Anxiety is an uncomfortable sensation of apprehension and worry. It involves both mental and physical components. Mild anxiety may be beneficial in some instances, but moderate to severe anxiety or long-standing anxiety is harmful to the...
Drastic weight loss is often an indication that something's wrong with the body. In most cases, drastic weight loss indicates a health problem, according to MedLine Plus, a website of the National Institutes of Health. MedLine recommends...
Since treatment aims to control symptoms through behavioral modifications and the reprocessing of traumatic memories, you'll be exposed to various psychotherapy techniques as you treat your case of PTSD. Most treatment programs use a combination...
Fluoxetine hydrochloride is prescribed by physicians and mental health professionals as part of a treatment plan for a mental health or medical condition. It has several intended effects and the potential for adverse effects. Fluoxetine should...
Compulsive gambling isn't just a problem involving finances, but a serious mental condition that can devastate the lives of gamblers and their loved ones. If you believe that you may have a gambling problem, recognizing some warning signs and...
Eating disorders creep into people's lives and slowly wear away at their family life, social life, and emotional and psychological well being. Typically eating disorders start out innocent enough when people skip a few meals or count calories....
The American Psychological Association defines anxiety as "an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts and physical changes like increased blood pressure." Anxiety in adolescence is a well-covered topic in psychological...
Patients with major depression occasionally require psychiatric hospitalization. This may be voluntary or court-ordered. Inpatient settings offer a variety of treatments. According to the Mayo Clinic, a combination of psychotherapy and medicine is...
People with common interests form or join support groups to support each other in their problems. Support groups can provide a confidential forum to air concerns and receive feedback from people experiencing similar issues, and people in unhappy...
Everyone deals with depression at some point in their lives. When it comes and goes for a short amount of time, there is no reason to be alarmed. But for some people, it can become chronic and disrupt every aspect of their lives. In the worst of...
Drug abuse is characterized by excessive or irresponsible use of prescription or illegal drugs. Abuse often is a midway point between abstinence and full-blown addiction, and it can lead to many problems in itself, such as self-injury or legal...
Nearly 10 percent of the adult American population suffers from depression. While more than half of Americans believe that depression represents personal weakness, those suffering from depression as well as medical professionals know different....
Psychotherapy is a mental health discipline often used in addition to the traditional weight-loss program of exercise and nutrition for overweight people. Psychotherapy addresses unhealthy behaviors that contribute to weight gain and gives people...
The method of counseling known as Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy has been proven effective in the treatment of depression. Therapists who specialize in this type of counseling generally take a no-medication approach to treatment and instead offer...
Binge eating disorder is characterized by bouts of excessive food intake, or binging, during which a person feels a loss of control. According to the Mayo Clinic, effective treatment for binge eating disorder should lead to reduced binging...
Setting up clear rules of the home and enforcing them through discipline is a crucial aspect of parenting and teaching your child how to act appropriately. Unfortunately, some children do not take well to direction, and may even become defiant...
Medication is the treatment of choice and the primary resource for coping with manic depression, a type of mood disorder characterized by severe mood swings which alternate between mania and depression. Manic depression is the popular name for a...
Bulimia, formally known as bulimia nervosa, is a potentially fatal eating disorder. Bulimia is characterized by patterns of binging, and attempts at eliminating calories, whether through purging or over-exercising. This chronic pattern can cause...
Medication is the treatment of choice and the primary resource for coping with bipolar disorder, a type of mood disorder usually characterized by mood swings which alternate between mania or hypomania and depression or dysthymia. It is imperative...
Postpartum depression can be a debilitating condition, making it important for both the mother and child that treatment is sought immediately. Multiple studies have found that antidepressants are effective in treating the symptoms of postpartum...
Alcoholism is a mental health disorder that generally develops over time as a person's desire to drink and need to drink in larger quantities to induce pleasurable effects increases. Some alcoholics continue for many years to function adequately...
The use of essential oils to treat illnesses of the mind and body dates back almost 5,000 years. In her book "Natural Beauty at Home," Janice Cox describes the use of certain essential oils by the Ancient Egyptians and Greeks to purify the spirit,...
Everyone feels emotions like worry, stress, sadness or confusion. When someone experiences these emotions and they do not go away, creating problems in her daily life and functioning, she may have a mental health problem. Mental illnesses are...
Manic-depression, clinically known as bipolar disorder, is a mental illness which causes you to experience severe mood swings and instability. One moment you may be manic (a period of extreme high), followed by a period of depression, or an...
Emotional eating, or compulsive overeating, is eating as a way to cover up or cope with emotions and stress. For emotional eaters, food helps fill a void, such as loneliness or dissatisfaction. Sometimes an emotion triggers your appetite, such as...
According to the Mayo Clinic, a diagnosis of alcoholism or substance abuse must be made by a qualified medical professional. A doctor or psychologist will typically use a questionnaire or checklist that outlines many of the criteria and symptoms...
While medications such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and tricyclic antidepressants are popular treatment methods for depression, some people prefer ways of treating this condition that do not require taking a pill. Options exist;...
Depression in men often manifests the same as it does in women, yet men have a tendency to ignore or minimize the symptoms. Chronic sadness or irritability, sleep disturbance, changes in appetite or weight, problems with attention and memory,...
Psychotherapy has become a wide-ranging group of mental treatments that has moved far beyond the "talking cure" discussed by 19th century psychologist Sigmund Freud. Today, psychologists employ a variety of alternative psychotherapies that help...