In 2008, The New York Times published the "Modern Love" essay "Take Me As I Am, Whoever I Am." This piece was written by Terri Cheney, an entertainment lawyer at the time, who described her experience with bipolar disorder as being "in a constant state of becoming someone else." In the now-famous essay, Cheney ... Read More
Search Results for: eating disorder
Debunking Hollywood’s Depictions of Bipolar Disorder
No one can accuse Hollywood of being overly sensitive to mental illness and bipolar disorder. Whether movies or TV shows, Hollywood productions frequently use bipolar disorder as a plot device to spin the action forward. Too often they achieve this result by falling back on stereotypes about the disorder, depicting ... Read More
On-Demand Brain Stimulation: The New Frontier in Treating Depression
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a serious mental illness impacting millions of adults in the U.S. Symptoms of MDD, such as feeling worthless, hopeless, and suicidal, are often severe enough to prevent a person from working, going to school or taking care of family responsibilities. The National Institutes of ... Read More
The Eye-Opening Link Between Depression and Overeating
If you have ever found yourself feeling depressed and eating certain foods that temporarily improve your mood, you are not alone. Of course, there is nothing wrong with occasionally indulging in a package of your favorite cookies or bag of chips because you had a bad week. But overeating more than occasionally may be a ... Read More
What Is Attention-Seeking Histrionic Personality Disorder?
When an individual suffers from an attention-seeking histrionic personality disorder (ASHPD), they base their sense of self-worth on the approval of others to an extreme degree. This often results in behavior where the individual acts in an overly dramatic, exaggerated or inappropriate manner to gain ... Read More
What Is Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD)?
Many of us have someone in our lives who has trouble forming relationships with others. It might be a coworker, a distant cousin or a neighbor. These individuals don't seem to have anyone close to them. And even when you've tried to establish a bond with them, you've felt pushed away. You may have wondered why some ... Read More
How the DSM Became the Defining Authority on Mental Disorders
There's no question that the mental health treatment community — as well as society at large — is always learning about mental illness. Every year, new research comes out that shifts our thinking slightly about certain conditions. These changes may be so incremental we hardly notice them. But a look back at how the ... Read More
Impulse Control Disorders – What Are They?
Humans are impulsive creatures by nature. In some cases, those impulses let the individual take hold of an opportunity that may otherwise pass them by. Impulses can even be life-saving, letting the individual act quickly to get out of a dangerous situation. On the flipside, impulses can lead to damaged relationships, ... Read More
