Can childhood abuse cause anxiety disorder? That's a question many with mental illness have asked themselves. Anxiety disorder is a primary or comorbid mental health issue that affects millions of people all over the world, so it's a natural thing to wonder about. But, can anxiety disorder actually be caused by childhood abuse?

Have you ever heard of mental illness being a cause of death? Cause of death: schizophrenia or cause of death: bipolar or cause of death: anorexia? No? Me neither. That’s in spite of the fact that for some mental illnesses, like depression and bipolar, suicide attempts are an actual symptom of the illness. In other words, if a person dies by suicide and they’re bipolar, really, the cause of death is bipolar. So why don’t we popularly recognize mental illness as a cause of death?

As part of my schizoaffective disorder, I sometimes suffer from suicidal ideation, which is different from being suicidal. Basically, it means I think about killing myself, but I’ve never made an actual attempt. Still, it’s scary, because 10% of people with schizophrenia and 10% of people with schizoaffective disorder die of suicide. Suicidal ideation in schizoaffective disorder, schizophrenia is so scary that one time I decided I had to go to the hospital.

Taking things personally is a sign of low self-esteem. When you take things personally, you might be sensitive to the words or actions of others or you interpret things in a negative way. Perhaps someone says something which you take as an insult or you assume a person doesn't like you if they walk past without saying hello. Taking things personally may cause you to feel inadequate, ashamed, or even angry at yourself or the other person. It's disempowering and can worsen your self-esteem. However, you can build your self-esteem when you stop taking things personally. 

Hello, I'm Joni Reisinger and I'm delighted to be writing the Living a Blissful Life blog. Life's journey is remarkably special yet mysteriously complex. How is it that some people seem to be living in bliss while others suffer in turmoil? Bliss can be described as joy, supreme happiness, paradise and extreme contentment. This definition can appear to be non-existent, a figment of our dreams of utopia, right? I remember a day long ago when I felt confused, sad, lost and unimportant. I often wondered what my purpose in life might be and how I might possibly make a positive impact in this overwhelmingly large world. As the path of life unfolded and I began a deeper examination of these questions, I discovered my path to bliss and gratefully continue along this road each and every day.

No formula for escaping abuse exists; every abuse victim's escape story differs slightly. However, the domestic violence escape plan for almost all abuse victims takes shape when he or she can no longer excuse or cope with the abusive behavior. Sometimes, the abuse victim attends therapy when hit with the realization that escaping abuse is the best option. When that realization comes, the victim/survivor tends to focus on the escape and gives very little thought to what he or she may feel after escaping abuse. And guess what? Your therapist isn't going to tell you the future. But I will.

I was admitted to a psychiatric hospital for the first time in college. Because I went to an out-of-state university, my family was unable to help, so a friend took me to a psychiatric hospital. Both my family and my friend had concerns: How long was I going to be there? What was going to be done to keep me from committing suicide? What exactly could I expect? Here are three things families and friends need to know about psychiatric hospitalization.

You can survive life stressors without turning to self-harm. Life is filled with many turns and twists. One week you may feel confident and secure when the next you may be late paying back a loan or forget to study for an exam. You truly never know what to expect from day-to-day and sometimes that mystery brings forward more stress than needed. Even the most organized individual can feel overwhelmed by a simple, daily task when they don’t see it coming. When you feel as if the world around you is bringing more chaos into your environment than stability, an anxiety attack very well may occur but you can deal with this stress without self-harming.

As a person with borderline personality disorder (BPD), I sit here with law school deadlines looming and find myself writing instead about procrastination. Might there be a relationship between borderline personality disorder and procrastination?

Dealing with mental health stigma is a challenging and daunting task at times, and it may push us to our limits on a number of fronts. Not only do we often feel negatively about facing mental illness and self-stigma, but we have to deal with the stigma out there, which often hurts us emotionally and makes life all that more difficult to tackle. As we face the everyday, there are ways to deal with mental health stigma, whether it be from friends, family, society, or the media.