mental health

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) was developed in the 1960s by psychiatrist, Aaron Beck. It is a structured, short-term, goal-oriented form of psychotherapy. CBT is based on the notion that thoughts and behaviors influence feelings; therefore, shifting the way one thinks…

Outpatient treatment refers to non-residential treatment, in which the teen spends structured time in treatment during the day or evening and returns home each night.  This treatment format can be beneficial for adolescents with mild to moderate symptoms who have…

Depression, also known as major depressive disorder (MDD) or clinical depression, is listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5). It is a neurological disorder that affects mood, cognition, behavior, and impedes adaptive functioning. The…

Single parenting or single parenthood refers to a parent who brings up a child or children without the assistance of a partner.  The reasons for this can vary. Whether they come about after divorce, death, incarceration, or start that way,…

Parents play a profound role in their child’s mental health and emotional wellbeing, beginning at birth. Secure parental attachments, for example, are integral to a young person’s social and emotional development.  The Psychiatric Times defines attachment as “a composite of…

Schizophrenia is a chronic and severe neurological disorder that is listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5).  It is characterized by episodes in which the individual is unable to distinguish between real and unreal…

Mental health is explained by the World Health Organization (WHO) as “a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is…

The Cleveland Clinic describes stress as “a normal reaction the body has when changes occur, resulting in physical, emotional and intellectual responses.”  Stress can be subdivided into different categories: positive stress, tolerable stress, and toxic stress. Positive stress responses are…