Blog: Your resource for learning more about mental health

The term “no contact” is trending, even reaching the attention of Oprah  who recently did a segment on it.  But let’s face it – there’s nothing new about making an intentional decision to stop communication with a person (or people) for a period of time, or even indefinitely. It has been used as a coping mechanism since time immemorial.  The question is, does no contact help or is it an inherently unhealthy way to deal with strained relationships? Is no contact healthy? There

H.R. 1, commonly referred to as, the “ Big, Beautiful Bill ,” makes significant changes to both the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid. Understanding these updates is important as they reshape eligibility requirements and state responsibilities.     SNAP Changes    Work requirements now apply to certain recipients, including veterans, former foster youth, individuals experiencing homelessness, parents with children over age 14, and adults ages 55–64

Watch Dr. Nancy Curatto in a webinar about pet loss grief. The connection between humans and animals can be as strong – if not at times stronger – than connections between humans. In terms of mental health, these bonds can be lifesaving.  We spoke in the past about the idea of support pets , which can provid e a source of “connectedness, reassurance and normalcy” for people who are suffering from grief. The relationship between people and their pets is generally speaking posi

Listen to Eunice Atuejide on the MHAI Talks podcast in the Happiness is Free episode . Many children get stuck with labels such as being “difficult” or "stubborn." Often, this comes from a disconnect between how the child feels and the expectations of their local surroundings or environment.  This internal conflict is sometimes known as “belonging uncertainty,”  and the causes are  difficult to pinpoint as they vary enormously with each individual. It could be triggered by a

Illnesses and disorders don’t always show on the outside. While not a universal truth, this is a good rule of thumb for almost all mental health related issues.  People – especially men  – often hide when they are suffering from depression. The dedicated employee might be smiling all day in the office, but secretly the workload is too much and they’re struggling . And then you have domestic violence, a topic so often shrouded in silence  that we all know someone affected by i

Dr. Ashley Mahoney of Inner Peace Psychological Care Click to watch Dr. Mahoney's presentation: Your Anxiety Toolkit: Calming the Mental Chaos Did you know that according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) , “anxiety disorders are the most common mental disorders in the United States”? In fact, around 1 in 3 U.S. adolescents and adults experience an anxiety disorder at some point in their lives. Just think about it – in any given grocery store, cinema, school,

We have spoken before about the issue of stigma in mental health. Time was that this was the greatest obstacle to individuals getting the support they need. And while stigma can still be an issue – particularly in rural communities  – it’s not as much of a problem as it once was.  The American Psychological Association still claims that stigma is too high  (and they are absolutely right). However, it also claims that 83% of US adults say that “they are generally comfortable t

It can be easy to forget that social media is still an exceptionally recent phenomenon. If you want, you could claim that social media goes back to May 24, 1844 with the invention of Morse Code . However, for the majority of us, the before and after period can be marked by one platform – Facebook. For the younger readers out there, Facebook probably already feels like the equivalent of black and white TVs compared to color ones for previous generations.  Facebook changed it a

There is an old joke about an insurance boss who is happy with his employees and says, “You worked very hard this year. As a reward, I’ll give everyone a check for $5,000. If you continue working at the same level next year, I’ll sign those checks.” When it comes to mental health, this joke often feels all too true.  And it’s certainly no laughing matter.   Mental health insurance coverage If you search mental health insurance coverage, you will find that if “ mental health i