Author: Padam Bhatia

When you want help managing your mental health, whether you suffer from anxiety, depression, or other issues, figuring out where to begin can become overwhelming. The world of psychotherapy is pretty big and often confusing as all different types of therapies and treatments are available.

Of course, no single treatment method is right for everyone, which is why it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with the most widely-practiced forms of therapy.

Consider this your quick guide to the different types of therapies.

The use of herbal supplements for mental health has been trending for some time now – especially among those suffering from milder forms of depression and anxiety. While there is no all-encompassing herbal remedy to fix all of your mental health woes, the best supplements out there have been proven either scientifically or anecdotally to promote calmness and overall feelings of happiness and wellness.

So, which health supplements are the best for your mental health? Keep reading to learn more.

Roughly 44% of Americans own guns or live in a gun-owning household. It’s also estimated that 26% of Americans ages 18 and older suffer from a diagnosable mental health disorder in a given year.

Interestingly enough, the US has a strong gun culture where most people believe in the constitutional right to bear arms. However, there’s still quite a stigma surrounding mental illness and getting professional treatment. But what about the current state of Americans who own a firearm and have a mental illness? Are they more likely to self harm compared to people with mental illnesses who don’t own a firearm?

Let’s discuss.

The use of psychedelics (LSD and psilocybin) are arguably the most recent and potentially promising advancements for treating mental health disorders that health sciences have seen in some time. However, despite the large amount of public and scientific interest in the research and clinical studies, we don’t currently have a standard of care nor a consensus as to how psychotherapy and psychedelics can be combined for maximum effectiveness.

So what’s the outlook on psychedelics as the future of mental health?

Let’s take a look at what we know so far:

Most of the time when we think about culture we think about things like language, diverse foods, customs, and traditions. We tend to forget that culture also impacts the beliefs of different minority groups as well as their values and how they address mental health, especially here in America.

According to recent research published by The Common Wealth Fund, minorities here in the US are less likely to seek mental health treatment compared to their white counterparts. At the very least, they’ll consider treatment once symptoms become severe.

Let’s talk about the various ways cultural impacts mental health:

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects approximately 3.5% of adults in the US each year, and it is estimated that one in every 11 people will be diagnosed with it in their lifetime. PTSD is characterized as a type of anxiety disorder. It typically occurs after a deeply traumatic event in an individual’s life which can also include witnessing a traumatic event, even if the individual had no direct involvement in it.

PTSD typically occurs within three months of an event, although it can sometimes take a little longer to develop. The symptoms of PTSD often include insomnia and unpleasant and even painful emotions. It can also cause individuals to constantly relive the event that took place, leading to severe anxiety and depression. For many, it may feel like a never-ending state of being.

Fortunately, it can be treated, usually by using both short- and long-term psychotherapy and medications. These types of treatments are most successful when used together, and the medical and psychiatric communities are developing new methods of treatment all the time.

Let’s take a look at the different treatment options for PTSD and what’s to come:

It would seem that there’s a 50/50 split between those who love cats and those who hate them. There are plenty of odd reasons that people come up with for thinking that cats are the worst. For example, they think humans are stupid (they don’t) or that they were the cause of The Great Plague… Continue reading Cats and Schizophrenia: It’s Not What You Think

Bringing a new baby into the world is supposed to be one of the happiest moments of your life as a new mother. Unfortunately, for many women, it can also be one of the saddest – and that’s putting it lightly.

Recent research shows that as many as one in seven women will experience postpartum depression after giving birth. However, this statistic only refers to live births whereas roughly 900,000 women who miscarry or give stillbirths also experience postpartum depression each year.

For many women, the rollercoaster of postpartum depression symptoms fades almost as quickly as they came on. For some, however, the ride never seems to end.

Here’s everything new mothers – and the rest of the world – need to understand about postpartum depression.

Blue wavelength blocking sunglasses also referred to as “blue blockers” became all the rage during the recent pandemic lockdowns. This was largely because blue light is blamed for everything from eye strain to cancer, but that’s not without good reason.

While blue light, in the doses that the average human receives from their daily screen time, isn’t as harmful as some brands selling blue blockers would have you believe. However, it is objectively the primary culprit when it comes to interrupting the circadian rhythm, which affects our ability to sleep and our sleep quality.

As we know, poor sleep contributes to a wide variety of other health factors, both mental and physical – especially bipolar disorder.

So, do blue blockers really help with bipolar disorder and its associated mania? Let’s find out.

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is associated with symptoms of impulsivity, mood swings, and patterns of instability. These symptoms are also associated with several other mental disorders, including bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and even major depressive disorder (MDD).

While borderline personality disorder can easily coexist with any of the above – and often does – it’s still an entire mental health disorder on its own. Therefore, it requires its own diagnosis as well as its own treatments.

In this article, we’re going to explore what it means to have a borderline personality disorder diagnosis and what separates it from other mental health disorders.

Read on to learn more.