In years past, adults limited the types of sports girls played. In many cases, adults – both male and female – discouraged girls from participating in sports at all. They’d say things such as: “It’s not ladylike.” “Sports are for boys.” “Girls should learn…” We won’t even finish that last sentence, because simply typing these reasons makes us shudder. In the year 2021, we know that sports are for all
Most of us have heard the term codependency and carry a working definition of what it means in our heads. Most of us also believe it’s an official clinical diagnosis, like those found in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Behavioral Disorders (DSM-5), the go-to reference manual mental health professionals use every day to diagnose mental health disorders. However, although the phenomenon of codependency is real, its symptoms and characteristics
The mental health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are just beginning to be understood. According to early studies, young adults feel the impact of social isolation and loneliness more than other age groups. For many, the pandemic derailed their hopes and plans during a critical transition into adulthood. Lost wages, less time with friends, missing significant events, and the uncertainty of the future all contribute to widespread distress. Increasing Rates
Every year during the month of January, people in the U.S. celebrate National Hobby Month. Enthusiasts around the country share information about their hobbies with friends, try new hobbies that interest them, and dive deeper into the hobbies and activities they love. It seems like hobbies have been around forever. They’re a natural way to have fun during our free time. For some people, hobbies give them the personal time
Now that we’re well into 2022, we won’t mention why we want it to be an amazing year, or why we – at the very least – want it to be better than 2020 and 2021. Suffice it to say we can all agree on looking forward to the new year. One thing we can all focus on this year is our mental wellness. Mental wellness – which includes emotional
Part I: Prehistory to The Classical Era New Evidence: Neolithic Elites In the 1950s and 60s, the discovery of pollen produced by medicinal flowers and herbs at a 58,000-year-old Neanderthal gravesite in Shanidar – present-day Iraq/Kurdistan – led to a flurry of articles and reports in mainstream media outlets claiming our evolutionary forebears had a sophisticated knowledge of the pharmaceutical properties of these plants. However, subsequent research concluded their presence
Substance use disorder (SUD) is a disorder that affects a person’s brain and behavior and leads to an inability to control the use of legal or illegal drugs or medication. It typically begins with recreational or medicinal use that develops into harmful use and addiction. People living with substance use disorder may develop serious health issues. They may exhibit changes in behavior, and have problems at work, school, or home.
In this series of articles on teen defiance and chronic conflicts with parents called “Why Is My Teen So Mean to Me?” we’ve discussed the root causes of some of the most challenging behavioral issues teens develop. We’ve shared what kinds of treatment are available. We discussed immersive mental health treatment programs, such as intensive outpatient programs (IOP), partial hospitalization programs (PHP), and residential treatment (RTC). Now, in this fifth
Parents of children who need support for a mental, behavioral, or alcohol/substance use disorder have to learn a lot of information fairly quickly. When they first learn their child has a condition or disorder that benefits from treatment, they learn everything they can about the diagnosis. Parents of kids diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD) learn everything they can about depression. Parents of kids diagnosed with ADHD learn everything they
In the 21st century, divorce is common. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), about 40 to 50 percent of marriages in the U.S. end in divorce. At the same time, statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO) show that millions of teens around the world have been diagnosed with an emotional, mental, or behavioral health condition. In 2017 alone, in the United States, an estimated 3.2 million adolescents –
