In my experience living with bipolar II disorder, depressive episodes are overwhelming, confusing and filled with mixed emotions. It is essential to think about ways to cope and prepare for a depressive episode when you live with bipolar disorder.

Financial abuse -– also called economic abuse –- happens in most abusive relationships, but the signs are not always obvious. Financial abuse isn't just someone being tight with money or asking you to limit your spending for the good of the household; it is a form of coercive control that acts as a barrier to your independence and reinforces emotional abuse such as gaslighting and coercion. So how do you define financial abuse and what are the risks?

Talking to kids about verbal abuse and bullying is an important part of preparing your children for the rocky road of adolescence. By discussing the realities of bullying in school, how to respond to it, who to talk to, and how to treat others you are equipping your child with invaluable life skills and contributing to the prevention of bullying in your community. Bullying has a profound impact on the mental and social well-being of children, from the time they are youngsters in elementary school to budding adults in high school. Educating our youth on how to treat others and how they should act in the case they mistreated is an investment in our kids and something every parent and teacher should make a priority. Read on for five important points to discuss with your child about verbal abuse and bullying. 

Medication for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is not as easy to obtain as people seem to think. Doctors consider stimulants to be some of the most effective ways to treat ADHD. However, in the United States, these stimulants are controlled substances that are regulated by federal law, particularly the Controlled Substances Act (1970). Recently, I bumped up against some of these regulations and spent the day traveling around in search of the right medication.

It's hard to forgive yourself when you have depression. Depression often causes you to be harsh and mean to yourself. When you make a mistake or don't follow through on something, the automatic response is negative self-talk. You begin to tell yourself that no one else would have made that mistake or that you're stupid for not having completed that task sooner. Why is it so hard to forgive yourself when you have depression?

Learning to manage arguments in relationships is important to keeping the peace. It is totally normal to have arguments. Unfortunately, sometimes knowing how to handle a disagreement when you are in the moment can be challenging. There are a few different things I try to keep in mind when my boyfriend and I argue, and these things help the disagreement end a bit more peacefully. Read this article for advice on how to get through arguments in a relationship with your significant other. 

I use meditation to relax and help me cope with anxious thoughts. I often use cognitive behavioral techniques to challenge my anxious thoughts, and while they are very helpful, sometimes challenging my anxious thoughts cognitively is not enough. When this happens, I like to turn to non-judgmental meditation to relax through my anxiety. Unlike cognitive techniques, non-judgment meditation isn't used to directly challenge the validity of anxious thoughts. Instead, it allows you to acknowledge that your anxious thoughts are no different than other, less stressful thoughts, and consequently that they are not true and can be let go of. Here are the steps I use for meditation to relax through anxious thoughts. 

A restrictive diet in eating disorder recovery seems counter-intuitive but it can be necessary. Eating disorder recovery is a tough thing to stay on track with. It can become even more difficult when you have to restrict your diet. Here I share my experience of this and how I am managing to sustain recovery on a dairy-free restrictive diet.

When we talk about mental health often, we learn that we can deal with mental health stigma if it happens but it's not easy to talk about mental illness. Telling people about your mental illness makes it feel like you're inviting the world to blow up -- at least that's how it felt for me. I had such a long list of bad experiences and reactions to my mental illnesses, especially skin picking disorder, that it just seemed ludicrous to willingly tell somebody about them. Yet, repeatedly facing the potential of stigma both online and offline has taught me that the world won't end when I tell people I have mental illnesses and talk about mental health. And knowing that has made it easier to take on stigma every time.

Pets help with depression. If you’ve ever felt the happiness that comes when your furry friends come to greet you, or felt the calming effect of grooming a fur baby, then I’m sure you would agree that pets can be good for our mental health. In fact, a survey by the Human Animal Bond Research Institute found that 74 percent of pet owners reported mental health improvements from pet ownership. Here are six ways that pets help with depression.