Blogs
Anxiety and depression, while different, often occur together (Relationship Between Depression And Anxiety). It has been estimated that half of all adults who have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder or major depression also experience the other.1 This double whammy is especially challenging—and annoying, to under-exaggerate. Why is it that anxiety and depression can occur together? Researchers are hard at work investigating this very question. The answer is a work in progress, but these four reasons help explain why anxiety and depression often occur together.
Try as we might, we humans never quite get over the desire to be liked and sometimes with anxiety, we feel unlikeable. Being considered to be socially acceptable holds great importance for us whether we are starting a new job or joining in a game of hide and seek in the playground. Speaking as a person with an anxiety disorder, I tend to meet a person for the first time with the overwhelmingly glum presumption that they will either instantly dislike me or, best case scenario, will inevitably grow to dislike me over time. With anxiety, I feel unlikeable.
Dealing with weight changes in eating disorder recovery is tough. I remember standing in the dressing room at the mall, staring at myself in the mirror. Tears slid quietly down my face so no one would hear, or ask if I was okay, or if something was wrong. How do you explain that your body doesn’t feel like it belongs to you? How do you tell them that your body used to be thin and clean but now bulges where it shouldn’t, collects and pockets, and juts out towards the walls, taking up space? How do you explain this when they think you look fine, good even, while the inside of your head is screeching, “You fat, disgusting pig?" You may want to read these tips about how to deal with weight changes in eating disorder recovery.
Anxiety can affect decision-making. Anxiety is a fact in the lives of many individuals, but for some it is much more present and even crippling (What is Anxiety? Anxiety Definition). For the extremely anxious, making decisions can be both difficult and burdensome.
Romantic fantasization is a common feature of borderline personality disorder (BPD). The unpredictable emotional state associated with borderline personality disorder can cause confusing fluctuations in how borderlines view their romantic partners. Why is romantic fantasization in BPD followed by equally intense devaluation and what can we do to stop it?
Naloxone (brand name Narcan) saves lives from opioid overdose by reversing the effects of an opioid overdose. America's problem--some say epidemic-- with heroin and prescription opioids is big news, so why is naloxone, which saves lives from opioid overdose, controversial?
Should psychiatric patients take medication for side effects? Recently, my psychiatrist increased the medicine for my restless leg syndrome, which is a side effect of one of my antipsychotics. Now I'm constantly sleepy. I was talking with a friend at church when I said, "Sometimes I have to take medication because my psychiatric medications cause unpleasant side effects."
The side effects range from the annoying (restless leg syndrome) to the serious (heart condition). So should psychiatric patients take medication to treat the side effects of a psychiatric medication?
Does your child know about your addiction? Although you may not have formally talked to your child about your drug addiction or alcoholism, depending on your child's age, there's a good chance they already recognize there's a problem (Children See the Truth No Matter What We Say). If that's the case, you may be thinking, "How do I talk to my child about my addiction?"
Here are five TED Talks for confidence building and motivation. These short TED talks have helped millions of people and can help you, too.
I'm thrilled to introduce myself as the new author of HealthyPlace.com's More than Borderline blog. I'm a 25-year-old memoirist, journalist, and songwriter from Chicago whose creative work is primarily centered on mental health and recovery. Over the past 12 years, I've been handed a number of diagnoses, including borderline personality disorder (BPD), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), bipolar spectrum, dysthymia, major depression, anxiety, anorexia nervosa, and drug/alcohol addiction. My personal belief is that most, if not all, of these diagnoses stem from the two primary causes of borderline personality disorder: sensitivity and trauma/invalidation.
I believe she will only be able to rid herself of her demons, and hopefully her BPD as well, when she's ready to confront the abuse of her father. If she can put the blame where it belongs, she may stop projecting that victim/perpetrator cycle on the present men in her life. These demons are a metaphor for the purgatory she has created for herself. That reality has consequences in the real world, but it need not be real in the tangible sense. Exorcising her demons will require the expenditure of real physical energy and probably the destruction of aspects of her personality. If this ever happens, and it's possible but not probable, then these demons will evaporate. They are only as real as one's personality is real. In short, reality is not the question, it's what you make of the things you feel to be real.