Articles
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Definition: The American Psychiatric Association defines Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) as the presence of obsessions, compulsions, or both. Children and adults with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) suffer from unwanted and intrusive thoughts that they can't...
Hoarding Disorder
Definition People with Hoarding Disorder have a conscious, ongoing urge to accumulate possessions, as well as corresponding feelings of anxiety or mental anguish whenever those possessions get thrown away. While some people affected by the disorder accumulate valuable...
Personality Disorders
Personality Disorders by Clusters A, B, and C There are four core features that are common to all personality disorders. They are: distorted thinking, problematic emotional response, over-or-under-regubted impulse control, and interpersonal difficulties. In order to...
Love-Fear
I started my morning in a muddled daze, having spent a sleepless night tracking the results of the presidential election. Considering the outcome, I'd expected to respond to the reality with a sense of outrage, of fear, of concern for all the potential changes that...
Schizophrenia
Definition: Schizophrenia is a severe brain disorder in which the person interprets reality abnormally. In men, schizophrenia symptoms typically start in the early to mid-20s. In women, symptoms typically begin in the late 20s. It's uncommon for children to be...
Shirking the Stigma of Mental Illness
Even after more than 20 years in the mental health field, I continue to hear stories of clients stigmatized by the inappropriate use of psychiatric diagnosis, of people waiting years, even decades, before seeking treatment. Some of my clients have hidden the fact that...
Learn how to keep your New Year’s resolutions
With New Year’s Resolutions on Life Support (or Officially DOA), Now What? By Kate Geiser, LCPC “Lose weight.” “Exercise more.” “Save money.” “Get organized.” These are the most common resolutions, but of course there are lots of other possibilities. Many people begin...
Say What You Gotta Say
Communication issues are a core reason people seek therapy. Whether couples seek counseling to learn how to resolve conflicts or individuals desire to learn assertive, effective ways to share their feelings, therapy can help people develop the skills to speak their...
Meditation
Meditation By Bob Marsh, LCSW An earlier article on this website addressed the subject of mindfulness. The present article expands the scope of the earlier one to address meditation more generally. The objective here will not be to provide meditation instruction, but...
“It Is What It Is” — But IS It?
First used in sociology, the concept of social construction pertains to the ways social phenomena are created, institutionalized and made into tradition by humans. In more everyday language, we name objects, customs and behaviors based on how we see their functions in...