Why I Never Did Hard Drugs
“Drugs are a waste of time. They destroy your memory and your self-respect and everything that goes along with your self-esteem.” – Kurt Cobain
I grew up in a close-knit, fairly religious family where children were seen and not heard, where mealtime meant everyone sat down together and exchanged pleasantries while enjoying the prepared-at-home repasts, complete with dessert. There was no distraction, either from television or radio, and the telephone ringing was a rare occurrence, quickly dispatched once the caller learned we were eating. In fact, nothing was so urgent back then. It was, indeed, a peaceful, happy tim...
Source: Psych Central - September 17, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Suzanne Kane Tags: Addictions Substance Abuse Alcoholism Drug Abuse Opioid Addiction Source Type: news
Facing Major Life Changes with Bipolar Disorder
Major life changes. They say for those of us with mental illness that major life changes can be more difficult. Things like making a move to a new home, a new job or having a baby. They change your life so drastically that they make everything else in your life come to a stop. Recently, even though I have bipolar 1 disorder, I decided to not just tackle one major life change but two of them simultaneously.
I stopped driving in 2014 after I received a DUI for my medication for my bipolar disorder. I decided not to start driving again because my medication isn’t an option for me, sometimes I do not realize that I am still...
Source: Psych Central - September 13, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Tosha Maaks Tags: Antidepressants Benzodiazepines Bipolar Medications Mood Stabilizers Personal Stories Stigma Stress Work Issues Source Type: news
Book Review: The Emotional Foundations of Personality
The Emotional Foundations of Personality: A Neurobiological and Evolutionary Approach is the last work of Jaak Panksepp. Kenneth Davis was a student of Panksepp many years ago and became a colleague and co-author. As Davis wrote, this work was like taking a multi-year seminar with Panksepp. The result is truly remarkable. It is so filled with research, critical thought, history, and knowledge, it is difficult to know where to begin.
Emotional Foundations of Personality is a history of our ongoing efforts to define just what personality is and how to measure it. We have used language and description for most of our testing ...
Source: Psych Central - September 11, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Stan Rockwell, PsyD Tags: Book Reviews Disorders General Genetics Memory and Perception Neuroscience Personality Professional Psychiatry Psychological Assessment Psychology Treatment books on emotions Emotional Life jaak panksepp ken davis Source Type: news
How to Best Support a Loved One with Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder is a difficult illness. For Arden Tucker, an episode of depression can be especially debilitating. Like many who experience bipolar disorder, Tucker fears she won’t recapture the essence of who she really is, the person she was before the depression began.
“My bipolar depression can feel insidious,” she said.
That’s because even though Tucker takes medication, her depression is cyclical, so it’ll return “again, and again, and again.”
Her partner of 35 years is a tremendous support. One of the most important ways Tucker’s partner supports her is by checking on her when she starts to get depr...
Source: Psych Central - September 8, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S. Tags: Bipolar Disorders Family General Relationships & Love Self-Help Bipolar Depression Bipolar Disorder bipolar disorder support Friends Suicide Prevention Awareness Month Source Type: news
Depression Treatment: Where We Are Missing the Mark
Depression affects 450 million people worldwide and 15 million adults in the United States (U.S.) alone. Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States, claiming over 40,000 lives every year. We see these heartbreaking stories making headlines too often, and there are tens of thousands more we do not know about.
The scariest part? There is no end in sight.
Antidepressants are one of the three most commonly used therapeutic drug classes in the United States. Approximately 1 in 9 Americans of all ages reported taking at least one antidepressant medication — a number that was less than 1 in 50 just th...
Source: Psych Central - September 7, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Sachin Mehta, M.D. Tags: Antidepressants Bipolar Depression Medications Mood Stabilizers Neuroscience Suicide Treatment Deep brain stimulation Deep transcranial magnetic stimulation Depression Treatment Electroconvulsive Therapy Major Depressive Disorder Source Type: news
Book Review: You Are Not A Rock
No one wants to feel sad, angry, lonely, or anxious, but by avoiding those feelings, we may only make things worse. In You Are Not A Rock: A Step-By-Step Guide to Better Mental Health (For Humans), Mark Freeman encourages readers to feel feelings because we are not rocks. We do feel things and he provides steps to do this without becoming overwhelmed by our emotions. Freeman shares his personal experiences with compulsion and how he engaged in OCD behaviors to avoid unpleasant emotions. And he admits that his attempts at dealing with his feelings were a problem.
Feelings can help us practice emotional fitness, which may in...
Source: Psych Central - September 4, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Tina Arnoldi Tags: Book Reviews Disorders General Mindfulness Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Personal Stories Psychological Assessment Psychology Psychotherapy Treatment mark freeman mental health book you are not a rock Source Type: news
10 Questions and Answers to Help Prevent Suicide
Suicide is tremendously hard to talk about. It can be especially overwhelming for people without mental health training. Yet friends and family are often the first to learn that a loved one is having suicidal thoughts.
As therapists, we can do more to help someone in crisis. Underestimating this need is a terrible mistake. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for 10 to 34-year-olds, says the National Institute of Mental Health.
We can help people learn safe, helpful ways to respond to those whose suffering is so great, they see no other way out.
Here are 10 questions and answers about talking with someone who yo...
Source: Psych Central - August 27, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Robyn Brickel, MA, LMFT Tags: Depression Suicide Suicide Prevention Source Type: news
The Adaptive Care Model: Treating the Whole Person, Not Just the Eating Disorder
Eating disorders are dangerous, life-threatening conditions that affect all aspects of the individual. In the past, many treatment models focused solely on the psychological, medical and nutritional components of the eating disorder itself rather than treating the complete, individual person. Now there is a model that builds off the traditional methods to focus on healing all dimensions of the whole person. To do this, clinicians must understand the biological underpinnings that cause eating disorders and the behaviors that help maintain them long-term, and work together in multi-disciplinary teams to achieve total health....
