People with a history of childhood trauma often carry those issues unconsciously forward into adult relationships. A pattern of childhood neglect, emotional or physical abuse, or a story involving sexual molestation or rape creates difficulties for adults as they attempt to make long-term bonds in committed relationships. It is not uncommon to find such an […]
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You might consider yourself an empathic person but there’s a difference between having empathy and being an empath (a highly sensitive person who easily absorbs other people’s feelings, energy and stress). “Having empathy means your heart goes out to another person who’s experiencing joy or pain,” explains Judith Orloff, MD, an assistant clinical professor of
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“Things will never get better.” “I’m worthless.” “I’ll never be happy.” If these statements sound familiar, you may be struggling with depression. One of the most prevalent psychiatric disorders, depression afflicts nearly 7 million Americans annually. Almost one-third of these cases are classified as severe, and they are the ones in which feelings of hopelessness
Overcoming Hopelessness in Depression Read More »
New Year’s Eve is a time of celebration with friends and family. If you’re committing not to drink this year, then it can also be a challenging time. Just about everywhere you go, there is alcohol present during this festive occasion. Navigating the evening can be difficult. However, it is possible to have a sober
Prescription opioid addiction is slashing and burning its way across the American landscape. Since the late 1990s, the rate of narcotic painkiller addiction (and overdose) has soared, and addiction treatment centers are now overflowing with men and women dependent on drugs like OxyContin, fentanyl, Vicodin and Percocet. The arrival of the 21st century has also
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Compulsive shopping, also known as shopping addiction, is an unofficial mental health disorder characterized by shopping or spending behaviors that function in roughly the same ways that alcohol or drug use function in substance addiction. It belongs to a larger of group of unofficial disorders known as behavioral addictions or process addictions. These addictions occur
Compulsive Shopping in Women Read More »
Just as developing strength and agility is crucial for physical fitness, the same is true for emotional fitness. In our culture, the strength part of the psychological equation is well understood, given that it’s often equated with having good coping skills and emotional resilience. But the perks of having emotional agility are not as widely
Cultivating Emotional Agility: Six Small Changes That Will Help You Thrive Read More »
Specific phobia is a medical term used to describe a persistent, irrational fear-based reaction to things or situations that have a minor or nonexistent potential to cause harm. Various people can develop this type of response to almost anything. However, some phobic reactions occur much more frequently than others. Women and girls develop specific phobias
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A number of scientific studies have revealed the complex workings of our brain’s motivation and reward center and how neurotransmitters, often referred to as the brain’s “feel-good chemicals,” are released when we desire something or experience pleasure. Our brains produce numerous natural neurotransmitters that play critical roles in our health and how we feel. The
Addiction and Dopamine Neurotransmitters: How Addiction Works Read More »
Schizoaffective disorder is a psychiatric condition characterized by a set of symptoms that combines features of schizophrenia with features of depression, mania, or some other form of mood disorder. Compared to most other mental illnesses, doctors know relatively little about schizoaffective illness. This is true, in part, because of the complex combination of symptoms that
Schizoaffective Disorder in Women Read More »