Ischemic stroke is a type of stroke that occurs when something blocks the flow of blood in a blood vessel leading to the brain. It differs from another form of stroke, called hemorrhagic stroke, which occurs when one of the brain’s blood vessels weakens and breaks open. More than 80 percent of all strokes are…
Twelve-step programs are support or mutual-help groups designed, in part, to help people recovering from an addiction to drugs or alcohol achieve and maintain substance abstinence. For Americans affected by alcoholism and alcohol abuse (alcohol use disorder), participation in these programs is the most common step taken toward outside assistance. Some health professionals worry that…
Bipolar disorder is most often diagnosed during one’s college years. Dr. Russ Federman and J. Anderson Thomson Jr, both of the University of Virginia (UVA), know the challenges that college students with bipolar must negotiate during their years of intense studying, new social encounters and life away from home structure. In their book, Facing Bipolar:…
It couldn’t come at a better time, a nationwide campaign, “Sleep Well, Be Well,” to get out the facts about the importance of a good night’s sleep. Millions of sleep-deprived Americans can relate to the issue of not getting enough sleep. But many are unaware of just how critically important sleep is to our overall…
In many cases, teens try prescription drugs and get hooked on the addictive medication. Soon, however, they are unable to afford the high cost of a drug like OxyContin and begin looking for alternatives to reach a similar high. All too often, that alternative is heroin. Compared to prescription drugs, it is cheap and easy…
In the U.S. and throughout much of the world, significant numbers of both married and unmarried people consume alcohol regularly. Most of these individuals drink in light or moderate amounts that don’t generally lead to problems; however, some individuals increase their risks for a range of problems by drinking heavily. In a study published in…
Substance/medication induced obsessive-compulsive and related disorder is the lengthy, somewhat complicated name for a newly defined mental health condition that appears in DSM 5, the recently released fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. People with this condition have symptoms that closely resemble the symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) or any…
In the form of marijuana, cannabis ranks as the most widely used illicit/illegal substance in America. Researchers and public health officials have long debated the question of how many cannabis/marijuana users ultimately end up getting involved in other forms of illicit drug use. In a study published in August 2014 in the International Journal of…
When people think of dangerous drugs, they probably think of heroin, crack cocaine, crystal meth or strong painkillers like oxycodone. Because it’s legal, alcohol isn’t usually thought of as a substance with the potential to kill you or lead to chronic, irreversible health problems. Drinking is widely accepted as a rite of passage, something everyone…
The American Psychiatric Association’s latest version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), which was published in May 2013, includes several disorders and syndromes that were not recognized as real mental illnesses in the past. One of these newly recognized conditions is avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder —which is more commonly known as…
