a …
You can’t imagine your child would hurt herself. And yet you’re seeing disturbing signs. She’s become withdrawn, spending more time than usual in her room. She’s wearing long-sleeve shirts, even in summer. And you’re seeing bloody tissues in the wastebasket. If you suspect self-harm, there are things you can do—and things you shouldn’t do. Self-Harm and Children Self-harm is not …
Nightmares… avoiding certain streets… becoming easily startled or feeling on edge… Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can manifest in many ways. The National Center for PTSD defines PTSD as “a mental health problem that some people develop after experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening event, like combat, a natural disaster, a car accident, or sexual assault.” Precipitating events can also include sudden …
