These disorders are very dangerous, and must be taken seriously and treated by a professional. As a parent, it can be difficult to know what to do. You want more than anything to help your child, even while you and your family struggle with conflicting emotions, including fear that your child will seriously harm herself, or even die.
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August 27, 2014
by Cathy England, MA
Anxiety is a common mental health concern. It is defined by Endler (1997), as being an emotion that is driven by fear. Anxiety can interfere with a person’s ability to function in daily activities, and can become so invasive in their lives that they may be unable to deal with work or school. When anxiety becomes this much of a problem, it is important to have strategies to decrease the anxiety.
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Many of us have heard someone say they “are OCD”. We may have also told someone, “You are so OCD!” Some people do, in fact, have minor characteristics of OCD. They like things tidy, or they like to do things in a certain order and in a particular way. But clinical Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) can be a serious, even debilitating, mental illness for both adults and children. It can create significant distress, and interfere with daily functioning. People with severe symptoms of OCD may find it difficult to work, go to school, or carry out other daily activities.
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August 25, 2014
by Dr. DeeAnn Visk
What is the best way to help children from aged five to eight with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)? A recent study from Bradley Hospital in Rhode Island offers an interesting insight. Researcher there found that family-based cognitive behavioral therapy is beneficial. They found that developmentally sensitive family-based treatment that included exposure/response prevention was more effective in reducing OCD symptoms and functional impairment in this age group when compared to a structured relaxation program.
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August 24, 2014
by Marti Wormuth, MA
Social anxiety is becoming more and more common in today's world. Every year, millions of people struggle with anxiety disorders and they try to work through them on their own. Social anxiety, or social phobia, is "a strong fear of being judged by others and of being embarrassed. This fear can be so strong that it gets in the way of going to work or school or doing other everyday things.
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August 23, 2014
by Cathy England, MA
Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) was formerly known as multiple personality disorder, and remains to this day as one of the most controversial and misunderstood disorders in the Diagnostic Manual. It is a difficult diagnosis to make, and often is more difficult to treat. It has been the topic of many Hollywood productions which gives laypeople an idea that they understand what it is, but as is often the case in movies and media, there is some sensationalism that occurs. It is not a common diagnosis and is only one of the classified dissociative disorders.
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It’s summer, time for swimsuit season, sleeveless tops and cool, comfortable clothing. At least it is where I live, in hot and humid Houston, Tx. How is your body image in summer months? We are all bombarded by media messages day after day, but it can certainly increase in the summer months when we’re likely to be more exposed and more self-conscious of our bodies.
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“I’m so confused”! Many of the clients I see come to me because they are confused about some aspect of their life. They ask things like: “What should I do?” “Should I stay or should I go?” “Is this person right for me?” These are some of the questions of confusion.
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August 20, 2014
by Marti Wormuth, MA
Everyone has those people in their lives that they trust with everything and anything. Many of us don't know where we would be without friends. But sadly, many people who struggle with mental illness do not have friends and a support system that they can fall back on - most people who struggle with these things end up secluding themselves. In this article, we're going to take a closer look at befriending those who struggle with their mental health and doing it in a way that can help them to live a happier, healthier life.
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August 19, 2014
by Caleen Martin
When you are sat down by a doctor and explained that you have an incurable medical condition that could become completely debilitating to you, cause you daily pain, and change every aspect of your life, you die. Your physical life has died, your career has died, your ability to care for your family has died, your ability to enjoy the intimacy between yourself and your partner has died. But your lungs still breath air, your heart still pumps, and you must create a completely new life in spite of your medical conditions.
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