Watching a loved one struggle with mental illness is difficult and painful. Figuring out how to help can lead to feelings of frustration, confusion, anger, fear, guilt, and worry, particularly if your loved one is in denial or refuses your help. Mental health disorders affect millions of people throughout the world. It is estimated that…
Paranoia refers to the irrational, persistent feeling or belief that others are trying to harm you physically or are otherwise out to get you. This pattern of thinking involves intense, unfounded suspicion and distrust. The deep mistrust of others associated with paranoia causes significant relationships and daily functioning problems. Paranoia is linked to several mental…
Doctors and psychologists have long been warning about the dangers of chronic stress. With rates of stress and anxiety significantly rising over the past few years, there is more focus than ever on finding inner peace and happiness. Smartphones have changed how we interact with the world. One impact has been that we are constantly…
Manic episodes are often misunderstood not only by those experiencing them but by observers. Many think of a manic episode as just a very good mood or period of extraordinary productivity, but this is inaccurate. Manic episodes are characterized by an exceptionally elevated or irritable mood, racing thoughts, intense energy, and other extreme or exaggerated…
We hear a lot of talk about anxiety, and with good reason. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), approximately 20% of Americans have an anxiety disorder. Still, anxiety and its effects remain greatly misunderstood. Anxiety provides information. It is tied to our innate fight or flight response and is needed to avoid…
Most people have or will experience at least one traumatic event. A traumatic event is any occurrence that threatens our sense of safety, whether real or perceived and can have a lasting emotional and psychological impact. It is normal to think, act, and feel differently following a traumatic event. Typically, these effects subside after a…
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a popular type of psychotherapy (talk therapy) that is clinically proven to treat many mental health disorders. Over the years, advances in CBT have been made based on clinical practice and multiple research studies. CBT differs from many other forms of therapy in that copious amounts of scientific evidence have proven…
Though bipolar disorder is among the most common mood disorders, it is often misdiagnosed or undiagnosed. The term bipolar is often used casually to describe a moody person, which detracts from the severity of the disorder. Bipolar disorder is characterized by severe mood swings between mania and clinical depression periods. Stress strongly impacts these episodes.…
Developed by Albert Ellis in 1955, rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) is an actioned-oriented approach to managing cognitive, emotional, and behavioral disturbances. REBT holds that our way of thinking leads to emotional and behavioral upset. With a focus on current thinking, REBT guides individuals in examining and challenging the negative thinking that creates unhealthy emotions…
Depression is often misused to describe typical periods of sadness we experience when going through difficult situations. Because so many people equate depression with episodic sadness, the severity of the disorder remains highly misunderstood. Clinical depression, in its many forms, is pervasive, impacting all areas of a person’s life. When left untreated, clinical depression typically…