It can be heartbreaking to watch someone you love struggle with depression. While you may want to try anything you can to help, a measured, informed approach to support is often the most effective way to be there for a loved one. You notice that someone you love seems to be slipping away. They are withdrawn, quiet, and sad. They may be irritable, and lash out if you try to ask what’s wrong. You are worried and unsure of how to help. If a friend, family member or partner is struggling with depression, it is normal to want to help them feel better. When this drive to provide support is combine ..read more

The complexities of addiction can make it difficult for some to get the right treatment, leading to repeated relapses. Engaging an intensive, holistic approach to address it can help better maintain recovery. There is nothing easy about healing from an addiction, and when you have made that commitment to sobriety and started to rebuild your life apart from your previous dependency, a relapse can feel extraordinarily defeating. Repeated relapses will make you question if you can ever overcome your addiction, and the ensuing disappointment and frustration can tempt you into thinking that maybe ..read more

Feeling some degree of discomfort when you perform publicly or meet new people is a fairly common experience. However, for those with social anxiety disorder, these situations can unleash a wave of severe anxiety that can make them avoid engaging in things they might otherwise enjoy. As we learn more about mental health and gain awareness of different conditions, questions often arise about how to know if certain patterns of thought or behaviour are due to someone’s personality or are signs of an unidentified mental health disorder. This is true for example, for someone who may have always d ..read more

The link between ADHD and addiction is significant and serious. Understanding more about the factors behind this connection can offer insights on how to prevent dependency, and how to effectively treat an addiction. The potential for addiction for people living with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is staggering. While the lifetime occurrence of substance abuse among the general population is around 25%, this percentage rises to nearly 50% in those with ADHD. People with ADHD are also more likely to struggle with behavioural addictions such as Internet, shopping, or gambling ..read more

We have been taught to pay attention to signs that our physical health might not be at the level it should be and take action. However, when it comes to mental health, we are not always clear on what potential red flags we need to be aware of. Knowing the warning signs of a possible mental health disorder can lead to early treatment, and a better prognosis. You are tired and depressed – but do you have clinical depression? Your close friend is often feeling stressed and overwhelmed – but is it related to an anxiety disorder? Your partner can’t seem to focus – do they have attention deficit h ..read more

Taking a hard look at addiction means understanding the experiences and emotions that contribute to it. For many former addicts, recovery helps reveal the role that anger plays in fueling dependency. Anger is a complex emotion with many drivers, but a significant contributor is emotional pain. For those who have struggled with addiction, including Drew Barrymore, pain is an all too familiar experience. As recovery begins to dive into the roots of addiction and lift the fog of dependency away from your emotions, you may find yourself prone to sudden and seemingly inexplicable anger. Understan ..read more

You’re sober, but it is not feeling as great as you had hoped it would. In fact, you are feeling depressed, anxious, and a bit directionless. This is what being “stuck” in recovery feels like – but the good news is, there is always a way forward. The early days of recovery are often a mix of intense emotions – you might feel alternately excited and fearful about the days ahead, and both stressed and relieved about putting the addiction behind you. You may feel good about the support you are getting, the way you look, and your renewed energy levels. As the intensity of the early days fade, an ..read more

You’ve known for a while that something isn’t right about your relationship, but you can’t put your finger on exactly what it is. If your relationship is making you doubt yourself and your perceptions, you may be experiencing emotional abuse known as gaslighting. In the classic 1944 film Gaslight, an accomplished, successful woman is driven to believe that she is losing her mind by a nefarious new husband. As she is further manipulated and isolated, she begins to fear her emotional responses and even physical perceptions of the world are not real, bringing her dangerously close to a total br ..read more

You’ve finally reached a breaking point with your addiction and are on the cusp of going cold turkey – alone. Before you cut yourself off, make sure you know what detox entails, and consider getting some outside support. You are getting to the point where you’re realising your vice isn’t just an occasional slip, but a full-on addiction. Maybe it is impacting your relationships or your ability to work – maybe it just doesn’t feel that good anymore, or perhaps family and friends are urging you to stop. Whatever the reasons, you are beginning to really consider quitting. This realisation is an ..read more

The high degree of uncertainty that still hangs over us in relation to 2021, combined with the tough challenges that were thrown at us in 2020 is no doubt making many of us feel like our lives are totally out of our control. But that isn’t entirely true, there are certain things that we can control and should control to thrive in 2021. 2020 was packed to the hilt with disasters on a global scale. It is no wonder that early studies of mental health during the pandemic showed increasing levels of anxiety and depression among the general population. As we move into the beginning of a new year ..read more