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The United States is currently involved in a number of combat situations in the Middle East, particularly in Iraq and Afghanistan. There is increasing awareness among researchers and mental health professionals that there are a number of health and mental health problems that returning veterans are experiencing in their return from combat. Many returning veterans are presenting to medical professionals with emotional distress that is primarily being attributed to their experiences in these violent situations. Researchers are beginning to analyze what this means for this demographic, and how to best assist them in navigating the difficulties that they are experiencing. [More]

Anxiety is a common mental health concern. It is defined by Endler (1997), as being an emotion that is driven by fear. Anxiety can interfere with a person’s ability to function in daily activities, and can become so invasive in their lives that they may be unable to deal with work or school. When anxiety becomes this much of a problem, it is important to have strategies to decrease the anxiety. [More]

Many of us have heard someone say they “are OCD”. We may have also told someone, “You are so OCD!” Some people do, in fact, have minor characteristics of OCD. They like things tidy, or they like to do things in a certain order and in a particular way. But clinical Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) can be a serious, even debilitating, mental illness for both adults and children. It can create significant distress, and interfere with daily functioning. People with severe symptoms of OCD may find it difficult to work, go to school, or carry out other daily activities. [More]

What is the best way to help children from aged five to eight with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)? A recent study from Bradley Hospital in Rhode Island offers an interesting insight. Researcher there found that family-based cognitive behavioral therapy is beneficial. They found that developmentally sensitive family-based treatment that included exposure/response prevention was more effective in reducing OCD symptoms and functional impairment in this age group when compared to a structured relaxation program. [More]

Social anxiety is becoming more and more common in today's world. Every year, millions of people struggle with anxiety disorders and they try to work through them on their own. Social anxiety, or social phobia, is "a strong fear of being judged by others and of being embarrassed. This fear can be so strong that it gets in the way of going to work or school or doing other everyday things. [More]

When you are sat down by a doctor and explained that you have an incurable medical condition that could become completely debilitating to you, cause you daily pain, and change every aspect of your life, you die. Your physical life has died, your career has died, your ability to care for your family has died, your ability to enjoy the intimacy between yourself and your partner has died. But your lungs still breath air, your heart still pumps, and you must create a completely new life in spite of your medical conditions. [More]

Prescription medications are commonly employed to treat a variety of mental health illnesses. Diseases treated with prescription medication include: schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, and attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Ideally, these medications are used with talking therapy, at least until they are shown to be working well (Mental Health Medications, 2014). [More]

The title of this article is actually a quote from Lama Surya Das in his book, Awakening the Buddha Within (1997). I was so stuck by the simple wisdom of this statement that I posted it on my computer at work, and my refrigerator at home, as a frequent reminder of the dangers of hanging on to things that are better let go. But letting go of feelings, people or situations that are destructive to us, or out of our control, is easier said than done. We hold on and attach for lots of different reasons, but learning to let go and detach in healthy ways can help restore our sense of peace and our relationships with others. [More]

Are you angry and bitter every time you think of someone who has wronged you? If so, you're human but also probably living a more stressful and unhealthy life than you need to be. The problem with allowing others to control our emotions is that we cannot control what others do. If someone doesn't live up to our standards and expectations we allow them to destroy our happiness. We think that they have to do something in order to allow us to move forward. [More]

Our personal lives and our work lives can be filled with tense moments, conflict, and competing demands. Life also delivers ups and downs in the form of job losses, cheating spouses, major illnesses, and death. Being able to manage these difficult times effectively requires skills that anyone can learn. Not only is being unflappable an admirable and beneficial quality in times of crisis, it can also be good for your mental health. [More]