Childhood Trauma

Trauma and Your Brain

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 …

Diagnosing and Treating Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder is characterized by extreme emotional highs (mania) and lows (depression). Manic episodes are “up” times, marked by high energy, little sleep and exuberant self-confidence and euphoria. Depressive episodes are marked by low energy, trouble concentrating, anxiety and often hopelessness. We may not understand how much havoc bipolar disorder causes in the lives of affected individuals, who struggle to …

Preteens and Mental Health

“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 …

What Outpatient Therapy Can Do

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 …

What It Feels Like to Live with Mental Illness

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 …

Mental Health Care for College Students

College should be a time of discovery, freedom and independence. But sometimes those perks of the college experience can become a source of mental distress. Students can also struggle with mental health issues they bring with them to college. College can still be a time of growth and independence if students attend to their mental health and get help when …

A Parent’s Guide to Self-Harm

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 …

7 Ways to Get Help When You Feel Alone

At any given moment, at least a third of us feel lonely. As we write this, the social distancing of the COVID-19 pandemic has probably pushed that figure higher.  We can take comfort in knowing that loneliness is not a permanent state. There are many ways to address and alleviate / heal loneliness. But first, let’s explore loneliness itself. The …