Truly traumatic events put our brains and bodies in survival mode. It is an automatic response to something traumatic and life-threatening. The problem is that many people who have experienced trauma continue to live in survival mode. They may think they have overcome the trauma, but the brain is still operating on that base level…
Getting sober can be a scary experience. In order to live a life that doesn’t include drugs or alcohol, you have to give up the substances that have been giving you at least some degree of relief from the uncomfortable feelings that often happen in life. You may also have to give up habits, such…
Internet addiction is an unofficially defined condition centered on dysfunctional use of the Internet while doing such things as browsing or playing games. The American Psychiatric Association is currently reviewing the evidence required to fully establish the criteria for this condition. Research indicates that substantial numbers of people potentially affected by Internet addiction also have…
As an alcoholic or addict, you probably know that your own choices and thinking got you in a lot of trouble and, eventually, to the halls of Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous. Recovering from active addiction requires changing the unhealthy thoughts that led you to drink, drug and make other bad choices. It requires that…
According to the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD) 17.6 Americans abuse alcohol, making it the most oft used addictive substance in the nation. But what’s the dividing line between alcoholism and not-quite alcoholism? The number of folks living on the edges of alcoholism could be staggering. The NCADD defines alcoholism by the…
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been part of the therapeutic lexicon since the 1980s, when PTSD was added to the third edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders as a response to the biological, psychological, and social impact of catastrophic events such as war, rape, natural disasters and surviving prisoner-of-war or concentration…
The holidays are a wonderful opportunity to get together and catch up with family and friends that you may not have seen in a while. However, the stress of preparing holiday dinners, buying gifts and decorating your home are likely to leave you yearning for a quiet, peaceful family gathering.
After a break-in and assault, a young woman self-medicates with prescription drugs. But not even the increasingly large amounts of narcotics can ease her anxiety. Sidney had been like most of the young women attending her prestigious women’s college; she was wide-eyed, eager and intellectually curious. Her parents described her as someone who “lit up…
Mental disorders like depression, anxiety and eating disorders have a tendency to surface during periods of significant hormonal changes, such as adolescence, menopause or pregnancy. The period following childbirth could be a time of vulnerability for women diagnosed with depression. Dr. Verinder Sharma, a psychiatrist from Canada’s Western University, says that changes during childbirth can…
Like most people, my views as an adult are a direct result of my early family life and upbringing. I was raised by my mother in an extremely open and liberal milieu—my world was filled with art, music and books. The bright, chaotic primary reds and yellows of post-modern art hung on the walls of…
