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As the World Health Organization (WHO) notes, nearly 450 million people are currently experiencing a mental illness around the world; this equates to one in four people. Despite the high numbers of people who experience mental illness, there are many stigmas surrounding the topic, preventing people from finding support and seeking help to work through their obstacles. Actress Glenn Close, who played the role of a woman scorned by others after having an affair in the psychological thriller “Fatal Attraction”, has been working diligently to change the minds of many who fear mental illness or believe that those with mental illness are less than. For Ms. Close, de-stigmatization is important because of her experience with mental illness in her own family. Glenn’s nephew Calen has schizophrenia, and her sister Jessie has bipolar disorder. As noted on CBS News, Glenn emphasized that awareness became even more important to her once she realized exactly how many people experience mental illness. She stated, “When I became an advocate, I realized that is a family affair for one in four of us. One in four of us is touched in some way by mental illness. So, it became obvious to me that we have to talk about it.” Glenn Close brings to light an important subject – why don’t people talk about mental illness? There are a number of reasons:

Perhaps you’ve been feeling a lot of anxiety, guilt, and general hopelessness lately. One day it may have seemed like you suddenly lost interest in everything you used to enjoy – you no longer want to go out with friends, you stopped attending a special interest group and you have difficulty finding the motivation to even get out of bed every morning. These are all symptoms of depression; there is a lot that goes into depression, and it can truly cause a lot of distress in your daily life. No matter what you’re going through, it’s important for you to seek help. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly 350 million people worldwide experience some form of depression. The symptoms of depression vary and may be chronic or short-lived, induced by specific events or something as simple as a change in the weather season. The following are the most common disorders associated with depression:

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an evidence-based, time-sensitive, structured, present-oriented psychotherapy that assists clients in solving problems and developing skills to help modify dysfunctional ways of thinking and doing. CBT has been shown to treat a variety of disorders, including anxiety disorders, depression, addiction, sleep problems, chronic pain and fatigue, and more. If you’re considering seeking therapy, your therapist may choose to use CBT with you. Here are some facts that you may not have known about this popular, effective treatment method:

A mood is defined as a temporary state of mind or feeling. As an emotional state, a mood may be expressed as one of the following, for example: serious, humorous, amused, angry, playful, cheerful, gloomy, and more. Put simply, moods summarize what’s favorable or unfavorable to us, based on external and internal information. Some psychologists believe that our mood is based somewhat on a stress threshold – researcher Roy Baumeister, for example, believes that when we’ve used up all our willpower to avoid a temptation – such as eating fast food when we’re on a diet, for example – we become irritable because we’ve drained up all our cognitive resources. Consequently, a bad mood causes us to have tunnel vision, making it more difficult to see things more openly and creatively. On the opposite side, a good mood can open our minds to a world of possibilities. We all love being in a good mood, but what happens when we are in a bad mood? Can we easily change this? If there is no mood disorder present, there are a few things that we can do to help improve our mood:

Narcissism lies on a spectrum, with increased severity taking on the role of narcissistic personality disorder (NPD). A person diagnosed with this disorder will often exhibit a grandiose image of self-importance, a preoccupation with fantasies of unlimited success, power and more, a belief that he or she is uniquely “gifted” and can only be understood by high-status people, a sense of entitlement, a need for excessive admiration, and much more. An individual with NPD will often regard others as either high status (perfect, entitled) or low status (unworthy, defective). This can make friendships and romantic relationships difficult to maintain, because they often lack empathy and are very self-centered. If you have NPD, you may recognize some of the traits that you exhibit, but you fear discussing them with others because you do not want it to tarnish your image or status. Elinor Greenberg, PhD and internationally renowned Gestalt therapy trainer, has noted 5 things many of her clients with NPD have admitted to themselves, but not others:

Personality disorders are defined as a deeply ingrained and maladaptive pattern of behavior that is typically manifested by the time one reaches adolescence; they often cause long-term difficulties in relationships and other aspects of daily life. An estimated 9% of adults in the United States have a personality disorder. There are 10 specific types of personality disorders, and are identified based on the following:

