As an addict’s use spins out of control, what happens to the rest of the family? In families where one or both parents develop an addiction, certain “rules” about how to behave and how to survive develop alongside the addiction. In addition to these rules, family members take on roles that shore up the rules …
Family Rules: Don’t Talk, Don’t Feel, Don’t Trust Read More »
Receiving the diagnosis of borderline personality disorder (BPD) can come as a relief – finally knowing what is wrong and that there may be some solutions. But even after diagnosis, many attendant conflicts remain. There are few medications that work for BPD, and certainly no “magic bullet.” The disorder is known to be so complicated …
How to Communicate With Your Borderline Personality Disordered Loved One Read More »
Despite the differences in their legal status, both nicotine and cocaine are known for their ability to cause physical dependence and addiction. The path to dependence and addiction typically begins when use of a given substance makes changes in the way the brain produces or breaks down dopamine, a naturally occurring chemical that plays several …
Major depression is a life-altering mental health disorder that affects children, teenagers and adults. However, for a number of reasons, older adults with depression-related symptoms often don’t receive a depression diagnosis. In order to at least partially rectify this situation (and accomplish a number of other goals), the organization responsible for creating the standard definition …
New Definition of Depression Includes Sustained Grief Read More »
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a brain-stimulating technique that uses very low levels of electrical current to change the amount of activity taking place in the brain’s main nerve cells, called neurons. This technique differs from another similarly named form of brain stimulation called transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Current evidence indicates that tDCS can …
New Electric Current Brain Stimulation Alleviates Depression Read More »
Many people suffer from an irrational and unreasonable fear of becoming ill or dying that is so strong it can actually bring on terrifying medical symptoms that seem entirely real. These fears, which come in a variety of forms, are often grouped under the catchall term “hypochondria,” and give a clear indication of just how …
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, in coordination with more than 4,000 state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies across the country, will hold its sixth annual drug “take-back” day April 27 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
It is easy to watch the popular reality TV shows about hoarders and make a judgment. The scenes of clutter and garbage piled so high that the house is barely habitable trigger feelings of both disgust and pity. How can people live that way? This is what many of us ask when we see this …
Hoarders Struggle to Toss Out Even Other People’s Junk Mail Read More »
The road to recovery is a unique journey that each newcomer takes once the commitment to sobriety has been made. How many times has someone new to the clean and sober state wished for a guide to living in sobriety, one that could prove useful in avoiding the common mistakes and setbacks – or just …
The Usual Suspects: Breaking Down Roadblocks to Recovery Read More »
On a cold, moonless night in January 2008, I woke up to the piercing of my cell phone’s ringtone. A call at that hour could only be an emergency. On the other end was my mother, but it wasn’t her voice I heard. She sounded like a crying child – a shrieking, frightened child. Suddenly …