What is anxiety disorder? Anxiety is part of everyone’s life, and in many situations, anxiety is essential for helping people avoid danger and navigate risks. However, some people experience intense periods of anxiety that are unmanageable and overwhelming. In many cases, these individuals suffer from an anxiety disorder. There are several common types of anxiety disorder,…
Bipolar Disorder
What is bipolar disorder? Bipolar disorder is a mental health condition that results in significant mood swings. Clinicians also refer to bipolar disorder as manic depression. As one can see in the name, a person with the mental health condition can exhibit both manic behavior and depressive behavior over short periods. Depending on the patient, these…
Chemical Dependency
If you’re reading this, you’re probably concerned about yourself or a loved one struggling with chemical dependency in Orange County. Understanding the causes, signs, and symptoms of chemical dependency can help provide a plan for recovery – and hope. What Is Chemical Dependency? Chemical dependency is historically known as the term for substance use and…
Depression Treatment
What is depression? Depression is a mental health condition that results in prolonged periods of sadness and disinterest in one’s life. While sadness is a normal reaction to difficult experiences in life, such as losing a loved one or suffering setbacks, depression results in sadness that persists for weeks and months at a time. Children, teens, and adults…
Mental Breakdowns
A mental breakdown is a term used to describe an event in which someone undergoes a sudden and severe bout of depression, anxiety, or stress. It can be triggered by any number of things: death of a loved one, harassment at work, unemployment, or something else. Mental breakdowns are usually short-lived and can be treated…
Psychological Trauma
What is trauma? Psychological trauma refers to the mental health impacts of threats to a person’s wellbeing. Examples of events that may cause trauma include: Losing a loved one Experiencing violence Ending a long-term romantic relationship Getting injured or disabled Experiencing a severe illness Trauma often results in feelings of sadness, fear, anxiety, or anger,…
PTSD
What is PTSD? PTSD stands for post-traumatic stress disorder. PTSD is a serious mental health condition that occurs in individuals who have experienced traumatic events. When people with PTSD experience situations or events that remind them of past traumatic events, they become extremely distressed. They experience a fight-or-flight response as if they were reliving the…
Schizophrenia
What is schizophrenia? Schizophrenia is a mental health condition resulting in people having difficulty thinking clearly and remaining grounded in reality. People who have schizophrenia experience psychosis, including having auditory hallucinations and delusions about people plotting against them. Schizophrenia impacts both men and women, and onset occurs during people’s twenties and thirties. Although rarer, teenagers…
Self-Harm
What is self-harm? Self-harm refers to intentionally injuring oneself in an attempt to cope with trauma or underlying mental health conditions. Self-harm occurs in many forms, and it most often occurs as cutting, scratching, burning, or self-hitting. Other forms of self-harm involve piercing and inserting objects under one’s skin. People engage in self-harm as a way to take…
Substance Use
What is substance use? Substance use occurs when individuals consume legal and illegal drugs, alcohol, or prescription medication excessively, to the point that they experience negative impacts on their physical and mental health. Substance use includes getting drunk from alcohol or getting high from drug use. While substance use may be manageable initially, it can…