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.

The Prevalence Of PTSD And Alcohol Use Among Domestic Abuse Victims

Alcohol Use Among Domestic Abuse Victims - Addiction Hope Contributed by Serenity Knolls clinical team member Kathryn Taylor, MA, LPC/MHSP. In light of PTSD Awareness Month (June), we'd like to shed light on an often-overlooked sufferer of the disorder: domestic abuse victims. Before we get into how domestic violence can cause the victim to suffer post-traumatic stress disorder and alcohol problems, let's look at what [...]
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The Connection Between Substance Abuse And Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Substance Abuse And Generalized Anxiety Disorder - Addiction Hope Contributed by Beth Tesmond, MHS, CADC, MISA, Addictions Program Coordinator, Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center Anxiety disorders are extremely common throughout our country and manifest in many different ways. Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is the most common of these, affecting 5 percent of the population. This disorder frequently has a connection to drug or alcohol [...]
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Integrated Treatment for Co-Occurring Disorders

Mom Hugging Child and separating the Addict and my child Contributed by Kim Dennis, MD, CEDS – CEO/Medical Director Emeritus, Timberline Knolls. For countless individuals who may be struggling with addiction, another serious mental health issue may compound their existing symptoms. Co-occurring disorders, also known as dual diagnosis, are the existence of both a mental health and simultaneous substance use disorders. Research has identified an [...]
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Suicide By Social Media: The Digital Killer

Suicide By Social Media - Addiction Hope The number of stories about teen suicide caused by bullying seems to multiply each year. While bullying used to occur primarily in the schoolyard and classroom, the prevalence of young people joining social media sites has led to a new arena for psychological abuse. The link between bullying and suicide among young people is well [...]
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