The U.S. Air Quality Index (AQI) system, a measure used by the EPA to determine daily air quality (AQ), categorizes air quality via these six colors: Green: good AQ Yellow: acceptable AQ, but with a slight risk for individuals who are especially sensitive to air contaminates Orange: unhealthy for sensitive ... Read More
Behavioral & Mental Health
Approximately 18.5% of adults in the U.S. have experienced mental illness. These disorders include depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder among others. This learning center explores the reality of mental health and the treatment needed. The stigma surrounding this issue prevents people from reaching out for quality help when a better life is possible. Our mental health licensed professionals treat patients with a variety of conditions and inform our topics found in this section.
How Air Quality Can Affect Mental Health
What is Mental Health Activism? How to Help
Openly discussing one's mental health no longer carries the same stigma it did in times past when people often avoided the subject. Throughout history, individuals with mental illness had difficulty finding acceptance and support from family members and others. Mental illness was a condition to be hidden or ignored. ... Read More
What is Hope Fatigue? The New Mental Health Challenge
What are you worrying about today in between worrying about the usual daily hassles? A possible global recession? Climate change? Gun violence? Police violence against people of color? Where the next mass shooting may occur? A civil war in the U.S.? The horrifying rise in racism, antisemitism, and transphobia over the ... Read More
The Skinny on How Dieting Affects Mental Health
We've all heard about being hangry. You go without eating for a while and suddenly every little thing irritates you and it just won't stop until you get some food in your belly. If just going without eating for a little bit is enough to affect your mood, what does dieting do? Making that big of a change in what you ... Read More
Stop Losing Your Hair (Literally) Over Stress
You've probably heard phrases like, "making my hair fall out" or "I had hair before my kids," but is there any truth to them? Can stress cause hair loss? Long-term stress, often called chronic stress, can make you vulnerable to a wide range of issues like anxiety, depression, difficulty sleeping, and—of course—hair ... Read More
Resolving Religious Trauma–Is It Possible?
Religion is a shared experience across virtually all cultures, countries, and ethnicities, with about 85 percent of the world's population identifying with a religion. At its best, religion can help people build vital social connections, provide a sense of structure, and promote self-improvement, empathy, and learning. ... Read More
What It’s Like to Experience Bipolar Episodes
Bipolar disorder is a lifelong mental health condition that's characterized by extreme mood swings. These mood swings include periods of deep depression and manic, high-energy periods. People with this condition also experience periods between these two extremes when they feel quite "normal," but various factors can ... Read More
Sleepwalking, Nightmares, and Night Terrors— The Mental Health Connection
Sleep disorders involving night terrors, nightmares, and sleepwalking are clinically referred to as "parasomnias." A parasomnia interferes with non-REM and REM sleep by causing a person to awaken themselves with sometimes vigorous physical actions or verbal outbursts. While parasomnias are common, especially among ... Read More