One in three adults in the United States report experiencing a lack of sleep, according to recent research by the National Sleep Foundation. Sleep is important. Insufficient sleep often relates to a myriad of physical and mental health issues such as weight gain, hypertension, difficulty…
Alone with my “weirdness” I pull out my hair. Hair pulling is a coping mechanism for stress, anxiety, boredom and other emotions. The behavior is often trancelike – characterized by a compulsive urge to pull out hair on the head, face or other parts of…
One issue that suffers of Harm OCD should be aware of is the fact that many people are not well informed about this form of OCD, and often misinformed about OCD in general. As with many things that require experience and expertise, correctly diagnosing and…
Harm OCD is an extremely distressing subtype of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder that can have debilitating effects on one’s mental health. To briefly review, in Part 1 of this series, we outlined some of the core themes of Control, Certainty, Responsibility/Guilt, and Character, which Harm OCD sufferers…
Postpartum depression is a phenomenon that may be familiar to many, even those who do not have children of their own. However, much less widely known or discussed is the anguish of Anxiety or OCD in the Perinatal and Postpartum stages, which affects an estimated…
Very few things are considered as morally egregious and devastating as the inappropriate sexual treatment of minors – and for good reasons of course. The term Pedophilia is used to refer to individuals who experience recurrent and intense sexually arousing fantasies, urges, or behaviors involving…
Harm OCD is a common subtype of OCD in which the sufferer has unwanted and intrusive thoughts of doing something harmful to oneself, or to someone else. This form of OCD is often especially troubling because it can cause someone to question their own basic…
Many studies show the mental health benefits of physical exercise. However, psychiatrists rarely recommend that their patients do it. Why is that? In an article in Medscape, Nancy A. Melville discussed recent…
Photo credit: Kinga Cichewicz Seven to eight hours of shut-eye per night can help you lose weight, boost your memory, and live longer. So why are nearly one in three U.S. adults not getting the recommended amount of sleep? Whether it’s stress, distractions, poor diet…
The food we eat impacts not only our physical well-being but also our mental well-being. Our food is our body’s fuel and it contributes to how our mind and our body function in our daily life. Stay Hydrated! Drink at least 8 glasses of…
I’ve learned through my own experience that the relationship between quality sleep and mental health are reciprocal, where a lack of sleep can intensify symptoms of mental illness, and having a mental illness can in fact make sleeping more difficult. I myself was diagnosed with…
Kristin Howard, LMFT practices at CBT SoCal‘s Glendale office and with the Counseling Center of Loyola Marymount University. Jason von Stietz, Ph.D.practices with CBT SoCal in the Torrance office, Whittier College Counseling Center, and has a special interest in Sport and Performance Psychology. Winter has come, and CBT…