Hearing these comments can be painful, infuriating, depressing—even destructive—to someone living with bipolar disorder. Saying them is not going to be helpful. This article discusses some of the things that you can do and say to help support someone with bipolar disorder. It also covers some of the things you should avoid saying to avoid causing hurt and frustration. Overview of Bipolar Disorder If you want to know how to support a friend or loved one with bipolar disorder, learning more about the condition can be a helpful first step....

The connection between alcohol and depression and the two conditions may feed off one another. In many cases, treating alcoholism will relieve depression. However, alleviating depression does not resolve the alcohol use disorder. In some cases, you may receive a dual diagnosis of a major depressive disorder (MDD) and an alcohol use disorder (AUD). This co-occurring disorder isn’t uncommon, but it can be difficult to treat. This article outlines the connection between alcohol and depression, how the two disorders align, identifies treatment options, and ways to cope....

If you or a loved one is seeing a mental health OT, learning about their role can help you advocate for the best care. The History of Occupational Therapy in Mental Health Occupational therapy has its origins in mental health. At one point, the majority of OTs worked in mental health settings. In the past decade, the number of OTs in the United States working in mental health has dropped....

Characteristics of Addiction According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), addiction is a chronic, relapsing disorder characterized by: Compulsive drug-seekingContinued use despite harmful consequencesLong-lasting changes in the brain NIDA also notes that addiction is both a mental illness and a complex brain disorder. Behavioral Manifestations of Addiction When friends and family members are dealing with a loved one who is addicted, it is usually the outward behaviors of the person that are the obvious symptoms of addiction....

The use of psychedelic substances (psilocybin, ketamine, MDMA, LSD, and Ayuhuasca/DMT) for mental health treatment has become one of the hottest topics of research and conversation in the psychology community, and state legislatures are taking notice. More than 25% of Americans ages 18 and older deal with mental health issues. For some, conventional therapy methods don’t offer effective treatment, even with medication, and it’s become clear that new options for care are necessary....

Comparisons are often natural and can, in some instances, even be helpful. They can serve as a way to gauge our progress or determine what might be appropriate in a certain situation. Some ways that comparing feelings might be harmful are listed below. People Experience Things Differently Each individual has different resources and experiences that play a role in how they are affected by different emotions. Just as not all people feel joy in the same way, not everyone feels pain in the same way....

An NIAAA Alcohol Alert reports that women achieve higher concentrations of alcohol in the blood and become more impaired than men after drinking equivalent amounts of alcohol. They are more susceptible than men to alcohol-related organ damage and to trauma resulting from traffic crashes and interpersonal violence. Alcohol and Gender Differences Researchers believe that the higher risks are due to gender differences in metabolism or gender-related differences in brain chemistry, but experts admit the risks could be because of different factors that are currently not known....

Disappearing can feel tempting because it may feel like a potential opportunity to hit pause in your life. You wouldn’t have to tell anyone what was wrong, you wouldn’t have to deal with your jerk of a boss, and the dishes in the sink would no longer be taunting you. Shame involves an uncomfortable sense of exposure that naturally leads to wanting to disappear. It is also accompanied by a physiological response that contributes to behavioral disengagement and withdrawal....

This poll included feedback from over 2000 parents of children and found that 96% say that the holidays are generally a happy time for them, but 18% describe their stress as high during the holidays. With how much parental stress levels impact their children’s enjoyment of the holidays, it may be worthwhile to consider how families can reduce their stress during this season. Understanding the Research This nationally representative poll found that only 12% of fathers reported high stress levels during the holidays, while nearly double that (23%) of mothers reported the same, and more mothers than fathers considered each aspect of the holiday season as very likely to cause stress for them....

One important thing to remember is that creativity is not a passive process. Simply sitting back and waiting for inspiration to find you is a recipe for losing your motivation and becoming discouraged. Instead, focus on looking for ways to boost your own creativity. Seek out the things that inspire you and that helps you focus your attention and mental energy on the task at hand. Check out some of these fascinating and often unusual tricks that might help spark your creativity....

Please note that stories of people with eating disorders (even fictional ones) can be triggering to those with these disorders. If you have an eating disorder or are in early recovery, please consider whether or not reading this story will be helpful for your recovery. If you are triggered, please talk about it with your therapist or your treatment team. Morning and Breakfast The alarm clock wakes me up and I hit snooze....

Tradition 1 is the first of these guiding principles. It serves to create a sense of unity and fellowship within the group. The Twelve Tradition philosophy started in 1939 with the publication of the “Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous.” The concept was refined in the ensuing years as AA continued to grow, and greater emphasis was placed on maintaining uniformity among chapters. In 1953, co-founder Bill Wilson formalized the principles in the book “Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions....

For instance, girls are more likely to have inattentive ADHD, in which daydreaming and shyness are common. Conversely, it is more typical for boys to have hyperactive-impulsive ADHD or combined type ADHD. If left undiagnosed, ADHD in girls can result in disadvantages such as a lack of accommodation in the classroom, low self-esteem, and self-blame. It can even affect mental health well into adulthood. Being aware of the different symptoms of ADHD in girls can help you know when it might be time to see a doctor for an evaluation....

How Disorganization Manifests in ADHD Despite how much it can impact your life; it can also be hard to define exactly what disorganization means or what it looks like because it appears in different ways for different people. It can show up everywhere, too: in our physical environment, our thinking and planning, and even the way we speak. Here are some of the different signs you can look for. In your physical environment, disorganization looks like:...

Though elections are always stressful, the 2020 election is impacting Americans’ mental health more for a variety of reasons, says Dr. Jeffrey Cohen, a clinical psychologist at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. “This year’s election is occurring in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, a struggling economy, ongoing police brutality, and racial inequities, and natural disasters which all compound the election stress.” What Causes Election Stress? Election stress and anxiety are caused by uncertainty about the election outcome....

Protein is one of the biggest components of our bodies. Our bodies use amino acids to form the proteins which build everything from muscles and bones, skin and hair, to internal organs and fluids. In addition, amino acids play an active role in our nervous system, where they function as ​neurotransmitters in the brain. Amino acids can be divided into two basic groups: essential and nonessential. The essential amino acids are those which your body cannot synthesize....