Our Latest Blogs

Judgment Detox: Release the Beliefs that Hold You Back from Living a Better Life Book by Gabrielle Bernstein “You’ve judged yourself five times, and you’ve only been here about 8 minutes.” My counselor told this to me in a not unkind way as I sat in a session. As someone diagnosed with depression, anxiety, and […]

After centuries of stigmatization, misdiagnosis, and mistreatment, mental health awareness has finally become a huge talking point in recent years. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of people suffered from depression, anxiety, and similar conditions. Now, nearly one in five adults lives with a mental health disorder — and that doesn’t even include those living […]

If you spend your life surrounded by people you can rely on, sharing thoughts and feelings probably comes naturally. In an atmosphere of mutual trust and care, staying mentally healthy often seems like a goal that’s not too difficult to accomplish. Unfortunately, not every environment is equally affirming. In some cases, people who feel anxious, […]

People with anxiety disorders experience panic and a profound sense of fear over things that to you may seem irrational. Pointing that out is the one thing you should never do. Anxiety disorders are real, and managing them can be quite overwhelming. As a friend,  family member, spouse, or colleague, the best thing you can […]

Far too often, traditional family therapy is not prioritized after the age of 18, including when it comes to eating disorder recovery. I get it – involving support persons, like family, friends, roommates, or romantic partners, has the potential to bring uncomfortable roadblocks into the recovery process. However, at Renfrew, we know no matter what […]

Seeing your partner go through a panic attack can feel overwhelming. You want to help, but you aren’t sure how. Maybe you’ve tried so many different ways – but it usually doesn’t feel that helpful. You’ve tried reminding him to breathe, maybe even breathing with him. You’ve tried telling him that “everything is okay” and […]

Bringing up a subject concerning mental health or disordered eating behaviors is never an easy one for concerned family and friends. Few subjects are more personal and difficult to broach than a disorder like anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, or others. And although it’s difficult to have these conversations, it usually falls on […]

It can be challenging to get your life back on track when you are dealing with problems in your mental health. It can take some time to get your anxieties and fears under control. As you become better able to manage your mental health, you also need to find a way to enjoy life in […]

What is Clinical Depression? When you hear people use the term clinical depression, they are referring to what is formally known as major depressive disorder (MDD). Depression is a mood disorder that can hamper your daily life. At its worst, it can lead to suicide, which is the second leading cause of death in teens […]

It is alarming to see when older loved ones lose interest in activities that they usually enjoy. They may dread waking up in the morning because they find it challenging to get through an entire day. Time seems to crawl at a snail’s pace, making them feel anxious and sad. Unfortunately, depression is prevalent in […]

WE MUST ACCEPT FINITE DISAPPOINTMENT, BUT NEVER LOSE INFINITE HOPE. Martin Luther King, Jr. www.rtor.org and its sponsor Laurel House are committed to the advancement of racial equity and social justice, and to making mental health services available to all.

I knew I had a problem in 2015, after returning to the US from a year-long teaching stint abroad. It began with flashbacks, intrusive memories of the poverty and food insecurity I experienced in my host village. And it ended with shame, an internalized belief that I was a broken woman, forever irreparable and therefore […]

Smart people are often anxious. Is this news to you? I’m guessing not, since you’re smart. Research has shown that there is a high correlation between being intelligent and socially anxious. The higher your IQ, the higher the chance your social apprehension is higher than usual. Of course, that doesn’t mean that your social anxiety […]

“In World War One, they called it shell shock. Second time around, they called it battle fatigue. After ‘Nam, it was post-traumatic stress disorder.” ― Jan Karon, Home to Holly Springs Shell shock, battle fatigue, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Same symptoms, different names. Throughout time, people have suffered things that affected their bodies and minds in […]

Everyone has experienced ups and downs at some points in their lives. The occasional blues and lethargy that you experience may be an aftermath of too much stress after a tiring day. However, if these emotional encounters are happening more regularly and in a recurring pattern, it should be a cause of concern. In particular, […]

