Occasionally, you may hear about or maybe even see someone streaking nude at a sporting event or some other public activity. In these instances, the indecent exposure may seem harmless and even funny. At other times, though, the intentional act of showing one’s sexual organs in public causes harm to others, has serious personal consequences, […]
Trigger Warning: The topic of this article may be triggering for some readers. Caution is advised. Stories about individuals inflicting harm on themselves may be difficult to hear. But these occurrences are both a cry for help and a reminder that much more must be done to increase self-harm awareness and how people can help […]
Anger is a strange and complex emotion. Some experts view anger as an extension of the fight-flight-or-freeze response. By reducing other behavioral, cognitive, and psychological functions, anger allows us to face certain dangers more effectively. At the same time, too much anger can isolate someone socially, cause them to lash out at loved ones, or […]
Fear plays a critical role when it comes to our survival, motivating us to maintain a safe environment and minimize exposure to threats. While a certain dose of fear is healthy and beneficial, occasionally, this emotional response kicks into overdrive and becomes disruptive. In general, the more control over our environment we have, the safer […]
Introduction to Chronic Irritability Chronic irritability issues is a commonly searched phrase on Google about mood issues. People want to know what it may indicate as far as further mental health disorders and how therapy can help. But what is chronic irritability? Is it being in a bad mood, or a behavior problem, or tied to […]
For many people who live with a mental illness, cracking the code of why their brains work the way that they do feels like the key to becoming well. Diving into personal history is often one aspect of mental health treatment, and for good reason: multiple studies demonstrate that mental illnesses tend to run in […]
Prioritizing mental health may be a New Year’s resolution for many people—especially if this past year has been emotionally challenging or if you struggle with depression or anxiety. How do you prioritize your mental health, though? The following ideas may provide some help and inspiration. A Fresh Start: Making Mental Health a Priority in the […]
Between 1972 and 1978, John Wayne Gacy (1942-1994) killed at least 33 boys and young men by luring them into his home under the pretense of offering them money, work, or a place to stay if they were homeless. Gacy buried most of his victims in a crawl space under his house in Chicago. Other […]
Over the past year, you’ve made strides in your mental health journey—sometimes in big leaps, and at other times, slow, painstaking steps. For most people, progress doesn’t come in life-changing epiphanies but in slowly adopting day-to-day habits that move you toward your goals. For that reason, it can be difficult to recognize the difference between […]
“I was so embarrassed and ashamed of how we lived that a knock on the door terrified me.” “We regularly had to eat meals standing up, because the kitchen table was inundated with piles and piles of stuff.” The effects of a hoarding problem can extend to one’s children, creating mental health challenges for the […]