ADHD stigma is considered one of several risk factors for negative outcomes of ADHD, including developing other mental health disorders such as anxiety, depression, alcohol/substance abuse, and eating disorders. Stigma of any kind is often connected to increasing the risk of suicide. A shocking fact about people with ADHD is that they are 3 times more likely than the general population to commit suicide.

Everyone feels sad sometimes. Sadness is a normal, healthy human emotion. We feel sad when we lose someone, when someone we love is going through a hard time, or when we are disappointed. We feel sadness when less significant things happen too- our favorite restaurant is closed, or it rains on a day we plan to be outside. Depression is not the same. It is a diagnostic term that means someone is feeling a combination of different symptoms that get in the way of normal, everyday functioning. Depression is sometimes used in place of sadness, but, in a clinical setting, these words are completely different. Sadness can be an aspect of depression, but both can exist on their own. 

But how can “bad” emotions be helpful?

Anxiety is the experience of excessive worry or nervousness related to life experiences. Many people experience anxiety in some form at some point in their lives. However, some people struggle with anxiety on a much greater scale and with greater frequency. People who have intense or frequent anxiety often feel misunderstood and belittled by those around them, and have a hard time describing what they might be feeling in order to ask for help. What is unhelpful to say to someone with anxiety? What might you say instead?

When we don’t have the energy to get out of bed, we may feel lonelier and more isolated. Stress can also exacerbate these problems. What is truly amazing is that, although rest is so crucial, is that humans often struggle with it so greatly. So what do we do when sleep alludes us? As most of us know, sometimes you just can’t fall asleep.

The warmth, relaxation and flexibility that the summer months bring can be exciting for vacations and sunshine, but for some, summer months can have the potential to trigger feelings of being overwhelmed and losing control and structure. Expectations of being carefree can put a lot of pressure on those who may be struggling mentally.

Social Media is a very common platform for self expression. This can be wonderful, but can also create some complicated views and experiences. A trend in social media is talking about mental health. Influencers on platforms like TikTok and Instagram will often talk about their own mental health diagnoses, what got them there, and what behaviors and challenges they have faced…Talking about these illnesses is extremely important. However, what is also happening is that people are misusing these terms.

For those of us who are animal lovers, there is nothing better than coming home to a pet who is happy to see you no matter what your day was like. The warmth, affection, and love pets give to us can feel soothing, and draw out our own feelings of care and mutual connection. Emotional support animals (ESAs) are pets who provide these feelings in a way that improves mental health for their human companions who have a diagnosed mental health condition. Emotional support animals can impact our emotions by alleviating worry, providing comfort, and mitigating feelings of loneliness.

Athletes often experience temporary results from disordered behaviors like restrictive dieting and over-training/exercising. Although it can be difficult for an athlete to step away from their sport, pursuing treatment increases their likelihood of safely returning—and can be lifesaving. Coaches, parents, teammates, and providers have a critical role in ensuring athletes are prioritized over the sport. Understanding the risks athletes face is key to providing preventative support.

Tired is a word that can mean so many things. We use this word to mean in need of sleep, finished exercising, or even annoyed with a situation (i.e. “I’m tired of this”). You can be multiple kinds of tired at once, and they often overlap. We can be emotionally, spiritually, or physically tired.  When someone says that they are tired, the advice is usually to rest. However, rest can look different depending on what kind of tiredness you are experiencing. If you are resting for a kind of tiredness that you are not feeling, the feeling will not go away. Seems pretty straightforward!

Many, if not every therapist and therapy client are currently facing some version of the question: “How can I stay informed without being constantly overwhelmed by the news cycle?” The answer to this question is specific to each individual, but there are a number of suggestions to help form your own answer to this question. Examining your relationship with news and media consumption is worth doing, especially if you’re finding it hard not to become overwhelmed, despairing, anxious, and angry when checking the news. The most recent American Psychological Association’s Stress in America™ poll shows that political and economic stressors are the highest sources of stress in adult Americans in 2024. The following 6 tips may help you fix your relationship with news consumption.