Mental Health and Addiction Articles, Blogs and Resources

What is Mental Health? How is it determined if one’s mental health is healthy? Learn all about it with our free Mental Health Resources.

Image of the brain and the mental health of a personMental health disorders, or mood disorders, are a disturbance in a person’s ability to cope effectively with daily events, major stressors, traumas, relationships, etc. A mood disorder affects a person’s physical being, emotional health, and social life.

There are multiple types of disorders, and they all can be debilitating. The actual causes of mood disorders are not specifically known, but it is understood that both physiological and behavioral factors play key roles in developing a mood disorder. The pain caused by a mood disorder can be addressed, and medications and behavioral treatment can help you manage the disorder.

Fighting a mood disorder can be dreadfully difficult. Often, a person dealing with a mood disorder is struggling with co-occurring issues as well.

Sadly, mental health disorders frequently co-exist with other mood disorders, eating disorders, substance abuse, and alcoholism. This is often due to the person suffering trying to self-medicate and trying to escape their pain by any means possible.

Working to help someone with co-occurring issues in addition to addressing a mood disorder is quite difficult. In order to treat one disorder, the other disorders must be addressed as well.

It is important that the primary issue be defined as well as the secondary issues. Then all of the issues have to addressed for true healing.

Unfortunately, one co-occurring issue feeds on the other co-occurring issues. This often builds into a vicious cycle that can eventually destroy your life.

Your mental health is critical in recovery. It is where a lot of focus is concentrated because if your mental and emotional health is not healthy, how can you be healthy?

You can take your life back and find complete recovery by seeking professional help from a mood disorder treatment center. They will be able to teach you how to manage the mood disorder and live life again.

Below are the latest articles on mental health resources and issues and process addictions, many of which often tie into substance abuse. In the “Mental Health Navigation” menu, click on the drop-down arrow to find evergreen, general information, as well as process addictions such as food addiction and sexual addiction.


Featured Addiction Expert Article

Dual Diagnosis: Barriers and Gateways to Effective Addiction Care

Nearly one out of two American adults who struggle with addiction also struggle with a secondary co-occurring disorder. McLean Hospital’s Dr. Kathryn McHugh examines the challenges of treating those with a dual diagnosis and, more importantly, the benefits to a customized integrated approach addressing each of these conditions simultaneously.

Postpartum Depression and Addiction

Pregnant woman by the ocean Contributor: Staff at Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center They say that motherhood is one of life’s most humbling and rewarding jobs. But it is also one of the most challenging, especially for mothers who struggle with postpartum depression and a substance use disorder. Women who are struggling with postpartum depression often turn to drugs or [...]
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Navigating Anxiety During Holiday Travel Season

Plane in flight Contributor: Staff at Keystone Treatment Center The holiday travel season is here, bringing with it the stress and anxiety that come with traveling at this time of year. Easing those feelings with drugs or alcohol might be tempting, especially for those who already struggle with addiction. But there are healthier ways to navigate anxiety during [...]
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Mental Health Struggles Increase the Chances of Opioid Overdose

Conscious Brain Contributor: Staff at Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center The opioid epidemic remains at crisis levels, with nearly 50,000 Americans dying from opioid-related overdoses in 2019 [1]. And while experts often point to powerful synthetic opioids such as fentanyl as the source of this public health emergency, the state of a person’s mental health can also [...]
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How Anxiety, Fear and Stress Impact Substance Use Disorders

Nature Lone Tree in Field Contributor: Staff at Sierra Tucson The presence of mental health concerns like anxiety, fear and stress can put someone at an increased risk for developing a substance use disorder and make maintaining recovery more challenging. We all experience these feelings from time to time, but for those who are in recovery from addiction, anxiety, fear [...]
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The Link Between Sleep Deprivation & Substance Use

Nature Road Through Redwood National Park Contributor: Staff at Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center There’s nothing quite like a good night’s sleep, but for many of us, those evenings where we get the proper amount of peaceful slumber are few and far between. Studies have shown that adults ages 18-64 need seven to nine hours of sleep per night, but more [...]
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