Search Results for: mental health relationship issues

Mental Health Well-being and “Coming Out”

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CNN health recently published a report about the supportive factors needed to help lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB ) people “come out” without a negative impact on their well-being. Historically, research indicated that concealing your sexuality had great consequences, both emotionally and physically. This study had a different view. This information jumped out at me because of the rather recent highly publicized suicides of LGB youth, and the research that indicated these youth are five times more likely to commit suicide. It certainly made be think that if there are supportive factors that can be put in place there may … Continue reading →

Family Influence on Mental Health

I’ve been wondering and I’ve come to the conclusion that like so many other things in life, our mental health often represents our upbringing. I look at one side of my family. At my grandmother’s level of the family tree there were ten siblings. They were raised in a strong Catholic family, learned to help take care of one another (with ten of them, what more could you do), rely on one another, and be open and honest. Family was the focus of their lives. They had twelve people in a three bedroom house, so there was no choice but … Continue reading →

Selenium and Health Issues

Selenium is a trace mineral — a mineral your body needs in small amounts as compared to macrominerals (like iron and calcium) that your body needs in large amounts. But even a trace mineral can have a big impact on your health. Selenium deficiency is often seen in places where concentrations of selenium in the soil are low — like China, and parts of Russia. Studies have shown that selenium deficiency may contribute to a host of health issues, including heart disease, thyroid issues, and a weakened immune system. Researchers believe that a selenium deficiency doesn’t usually cause illness by … Continue reading →

Mental Health Week in Review: September 30-October 7

Recently we have been talking about death and how to cope with both the overwhelming feelings of despair that accompany the end of a life. We also looked at just what is a reasonable time spam to get over the loss of a much loved friend or family member. In How Long Does It Take to Get Over a Death I asked readers to estimate what they thought was a standard time to really come to grips with loss through death. The standard benchmark suggested by mental health experts is a minimum of a year. Yet society seldom gives us … Continue reading →

Mental Health Week in Review July 12-18

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This week in Mental Health we looked at a range of issues including what happens to a mother when she is found by authorities to be suffering from Munchausen disorder by proxy and she has deliberately harmed her child. In Munchausen Mum Escapes Jail Term, we focused on the legal rather than the psychological ramifications of this disorder. We also looked at Dependent Personality Disorder and the effects that this condition has on its sufferers, including a desperate need for reassurance from others, marked difficulty in expressing disagreement with others due to a fear of being abandoned, extreme lack of … Continue reading →

Mental Health Week in Review: May 11-18

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It’s been a big week for family relationships in Mental Health this week as we looked at further ways of setting healthy limits for your children in Setting Healthy Boundaries for Your Children (3) and Setting Healthy Boundaries for Your Children (4). These two blogs complement the first to in this series when we talked about how it is important for parents to teach their children that they can, in fact, deal very well with the word “No”. In fact, it is imperative to their future health and happiness that they do learn how to deal maturely with the N-word. … Continue reading →

Ladies, A Bad Relationship Can Cost You

We’ve talked about the benefits of being married. But did you know there is a toll on you when your relationship isn’t healthy and your marriage is bad? You are probably thinking that divorce is a pretty high cost. Yet there is a study that was done at the Ohio State University’s Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research that indicates that for women – a bad relationship can cost them in a variety of ways and can be extremely detrimental to their health. This Isn’t About Abuse Yes, we know that abusive relationships have very negative effects on your health. But … Continue reading →

Relationships are a Two-Person Thing

When two people meet, enjoy each other’s company and find themselves in what we call a relationship there will inevitably come a time when one or both of the couple feel like something is missing. This is as natural to the evolution of relationships as the first date, the first kiss, the first fight and the first make-up. While counseling might be the politically correct way to handle issues that seem beyond a person, the first stop in relationship counseling is to take care of yourself. Relationships are a two-person thing. No person can tell another what is best for … Continue reading →

Postpartum depression: Effects on relationships (2)

In Postpartum depression: Effects on relationships (1), we looked at this disturbing condition from the mother’s point of view, explaining that the lack of interest in the newborn and the inability to adequately care for the new baby is simply the effect of the illness, not a reflection of mothering ability. Today we will look at how postpartum depression affects other family members and how partners, friends, and grandparents can best act to assist in the mother’s speedy recovery. First, it is important that the mother, despite her transient unwellness, is not deprived of her mothering rights by well-meaning relatives. … Continue reading →

Friends and Mental Health (2)

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Last blog we looked at the importance of having positive people in our lives and the detrimental effect that negativity from others can have on our mental health. We also looked at how sometimes it can be difficult to tell the difference between a person who is good for our spirit and one who is subtly undermining us. We also saw the long-term problem that Katie was having with her friend Bree: a relationship that left Katie feeling both happy and strangely empty. Let’s look at another example of a relation that seems good but isn’t really working. Jo and … Continue reading →