psychiatry

You finally start a medication that helps quiet your anxiety or makes it easier to get through the day and then notice your body doing things you didn’t expect. Maybe your appetite feels different. Maybe your jeans fit a little tighter. Suddenly, you’re wondering whether the medication that’s supporting your…

Every year, nearly 30 million people in the U.S. experience a major depressive episode. It’s one of the most prevalent mental health conditions, but did you know there are different types? There are eight total, and though they might look similar, they each come with their own distinct causes and…

As parents, we want to help our children to the best of our abilities. If we could take away their worries altogether, we would in a heartbeat. But childhood anxiety is common, affecting 7% of children and adolescents at any given time, with up to one in three people experiencing…

Mental disorders are health conditions that involve changes in thinking, emotion, or behavior—or some combination of the three. Mental disorders are connected with distress and/or impairment in functioning, whether that be socially, occupationally, or in some other dimension of life.  According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), about…

After someone has been diagnosed with ADHD, the next course of action is to proceed with a form of ADHD treatment that can help them manage their symptoms and utilize their strengths. ADHD treatment can vary considerably, depending on the individuals’ preferences, as well as the nature and severity of…

How many of us have felt suddenly unwell for a time, and out of concern, googled our symptoms? Later on, when we’re better, we might feel a little bit embarrassed that we were so concerned—maybe our mysterious symptoms were all in our heads.  Experiencing this fear of illness or disease…

Artificial intelligence has become a focal point of conversation in many fields, each looking to discern whether technology like chatbots or digital assistants will—or should—play a larger role.  Now this question is being posed in the field of mental health. Though having access to therapy services via ChatGPT and other…

As toddlers and young children, we quickly and naturally form strong emotional bonds with our parents or caretakers. As a result, being apart from them at an early age is often accompanied by a level of anxiety. These feelings of distress are a normal stage of childhood development—but sometimes, our…

Imagine that you’re going about your morning as usual – making coffee, feeding the cat, tidying the bedroom – when your chest starts to hurt. The pain quickly mounts. Within minutes you’re drenched in sweat and you feel as if you’re suffocating. You close your eyes and try to take…

Psychotropic medications sound complicated, but the term refers to any drug that has an effect on the brain. Psychotropic medications come in many different forms, with different usages and modes of functionality.  Even though we might jump straight to pharmaceutical drugs when we hear the word “psychotropic,” the truth is…

If you’re pregnant, or are trying to conceive, chances are you’re curious (and maybe a little nervous) about how certain medications and substances might affect your pregnancy. You probably know to avoid alcohol and limit caffeine among other things. But what about psychiatric medications? How can prescription drugs that you’re…

ADHD in teens can create unique struggles and issues at school as well as at home. On top of all the exciting and sometimes scary changes teens experience, ADHD can sometimes make middle school and high school life more complicated.  For teens who have already been diagnosed, their ADHD symptoms…