Late last month, the internet was buzzing about an image of a dress. The passionate debate about whether the dress was blue and black or gold and white drew wide attention, even engaging the likes of Taylor Swift and John Boehner. Ultimately, the confusion was attributed by some to the lighting of the photograph. This is only partly true. The science behind the varying perceptions is complex, fascinating, and perhaps a bit disconcerting.
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Winter blues are more than a little sadness. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth edition (DSM-5), seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a form of recurring depression based on seasonal patterns (APA, 2013). The most frequent occurrence of SAD is during the winter months (Evans et al., 2013). The Mayo Clinic (2014) describes winter SAD symptoms as depression, irritability, fatigue, problems getting along with others, hypersensitivity to rejection, heavy feeling in legs and arms, increase in appetite, and weight gain.
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In the mental health field, music has been used as an effective mode of therapy since the 1800’s (American Music Therapy Association, 2015) and is still widely used today for many mental health issues and disorders. In particular, it has been found to be highly effective for those with dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease.
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Aside from obvious physical distinctions, how different are men and women? This age-old question has been the topic of extensive research and the focus of impassioned debate across many disciplines. Psychologists pursue this question in order to establish the role of sex in the etiology of mental illness, and to contribute to the general understanding of the workings of the mind.
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Hidden behind the healthy benefits of the marketing strategies of a juice cleanse lie a magical lure to lose weight. Juice cleanses plead to those who seek impulsive, quick fixes to lose weight from binge eating disorder. Understanding the underlying motivations, hopes and wishes that go largely unnoticed in the conscious mind to begin a juice cleanse would initiate a more sound way to feed oneself.
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Everyone gets depressed from time to time, and often it passes and our mood brightens again. But when struggling with clinical depression, your mood can be depressed for weeks, months, or even years, resulting in real loss of functioning and quality of life. Almost 1 in 10 Americans is affected by depression every year, and 17% of us will experience a major depressive episode at least one time in our life. Additionally, depression is a major cause of disability, with an annual cost of about $40 billion in lost productivity and treatment costs (Craft & Perna, 2004).
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Vicarious Trauma, also called compassion fatigue, secondary trauma, or secondary stress, is a type of trauma that sometimes occurs for people who helps others through very difficult situations and emotions. We know that this type of trauma is a risk for those in the helping professions, like counselors and first responders. But it is also possible for others who witness a traumatic event, or who are close to someone who has experienced trauma, to develop symptoms of Vicarious Trauma.
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Within the last few years there has been a plethora of information about the importance of gratitude in shaping one’s mental health and improving one’s outlook on life. Expressing gratitude and appreciation can be very powerful.
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Sex trafficking is one of the most complex, under-investigated, and misunderstood issues today (Estes & Wiener, 2001). Not to be confused with willful prostitution, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act defines sex trafficking as "the recruitment, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for the purpose of a commercial sex act where such an act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion or in which the person induced to perform such act has not attained 18 years of age" (Kerry, 2013).
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February 25th. Anti-Bullying Day in Canada has been coined "Pink Shirt Day". Throughout many communities in Canada yesterday people saw pink! From the Starbucks Barista to the bank teller, the country took a stand against bullying. Mostly, the emphasis on bullying and its effects was directed toward the bullying that takes place in schoolyards.
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