One-third of our lives are spent sleeping, but over time, sleep has become unappreciated. In the world’s current pace, everybody is consumed in using their 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Sleep has become such an interference in our daily activities that we often forget its benefits and the implications of its loss. […]

There are millions of individuals living with various forms of mental health disorders. The figure stands at about 1 in 5 people, so chances are you have a relative experiencing an issue. There are multiple elements crucial to managing and recovering from mental health conditions, and one is you lending a helping hand to your […]

The experience of being in a car accident can be traumatic and frightening, so it should come as no surprise that car accidents are the leading cause of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the general population. Unfortunately, car accidents are not an uncommon occurrence, with about six million happening in the U.S. every year, about […]

Researchers and clinicians have made tremendous strides in diagnosing and treating mental health conditions. Yet, for all this progress, which should be a source of hope for individuals and families affected by mental illness, there is still a large gray area when it comes to diagnosing some disorders. A case in point: schizoaffective disorder versus […]

Can stress and anxiety trigger ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder)? Can ADHD trigger stress or anxiety?

What’s the link between these three conditions?

If you are living with ADHD, you may want to know if the condition can also cause you stress and anxiety. Again, if you are experiencing stress or anxiety, you may want to know if there are chances of developing ADHD.

“Hey babe, I uhhh…I think I have PTSD,” I stammered out quickly over the phone to my husband. This sudden revelation came after I had been in a library working, and someone sat down behind me, and I had become so anxious that I had to get up and leave the library completely. I couldn’t handle someone sitting behind me reading a book because I couldn’t see that person. My brain couldn’t stop telling me to be fearful, and I didn’t know why. All I knew was I had to get out. Immediately.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a serious condition that affects around 6.1 million children between the ages of 2 and 17 years old in the United States alone. This translates to 9.4% of children in that age group, highlighting how prevalent the chronic condition has become.

But what’s worrying an increasing number of parents is that children might be misdiagnosed with ADHD when the real problem could be a sleep disorder. Given ADHD’s impact on mental and social functioning and the treatments involved, that’s very understandable.

Mental health issues have long been misunderstood. Thirty years ago, even doctors might have told a depressed person to “snap” out of it. We’ve come a long way since then. Today we understand the disorder much better. Depression seldom resolves itself. It is hardly ever possible for people to “snap” out of it without support. […]

Nothing is more frustrating than tossing and turning all night when you should be sleeping. Lying there, anticipating the alarm going off at 6:00 am as the hours tick by, can cause deep distress. You cringe when considering the coming day, knowing that you will be functioning on fumes. Insomnia is one of the most […]

Learning is fun and exciting. However, there are some instances when young students become anxious because of pressure and other factors. Some anxiety is unavoidable as kids learn new things and are placed in unfamiliar situations. Today’s teachers must know the basics of dealing with anxious students.  Signs of Anxiety in Children Knowing the signs […]

Did you know that about 3.3 percent of adults between 44 and 85 years have attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)? What this means is that about 70 million adults may not be aware that they have ADHD until the challenges and demands of life become overwhelming and unbearable. Adults who may be facing the challenges of caring […]

Developing a personal philosophy is very much like approaching recovery. Trying to know everything is overwhelming. It’s better to develop an effective strategy. When a new diagnosis of bipolar disorder abruptly ended my military career at age 24, I couldn’t imagine taking another path. I tried to out-think the diagnosis and control the situation. In […]

A panic attack can be frightening for the person going through it, and the experience isn’t much easier for those who see it happen to a loved one. A panic attack is a sudden and sharp rise in fear or anxiety accompanied by physical symptoms, such as an increased heart rate and shortness of breath. […]

Eating too healthy? That can’t be possible…. or at least I didn’t think so. That was, however, until I was diagnosed with orthorexia. Orthorexia nervosa, otherwise known as the “clean eating disorder,” is an obsession with clean or proper eating. It involves compulsively reading ingredient lists, excessive meal-planning, and severe distress when “healthy” foods are […]

