It seems that new disorders are popping up everywhere lately. Shows like My Strange Addiction and Hoarders highlight individuals dealing with a variety of issues ranging from hoarding and a romantic obsession with a car to dangerous behaviors like sleeping with a running blow dryer. These behaviors are odd, to be sure, and they’re definitely hard for those who don’t suffer from them to understand, but are they legitimate mental health disorders?

The DSM-5, the fifth and most current version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, is a tool filled with detailed information on a wide variety of conditions, many of them familiar like bipolar disorder, alcoholism and PTSD. As experts work to prepare the next edition, due out in May 2013, they also do an extensive review of possible new conditions to include, according to a recent report from MyHealthNewsDaily.

To make the cut, the condition needs to have a unique set of symptoms and a verifiable medical cause. Some of the disorders being considered for inclusion in the next DSM include hypersexual disorder (different from sex addiction), premenstrual dysphoric disorder, binge eating disorder (distinct from bulimia because it doesn’t include purging), learning disorder (a general category currently lacking in the DSM), cannabis withdrawal (separate from other disorders relating to the use or abuse of marijuana currently included in the DSM) and hoarding (which has ties to obsessive-compulsive disorders already in the DSM but scans show different brain patterns in hoarders).

Help for Addiction and Mental Health Disorders at La Paloma

If you or someone you love needs help with drug or alcohol addiction and mental health issues, call La Paloma at the toll-free number on our homepage. Someone is there to take your call 24 hours a day and answer any questions you have about co-occurring disorders treatment, financing or insurance.

Who knew there was a most depressing day of the year? Dr. Cliff Arnall, a British researcher from Cardiff University, did. He recently pinpointed Jan. 18 as 2010’s most depressing day. To arrive at this, he factored in everything from post-holiday blahs and debt to failed New Year’s resolutions and the weather.

On the bright side, that means the worst is over because if you’re reading this, you survived that dreaded day. For those suffering from the winter blahs, though, that offers little comfort. After all, depression is common throughout the bleak, cold winter months when sunlight is scarce and the fun of the holidays is a distant memory. Instead, the focus turns to finances as W-2 forms and credit card bills arrive in the mail – reminders of tax time and those Christmas spending sprees. It doesn’t help that we’re often less active at this time of year and usually battling some holiday weight gain.

For those struggling with addiction or with a past history of substance abuse, depression can make you more susceptible to relapse or increased using. This makes it even more important to stay on top of this issue, being aware of the signs of depression and taking a proactive approach to beating the seasonal blues.

Seasonal depression can be marked by:
• A feeling of fatigue that lasts throughout the day
• Difficulty getting out of bed in the morning
• A craving for carbs
• Lack of concentration
• Reluctance to engage socially or sexually
• Feelings of anxiety and even despair
• Insomnia
• Reduced appetite
• Agitation

No matter which range of symptoms you’re experiencing, if they continue for more than two weeks, you need to consult a professional. Winter depression—technically a form Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) —tends to occur between November and April.

SAD Treatment

Light therapy is one way to help treat seasonal depression, but it needs to be used correctly so it’s important to talk to a medical professional. Nutrition and exercise play a role so making plans to be active and eat right are important. Medication and counseling may also be necessary.

If you or a family member is struggling with addiction and depression, call La Paloma at the toll-free number. Someone is there to take your call 24 hours a day and answer any questions you have about treatment, financing or insurance.

There may be twice as many people struggling with mental health issues than previously thought, according to a new study completed by two Duke University psychologists in partnership with colleagues from the U.K. and New Zealand and published in the journal Psychological Medicine. Anxiety, depression and substance dependency were all found to be much more common than health professionals thought, according to data from a long-term study of more than 1,000 New Zealanders from birth to age 32.

Part of the reason for the discrepancy may be the fact that mental illness is vastly underreported because of the stigma attached to psychological disorders. Studies to track the incidence of anxiety, depression, alcohol dependence and marijuana dependence are costly, which means they are very rare.

“If you start with a group of children and follow them their whole lives, sooner or later almost everybody will experience one of these disorders,” the Knut Schmitt-Nielsen professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University said in a statement.

Mental health and addiction professionals have long recognized that there is often a connection between mental issues and addiction. Some struggling with mental disorders or depression will use illegal drugs, alcohol or prescription medication to self-medicate rather than seek treatment from a trained professional. Then when help is sought, there is an addiction AND a mental issue to treat. Fortunately, facilities like La Paloma offer a “dual diagnosis” approach that addresses both areas at one time, with a better chance for long-term recovery.

Addiction Help

If you or a family member are struggling with an addiction to drugs or alcohol and a mental issue, call La Paloma at our toll-free. Someone is there to take your call 24 hours a day and answer any questions you have about treatment, financing or insurance.

Some experiences are so painful that you’d do anything to avoid reliving them. Unfortunately, that’s just what needs to be done to get to the root of a substance abuse problem or process addiction.

No one willingly chooses to go through pain. In fact, many addictions are born out of a desire to avoid pain in other areas of your life. But that very thing that eases your pain initially can cause even greater pain soon enough. Often, by the time you’re ready to get help, the substance abuse has become the main issue and any past pain is pushed aside. Treat just that chemical dependency, though, and that initial pain is sure to bubble to the surface.

What’s the alternative? A dual diagnosis treatment model. Also called integrated treatment, this approach focuses on addressing all behavioral and addiction needs in one setting with a team of experts that includes psychiatrists, social workers, nurses and licensed alcohol and drug counselors.