Why Are Co-Occurring Disorders So Common?

“Co-occurring disorders,” sometimes referred to as “dual diagnosis,” or “comorbidity,” is a term used to identify when a person has both a substance use disorder and a mental health condition. The incidence of co-occurring disorders is fairly common because of the way that a person’s physical condition and their mental and emotional state affect each other. Addiction and mental health disorders often perpetuate each other; people may seek out substances to self-medicate mental health symptoms, or they may develop a mental health condition due to the effect of substances on the body. Both conditions need to be treated so that a person can live a fulfilling life in recovery. Read More

How COVID Changed Our Eating

We all felt the effects of COVID and the related shutdowns of everything from offices to restaurants to gyms; it seems at times that those far-reaching effects touched every area of our lives, including our eating habits. Read More

Mother’s Day Grief

If you find yourself in a love-hate relationship with the second Sunday in May, you’re not alone. Not even close, according to HuffPost reporting. Mother’s Day grief is real, and it looks a little different for everyone. Read More

Teen Treatment’s Troubled History

Teen treatment has been in the news recently, and not for good reasons. Celebrities like Paris Hilton, Jenny Pentland, and Paris Jackson are among those who have come forward with stories from their time in treatment facilities and reform schools that were supposed to help troubled teens. They're stories not of hope and healing, but of trauma and abuse. Read More

Social Media’s Problem With Predatory Algorithms

Can social media algorithms be altered so that they don’t lead users down a toxic path? Even if so, how can we protect ourselves — and especially more vulnerable users, like children and teens — in the meantime? Read More

Taking Away the Stress from Test-Taking

By Wesley Gallagher Test-taking — and the anxiety that comes along with it — are part of every school year, whether it’s brought on by final exams, standardized testing, or the dreaded SAT. It’s perfectly normal to have some anxiety around test-taking. Tests are a big deal, after… Read More

Spring Forward But Kick Back: Putting the “Break” Back In Spring Break

By Anna McKenzie How do you know if you’re getting enough sleep? Sometimes a lack of sleep comes from a busy schedule, overconsumption of caffeine or alcohol, or an anxious mind. But sleep problems can have many contributing factors and no single solution. According to the Centers for Disease Control… Read More

Do You Know a Narcissist?

By Anna McKenzie These days, it may feel easy to call a self-absorbed person a narcissist. While many people may display narcissistic personality traits, narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) is difficult to diagnose and often occurs alongside other personality disorders, as well as substance abuse. Only clinicians can properly diagnose NPD… Read More

Mental Health Pioneers of Color

By Melissa Riddle-Chalos We are living in an age of profound growth and progress in behavioral health and mental healthcare. Simply put, we would not be where we are without the important contributions of Black pioneers of mental health who have contributed to the science, the systems, and the compassionate… Read More

Pro Athletes Prioritizing Mental Health

By Anna McKenzie America’s mental health crisis has necessitated an emphasis on treatment and resources. As it happens, “suffering in silence” is having damaging repercussions across industries, and that includes sports. We admire professional athletes as mentally tough and physically elite individuals, so we don’t often see them as people… Read More