Mental health conditions can be very serious, and yet the stigma and shame that surrounds them often keep people from getting the help they need. The following is a guest post by Stan Popovich, author of “A Layman’s Guide to Managing Fear Using Psychology, Christianity and Non Resistant Methods.” It’s an easy to read book… Continue Reading
Category Archives: Dual Diagnosis | Mental Illness
Depression and Alcohol Use – Not a Good Combination
Depression and alcohol use are not a good combination. Both cause changes in the brain, and both can make the other condition worse. Depression and the Alcohol Use Connection Suffering from depression and its accompanying feelings of sadness, loneliness, restlessness and the like is often a reason a person elects to drink in the first… Continue Reading
Harm Reduction – Why I Consider It a Viable Option by Kate Bartenhagen, MFT
Harm reduction is often a controversial approach to treating addiction and/or minimizing the impacts of alcohol abuse or drug abuse. In her guest post, Kate Bartenhagen, MFT, shares her views on why she now considers harm reduction a viable option in her work as a family therapist to reduce suffering and improve relationships. Kate Bartenhagen… Continue Reading
Intervening When a Loved One Drinks Too Much
Intervening when a loved one drinks too much is a difficult call to make. It’s fraught with feelings of betraying a loved one, of wanting to believe it’s really not as bad as it is or wanting to believe that this time really will be different. But alcoholism is a developmental disease. It always… Continue Reading
Bipolar Disorder – Dr. Fred Von Gunten Shares His Experiences and Successes
Bipolar disorder is a mental illness. Like all mental illnesses, it changes the way the brain works, which in turn changes the way a person thinks, feels and behaves. Often these brain changes cause the person with bipolar disorder to use and/or abuse alcohol or drugs – an effort sometimes referred to as “self-medicating.” Mental… Continue Reading
Costs of Addiction Treatment – How Do You Recover From Drug Addiction or Alcoholism if You Can’t Afford It?
Costs of Addiction Treatment can put many rehab programs beyond the reach of people desperate to recover from drug addiction or alcoholism. What can a person do if they can’t afford a residential treatment program? Or perhaps they are put off by some of the concepts of a 12-step program, or they might be overwhelmed… Continue Reading
Christmas Blues? 9 Tips to Cope with Holiday Depression
Depression, sadness, holiday blues? Sometimes these feelings creep up around this time of year. Darlene Lancer shares some of the common causes along with tips for coping, but first, a bit about Darlene. Darlene Lancer is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and author of How To Speak Your Mind – Become Assertive and Set… Continue Reading
Mental Illness – What You Need to Know
Mental Illness Awareness Week 2012 is October 7 – 13. Why should each of us individually care? What can we do as individuals? The Significant Statistics Related to Mental Illness An estimated 26.2 percent of Americans ages 18 and older — about one in four adults — suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a… Continue Reading