Anhedonia is the technical term for a lack of ability to take pleasure in daily life. People who experience this condition often lose interest in previously enjoyable activities. While it does not always signify depression, anhedonia is a core symptom of major depressive disorder. How can you tell if...
Depression is a complex mental illness that can diminish your joy in life and make simple, everyday activities feel like a nearly insurmountable challenge. If you live with depression, you know it is more than a fleeting bad mood or a passing phase you can quickly overcome. When persistent,...
Bipolar disorder, previously known as manic depression, is a condition that causes dramatic shifts in a person’s mood and behavior. People with this mental health issue alternate between bouts of depression and manic episodes where they have ample energy and enthusiasm. These mood swings can affect sleep, energy, activity,...
Contrary to popular stereotype, people with acute psychosis are rarely violent or dangerous. Nor are they necessarily homeless and disheveled, or the products of dysfunctional families. And they definitely are not beyond help. Much of the stereotypical “psycho” image likely results from confusing “psychosis” and “psychopath.” To mental-health professionals, a...
If you’ve ever experienced a sudden onset of intense, overwhelming fear, it might have been a panic attack. Because symptoms such as sweating, shaking, nausea and a racing heartbeat can come on so unexpectedly, it’s challenging to predict what circumstances might precipitate a panic attack. Panic attacks can be unpleasant...
June is PTSD Awareness Month, and June 27 is PTSD Awareness Day. Everyone should understand the facts about this painful mental illness. PTSD became a household word in the early twenty-first century due to media attention given former military combatants, but survivors of other traumatic situations develop the disorder as...
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and though we’ve made exceptional strides in understanding and treating mental health disorders, there remains a stubborn societal stigma around mental illness and the need for people to seek life-changing help. Psychosis is an especially stigmatized condition because it can cause erratic behavior,...
Mental illness is, first and foremost, an illness. Too often, it’s treated as something to be feared or laughed at: Historical trends of opening mental hospitals to public tourism, with little concern for patient privacy or dignityHalloween attractions with “asylum horror” themesTV dramas featuring “insane” serial killersJokes along the lines...
While mental health issues like depression, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder may not manifest in outward symptoms, the inner turmoil they create can be debilitating. To make matters worse, people living with untreated mental illnesses often struggle to get the correct diagnosis and treatment plan that will improve their quality...
Over 25 percent of the U. S. adult population suffers from one or more mental health disorders, yet such struggles are frequently ignored, dismissed or stigmatized. Many people delay seeking treatment because they’re ashamed of their illness; because they don’t understand that treatment is for people still functioning as well...
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