Blog

There are a number of personality disorders that people suffer from, two of which are Narcissistic Personality Disorder and Histrionic Personality Disorder. So what are personality disorders exactly? Personality disorders describe ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving that contribute to the way a person interacts with the world.  Unlike other psychiatric disorders (e.g. mood disorders & anxiety) that may vary significantly over time, personality characteristics are less flexible.  Narcissistic Personality Disorder and Histrionic Personality Disorder are two of the ten personality disorder diagnoses listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5).  Although people with these diagnoses share several characteristics, there are important differences between these disorders.

Serotonin syndrome occurs when you take medications that cause serotonin to accumulate in your body. Your body produces serotonin naturally. A certain amount of serotonin is essential for proper nerve and brain function but too much of this chemical can cause mild to severe symptoms. Taking certain medications can increase serotonin and cause symptoms that range from barely noticeable to severe. If not treated, serotonin syndrome may even result in death.

Addiction devastates the lives of millions of Americans each year. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, up to 43.7 million Americans suffer from an addiction, yet only a minute portion of them receive any assistance in overcoming their addiction. Unfortunately, many people continue to see non-substance addictions, such as impulsive gambling, shopping, stealing, or failure of sexual impulse control, as theories, and not actual addictions. However, psychological associations, mental health facilities, and researchers have compiled a massive database defining how and why these non-substances, more widely known as process or behavioral addictions, occur. In fact, the results of research studies and findings draw conclusions similar to risk factors for developing substance abuse addictions. Before you embark on a journey to help a loved one or yourself with a process addiction, you need to know how process addictions arise, especially from a genetic standpoint.

Binge eating disorder and bulimia are two of the three eating disorders recognized by the American Psychiatric Association. (1) On the surface, these two disorders may not seem different from each other. But there are significant differences in the warning signs and dangers of each disorder, as well as the demographics of those who suffer from them.

As spring blossoms, people will begin spending more time outdoors enjoying the fragrant and inviting atmosphere. For those suffering from a mental health disorder, the outdoors provides an excellent opportunity to improve healthy coping skills and encourage proper thought processes. If you want to boost mental health for yourself or a loved one this spring, consider how the following five activities will improve your mood, physical health, and your overall mental health:

As with the previous three steps of the 12-step program, step 4 requires you to look at your life before and during your addiction. While you are struggling with addiction, you may see things through foggy glasses. Perhaps you have blamed others for the troubles in your life rather than looking at the true cause of these issues. In step 3 you learned to let go and let God, but during step four of a 12-step program, you are required to remove the glasses and excuses and look at the real causes of the difficulties in your life. This process may be difficult to begin, but is both worth it and necessary for your recovery.

Borderline disorder is one of the most difficult mental health disorders to both diagnose and treat. This is because there are a number of possible causes and each one requires a different treatment. It is thought that this disorder affects 2% of the overall population and is most prevalent in females. Many patients begin showing signs of the disorder in early adulthood with symptoms decreasing with age.

You may have heard of water exercise or therapy for physical conditions and injury. Did you know that this activity helps in addiction recovery as well? This month our Program Spotlight features our Aqua Therapy Program which strives to improve brain and physical movement and functionality, along with lowering stress and sleeping problems. With the ocean view and beautiful climate, Avalon Malibu offers a wide variety of aqua activities for clients in recovery! Many people think of swimming and floating when they hear the term “aquatic therapy”, but there are actually a number of different techniques used by our trained therapists. Our staff will design a customized program specifically for you that in addition to our other holistic and alternative therapies, can include aqua therapy.

Barbiturates act as a depressant to the central nervous system and are sometimes used for sedation/anesthesia in surgery, seizures or to treat insomnia for the short-term. Unfortunately, street use of barbiturates has been a concern for some time.

It surprises some people to learn that workaholism is an actual condition rather than simply a catchphrase used to convey to others how much time you spend working. You may joke about being a workaholic, but if you have trouble separating yourself from your work and it's negatively impacting your life, you may find that you actually suffer from this condition and are at risk of suffering the dangers associated with a work addiction.

The 12 step program is a successful program created to help individuals overcome their alcohol addiction. It has been successfully adapted for use in the treatment of a variety of addictions. The first two steps of the program require you to admit that you have a problem and that you are unable to solve it on your own. You also learn how step 2 can lift you up in faith.

One of the primary causes of addiction is an underlying mental health disorder. While there are a variety of mental health conditions that can lead to addiction, bipolar is one of the most common.