You need to understand your addiction and how addiction hijacks your brain. Addiction grabs hold of you right at your body’s information center, altering the brain in many powerful ways. Repeated exposure to substances can impact how your body reacts to everyday events, stressful situations and even the drugs or alcohol that you’ve come to crave. A brain hijacking is an apt metaphor: with addiction at the wheel, it steers you right toward the substance that will provide those euphoric feelings associated with your first high or buzz. Here’s some information to help you better understand your addition.

After a recent depression relapse, I was reminded that I must fight self-stigmatization. Recently I was slapped in the face by an ugly bout with depression. Not one or two days of it—the obnoxious kind that parks his recreational vehicle on your front lawn for a few weeks. It’s been playing Duck, Duck, Goose with me for a few months and I’ve been trying to avoid it. But it caught me. And it invited a few metaphorical demons to join this sadistic game.

One of the tragedies of narcissistic abuse is that victims never get the validation so desperately wanted from their abuser(s), to help them recover from narcissistic abuse.

How people experience stress (Online Stress Test) is very personal but it’s critical not to let stress take over your life. What for one person is a motivating and exhilarating level of pressure, can be completely excruciating for another. Universally, there is a point for everyone where stress becomes damaging to both physical and mental health. At some point stress really does take over your life.

Coming out of the mental illness closet is tough. Almost 90 percent of the time, I do not tell people about my mental health or diagnoses. However, this article is the beginning of me living a more authentic life. I am ready to share my own mental health story, publicly, under my real name. More importantly, I want to help break the stigma around mental health and inspire other people to share their own stories. I want to come out of the mental illness closet.

After menopause, there are many emotional and physical conditions that a woman might face. The hormonal changes that occurred during menopause can trigger debilitating emotional and physical conditions after menopause begins. Making lifestyle changes, such as using relaxation techniques, can help to combat any uncomfortable symptoms that occur after menopause. But it is crucial to consult your doctor if postmenopausal symptoms start interfering with your daily tasks or relationships. Read on for seven emotional and physical issues you may experience after menopause.

Tuesday, August 18, will stand as a pink-letter day for women’s sexual health with the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of Addyi (flibanserin), the first drug to treat low sexual desire in women. As one of the investigators who performed studies that ultimately resulted in this action, I am particularly excited about the approval of this medication. I was privileged to be available to present information to the FDA advisory committee that recently voted 18 to 6 to recommend approval to the FDA. The approval of Addyi was a long time coming.

This story of bipolar denial begins as all stories begin – with me thinking I was the Duchess of Windsor and seventy crates of sardines I'd forgotten I'd ordered showing up at my door. Obviously, something was wrong. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was denying bipolar disorder.

You may not know it, but eating disorders affect your teeth. Eating disorders take their toll on your health. Maybe you’re feeling that you’re always fatigued or that you get sick more often than not. Perhaps your skin’s gotten dry or your hair’s starting to fall out. But another impact of eating disorders is on your teeth. Eating disorders that go untreated could cause a number of issues with your oral health such as gum disease, erosion of tooth enamel and even loss of teeth.

Self-image is defined as “the idea one has of one’s abilities, appearance, and personality.” While it’s normal to occasionally have doubts about one or all of these things, when your internal monologue is predominately composed of an extremely negative narrative, it becomes impossible to enjoy life and other mental health issues can be exacerbated. Use these five habits to improve your self-image daily.