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Approximately 51 million people worldwide have schizophrenia, a type of mental disorder involving a breakdown between thoughts, emotions, and behavior. With this disorder, individuals may have a faulty perception, may exhibit inappropriate actions and feelings, and more. The American Psychiatric Association notes that many people with schizophrenia experience delusions, hallucination, difficulty with thinking and concentrating, and lack of motivation. Recent research is leading to new medication that could help even further reduce symptoms that individuals with schizophrenia experience. Paul M. Grant, a research professor of psychology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania explained for the U.S. News that many people with schizophrenia don’t get a high quality of life. He stated, “For some people, they go through that cycle and they just don’t ever get the life that they wanted – they live solitarily, they keep to themselves”. Many others wind up homeless or abuse drugs and alcohol because of not only their symptoms but also due to stigma. If you have schizophrenia, you may have experienced some of these challenges. According to Science Daily, newest research is showing promise for a medication that may be able to directly target antipsychotic drug effects such as weight gain, anxiety, dizziness, severe digestive problems, agitation, and more. For scientists, they are particularly focused on the D2 receptor in the brain to see how certain medications bind to it. Before now, scientists were unable to find a way to isolate the D2 receptor – many medications also bind to many different dopamine, serotonin, and histamine receptors, causing serious side effects. If researchers can find a medication that doesn’t spark unwanted side effects, individuals with schizophrenia may be able to enjoy a higher quality of living while on medication. Hopefully soon, we will have something to help further alleviate distressing symptoms that many are experiencing. If you have schizophrenia, understand that you are not alone. Treatment is becoming more advanced and is opening more avenues – a future that we can become excited for. Seek the help you need today.

If you have a serious mental illness, you may have felt overwhelmed, fearful, and so flustered that you could barely think. You may have felt your chest tightening, as though the world was caving in. During these moments, it can feel like the world is falling apart – and it may feel like nobody can save you. Many people have experienced these feelings, and this is when treatment becomes a critical component of your recovery. When you first enter treatment for your mental illness, stabilization will be the first step. Stabilization, in a broad sense, may mean something different depending on the person. In the world of mental health recovery, it means reaching a psychological state of peace. Several interventions may be used to help you reach this:

With the opioid epidemic, doctors all over the country are limiting the number of refills patients can have, and some patients are being denied certain medications altogether. According to NBC News, many people are using Facebook to find and obtain prescription drugs they can’t otherwise get at the doctor’s. Through Facebook groups, people can request to join and then will swap certain drugs that are needed through private messaging. One woman stated, “If it weren’t for the online diabetes community I would be dead.” The dangers of sharing prescription drugs, however, are that people will not know if certain drugs have been stored incorrectly, are expired, or are contaminated. Yet many people are still risking their lives in pursuit of obtaining these prescription drugs. Drug makers and insurers are recommending that people first speak with their physician before taking unknown medication, and to only take what was prescribed to them. This easily becomes a problem, however, when the medication a person needs is denied access to them. Drug sharing isn’t just a U.S. problem, however. BBC News notes that tens of millions of prescription drugs have been smuggled into the UK, and officials are working to fix this issue. As one official stated on the website, “Tough enforcement is a fundamental part of the strategy and we are taking coordinated action to tackle illegal drug use alongside other criminal activity”. Overall, it seems there is a huge amount of criminal profit that is being made on selling prescription drugs through the black market. As the U.S. and other parts of the world are tackling the opioid epidemic, these drugs seem to be escaping through other avenues and we will have to see where this takes our country. If you are struggling with opioid addiction, make the decision to seek help today. Treatment may involve naloxone, an opioid antagonist that helps to reverse an opioid overdose. It’s never too late, and treatment is available. There are many people who care about your health and recovery; you are not alone.

Massage therapy has helped millions of people with tension and stress. The American Massage Therapy Association found that in 2015, massage therapy was nearly a $12.1 billion industry. In a general sense, massage therapy involves “pressing, rubbing, and manipulating the skin, muscles, tendons, and ligaments”, according to Mayo Clinic. There are several diverse types of massage therapy, including:

Art therapy can give people a voice, develop social skills, assist in relaxation, and much more. Art therapy is defined by the dictionary as “a form of psychotherapy involving the encouragement of free self-expression through painting, drawing, or modeling, used as a remedial activity or an aid to diagnosis”. As stated on the Huffington Post, art therapy exercises are often meant to emphasize the process, not the result, of the project. The following are some therapeutic art projects that you may want to begin to help you connect with your feelings and express yourself:

According to the American Holistic Health Association, “holistic medicine is the art and science of healing that addresses the whole person – body, mind, and spirit”. Holistic medicine considers the environmental, nutritional, physical, emotional, spiritual, and lifestyle components of a person’s life. The 2007 National Health Interview Survey revealed that approximately 38% of adults used complementary and alternative medicine. In total, 83 million adults spent $33.9 billion out-of-pocket for these services, and those numbers have likely increased. Holistic medicine consists of several different practices:

Many people in recovery cite spirituality as a key element to their success. In a study conducted by researchers from Maryland, participants in recovery were asked to explain the role of spirituality in their recovery. Many participants explained that when they were actively addicted, their spirituality seemed to suffer, and it seemed to go “hand in hand” when they entered recovery. Spirituality is defined by the Cambridge Dictionary as “the quality that involves deep feelings and beliefs of a religious nature, rather than the physical parts of life”.

