Mental Illness

Histrionic personality disorder (HPD) is a condition marked by behaviors that attract the attention of other people. Those that have HPD often crave recognition, both positive and negative, and they are overly concerned about whether others notice them and what others think. In this blog, we're going to discuss the connection between HPD and addiction.

If you're new to learning about mental health, you probably have a few questions about various disorders. One area of confusion many people have is the difference between phobias and anxieties. In this blog, we will explore this question more fully. Are you ready to start?

There are a variety of different types of medications used to enhance mental health. At Avalon Malibu, medication is something our team is very familiar with and can use to great advantage. Many people are familiar with antidepressants and mood stabilizers, but antipsychotic medications are a lesser-known drug category. In this blog, we'll discuss this type of medication, as well as the best uses for it.

Stress is a common occurrence for many of us. While many of us live with stress daily, that doesn't mean it's healthy. Too much stress can cause a variety of negative effects, so it's important to think about ways to cope with and reduce stress in your life.

There are moments in recovery from substance use and mental illness where you may feel stuck in the progress you are making. Perhaps it seems as if your recovery has regressed, like you have hit a wall, or you have simply plateaued. It is important to remember that although sometimes it is hard to move forward, you are never really stuck.

Change of any kind can be challenging. With change can come feelings of ambivalence, excitement, and fear. While there may be joy in the freedom that can come with recovery from substance use and mental illness, you might also feel the fear of uncertainty. Since change can be overwhelming, it is important to see change as a continual process, not a destination, and take it one step at a time.

In seasons of life where you are not feeling confident, it can feel like you will never be able to access a sense of confidence in yourself. However, confidence and self-esteem are like a muscle and there are practices that can help you build them.

Boundaries can be difficult, especially if you have frequently encountered codependency in your life. This can make it hard to know what you need and want when things in your inner world are not right—let alone know how to ask for it. Learning to set boundaries requires getting to know yourself and defining what is and is not okay with you in relation to other people, your space, and your time.

It can be hard to know what you need to experience healing, especially if you have spent a long time feeling at war with yourself because of addiction or mental illness. Perhaps it seems as if you do not know what you truly need, or how to even find out what you need. Part of healing is about learning to understand what your true needs are, and building self-trust to honor them.

Beginning a journey of intentionally healing and creating change in your life may feel as exciting as it does overwhelming. You might put a lot of pressure on yourself to achieve healing perfectly and expect yourself to have healed in certain ways by certain times, but that is not how healing happens. It is important to accept where you are, anchor into the present moment, and let go of what you think your healing should look like and instead just let it happen.

Self-discovery is an ever-changing, continual, and fluid process of self-reflection, self-acceptance, and self-trust. It can allow you to become more connected to your intuition and what you do and do not desire in your lives. It can also help you discover who you are and who you are not. Self-discovery leads to feeling empowered and trusting of yourself and your path. It may also feel destabilizing as you begin practicing new paths in your relationship with yourself and others that honor your authentic nature.

Cultivating the ability to feel safe being alone, especially if you are used to being around others to feel regulated, can be isolating, challenging, and confusing. While being in healthy and reciprocal relationships with others is important for wellness, it is just as important to have the ability to spend time with yourself to increase your sense of self, build self-confidence, and begin to trust yourself.