Welcome to our mental health and treatment section.
This section covers mental health issues and conventional treatment practices used to diagnose and treat psychological and emotional problems.
The following articles focus on the most common types of mental health disorders, including those caused by escalating stress, anxiety, and depression.
We also cover the importance of recognizing the underlying causes, such as socio-economic factors that can trigger high levels of stress, anxiety, and depression, and the severe consequences of such conditions if left untreated.
Managing The Emotional Impact of Life-Changing Trouble
Most mental health experts agree that we are living through a time of unexpected change and uncertainty of the type that impacts our psychological and emotional wellbeing.
Maintaining a sense of balance in our lives requires that we be aware of when our emotional states swing between high and low and be able to understand what factors are causing us to experience increasing and decreasing levels of stress and anxiety.
In essence, we need to be able to tell the difference between what severely impacts our psychological and emotional wellbeing from the occurrences we refer to as the proverbial good or bad day.
Identifying and Managing Underlying Causes of Stress and Anxiety
We will learn that being mindful of our fluctuating stress and anxiety levels is the first step in being able to manage them. However, when such fluctuations go unnoticed and unattended, they can cause us to experience emotional pain, turmoil, and confusion.
The Impact of Life-Changing Events
Particularly life-changing events that lead to divorce or an unexpected job loss that can lead to financial hardship can cause high levels of stress and anxiety. So will the grief and pain we experience when we lose someone we deeply love and the difficult questions that arise when we confront our own mortality.
All of the above induce stress, anxiety, and varying levels of depression.
Stress Anxiety Depression
Clinical psychologists and psychiatrists treat major mental disorders associated with escalating and increasing levels of stress, anxiety, and depression.
Our articles on stress, anxiety, and depression cover the emotional and psychological implications while also addressing the socio-economic circumstances that can often trigger such psychological conditions.
While living in the United States has its share of stressors, mental health problems have also reached global levels. Global Mental Health
According to the World Health Organization, one in eight people suffers from a mental health disorder. Based on the leading psychiatric clinical diagnostic manual (DSM-5), there are nearly 300 different types of mental disorders.
A National Crisis
The current stress level experienced by Americans is estimated to be approximately 20 percentage points higher than the global average, and according to the American Psychological Association, the top sources of stress, anxiety, and depression include:
- The escalating cost of living, risk of recession, and the potential for financial collapse.
- Geopolitical uncertainty, such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and potential retaliation against the United States
- The existential threat of nuclear exchanges between superpowers
- The increasing political polarization of our national psyche
- The sudden emergence of new technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and its potential existential threat to society.
Depression
Our articles on depression cover the major causes of depression and how depression, when left untreated, can lead to more severe and self-destructive behavior.
Common Symptoms of Depression
Here we cover the common symptoms related to depression, including:
- Change in appetite
- Difficulty sleeping
- Reduced focus and concentration
- Feelings of hopelessness and profound sadness
- Episodes of intense fear and anxiety
Treatment For Depression
Most treatment centers for depression provide a comprehensive approach, including talk and group therapy, antidepressants, positive motivation, behavior modification, and even mindfulness training.
Drug therapy
You will find some articles covering drug therapy’s benefits and risks. For example, studies show that some antidepressants are less effective than most people realize.
You will also learn about specific types of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which include commonly prescribed drugs such as Zoloft, Celexa, and Lexapro.
The Emotional Challenges in Growing-Up
Crisis points are not limited to adults. Mental health challenges arise at different stages of our lives, especially in childhood and adolescence. It is not unusual for early emotional wounds to develop into regular episodes of depression lasting well into adulthood. These types of wounds are often best treated with long-term psychotherapy.
Most Common Mental Health Disorders
Our articles cover descriptions of some of the most common stress and anxiety-induced mental health disorders:
- Clinical depression
- Bipolar disorder
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
- Panic disorder
- Eating disorders
- Agoraphobia
- Schizophrenia
Types of Mental Health Professionals
You will also learn about the different types of mental health professionals, such as:
- Licensed Counselors
- Marriage and Family Therapists
- Psychologists
- Psychiatrists
Access To Mental Health Care
Our helpful services sections will assist those with limited resources to access professional mental health care services and medications.