With the opioid crisis, many people are in search of pain management techniques to help them work through the pain without having to use medication they once used before that could potentially lead them to addiction. If you experience chronic pain, this may be a challenging time for you as you learn to navigate healthy ways to manage your pain while avoiding prescription drug abuse, addiction, and overdose. Thankfully, there are a variety of holistic practices that you can incorporate into your daily routine that may help with pain:

Mental Health America states that codependency can be passed down from generation to generation within dysfunctional families. This is often because dysfunctional families refuse to acknowledge that problems exist and as such, family members learn to repress their feelings and disregard their own needs. When this occurs, family members often “lose touch”, disconnect, and hide themselves away. If you are someone who has gone through this, you may have developed some habits of codependency. This can be incredibly dangerous, as it increases your risks for being in abusive relationships. Psych Central has identified several characteristics of codependency, including:

Bipolar disorder is classified as a mental illness characterized by alternating periods of mania and depression. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, those with bipolar disorder often experience mood swings and changes in activity levels, which can affect all aspects of daily life. If you have bipolar disorder, you may be wondering how and if you should address this in your workplace – after all, it’s a common fear that those who disclose this information to managers and/or employees will face ostracization and other reactions from stereotypes. David J. Miklowitz, professor of Psychology at the University of Colorado-Boulder, explained for Forbes Magazine the challenges that many with bipolar disorder face when it comes to the workplace. He stated, “The stigma is real. It can be as subtle as fellow workers attributing justifiable reactions to situations to your illness, or as blatant as not getting a job or a promotion”. Previous research has followed through to confirm these fears, as previous studies have found that individuals who have disclosed their mental illness in the workplace have reported being denied opportunities for training, promotion, or transfer, and coworkers have reported viewing an individual with a mental illness as a personal failure. However, to push past these obstacles in the workplace we must, as a society, discuss mental illness more openly and provide more support for those who disclose. For example, the Huffington Post argues that businesses are losing $100 billion and 217 million lost workdays due to mental illness. If businesses can learn to address these concerns with employees and provide more resources and support, productivity levels and employee retention may yield incredible rewards. In addition, creating a culture of acceptance means that there is less stress, more conversation, and more inclusion. These benefits are so large that many employees would gladly take a salary cut in exchange for these invaluable gains. If you have bipolar disorder, it is completely up to you whether you feel open and safe to disclose your mental disorder to your employer and/or coworkers. Never compromise your safety if you feel that it would be threatening to disclose. If you work for a company that values inclusion and acceptance, this could be a fantastic opportunity to build more cohesion in your workplace. If not, you may be able to speak with your company’s Human Resource department to learn more about how you can incorporate a more inclusive-centered atmosphere into your workplace.

Approximately 1 in 4 adults in the United States have obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). OCD is a very real, very intense disorder that can affect nearly every aspect of a person’s life. The disorder may involve agitation, hypervigilance, impulsivity, meaningless repetition of words or actions, ritualistic behavior, social isolation, and more. No matter what type of OCD you are experiencing, note there are tools you can use to help overcome this. OCD can be very distressing, but here are several tips to help you begin your journey to recovery:

There are two kinds of couples when it comes to couples therapy. First are the couples who don’t think they need professional help or work on their relationship. Second are the couples who realize that needing professional help and working on their relationship isn’t a bad thing. One group is ready to do the work required of them in therapy. The other is not. Most of the time, both people in the relationship need to be willing and ready to seek therapy if the relationship is to work. Unfortunately, many couples wait too late – until one has already mentally distanced themselves and left the relationship – before seeking help. CNN notes that couple’s therapy should be sought long before a couple believes they “need” help. Kristie Overstreet, a licensed mental health counselor told CNN, “Most issues within a couple start small and then grow in size when they don’t get resolved. This is where therapy can help, by giving tools and techniques to improve conflict resolution.” For many, seeking therapy early on can save a relationship - even years of distress. Many couples find that an objective third perspective from a counselor can help them recognize problems and how to fix them before the issues become bigger. Oftentimes therapists will assign couples homework to know they are working on their problems outside of the therapist’s office as well. There are many other benefits that couple’s therapy can provide, according to Psychology Today: