Mental Health
91 Articles & Excerpts
Serotonin: From Bliss to Despair
by Joseph M. Carver, Ph.D.
Serotonin, first isolated in 1933, is the neurotransmitter that has been identified in multiple psychiatric disorders including depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, anorexia, bulimia, body dysmorphic disorder
Dopamine: Parkinson's Disease and ADHD to Smoking and Paranoia
by Joseph M. Carver, Ph.D.
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter linked to motor/movement disorders, ADHD, addictions, paranoia, and schizophrenia. Dopamine strongly influences both motor and thinking areas of the brain. One type of Dopamine works in the brain movement and motor system.
What is severe mental illness? Signs and symptoms of psychosis
by Rethink
We all know that our mental health state may vary from time to time, but for most of us this is just a temporary change. But for people who have a mental illness or disorder, their experience will be very different. They may experience a range of symptoms
Norepinephrine: From Arousal to Panic
by Joseph M. Carver, Ph.D.
Norepinephrine (NE) is the neurotransmitter often associated with the fight or flight response to stress. Strongly linked to physical responses and reactions it can increase heart rate and blood pressure as well as create a sense of panic and overwhelming
Smoking and Mental Illness
by Rethink
A proportionally large number of people with mental illness smoke. The smoking rate in the general population is just over 20% (Glassman 1999), while the proportion of people with schizophrenia who smoke may be as high as 90%. Why Do People With Mental
Negative Messages
 I'm Sorry
by Jay Krunszyinsky
How did your experiences with a parent contribute to your way of thinking today? Some people receive many negative messages throughout their childhood. Those who received negative messages as children develop irrational thought processes that carry over
The Chemical Imbalance in Mental Health Problems
by Joseph M. Carver, Ph.D.
Over the years, advances in neurology and research have simplified the way psychologists, psychiatrists, and others diagnosis and treat mental health problems. In over one hundred years of mental health treatment, the symptoms and behaviors associated
GABA: Mania and Seizures to Relaxation and Impulse Control
by Joseph M. Carver, Ph.D.
Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) is a neurotransmitter that is inhibitory, that is, it decreases the ability of other neurotransmitters to work. GABA is involved in our level of excitability. Rather than encouraging communication between cells
Medication Treatment of the Chemical Imbalance
by Joseph M. Carver, Ph.D.
Understanding these four neurotransmitters provides a window to understanding the majority of psychiatric conditions, ranging from depression to schizophrenia. Mental health professionals use psychological testing, interviews, questionnaires, and patient
The Subconscious Mind...
by Loren Parks
The reason we have so much illness and strife is that doctors and the population in general haven't the slightest idea how our minds work. If you trace the literature on healing into antiquity, including the Bible, it is there right in front of you.
Personality Disorders
by Rethink
Each of us has a personality or group of characteristics (called traits) which influence the way we think, feel & behave and makes us a unique individual. Someone may be described as having a 'personality disorder' if their personal characteristics
The Irritable Male Syndrome: What Is It, and Is It Real?
 The Irritable Male Syndrome: Managing the Four Key Causes of Depression and Aggression
by Jed Diamond
Q: What do you call a man who is always tired, miserable, and irritable? A: Normal. Q: How can you tell if a man has Irritable Male Syndrome? A: You ask him to pass the salt, and he yells, 'Take, take, take-that's all you ever do!'
Coping With Hearing Voices
by Rethink
Most people in modern-day western culture think of hearing voices as a clear sign of mental illness but it's as well to remember that not everyone shares this opinion. A report published by the British Psychological Society in (2000) claims that 10-15%
Mental Illness and Irrationality
I'm Sorry
by Jay Krunszyinsky
Did you know that one out of every three people suffers from a mental illness? Do you struggle with panic attacks, social fears, emptiness, paranoid thoughts, or extreme highs and lows? As a child, did you grow up with anxiety, attention problems, depress
Psychology of Cyberspace
by John Suler, Ph.D.
With the advance of computers and online networks - especially the Internet - a new dimension of human experience is rapidly opening up. The term cyberspace has been mentioned so often that it may at this point seem trite and overly commercialized.
The Basic Myths About Criminals
 Inside the Criminal Mind
by Stanton E. Samenow, Ph.D.
IN NEARLY A HALF-CENTURY, little has changed in terms of deeply ingrained beliefs about the causes of crime. In the classic, still often performed, 1957 musical West Side Story, Stephen Sondheim parodied what then was the current thinking about juvenile
Panic Attacks : A Simple Therapy
by Loren Parks
Panic attacks may occur after some really fearful, upsetting experience, or from something someone said to you (very common). You weren't born predisposed to panic attacks. You had an experience that created turmoil in your subconscious mind.
Self-Care Program for People With Bipolar or Unipolar Mood Disorders
by Jan Maizler, MSW, LCSW
Mood disorders like depression or manic depressive illness affect as much as 8 per cent of the world s population and account for billions of dollars worth of lost wages, salaries, and costs of treatment. No one knows the exact amounts, but the economic
Dual Diagnosis
by Rethink
Dual diagnosis is the co-occurence of mental health problems and substance misuse (alcohol an/or drug dependence). Thirty-seven percent of alcohol abusers and 53% of drug abusers also have at least one serious mental illness. Dual diagnosis can include
Recovery from Severe Mental Illness
by Rethink
Approaches to Recovery: The medical model. The medical model is the traditional approach to recovery from severe mental illness. It considers recovery to be a reduction in symptoms, a reduced need for medication and a reduced need for medical and social
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