There’s a great line in the film, American Beauty, where Lester Burnham (played by Kevin Spacey) is talking about his daughter Jane (Thora Birch). He says, “Janey is a typical teenager – angry, insecure, confused. I wish I could tell her that will all pass. […]
Dear Alcohol, This is a difficult letter to write, and I should have written it years ago. I’m as much to blame as you, and I’ve finally decided that we can’t go on like this any longer. You didn’t force yourself on me…I was just […]
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is one of the most common mental disorders in the United States. Studies have shown that 2 in every 50 adults have experienced bouts of OCD in their lifetime, and 33 percent of those people believe their disorder began in childhood. Left […]
“I discovered that the horse is life itself, a metaphor but also an example of life’s mystery and unpredictability, of life’s generosity and beauty, a worthy object of repeated and ever changing contemplation,” wrote Jane Smiley, an American novelist and Pulitzer Prize winner. Her words […]
Post traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), previously in the DSM-IV’s Anxiety Disorders chapter, has been moved to an entirely new chapter called Trauma and Stressor Related Disorders. The changes for PTSD don’t stop there either. The American Psychiatric Association (APA) publishes the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual […]
UPDATE: As reported by CBS News on March 11, 2015, “On Wednesday, bureau spokesman Tom Hogue told The Associated Press the issues were resolved and that four varieties of Palcohol were approved. But Hogue noted that states can also regulate alcohol sales in their borders.” […]
The chaos of addiction isn’t limited only to addicts and alcoholics. It extends outward to a person’s family and friends, who suffer right alongside their addicted loved one. While addiction is a disease, it’s a unique medical condition that can tear families apart, and often […]
With 50 million Americans suffering from some form of mental illness or disorder, it’s no wonder scientists and psychologists have spent so much time trying to better understand what causes many of these disorders. Fortunately, the science behind illness, especially brain disorders, has made treatment […]
One of the most difficult parts of recovering from drug abuse, alcoholism or a combination of both comes after treatment. Leaving a treatment facility and returning to regular family life, social situations and work can routinely set newly recovering people back. This isn’t surprising and […]
There’s a laundry list of celebrities, like Tiger Woods, Michael Douglas and Kanye West to name a few, that have claimed an addiction to sex in the past several years. This put sex addiction, which is defined as sexual thoughts, urges, or behaviors that appear […]
