Category: Topics

Schizophrenia Epidemiology Schizophrenia is a chronic, debilitating disease that lasts lifelong. Although about 1% of people worldwide have schizophrenia, it is one of the top 15 causes of disability. In the United States 1.2% of the population has schizophrenia. For males it usually begins in their late teens to...

Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder We’ve talked about depression which is an important concept when talking about bipolar disorder because Bipolar Disorder is characterized by mania or hypomania and severe depression. It used to be called manic-depressive illness. The symptoms of Bipolar I are called mania. The symptoms of Bipolar...

Before you read the following blog post, I’d like to thank Pastor Mike Matousek for helping me with this blog post. He shared a sermon which he gave to his congregation in the past. Several of the paragraphs are his hard work and heart. A Moral Failing? In times...

Mindfulness Mindfulness is used in Western culture to mean that one is present in the moment.  This is supported by the scripture, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:34). He is asking us only...

What Does Depression Really Feel Like? “Mental pain is less dramatic than physical pain, but it is more common and also more hard to bear. The frequent attempt to conceal mental pain increases the burden. It is easier to say, ‘My tooth is aching’ than to say ‘My heart...

Suicide Awareness This is a very important post. Suicide is a huge public health crisis. I work with adults and adolescents who are suffering from depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and substance abuse. Everyday I work hard to help people see hope when they don’t feel they have any. This week...

Complementary and Alternative Treatments for Depression Complementary Versus Alternative What is complementary treatment versus alternative treatment? We hear them so often linked together, we don’t tend to think about what those terms actually mean. Some people might think they mean “woo woo” type treatments and some people prefer only...

Medication for Depression There are many options for medications in order to treat depression.  A positive aspect of antidepressants is they often treat anxiety as well, and many people have anxiety and depression combined.  Although there are many classes of medications for depression, I will focus on three different...