Source: Psych Central - August 23, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Nicole Siegfried, Ph.D, CEDS Tags: Addictions Alcoholism Neuroscience Substance Abuse Treatment Source Type: news
Addiction Recovery: Letting Go of Generational Sin
I recently learned of something called Generational Sin. As you can probably guess it is Sin that is passed down by generation, but not in that you’ve learned sinful traits and acted upon them, more in the way of that the past generations “Spirit of Sin” is stuck to you. So if you think about Karma and what goes around comes around, I suppose it would be similar except that what happened in your family from past generations is in your DNA — and not just your DNA, but your “Spiritual DNA”.
When I was conceived by two people under the influence of drugs and alcohol. The woman having low self esteem, and ...
Source: Psych Central - August 22, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Melissa Steussy Tags: Addictions Alcoholism Children and Teens Genetics Parenting Psychology Spirituality Substance Abuse Source Type: news
Object Constancy: Understanding the Fear of Abandonment and Borderline Personality Disorder
This article focuses on the fear of abandonment, which, to its excess, could show up as a lingering feeling of insecurity, intrusive thoughts, emptiness, unstable sense of self, clinginess, neediness, extreme mood fluctuations and frequent relationship conflicts. On the flip side, one might also cope by cutting off completely, and become emotionally numb.
Neuroscientists have found that our parents’ response to our attachment-seeking behaviors, especially during the first two years of our lives, encode our model of the world. If as infants, we have healthy attachment interactions with an attuned, available, and nurturin...
Source: Psych Central - August 16, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Imi Lo Tags: Borderline Personality Codependence DBT Psychology Psychotherapy Relationships & Love Trauma Treatment Source Type: news
How Discovering Your Core Values Could Prevent Discontent
In conclusion, I would like to add a value quote that I came across during my research. I feel this is something that we all could reflect on. Consider the following food for thought:
“When the way you think, speak and behave match your values, life feels very good. You feel whole, content, in control. But when these do not align with your personal values, then things feel… wrong. Life feels uneasy. You feel out of sorts, disconnected, restless, and unhappy.” – Melli O’Brien (Source: Psych Central)
Source: Psych Central - August 13, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Cerena Reid-Maynard, LICSW Tags: Depression Essays Ethics & Morality General Motivation and Inspiration Personal Stories core values discontent Happiness Resentment Source Type: news
How to Recognize a Psychopath
“I don’t feel guilty for anything. I feel sorry for people who feel guilt.” – Ted Bundy
We’re all familiar with the famous villains in movies and TV such as Hannibal Lecter in “The Silence of the Lambs,” Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock’s psychological thriller, “Psycho,” Dexter Morgan in the Showtime series “Dexter.” In real life, we’ve read about the horrific murders committed by the likes of two executed serial killers from the 1970s: Theodore (Ted) Bundy, killer, rapist and necrophile, and John Wayne Gacy, Jr., who murdered 33 boys.
What these characters and individuals all have in common is ...
Source: Psych Central - August 10, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Suzanne Kane Tags: Abuse Anger Bullying Ethics & Morality Narcissism Neuroscience Personal Stories Trauma Violence & Aggression Source Type: news
Bipolar Disorder & Finding the Right Psychiatrist
Finding the right psychiatrist is a difficult task. For me it took almost 10 years and three different doctors. It seems like finding a doctor would be a simple thing, however it’s very personal and you are putting yourself in a vulnerable position when you speak with a psychiatrist.
By the time you get to a psychiatrist you have either spoken with your primary care doctor or a therapist who have referred you to go see the psychiatrist. So, you have already told someone your secret of not feeling well mentally and the fact that you feel like you need some help. Most people go to see a psychiatrist reluctantly.
When you...
Source: Psych Central - August 5, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Tosha Maaks Tags: Bipolar General Personal Stories Psychiatry Psychotherapy Bipolar Disorder Psychiatrist Therapeutic Relationship Source Type: news
PTSD Is Like a Ghost: On Surviving Domestic Violence
And he knows you intimately. He knows everything about you. He knows what you love, he knows who you love, he knows your favorite places to go, favorite things to do. He knows your favorite colors, music, TV shows, hobbies, friends.
Some people (usually the people who enabled this ghost to enter your life) would say he’s imaginary. He’s made up. He doesn’t exist. You’re crazy or sick. You’re looking for attention. You’re dwelling on things and you should just get over it.
If only …
I wish he was imaginary and that I just made him up. I wish I was crazy sometimes because I s...
Source: Psych Central - August 3, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Deborah Gray Tags: Abuse Bullying Domestic Violence PTSD Relationships & Love Trauma Women's Issues Abusive Relationships complex ptsd Domestic abuse Spousal Abuse Source Type: news
How to Help Your Partner Through Their Depression
When your spouse has depression, you might be very worried, and feel utterly helpless. After all, depression is a stubborn, difficult illness. Your partner might seem detached or deeply sad. They might seem hopeless and have a hard time getting out of bed. They might be irritable with a swiftly shrinking fuse. They might be tired all the time and say really negative things about everything.
You also might be confused. “[M]any symptoms of depression can be poorly understood, particularly irritability or apathy, which partners can mistakenly label as ‘being crabby’ or ‘lazy,’” said Melissa Frey, LCSW, a therapist...
Source: Psych Central - August 1, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S. Tags: Depression Disorders General Relationships & Love Self-Help Clinical Depression depression and relationships depression support Marriage Mood Disorder Source Type: news
