Blogs
Someone recently asked me what the low point was of my binge eating disorder. Why did I seek help for a problem that I had had for years? What was the final straw? Immediately, I knew exactly what it was. Here is the low point of my binge eating disorder.
Therapists and counselors use specific addiction diagnostic criteria when considering alcoholism or addiction in their clients. However, they only know as much as you, the patient, tell them. Therefore, you are really the only person who can determine whether or not identifying or diagnosing alcoholism is appropriate for you (take the Alcoholism Test).
![Healing PTSD is about more than decreasing symptoms; it's about increasing posttraumatic growth in ways that inspire calm, confidence and control.](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_listing/public/uploads/2015/08/Michele-Rosenthal-PTSD-.jpg?itok=9gewsKNd "Growth in PTSD Recovery -- Goodbye to "Trauma! A PTSD Blog"")
Three years ago this month I joined the HealthyPlace blogging team by creating this blog. I did so because I wanted to write about symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and what it takes to heal. This was a personal mission: I am a PTSD survivor who struggled for almost 30 years before launching a healing rampage that led me to freedom. And now, while I'm sad to do it, I must say goodbye to Trauma! A PTSD Blog.
You can help kids and teens manage school anxiety. School anxiety, whether it’s back-to-school or any other time of the school year, can make life miserable for kids of all ages, and it can present numerous challenges for parents and other adults in the life of a school-anxious child or teen. School anxiety and stress can make kids worry, it can make them afraid, and it can make them hurt. School anxiety can interfere with friendships and with school success. As daunting as this can be, there are school anxiety strategies to help kids and teens manage anxiety.
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.
I've been seeing a therapist for a while to help decrease my anxiety. We generally just talk, but, today, we tried something new. Well, it was new for me, anyway. He's been using eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy for a number of years with his other clients. We did a session today using EMDR, and my therapist really helped me decrease my anxiety levels.
I’m sitting here feeling like dreck, and for the millionth time this lifetime I ask myself, “When will I feel better from bipolar depression?” This is such a common question from me and so many others. We all want to know when this magical time will occur. When will the pain stop? When will I stop feeling like such crap? When can I get back to my life? When will I feel better from bipolar depression?
![Dan Hays, author of Trauma! A PTSD Blog talks about his PTSD symptoms and how he discovered he had PTSD.](/sites/default/files/styles/blog_listing/public/uploads/2015/08/Dan-Good-Headshot.jpeg?itok=D4SOw7_R "Introduction to Dan Hays, Author of "Trauma! A PTSD Blog"")
Hi, I’m Dan Hays, and I’m honored to be joining the HealthyPlace team as a writer for Trauma! A PTSD Blog. I'm a posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) survivor and author.
Mornings can be rough when you have a toddler so it’s important to have positive thought techniques in your arsenal to turn your day around. Last week my daughter peed on my leg, used my shirt as a kleenex and spilled milk on my purse — all before 7:00 a.m.. I could have let this rough start shape my day in a negative light, but instead I used positive though techniques to reframe my day and turn it into the story that I wanted to live.
It’s important to stop using avoidance to deal with self-esteem issues. While it may sometimes seem easier, avoidance is not a healthy way of coping, and it can cause more problems later on. Issues will still be present and they’ll probably become magnified over time. Avoidance can keep you stuck and it can worsen your self-esteem. Stop using avoidance to deal with your self-esteem issues and find a better way.
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.