Author Archive

Listed by most recent articles first.

• OCD: Treatment for Contamination Fears
  Before discussing currently accepted treatments for contamination obssessive-compulsive (OC) disorder, let's cover treatments that should be avoided (but unfortunately are still used ...
• OCD: Symptoms of Contamination Fears
  The most common association regarding people with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) are that these people are primarily concerned with germs and becoming 'contaminated.' ...
• The Myth of the Perfect Marriage
  When the reality of marriage doesn’t meet our expectations, we tend to blame reality. When it comes to marriage, we expect the ...
• Stepfamilies on TV: Step by Step
  Family has been a main focus on television since the beginning of the television, beginning with families like the Cleavers and ...
• Questions Kids Ask About ADHD
  Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a fairly common mental health concern among children and teenagers today. It is readily treated by medications, psychotherapy, or a combination of the two. Here are some commonly asked ...
• Questions Teens Ask about ADHD
  Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a fairly common mental health concern among children and teenagers today. It is readily treated by medications, psychotherapy, or a combination of the two. Here are some commonly asked ...
• What is Self Injury (SI)?
  Self-injury -- also known as self-harm -- is simply the act of inflicting deliberate injury onto oneself, in order to relieve emotional pain. The most common form of self injury is making shallow cuts onto ...
• Worst Things to Say to Someone Who’s Depressed
  Some people trivialize depression (often unintentionally) by dropping a platitude on a depressed person as if that is the one thing they needed to hear. While some of these thoughts have been helpful to some ...
• Best Things to Say to Someone Who’s Depressed
  When you find out someone is depressed, it's tempting to attempt to immediately try and "fix" the problem. However, until the depressed person has given you permission to be their therapist (as a friend or ...
• Memory and Mnemonic Devices
  Mnemonic devices are techniques a person can use to help them improve their ability to remember something. In other words, it's a memory technique to help your brain better encode and recall important information. It's ...
• Narcissistic Personality Disorder In-Depth
  Individuals with narcissistic personality disorder often will seem to have a grandiose sense of self-importance. They routinely overestimate their abilities and inflate their accomplishments, often appearing boastful and pretentious. People with narcissistic personality disorder may ...
• Frequently Asked Questions about Serotonin
  Serotonin is a common neurotransmitter found in our brains. Neurotransmitters are special chemicals in our brain that help relay signals from one area of the brain to another. Although serotonin is manufactured in the brain, ...
• Serotonin Syndrome
  Serotonin syndrome is the name for a condition when the body has too much serotonin. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that regulates many functions, including mood, appetite, and sensory perception. Serotonin syndrome typically occurs when you've taken ...
• Frequently Asked Questions about EMDR
  Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a therapeutic technique that utilizes a characteristic motion of the eyes in conjunction with therapeutic guidance to bring about emotional healing, sometimes at an accelerated rate. Although not ...
• Which Antidepressants Cause the Least Sexual Side Effects?
  Sexual side effects and one's libido are an important issue when it comes to antidepressant medications and depression itself. All too often, this issue is ignored when antidepressants are prescribed by a family physician or ...
• Common Hotline Phone Numbers
  Whether you're in crisis or are just looking help for a friend or family member, there are dozens of organizations available to help you deal with a variety of immediate concerns, from crisis situations and ...
• Depression in Employees
  Employers sometimes have concerns about a specific employee and whether the employee's poor health might be affecting their performance and ability to do their job. But employers should also look to their employees' mental health ...
• Psychiatric Advance Directive
  A psychiatric advance directive, or PAD, allows patients with mental illness to state their preferences for, or dislikes of, specific treatments, designate a proxy decision-maker or make other advance decisions about their care. Advance directives are ...
• Women and Bipolar Disorder
  While bipolar disorder affects both men and women, how the disorder is experienced and treated in both genders varies greatly. Women, for example, tend to experience more of the "rapid cycling" type of bipolar ...
• Symptoms of Substance Dependence
  Here are some of the signs and symptoms that are typically associated with substance abuse. A maladaptive pattern of substance use, leading to clinically significant impairment or distress, as manifested by three or more of ...
• Symptoms of Substance Abuse
  Abuse of a substance is generally characterized by an unhealthy pattern of substance use leading to significant impairment or distress, as manifested by one or more of the following occurring within a one-year period: recurrent ...
• Teen Depression Symptoms
  Teen Depression Symptoms The following are some of the most common symptoms of teenage depression. These symptoms don't directly correspond to symptoms of major depression, but they're similar. A teenager who meets some of the following ...
• An Overview of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy
  Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) is a practical, action-oriented approach to coping with problems and enhancing personal growth. REBT places a good deal of its focus on the present: on currently-held attitudes, painful emotions and ...
• Frequently Asked Questions about Suicide
  Suicide is a significant cause of death in many western countries, in some cases exceeding deaths by motor vehicle accidents annually. Many countries spend vast amounts of money on safer roads, but very ...
• Transference-Focused Psychotherapy
  Transference-Focused Psychotherapy (TFP) is a psychodynamic treatment designed especially for patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD). A distinguishing feature of TFP in contrast to many other treatments for BPD is the belief in a ...