Mental Health Topics

Q: I have a neighbor that I struggle to get along with—we’ll call her Heather. I met Heather when we first moved into our neighborhood a few months ago. She and her husband live across the street and came to say hi while my girlfriend and I were carrying boxes…

Most lists of depression symptoms don’t quite capture the emotional weight of severe depression. Clinical facts about depression often fail to paint a full picture of how it feels to experience this mood disorder. What does depression feel like? Why is it so difficult to cope with? And what can…

Do you struggle with expressing your feelings? Instead of calmly communicating how you feel, do you resort to lashing out in anger instead? Finally, is there no real rhyme or reason for why you react with anger?  Anger is a natural reaction in many situations. It’s healthy to recognize the…

If you’re expecting tips on what medium-priced champagne to buy in order to sweep your lover off their feet this Saturday night, you’re in the wrong place. Sorry. It’s not going to be that kind of a date night. You probably won’t end up in a Jacuzzi, or on a…

The idea of brainwashing had a viral moment in the 1950s when the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) decided to wage psychological warfare against Communism. Project MKUltra secretly experimented with “mind control” techniques, dosing people with lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) without their consent. In fact, at one point the CIA…

Most guides to defining healthy relationship boundaries focus on new couples. How do you set your personal rules of engagement from the beginning so both partners feel safe and respected? But people in long-term relationships know that love is dynamic. Humans continually grow and change both as individuals and as…

Q: I’m experiencing a lot of anxiety and I want to manage it effectively. It’s weighing very heavy on me. A: Hi there, Thank you for reaching out! We’re so sorry to hear that you’re struggling with anxiety. While experiencing anxiety is common, we know how hard it can be…

“I’m going to take Monday off,” you tell your partner with confidence. “I’m overdue for a mental health day.” The next morning, you walk into the office and open your inbox to draft an email to your manager: Good morning! I’m writing to let you know that I’ll be taking…

Q: I make a point to go to the gym at least 3 times a week. It’s been one of my New Year’s resolutions, and so far it’s going great. It’s just that I get pretty bad gym anxiety when I’m there. There are a few things that set it…

Q: I’m happy to have my job and I don’t really have anything bad to say about my coworkers or my position. But still, there are people and situations at work that can be really draining on me. As an introvert, by the time Friday rolls around, I can’t wait…

A Story About a Kid In 1989, I was 7 years old and just starting first grade. Early in the school year, my teacher arranged a meeting with my parents and stated that she thought that I might be “slow” because I wasn’t performing in class to the same level…

Major depression disorder (MDD) is a mental health condition that impacts emotional well-being and can cause severe functional consequences in daily life. MDD is also called clinical depression, major depression, and unipolar depression (to distinguish it from bipolar depression caused by bipolar disorder). In Ancient Greece, depression was called melancholia,…