According to the NEDA (National Eating Disorders Association), almost 30 million Americans have or will experience an eating disorder in their lifetimes. Worryingly, the most-impacted segment of the population is adolescent girls and young women, although the stereotype that only girls experience eating disorders is a myth. Girls and young women aged 15 – 24 […]

“3,2,1, action!” Actors across the globe hear this count down and immediately spring into their roles. On the big screen, these professionals are responsible for bringing our fantasies to life. We want to talk like them, we want to dress like them, and most of all, we want to look like them.  It is no […]

Attention deficit disorder/attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD) can be a crippling neurological impairment. It’s also more treatable today than ever before, thanks to new therapies and medications. As with any medical condition, though, the key to effective ADD/ADHD treatment is getting an accurate diagnosis—which isn’t always easy. Why ADD/ADHD Can Be Easy to Misdiagnose as […]

What is Bipolar Disorder? According to a recent study, bipolar disorder affects around 2.3% of the American population, which equates to some six million people who have been diagnosed with this mental health disorder. Symptoms can occur at any age, but bipolar disorder is typically diagnosed at around twenty-five years old and is less common […]

Coping with depression is a difficult task for many. It drains you of your energy and hope, leaving you feeling numb, and even the tasks that you once enjoyed doing seem meaningless. At GNC Dubai (German Neuroscience Center), a leading neurology hospital in Dubai, we make sure to provide depression support groups to help those […]

Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) is a type of eating disorder in which individuals compulsively and, in some cases, totally avoid eating certain types of food. ARFID is different from other eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa in that it is not primarily driven by concerns about body weight or image, though ARFID can lead […]

Anorexia nervosa is a well-known and relatively common type of eating disorder that affects people of all types, afflicting individuals regardless of ethnicity, age, socioeconomic status, or gender, although it is more common in adolescent girls and young adults. Parents and loved ones of an individual who shows the signs and symptoms of anorexia nervosa […]

Narcolepsy is a chronic sleep disorder characterized by a loss of boundaries between sleep and wakefulness.  An affected person becomes very tired while awake and may fall into sleep in any relaxing situation during the day, such as sitting on a comfortable chair. Narcolepsy is often accompanied by cataplexy, a partial or total loss of […]

Getting a mental health diagnosis can be a relief. If you’ve been struggling with symptoms, attributing them to a specific condition can mean having a framework for making sense of how you feel and taking steps towards managing it. However, it can also be overwhelming. The world of mental illness is still often misrepresented and […]

A Note from the Editor This guest post on school anxiety was submitted to us prior to the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States. Students with anxiety may be feeling a temporary reprieve from symptoms as schools have either closed or offer remote learning via online classes. However, the problem will be […]

A Note from the Editor May 7, 2020, is National Older Adults Mental Health Awareness Day. Many older people will behave in a way that makes us wonder about their mental health. Sometimes the changes we notice are just part of the normal aging process. But they could also be the signs of emerging dementia. […]

May is Mental Health Awareness Month Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health condition in the United States, affecting 40 million individuals age 18 and older (18.1% of adult Americans) every year. When two brothers from the United Kingdom offered to share an animated video focusing on this common but potentially disabling group of […]

One of the most harmful misconceptions about abusive relationships is that they are the product of mental illness. Research demonstrates that those who commit violence in their relationships are no more likely to be mentally ill than the general population, and it’s understood that it’s abusive people’s value systems that are unwell rather than their […]

A Note from the Editor Domestic violence is always a problem in all societies throughout the world. In normal times, one in five women in relationships report being physically or domestically abused in the prior year. Experts predicted that the stay-at-home restrictions and stress caused by the coronavirus pandemic would worsen the problem. Now with […]

Bulimia nervosa is more than a simple binge/purge series of behaviors; it’s a complex mental health disorder that requires a mixture of psychotherapy, psychiatric help, and behavioral modification during recovery. Bulimia nervosa recovery also depends on continued support from the individual’s family, close friends, and aftercare groups of both peers and counselors, even after leaving […]

