Updated November 21, 2022 "Trauma," as defined by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, is “an event, series of events, or set of circumstances that is experienced by an individual as physically or emotionally harmful or life threatening and that has lasting adverse effects on the ... Read More
Search Results for: ptsd
The Signs of Being ‘Roofied’ That Everyone Should Know
The act of being drugged without your knowledge or consent is commonly called "being roofied." The term "roofie" originated as a way to describe the drug Rohypnol and its role in date rapes. Since then, the concept of roofieing has come to refer to several drugs used for this same purpose. In the sections that ... Read More
No More Shame: Jeff M.
What possesses a 16-year-old kid to join the fire service in Orangeburg, South Carolina? “I wanted to help people and was drawn to the lights, sirens, and equipment,” Jeff M. said, in an interview for our No More Shame series. He also wanted to know “what people were running away from—to go into the burning building ... Read More
How to Navigate a Parent’s Alcohol or Drug Problem
Living with alcoholic parents can be challenging. Due to their substance abuse problems, they may display abnormal behaviors, struggle to maintain a job or fail to meet your emotional and physical needs. Without help, you risk developing your own addiction or mental health issues that can last into ... Read More
The Long Mental Health Arc of National Tragedies
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) develops after someone witnesses or experiences a traumatic event. For example, a veteran who served in a combat zone may experience flashbacks due to their military experience. PTSD also develops after mass disasters, which are situations involving a critical number of victims. In ... Read More
No More Shame: Kara W.
Kara W. had her first drink at the age of 14. It was the summer of 2006: My mom had gone out of town, and my dad was home but not very present. We took his beer, my brother and my friends, and I got drunk for the first time. The second time that she got drunk, Kara drank to the point of blacking out and falling in a ... Read More
Help for Complicated Grief, from an Expert
It is a universal human experience. Still, some grief is especially messy, distressing, and hard to move through. “Complicated grief” affects 7-10 percent of bereaved people, according to the National Institutes of Health. Grief can look very different between individuals, so there is no “right” way to grieve. ... Read More
Burnout Among Corrections Officers: An Expert’s Insights
Somewhere during our interview, Sonny Silva paused to paint this frightening scenario: Imagine that a major fight breaks out in the chow hall, and one inmate is stabbing someone on one side of the hall while another set of individuals are stabbing each other on the other side of the mess hall. There are 200 inmates in ... Read More
