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The Stages of Being Alone

When you first get divorced you go through the stages of grief. You are mourning a loss, even if you initiated that divorce or were in an abusive relationship, it’s still a loss. Under the pain of the divorce lies all your hopes and dreams, that is what you are mourning, what could have been. One of the first things you have to come to terms with when you divorce is being alone. When your children are with you it may seem that you never have a moment to yourself, but this is a different type of loneliness. Initially you … Continue reading →

Recast Anxiety: Setting the Stage for Peaceful Scenes in Your Life

If anxiety plays a starring role in your life, it’s time to recast. You deserve the starring role. Anxiety need be little more than a subplot. Make that a cameo. No, even that draws too much attention to it. Anxiety should be one of those characters like “woman on bus” or “man reading newspaper.” You’re aware it’s there, and it serves a purpose, but once the scene’s over, you never think about it again. Certainly, this is an ideal scenario; it’s much easier said than done letting anxious thoughts go for good. But try to remember, you call the shots. … Continue reading →

Different Stages Of Parenting

It’s amazing how our role as parents change in ways we could have never predicted. When my daughter was born I was full of sunshine and lollipops. This was the best, smartest, most beautiful baby ever! My baby would never throw a temper tantrum or disobey; she would always be reasonable and willing to listen to Mommy and Daddy because we know best. We were going to be best friends, my baby girl and I, always doing things together, painting our nails, talking, baking, decorating the Christmas tree, pure bliss I tell you. Those first few months, when really, she … Continue reading →

Abuse of Mental Health Sufferers in Hospitals and other Institutions

No form of mental health problem is anything that any person would wish upon themselves. Apart from the emotional pain, there is the continued stigma of mental illness and the ongoing refusal by some individuals to understand that those suffering from any sort of mental illness cannot just “snap out of it”. Sometimes, due to the seriousness of a mental health issue, hospitalization becomes necessary. What many people do not recognize is that more beds are occupied by mental health patients than by patients suffering from a physical illness. This is a startling fact as it emphasizes just how many … Continue reading →

Bags of Rags and Mental Health

This is probably the strangest title for a mental health article I have written lately but the inspiration came from a home and garden warehouse catalog that was dumped in my mail box. I’m not big on perusing catalogs, especially those involving work, but this particular object for sale really popped out of the page for me. Apparently, for $7.50, I can buy a bag of rags. Marketed as Rags in Bags I looked at it, astounded that anyone would sell such an item, much less buy it. Being the psychologist, I was rather aghast at the ramifications of this … Continue reading →

Mental Health Week in Review: October 9-16

We certainly got people talking in response to the article Does Your Partner Look Like Your Opposite Sex Parent? While researchers at the University of Pecs in Hungary were busy finding statistically significant links between the similarities in appearance between your father and your partner if you are a female, and alternatively, your mother and your female partner if you are a male, readers at Families were conducting their own anecdotal experiments! Thanks to all contributors, both public and private. It seems that, in general, we are mortified to think that we have chosen someone who might possibly look like … Continue reading →

Setting Boundaries When You Have a Mental Illness

It’s important for everyone to have a healthy set of personal boundaries, but even more important when you suffer from a mental illness. Boundaries take many shapes and forms, such as how you let people speak to you or speaking up if you feel you are being belittled because of your illness. Today, however, I would like to talk about once specific boundary in particular. It is when others use the fact that you have a mental illness to their advantage. Let’s take a look at the case of Megan. Megan suffers from agoraphobia, but like many mental illnesses, the … Continue reading →

Experimental Alzheimer’s Drug Tests Well

A new drug for Alzheimer’s disease called Rember is being praised by the National Institute on Aging. This drug is only in the earliest stages of testing, but is showing amazing results. The National Institute on Aging — one of the National Institutes of Health here in the United States — helped fund early research that led to the development of drugs like Rember. These drugs are designed to target tau proteins in the tangles that form in the brain of a person with Alzheimer’s disease. For decades, medical research on Alzheimer’s disease has focused on a different kind of … Continue reading →

Advanced Stages of Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease is divided into stages in order to help people understand the progression of the disease. We’ve already looked at the earliest stages — from no cognitive impairment to the point where a diagnosis may occur. Now it’s time to look at the next stages of the disease. Stage 4 is what doctors may call “mild” or “early-stage” Alzheimer’s disease. Symptoms of moderate cognitive decline can include: Decreased knowledge of recent events. Impaired ability to perform challenging mental math — like counting backwards from 100 by sevens. Decreased ability to perform complex tasks, like planning a party or managing … Continue reading →

Stages of Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease is divided into stages in order to help people understand how the disease might unfold in a loved one. However, not everyone experiences the same symptoms at the same rate! On average, a person with Alzheimer’s disease passes away within four to six years of diagnosis. Some people live on for as long as twenty more years after a diagnosis. In general, Alzheimer’s disease is divided into mild, moderate, and severe stages. Experts have developed a more detailed list, even including pre-Alzheimer’s mental states: Stage 1: No impairment. A person experiences no memory problems that are evident to … Continue reading →