Mental Health
Eating disorders can be subtle; unlike mental illnesses such as substance abuse, they cannot be solved by complete abstinence. This is part of what makes eating disorder recovery so tricky: in order to heal, survivors must develop a new relationship with food and their body. An eating disorder is defined by an upset in thoughts,…
Why is it that sometimes it can feel easier to forgive others than to forgive yourself? Forgiveness is a powerful act that can be hard to do, especially when it’s yourself that you need to forgive. Everyone has done things in their past that they regret. During recovery from drug or alcohol abuse, it’s…
Dual diagnosis is when you have two or more co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and drug or alcohol addiction, for example. Treating addiction and mental health disorders together increases the likelihood of recovery. If you treat one disorder without addressing the other, then it’s more likely for…
A dual diagnosis is when someone has co-occurring disorders, such as a mental health disorder and a substance abuse disorder. Most people who have a mental illness will have a substance use issue at some point in their lives and vice versa. It can be hard to determine which disorder came first and if one…
What is the Connection Between Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders? Which came first – the chicken or the egg? The same question can be asked about mental health and substance abuse in situations involving dual diagnosis. A dual diagnosis is when someone has both a mental health disorder and a substance abuse disorder. In…
What is group therapy? Group therapy is when one or more therapists lead a therapy session for a group of people. Groups typically range between five to 15 people at a time and meet one to two hours per week. While it can be used alone, many people who attend group sessions will also receive…
Cognitive-behavioral therapy, or CBT, is a form of psychotherapy that aims to change clients’ negative thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors to improve functioning and overall quality of life. CBT is shown to effectively treat conditions like addiction, depression, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, relationship issues, phobias, and other mental health issues. CBT is a gold standard in…
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), an outgrowth of CBT, is evidence-based psychotherapy originally developed for treating individuals with borderline personality disorder and chronically suicidal behaviors. The chronic and pervasive self-destructive behavior, low self-esteem, and negative view of self associated with long-term addiction are similar to those chronically suicidal. DBT is highly effective and used widely in…
As the weather starts to change and turn cooler, many people look forward to the approaching holidays and seasons. However, for millions of Americans, the changing seasons bring on negativity and pain. Why is this? These people suffer from seasonal depression. Seasonal depression is also referred to as seasonal affective disorder (SAD), affecting people primarily…
As the year moves toward its conclusion, with the annual holiday season just around the corner, many people start to feel heavier. It’s not uncommon. It’s also not their fault. What they are feeling could be seasonal depression. Seasonal depression for most people starts in the fall and stretches through the winter until the flowers…