Although there is great variation in how OCD is manifested, it is helpful to first understand the common ground of these manifestations: compulsions and obsessions.  Obsessions are “persistent impulses, ideas and images that intrude into a person’s thinking and cause...

Humor can be an effective tool in the therapeutic process and in general when it comes to managing mental illness or negative emotional states.  Learning to challenge your depression, anxiety or maladaptive behaviors can be an overwhelming and arduous process. ...

We are bombarded on a daily basis with societal messages about the need to eat organically, exercise on a regular basis, avoid junk food, and be as healthy as possible.  In fact, entire television shows are dedicated to weight loss...

Infertility is a deeply personal struggle that can be fraught with shame, loneliness, confusion, disappointment, fear, desperation, judgment, and extreme sadness. Seemingly harmless and often well-intentioned questions and statements by random people can be like a dagger to the most...

A diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder can be overwhelming. You may have suspected over the years that your moods seemed more intense than those of your family or friends, but actually hearing the diagnosis out loud can confirm that underlying fear...

The therapy couch is the great equalizer. It does not discriminate. There are people from all walks of life, all reasons for coming, all feeling human pain. The human experience is unique, beautiful, raw. It is also common and you...

Defining Anxiety Definition—Anxiety can be defined as an unpleasant affective (mood) experience marked by a significant degree of apprehensiveness about the potential appearance of aversive or harmful events. Anxiety is among one of the most common precipitants motivating people to...

Aside from the obvious mood difficulties that are inherent to individuals suffering from Bipolar Disorder (see Understanding Bipolar Disorder), memory, attention, and executive functioning can also be compromised. Attention is “the ability to selectively and flexibly process some information in...

Being a parent is a beautiful blessing. It is also really challenging, demanding and all-consuming. There are many pressures and expectations that we feel compelled to meet. As parents, we often fall into automatic habits and interaction patterns with our...

Struggling with Bipolar Disorder is an on-going and exhausting battle for the affected individual. Watching someone you love struggle with Bipolar Disorder can be equally challenging and exhausting. Seeing your loved one experience hopelessness, frequent crying spells, social and career...