Category Archives: Mental Health

Mental health is something many of us take for granted. Learn more about mental health conditions and how to seek the help necessary to deal with them here at the Families.com Mental Health Blog.

No Two Depressions are Created Equal

Most people don’t start out in life intentionally headed toward depression. Life just takes you down that detour sometimes, for a whole host of reasons. Sometimes it’s a traumatic event that shakes your world and shatters your confidence. Sometimes it’s the cumulative effect of anxiety and fear about yourself and your future. Sometimes it’s the sheer weariness of never seeming to get on the right road to happiness. Sometimes it’s the constant criticism and negativity of the people you travel with. Sometimes it’s because no matter how fast you go, you can’t seem to outrun your past. Sometimes it’s because … Continue reading →

Increasing mental health problems in the US?

John Hopkins released some new statistics recently, indicating there has been an increase of about 2 million adults who suffer from mental illness since 1997. These statistics were based on self-reports in 2007, and the specific cause is not indicated. The study was published in the American Journal of Public Health. When you read about statistics like this, do you question them? I don’t doubt at all there is an increase in self-reporting of mental illness, but I question if there is an actual increase versus more awareness. While the report did not indicate a reason for the increase, the … Continue reading →

Hand Your Anxiety to a Higher Power

All of the work we do at The Center for Counseling and Health Resources is based on a whole-person approach to treatment and recovery from anxiety and depression. This includes attention paid to the physical, mental, emotional and relational aspects of self, as well as the spiritual side, as referenced in the following excerpt from my book Overcoming Anxiety, Worry and Fear: Practical Ways to Find Peace. Anxieties have a way of lying to us about what is valuable and what is not. If you find you’re confused and need some guidance breaking out of anxiety’s black-and-white-world, if you find … Continue reading →

More on childhood bipolar.

A came across a blog written by a psychologist that spoke to me. He was writing about a training he went to on childhood bipolar. When I was working in an inpatient facility for youth I was shocked at how many kids came into my facility with a diagnosis of bipolar, even though they did not meet the diagnostic criteria and clearly had other issues going on. I have previously written on the controversy of bipolar disorder and its diagnosis in childhood. What got me about the blog was that this psychologist was bringing to light some concerns that many … Continue reading →

Women, coffee, and depression

Apparently coffee is good for your mental health, at least if you are a woman. A new study released in the Archives of Internal Medicine followed over 50,000 women over a 10 year period and discovered that women who drank 4 cups of caffeinated coffee a day were 20% less likely to suffer from depression than women who did not drink coffee on a regular basis. In an article on Reuters.com, they break down the findings and discuss the implications. The interesting things that stood out to me were the sheer numbers the researchers were working with and how careful … Continue reading →

Is Worry Creating Needless Drama In Your Life?

Worry certainly sounds like a negative activity, and it is, but when you’re immersed in it, worry feels like the most logical, positive direction. How else can you prevent bad things from happening – or be prepared to deal with them when they do – if you don’t worry about them first? Unfortunately, “bad” things are going to happen regardless of any amount of obsessive thinking you do trying to anticipate, prevent and prepare for them. All worry does is keep you living in a perpetual state of anxiety for no good reason at all, and what kind of a … Continue reading →

A different type of ADAP – ask for it!

A few years ago I worked for the federally funded AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) and until today I had no idea there was another ADAP out there. While I like to think of myself as one who keeps up with the times when it comes to great programs, this one somehow slipped by me. This ADAP is the Adolescent Depression Awareness Program. The program is sponsored by John Hopkins Medicine and is designed to “increase awareness about depression and the need for evaluation and treatment”. I felt a little better about my lack of knowledge of the program when … Continue reading →

Reluctance to talk to doctors about depression.

A recent survey in California and published in the Annals of Family Medicine showed nearly half of people with depressive symptoms did not speak to their primary care physician about it. The biggest reason? Worry about being put on anti-depressant medications. The next biggest reason was that people did not think their primary doctor was responsible for their emotional help, with a third reason of worrying that others would find out. Both Reuters and Huffington Post have interesting looks at the research. I found the data interesting because we in America are accused of being a drug nation all of … Continue reading →

Suicidal teens need services

When I think of the lack of mental health services in our communities it seems we like to be reactive in our country – we keep the services that would help avoid teens becoming suicidal at bay, while paying for hospitalizations after the fact. A new survey confirms my general understanding of a reactive system more than a proactive system. However, the bigger picture it painted is rather scary. According to the article, suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death among teens. Yet, this research found that only 13% of suicidal teens received mental health care in the year … Continue reading →

Channeling Anxiety Through the Body: Rita’s Story

It’s challenging enough dealing with the anxiety that lives in our minds. But when it is channeled through the body – as it always is – anxiety works us over double time. Sometimes it manifests as a tightness in the gut, or clenching of the teeth or hands. Over time, though, anxiety takes a more dangerous toll on our physical sides, from ulcers and panic attacks, to high blood pressure and heart attacks. What’s worse is when we add fuel to the fire, treating our bodies in ways that only make anxiety worse. Rita knows this all too well. Promptly … Continue reading →