Clinical depression is also called a major depressive mood disorder. It is a serious and common medical condition, which negatively affects the way you feel, act, and think. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 8.1 percent of Americans aged 20 and over experienced depression in a given two-week period. Different people experience […]

“Freddy Jones is a 58-year-old, African-American male carrying a diagnosis of bipolar disorder.” This is how most mental health professionals talk about you. “Freddy Jones is a 58-year-old male immigrant from Congo who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. He has discussed an inability to sleep due to constantly working on his album. He speaks […]

It’s devastating to watch loved ones struggle with an illness they can’t control, and it’s even harder when you feel hopeless to help them.  Unfortunately, millions of us will be confronted with this challenging scenario – one percent of Americans will display symptoms of bulimia nervosa at some point in their lives. If it’s that […]

Social situations may arouse strong emotions for some of you. You have sweaty palms and a sore throat when you must give a speech in front of 100 people. You might feel that you cannot face a social situation because you are too nervous and agitated to do it. Going out to clubs or crowded […]

When I was in college, I had a friend approach me and tell me he was suicidal. We had been on a drive and he asked me to stop so he could tell me something. That’s when he confided in me and told me how he was feeling and how long he had felt that […]

Mental health is a hot button issue in society today — which is excellent, because having frank discussions is important in the fight against stigma. However, the subject of diagnosis does not often form part of popular discussion. We have a tendency to overlook the sometimes challenging mechanics of psychiatric diagnosis. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder […]

A career as an eating disorder psychologist means treating people with anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa , and other conditions that may have devastating effects on clients’ lives. This means employing one of several different methodologies to design the most effective treatment program for clients’ specific needs. One of the best is through an evidence-based therapeutic […]

The end of daylight savings time means the days get shorter and it gets dark earlier. This can make anyone feel a little depressed, but for some people, those feelings take on a different level and lead to seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and depression. Many people may just disregard their feelings, but doing so can […]

What Is Bulimia Nervosa and What Sets It Apart from Other Eating Disorders? Bulimia nervosa is a very serious mental health condition that is characterized by reoccurring cycles of compulsive binge eating episodes followed by purging (most often by self-induced vomiting). When a person with bulimia nervosa binge eats, they typically eat a very large […]

Mental health issues are a global epidemic. Nobody in the world is alone in this struggle. As per the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 1 in 5 Americans suffer from one mental health issue or another each year. That’s 47.6 million people. The numbers representing the global rates are naturally higher. As per WHO, a […]

Eating disorders can happen among people of all ages, genders and social backgrounds. However, they develop most commonly in early adulthood and adolescence. In fact, eating disorders in adolescence are so common that around 5.4 percent of kids between the ages of 13 and 18 will develop anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa or binge eating disorder […]

Depression Misconceptions Depression is a brain dysfunction that affects mood and emotions. It is a mood disorder characterized by strong and persistent negative emotions. These emotions can have a negative impact on people’s lives, causing social, educational, personal and family discord. Depression is different from sadness or feeling “down.” Clinical depression is a medical condition […]

Suicides in the United States are on the rise. The number of people who die by their own hand every year is roughly equivalent to the number of people who overdose on prescription pain killers. Yet there is virtually no press coverage or public debate about the matter. On average, 129 people die by suicide […]

Nearly every time there’s a public conversation about homelessness, the topic of mental health becomes a major talking point. For instance, the California Policy Lab released data in October 2019 on the prevalence of health problems among homeless populations in Los Angeles, and concluded that mental illness is a key cause of homelessness. Further, unsheltered […]

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 31% of adults in the U.S. suffer from some form of anxiety disorder at one point or another in their lives. Nineteen percent of the population was affected by anxiety last year and women experienced it more than men. As anxiety continues to spread, with its ability […]

Social Anxiety is defined as an extreme state of emotional discomfort or fear when encountering large crowds of people in a social setting. For those who suffer from social anxiety, it can be a very crippling and debilitating problem faced almost every day. Imagine that you are suffering from social anxiety, feeling very shy and […]