Bipolar disorder affects nearly six million Americans every year. Bipolar is characterized by both episodes of major depression and episodes of mania or hypomania. Symptoms of depressive episodes are identical to those of unipolar depression and include sadness, lethargy, disturbed sleep, slow movements, feelings of hopelessness, poor concentration, physical aches, losing interest in things you… Continue Reading What’s the Difference Between a Good Mood and a Manic Episode?
Narcan is the brand name of the drug naloxone, which is a drug used to reverse opioid overdoses. Naloxone is an opioid antagonist, meaning it binds more strongly than opioid drugs to mu receptors but does not activate them. As a result, naloxone shoves opioid molecules off of mu receptors and prevents them from reattaching,… Continue Reading How Narcan Reverses an Opioid Overdose
Social anxiety disorder and avoidant personality disorder are both conditions that cause people to feel extremely anxious in social situations. People with these conditions will avoid social interaction as much as possible, despite the fact they typically desire social connection and close relationships. Both conditions can significantly impair one’s ability to form relationships and hinder… Continue Reading What’s the Difference Between Social Anxiety Disorder and Avoidant Personality Disorder?
Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder has three main characteristics: Inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. People with ADHD have difficulty focusing for very long, often bouncing from one train of thought to another or becoming distracted by something in the environment. They are often restless, with excessive energy that can make it hard to sit still or sleep. They… Continue Reading How ADHD Can Lead to Addiction
People with avoidant personality disorder have low self-esteem and consequently have an intense fear of being judged or criticized by others. This fear makes them extremely uncomfortable in social situations and therefore they avoid social situations whenever possible. Avoidant personality disorder affects about two and a half percent of the population and it affects men… Continue Reading What is Avoidant Personality Disorder?
Of the elements that form the basis of a healthy lifestyle–adequate sleep, healthy diet, regular exercise, positive relationships–sleep is perhaps the most essential. Past studies have found that even getting too little sleep by as much as an hour or two for several nights in a row can have negative consequences such as reduced self-control,… Continue Reading New Study Support the Importance of Adequate Sleep
Teens, especially younger teens, are often limited in their access to alcohol and illicit drugs. They typically lack the money and connections to get alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs. However, they can be resourceful in the face of these obstacles. There are several common household items that can alter your consciousness just as powerfully as… Continue Reading 4 Household Items Teens Use to Get High
Most people occasionally get anxious in social situations, especially those that involve public speaking, meeting new people, or high stakes interactions like a job interview or asking someone out. You may get butterflies in your stomach just before you have to give a toast, but then feel fine once you get going. People with social… Continue Reading How is Social Anxiety Disorder Treated?
Although we’re learning more about mental illness all the time, brains are extremely complex and there is still much we don’t understand about how they work and what can go wrong. What’s more, everyone is different and symptoms often present differently in different people. These differences can be related to age, sex, culture, background, and… Continue Reading 3 Mental Health Issues that Are Frequently Misdiagnosed
Therapy is essential for anyone trying to recover from a substance use disorder or a mental health issue. Therapy is where you uncover what drives destructive behavior and where you learn strategies for emotional regulation, processing trauma, and living a more fulfilling life. Therapists are experts in mental health and experienced therapists have a process… Continue Reading 7 Tips for Getting the Most Out of Therapy
