New Study Recommends Lower Drug Dosages and More Therapy for Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a debilitating mental disorder characterized by delusions, loss of personality, and behavior that indicates an inaccurate perception of reality. The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that schizophrenia affects 3.2 million people in the U.S. There is no known “cure,” but there are available treatments that can reduce symptoms and try help the […]
Understanding The Different Models Of Addiction
There are a few theories out there that attempt to explain the nature of addiction. Experts who study addiction have long been trying to find the common bonds that all types of addiction share, from drug addiction, to sex, alcoholism, and gambling. These models of addiction are useful in the way they look closely at […]
How Marijuana Use Affects Bipolar Disorder
Living with bipolar disorder can be stressful and completely derail a normal routine. People with manic depressive disorder go through extreme ups and downs that make it hard to get through day to day tasks and maintain relationships or a stable job. Going through a rollercoaster of emotions throughout your life can cause people to […]
The Stigma Of Mental Illness And Addiction
Why understanding and eliminating stigma is so important. Stigma stands in the way of people getting the treatment they need to recover from addiction or live with a mental illness. It’s the lack of knowledge, fear of talking about their issues, and facing possible rejection or discrimination from others that all too often prevents people […]
President Obama’s Plan to Fight the Opioid Abuse Epidemic
A 2015 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that between 2001 and 2013, there was a threefold increase in deaths from prescription drug overdoses, and a fivefold increase in deaths from heroin overdoses. The rapid uptake in heroin use is caused by people switching to it after abusing prescription drugs. While […]
How To Maintain Courage In Recovery
Addiction causes a great deal of suffering and it has the ability to destroy everything in a person’s life. Despite all this, having the courage to overcome an addiction is still incredibly difficult. A person will need a great deal of courage to leave the familiarity of their addiction to drugs or alcohol behind, and […]
5 Tips for the First Year of Recovery
Quitting an addiction can be one of the hardest things to do even if sobriety seems like the only choice. When someone is committed to being sober they will still have to face plenty of challenges and the ups and downs that go along with abstinence. Over time things will become easier but the first […]
Mindful Eating to Treat Eating Disorders
The National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD) estimates that 30 million people in the U.S. have an eating disorder, such as anorexia, bulimia, or binge eating disorder. For people struggling with these potentially life-threatening eating habits, mindfulness can be a very important part of treatment. Mindfulness is defined as a a full […]
Painkiller Use in Adolescence May Increase Risk of Addiction
While there may be some cases where prescription painkillers are necessary for teens, they can be very dangerous for such a young age group to use. A new study suggests that teens that are given prescription narcotic painkillers may run a higher risk of abusing narcotics after finishing high school. Even teens that were not […]
Childhood Trauma and Vulnerabilities to Dual Diagnosis
When children experience traumatic events, it can affect them for the rest of their lives making it harder than usual to become emotionally well-adjusted and functional adults. It has long been known that childhood trauma can raise a child’s odds of developing depression or addiction or both. New studies have found specific changes in the […]