Disorders

The Boy Who Finally Stopped Washing: OCD From Both Sides of the Couch
John B. is a therapist who both suffers from and treats OCD. In this memoir, he describes what it’s like to live with OCD, and, in general terms, the treatments that helped him and his clients. Unfortunately, although the book contains some vivid descriptions of John B.’s OCD along with some information on suggested treatment, [...]
Struck By Living: From Depression to Hope
Any memoir opening with “I tried to kill myself three times” has the imperative to deliver on the promise of importance, conflict, and resolution inherent within that declaration. For author Julie K. Hersh, Struck by Living: From Depression to Hope is a promise as well—a promise that she will continue to do whatever it takes [...]
Bipolar Disorder and the Americans with Disabilities Act
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was amended in 2008 to include bipolar disorder as a covered condition. The original 1988 law was designed to protect people with disabilities from discrimination in hiring, job assignments, promotions, firing, pay, layoffs, benefits and other employment-related activities. It states that if a disability causes impairment that [...]
Mindfulness Skills Useful in Addressing ADHD
Mindfulness meditation for people with ADHD? It may seem like a stretch, since difficulty with mindfulness is the very challenge for those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. And yet recent research shows that mindfulness training can be adapted for this condition and that it can improve concentration. Various clinicians and educators are already teaching mindfulness [...]
Disturbances of the Mind
Disturbances of the Mind by Douwe Draaisma is a book regarding various illnesses ranging from Bonnet Syndrome to Alzheimer’s, with an entire range of brain diseases in between. It provides an interesting narrative about how each disease came to be identified, by whom, the disease’s symptoms, and how it came to be named. This book [...]
In-Depth: Asperger’s Disorder
Asperger’s Disorder — also known as Asperger’s Syndrome or just AS — is a mild form of autism, recognized as a mental health concern that sometimes requires treatment. Asperger’s is usually diagnosed in childhood or as a young teenager, and is characterized by social impairment, isolation, and what others might see as eccentric behavior. The disorder’s [...]
The Bipolar Relationship: How to Understand, Help, and Love Your Partner
The Bipolar Relationship: How to Understand, Help, and Love Your Partner by Jon P. Bloch, PHD, Bernard Golden, PHD and Nancy Rosenfeld is a very detailed and helpful book meant specifically for romantic partners of bipolar people. Though it contains a large amount of information that could be helpful to an actual bipolar person, the [...]
BRAVE: Be Ready and Victory’s Easy
BRAVE: Be Ready and Victory’s Easy is a 96-page, large-print, softcover book is a quick and easy read geared toward helping children and parents find solutions for those who suffer from social anxiety. The story is more for younger people; Danny, a fifth grader, is its main character. Danny comes up with the typical excuses many [...]
Girl in Need of a Tourniquet: Memoir of a Borderline Personality
Not to use a cliché, but you can judge Merri Lisa Johnson’s Girl in Need of a Tourniquet: Memoir of a Borderline Personality by the cover quite accurately. The image of a heart that has been punctured by an arrow and the title truly set the tone for the reader. Most memoirs focusing on something [...]
The Efficacy of Postpartum Depression Screening
How effective is postpartum depression screening? More than one in 10 new mothers is thought to experience significant postpartum depression. The condition has a substantial impact on the whole family, and while effective treatments are available, fewer than half of cases are detected in routine care. Postpartum depression is typically diagnosed a month to a year after [...]
What to Expect from an Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) Treatment
Electroconvulsive Therapy — or ECT as it’s commonly known — is a brief medical procedure that involves applying short electrical bursts to the brain through external electrode pads on your head. These electrical bursts create a seizure, which has been shown to help relieve symptoms associated with severe depression. The entire procedure lasts about 15 [...]
Risks of Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)
Modern electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is generally considered a safe and effective treatment for severe, chronic depression and treatment-resistant depression, although it may occasionally be used to treat other conditions as well. Despite its general safety and efficacy, like psychiatric medications, it carries with it a number of side effects. Your doctor or psychiatrist should go through [...]
Understanding the Effects of Trauma: Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
The essential psychological effect of trauma is a shattering of innocence. Trauma creates a loss of faith that there is any safety, predictability, or meaning in the world, or any safe place in which to retreat. It involves utter disillusionment. Because traumatic events are often unable to be processed by the mind and body as [...]
Depression and Teenage Pregnancy
Research suggests that childbearing does not necessarily cause psychological distress among teenagers. Dr. Stefanie Mollborn of the University of Colorado and her team investigated stress and depression using a large group of teenage girls and adult women. In the Journal of Health and Social Behavior, they explain that teenage mothers’ high depression rates have received “considerable [...]
Approaching Neverland: A Memoir of Epic Tragedy & Happily Ever After
In the 1960s, when author Peggy Kennedy grew up, mental illness was a family secret. It was whispered about, handed off to hospitals, restrained, subjected to electroshock therapy and slews of sedatives and sent back home, when appropriate. Peggy Kennedy knows this all too well because her mother suffered from schizophrenia (her diagnosis was later [...]