Recent findings from an American research group point to a connection between drug problems in veterans, depression and emotional trauma exposure that occurs as early as childhood or as late as after the end of military service. Diagnosable problems with drugs or alcohol appear fairly frequently in men and women who have served in the […]
A team of researchers from the University of Hawaii assessed the impact of cigarette smoking and caffeine intake on the mental health of people who participate in polysubstance abuse, concluding that caffeine use, in particular, can have a substantially negative mental health impact on these individuals. Polysubstance abuse and polydrug abuse are two terms that
Six percent of Americans suffer from seasonal affective disorder (SAD), while 14 percent suffer from snow depression. Even among the non-SAD population, feelings of listlessness, lifelessness, and low motivation are common during the winter months, when the mercury drops out of sight, and the sun hides its warming face for 14 to 16 hours at
We have all heard that some people are prone to addiction, and there seem to be plenty of real-world examples to illustrate the truth of this adage. But is it accurate to say that someone who has suffered through multiple addictions has a really addictive personality? Or is this an overly simplistic explanation for a
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a complex mental health condition in which individuals struggle with intense, volatile and painful emotions, impulsive thoughts and behaviors and persistent feelings of emptiness and abandonment. BPD typically results in problems with self-image, impulses, emotional responses and conflicts with other people including loved ones. Intense, highly changeable episodes of anger, depression and
The Connection Between Borderline Personality Disorders & Depression Read More »
At some point or another, most of us will experience a traumatic event in our lives. If we’re fortunate, we will heal from the physical or emotional wounds and return to our regularly scheduled lives, changed but somehow stronger. While we hear a lot about post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in our culture, trauma can also
A Positive Legacy of Trauma: How Suffering Could Change You for the Better Read More »
Forgiveness is part of the healing process that you will go through as you strive to overcome addiction. While you may recognize that you have to forgive others, you may have a really hard time figuring out how to forgive yourself. There are probably a lot of things that you did in the past while
Guilt, Forgiveness and Recovery: Stop the Shame Cycle Read More »
If you’ve ever been accused of being “moody” and wondered if your moods cross the line from normal ups and downs to an actual mood disorder, you may have a condition called cyclothymia, or cyclothymic disorder. There is no cyclothymia test you can take to determine if this is the case, but you can be
Anxiety disorders are among the most common psychological disorders and they affect twice as many women as men. Also, 30% of women who become pregnant suffer from anxiety disorders. In fact, pregnancy can create or increase anxiety in women. Symptoms can, however, be successfully treated with available anxiety treatments so people who suffer from the
Ketamine is an anesthetic that has been used primarily in pediatric surgical settings and veterinary medicine. An interesting property of ketamine is that it affects a set of receptors utilizing glutamate in the central nervous system and brain that govern mood, memory, learning and other functions. This discovery of ketamine’s effects has led to a
3 Mental Health Disorders Ketamine May Help Treat Read More »