Anxiety and panic attacks can affect anyone, including famous sports players. NBA star Kevin Love has recently opened about his own experiences with anxiety and panic attacks; on November 5th right after halftime, Love had his first panic attack. On The Player’s Tribune he stated that he physically couldn’t bring himself to finish the game because his heart was racing, his mouth felt “chalky”, and everything was spinning. It wasn’t until this incident that Love decided he needed to share his experience with others, because he realized just how important mental health discussions truly are. There’s no doubt that American society makes it more difficult for males to open about their mental health. Just last year, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) announced that men take up 76.92% of all deaths by suicide – this is the equivalent to almost four out of every five suicides. Many males are taught at an early age that they shouldn’t talk about their problems – that they should keep it in and get over their issues in silence. Kevin Love certainly lived his life by this mentality, and he believes it is what led him to the panic attack he experienced in that game against the Hawks. Previous research has shown that rather than men expressing their concerns through talking, signs of increased fatigue, irritability, anger, loss of interest in work or hobbies, and sleep disturbances may occur. Love expressed that after speaking with a therapist, he was able to dig deeper into the concerns that really bothered him – such as the fact that when his grandmother passed away, he couldn’t properly say goodbye and that sincerely bothered him. He went on to explain that he’s trying to better cope with life by addressing everything that comes with it to himself – sometimes our anxieties and fear creep in when we are no longer aware of how we feel. He stated, “I’m just starting to do the hard work of knowing myself. For 29 years, I avoided that…I’m trying to face the uncomfortable stuff in life while also enjoying, and being grateful for, the good stuff. I’m trying to embrace it all, the good, the bad, and the ugly.” We can’t escape pain in life. It will always occur in one way or another. What we can do is take control over how we manage that pain through seeking help, talking about it, and relying on people who love and support us. Don’t wait any longer to seek the help you need today.

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), 15.1 million adults aged 18 or older had alcohol use disorder (AUD) in 2015. About 6.7% of these individuals sought treatment, leaving an extremely wide gap.  Alcoholism is known as a disease that causes cravings to drink, loss of control over drinking, physical dependence, and tolerance by needing to drink more to achieve the initial effect. People with alcoholism or alcohol use disorder experience significant distress in their daily lives, as their drinking has affected their work, home, and/or social life as well as potential health and finances. Many people who drink heavily believe they can “cut down” or “lessen” their drinking whenever they want – is this true? Essentially, it all leads down to dependence. A study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that most Americans who drink more than one or two drinks a day do not have alcoholism because their bodies would show signs of dependence. Physical dependence occurs when the body experiences withdrawal symptoms – such as anxiety, shaky hands, headaches, nausea, vomiting, sweating, and insomnia – that are very unpleasant. Other signs of dependence include worrying about when the next drink will be, planning events around alcohol, finding it difficult to stop drinking once you start, and feeling the need to drink in the morning. In other words, if a person does not have alcoholism, they may be able to have enough control to slow down. However, many people with alcoholism will say they can “quit anytime” as an excuse to continue drinking – this is due to changes in the brain that the addiction has caused. If you have not yet developed alcoholism but have been abusing alcohol, consider keeping a journal and tracker of your drinking habits, setting a goal of when, where, and how much you will allow yourself to drink without going overboard, getting rid of any alcohol in the house, drinking very slowly when you do drink, being mindful of peer pressure, guarding yourself against temptations to drink, and more. If you or a loved one has alcoholism, treatment is the only option to ensure the right measures are being taken to move towards sobriety.

