Understanding Alcoholism
According to the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc. (NCADD), one in every 12 adults suffers from alcohol abuse or dependence. Alcohol is the most commonly used addictive substance in the U.S., and while many of us have experienced a night of a few too many drinks, for others, drinking can become […]
Signs of Alcoholism
If you think alcoholism may be a concern for you or someone you love, the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc. (NCADD), outlines several key signs and symptoms to look for. Increased Tolerance: This means that you have to drink more than you used to in order to feel the same effect, or […]
Understanding the Relationship Between Anxiety & Depression
We’ve all experienced moments late at night where we worry we’ve forgotten that one important task at work, or to pack our kids’ lunches, or to shut off the oven – or moments when sadness overtakes us at the loss of a job or an unexpected disappointment. But there are also times in millions of […]
Beat the Winter Blues
8 Ways to Cope with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) Between 4% and 6% of people in the United States suffer from SAD: Seasonal Affective Disorder. Another 10% to 20% may experience a mild form of winter-onset SAD, often called the “winter blues.” By Laura Childers Alleviating SAD: Let there be light. There are all kinds […]
The Fall and Winter Blues
Seasonal Affective Disorder Imagine this: On the first day of winter, the sun rises at 11:23 a.m. and sets at 3:29 p.m. These days of brief sunlight – assuming the sun is visible at all and not covered by clouds – last for several months. How would you cope? By Tom Cory, PH.D. In Iceland, […]
Understanding Anorexia Nervosa
In the world of misunderstood health conditions, few have a worse track record of misinformation than anorexia nervosa. By Julianne Hale Anorexia nervosa is defined by MEDA (Multiservice Eating Disorder Association) as, “a disorder in which preoccupation with dieting and thinness leads to excessive weight loss.” The symptoms of individuals with anorexia nervosa are listed […]
Suffering in Silence
Anxiety in Men The stress of everyday living takes its toll on everyone. For some individuals, however, excessive stress may lead to complications, both physical and emotional. Perhaps the most common of these complications is generalized anxiety, which is estimated to affect nearly 7 million Americans. By Mike Haskew In addition to generalized anxiety, more […]
Lifelong Learning
For a Vibrant Later The old saying “use it or lose it” applies to our brain, our muscles and our relationships. Nancy Merz Nordstrom, an expert on lifelong learning and author of Learning Later, Living Greater: The Secret for Making the Most of Your After-50 Years, notes that research reveals that a “challenged, stimulated brain […]
Too Happy & Too Sad
Understanding Bipolar Disorders It is an illness of extremes, of highs full of grandiosity and energy, of lows full of despair and lethargy. It is an illness that is frequently not recognized as such, an illness that the National Institute for Mental Health estimates between five and six million Americans, approximately three percent of our […]
Adult Anorexia
Alice, age 62, remembers that her battle with anorexia started soon after the birth of her first and only child. “I really don’t know life without it,” she says. Sara, age 42 and the mother of three children, weeps as she remembers her long struggle with anorexia in high school and college and finds it […]
