Being diagnosed with depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions can change your life. Mental disorders are not just an emotional but also an economic burden, which pertains to direct healthcare costs and indirect costs like lost income and out-of-pocket spending on healthcare.
Antidepressant medications relieve the symptoms of moderate, severe, and chronic depression. Depression is caused by chemical imbalances in the brain (e.g., serotonin) and antidepressants work by increasing the availability of these chemicals.
Nevertheless, there are those who doubt their efficacy, partly because of myths surrounding antidepressants.
Insight in therapy is more than being self aware. It is using that awareness to create a new relationship to one’s emotions. Maybe you have found yourself to be like the many people who have thought “I am aware of my issues but that doesn’t change anything?” Recognizing a pattern in which you may repeatedly respond to a problematic situation in an unconstructive manner is not enough.
There are those who believe that life today is more stressful than in the past, while there are those who believe that life in the past was even more so. There is clearly no simple answer as to which belief is accurate, but one thing is certain: experiencing stress is normal.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, up to 50% of prescribed medications are taken incorrectly, particularly with regard to timing, dosage, frequency, and duration. This is clearly alarming, especially to those whose well-being depends on taking prescribed medications the right way.
Medications, therapy, or a combination of both are the most common forms of treatment for a mental health disorder like depression. Numerous studies show, however, that psychotherapy and antidepressants aren’t the only ways to improve mental health.
According to Harvard Medical School psychiatry assistant professor Dr. Michael Craig Miller, exercise can work as well as antidepressant medications but cautioned that exercises alone are not enough to fight severe depression.
Persistent anxiety impinges on your way of life. It can affect your academic and/or job performance and relationships. In the United States, an estimated 31% of adults experience an anxiety disorder at some point in their lives, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.
Being in a romantic relationship means being with a loving partner and a nurturing companion. There is, however, so much more to being in a romantic relationship than going on dinner dates, taking strolls on the beach, and celebrating anniversaries. It entails creating a meaningful connection with and catering to the needs of your partner.
Work-related stress affects everyone, even those who are passionate about what they do. Some people are able to cope with everyday stress, some aren’t. The truth is that stress is always going to be present regardless of the nature of work.
Studies show that in the United States, job-related stress remains the primary source of stress in adults.
What do Oprah Winfrey, Stephen Colbert, and Kourtney Kardashian have in common? These celebrities suffer from anxiety, a normal reaction to stress that can cripple a person both emotionally and physically when it gets out of hand.
In a 2013 interview, Winfrey, dubbed as “the Queen of All Media”, revealed that she almost had a nervous breakdown due to anxiety.