Nearly 350 million people worldwide experience depression. If you have been struggling with this, it may feel as though your world is caving in – being in a relationship can make this even more challenging, as your significant other may not be aware of what to say or do to help you feel better. A study conducted by researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne interviewed 135 couples of which either one or both partners had a history of depression. The ages of couples ranged from 20 to 83 years old, with couples’ history in length from 6 months to 49 years total. The couples shared the hardships their relationship has endured with depression involved. Here are some themes from what they said:

According to the Health Research Funding Organization, an estimated 1% to 3% of the general population in the United States have histrionic personality disorder (HPD), with two-thirds of individuals who have it consisting of women. HPD is a disorder that causes the person to experience instability in emotions with distorted views of themselves and fluctuations in their self-esteem. People with this disorder are prone to seek reassurance from others, to focus more on their physical appearance and aesthetic appeal, to use exaggerated motions and expressions, to have a lack of sincerity when engaging in social interactions, and more. HPD is intense in nature, making it difficult for people with this disorder to form and maintain close relationships. Our personality is ingrained within us from birth – how we behave and perceive ourselves and others can set a pattern for our lives. Personality disorders are considered inflexible and maladaptive, causing a person internal stress when their actions do not align with societal expectations and values. HPD exhibits excessive emotionality – and many with this disorder are regarded as “attention seekers”. Appearing as lively and dramatic, people with HPD may even embarrass friends and family in public with excessive public displays of emotion. The causes of HPD are unknown, and little research has been conducted on this disorder. However, many scientists believe that biological, developmental, cognitive, and social factors all play a key role. For example, studies have shown that people with HPD have highly responsive noradrenergic systems, which are mechanisms that release the neurotransmitter norepinephrine (responds to stress). It is believed that the malfunction that occurs with norepinephrine and other neurotransmitters is responsible for high reactivity. Some psychologists theory that people with HPD have highly maladaptive defense mechanisms, causing them to engage in repression, denial, dissociation, and displacement. Social and cultural perspective could certainly have an influence on this area. If you have HPD and are experiencing a variety of difficulties in your daily life, make the decision to seek treatment today. There are many tools that you can learn to better cope with unsettling situations, allowing you to better connect with others. Recovery is possible.

According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 948,000 reported heroin use in 2016, and this number continues to rise. Heroin is a popular drug of choice – and an addictive one at that – giving people feelings of euphoria. There are many side effects of heroin, however, and those include: dry mouth, warm flushing of the skin, overall heavy feeling, nausea and vomiting, extreme itchiness, clouded mental functioning, and going “back and forth” between consciousness and subconsciousness. While there is a common stereotype that a person with a drug addiction is homeless, jobless, and more, there are many people that defy that image. It is possible for someone to have an addiction and still function in their daily life, masking their secret habit. For example, CNN recently covered the lives of several people who have heroin addiction but have been able to hide their addiction while continuing with their success. One young man, age 26, explained that with his higher position in the corporate world, he was able to afford nearly $350-600 a week on drugs. This man further explained that he would lie to many people to continue with his drug use, telling a pharmacist that he needed syringes because he was a school science teacher or explaining to his coworkers that he had bruises on his arms because he was diabetic. Maintaining heroin addiction alongside career and social success also means having support if the person is in a relationship. One woman explained that as a store manager, she began using heroin when it became more difficult to obtain prescription opioids for the chronic pain she was encountering. She stated that her husband is supportive and even keeps Narcan, an overdose antidote drug, but he would prefer that she quit use altogether. She stated on CNN, “He loves me enough that he’s willing to stay with me. That’s a key component to keeping me from going off the deep end.” Each person’s story is different, but there is one ending that should be the same – recovery. If you are struggling with heroin addiction, make the decision to seek help today.

Often used to treat anxiety disorders, Xanax has been known to produce calming effects in the user. Short-term effects of Xanax include drowsiness, headaches, dizziness, fatigue, dry mouth, changes in sex drive, and more – but that isn’t stopping anyone from consuming this drug. Teenagers and young adults are more widely expected to consume this drug at parties, but there is one major concern on the rise – one that’s taking lives. The National Crime Agency (NCA) in the UK stated, “The great disaster is when these tablets are supplied between friends, and one friend kills another friend because they’ve sold them something without knowing what it was.” Counterfeit Xanax is becoming more popular, and drug producers are lacing it with a deadly drug – fentanyl, which has taken the lives of 113 people in the UK so far. There are several ways to identify what is Xanax and what is a counterfeit, but you must be well-versed on the drug’s generic qualities to be able to appropriately decipher: