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Archive for the ‘Mental Health’ Category

Demystifying EMDR

Friday, May 18th, 2012

Demystifying EMDRThis treatment process sounds complicated, but it’s really simple and can produce some surprising insights and positive results.

The therapy method EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is being used more widely in the treatment of substance abuse as well as a host of other issues, but just what is it?

This comprehensive, integrative psychotherapy approach contains elements of many effective psychotherapies and is designed to maximize treatment effects. It includes elements of psychodynamic, cognitive behavioral, interpersonal, experiential, and body-centered therapies, according to the EMDR Institute. (more…)


Connections Between Mental Illness and Addiction

Tuesday, March 27th, 2012

Connections Between Mental Illness and AddictionAnother study makes the link between mental health issues and substance abuse.

Yet another study is making the connection between mental health issues and addiction, a correlation that treatment experts have long understood.

The recently released government report shows that a whopping one in five American adults, or nearly 50 million people, suffered from a mental illness in the past year with women and young adults more susceptible. And those battling mental health issues were three times as likely to develop substance dependence or substance abuse than adults who had not experienced mental illness. (more…)


School Shooting Increases PTSD Risk

Friday, March 9th, 2012

School Shooting Increases PTSD RiskThose affected by the recent tragedy at an Ohio high school need to be vigilant about looking for signs of PTSD or other stress-related disorders.

Post-traumatic stress disorder is a real danger for survivors of the recent Ohio school shooting. The tragedy at Chardon High School outside of Cleveland leaves the students, teachers and responders at risk for developing not just PTSD, but trauma, depression or anxiety.

On Feb. 27, 2012, T.J. Lane opened fire in the school’s cafeteria killing three students and wounding two others. No clear motive for the attacks has been released, and the suspect, age 17, is in custody. (more…)


New Mental Health Disorders Being Classified?

Tuesday, February 28th, 2012

New Mental Health Disorders Being Classified?Experts are reviewing popular new conditions like hoarding to see if they meet the criteria to be considered legitimate mental health disorders.

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? (more…)


Does Pot Use Produce Psychosis?

Wednesday, January 25th, 2012

Does Pot Use Produce Psychosis?If you think marijuana is harmless, think again. A new study shows it can have powerful mental health side effects.

In the movies and among many teens and college students, the perception is that pot is relatively harmless. It mellows you out and the worst side effect is a bad case of the munchies, right? Not according to a new study. An article published in the latest issue of the professional journal Archives of General Psychiatry shows a much scarier potential effect of marijuana. It turns out that a chemical called tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), found in pot, increases the brain processes that can lead to symptoms of psychosis.

So what does that mean for the average person? Can smoking pot lead to psychosis? Are there are other possible health concerns uncovered by this new study?

Previous research has found that THC can induce symptoms of psychosis in healthy people and worsen psychotic symptoms in people already experiencing them. Long-term cannabis use is also associated with an increased risk of schizophrenia, the study suggests.

The study is groundbreaking in another way: Its findings are the first to use images of the brain to demonstrate that the reason symptoms of psychosis arise in marijuana users may be because THC interferes with the brain’s ability to distinguish between stimuli that are important, and those that aren’t, according to the study. (more…)


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