‘Winner’ of Beer Contest Dies After Guzzling 13 PintsAdolescent IssuesBy Promises Behavioral HealthAugust 5, 2013Joaquín Alcaraz Gracia had just won the annual drinking contest in the Spanish region of Murcia. He triumphantly raised the trophy—but then started to vomit. Well, drinking six liters (1.58 gallons) of beer in 20 minutes will do that to you. Sadly, it can also do a lot more to you, and Gracia learned this…
Signs of Pot Use in Teens, From Breath Mints to BurnsDrug AddictionBy Promises Behavioral HealthAugust 5, 2013Drug paraphernalia in the bedroom is an obvious indicator of marijuana use. But what are the more subtle signs that a teenager is smoking pot?
The Ranch: Fusing the Fractured MindDual DiagnosisBy Promises Behavioral HealthAugust 1, 2013Ranch primary therapist Lauren Herman is driven to discover the whys behind human behavior. Her integrated approach involves cognitive behavioral therapy, experiential therapy and dialectical behavior therapy.
Yogurt Can Affect Brain Function, UCLA Study FindsMental HealthBy Promises Behavioral HealthJuly 31, 2013Do you usually eat yogurt for breakfast? If you do, it’s likely because you know it will keep you regular. Many people eat yogurt for the probiotics, the healthy bacteria, which helps keep the digestive tract functioning well. Your gut is full of bacterial cells. These little organisms are there helping you to break down…
Psychopathy Vs. Antisocial Personality DisorderMental HealthBy Promises Behavioral HealthJuly 31, 2013Psychopathy is a common term used to describe a grouping of personality traits that includes such things as impulsive behavior, lack of regard for others, lack of a normal range of emotional responsiveness and frequent deception or manipulation of others. People who have these traits are known as psychopaths or sociopaths. However, the American Psychiatric…
Reducing the Impact of Obesity on Mental HealthMental HealthBy Promises Behavioral HealthJuly 31, 2013Doctors use the term obesity to describe levels of body weight that are high enough to seriously endanger one or more aspects of a person’s health. Specific problems linked to the presence of obesity include type 2 diabetes, strokes, hypertension, arthritis, high cholesterol, heart disease and certain types of cancer. Obesity is also frequently a…
Man Sues Apple Over Porn AddictionSex AddictionBy Promises Behavioral HealthJuly 31, 2013Do you remember the woman who sued McDonald’s in 1994? Stella Liebeck, 79, ordered coffee from the giant fast food chain then spilled it in her lap while she was attempting to mix in the cream and sugar. The burn from temperature of the coffee, which McDonald’s required each restaurant to hold at 180 to…
Anxiety: Quieting a Noisy, Troubled MindMental HealthBy Promises Behavioral HealthJuly 30, 2013To look at Jude’s fingernails, you’d think she had an unfortunate disorder, something that affected nail growth and left only jagged bits of rough and misshapen keratin on the ends of her fingers. She chewed at them mercilessly when she thought no one was watching, and though she’d tried everything to quit what she believed…
Vivitrol Blocks Heroin HighDrug AddictionBy Promises Behavioral HealthJuly 30, 2013There is a relatively new treatment for addiction on the market. It isn’t a new type of therapy or a variation of a 12-step program and it isn’t a replacement for a drug, like methadone, which acts as a replacement for heroin. The new drug, called Vivitrol, is an injection that prevents addicts from getting…
Treating Insomnia Alone Doesn’t ‘Fix’ Underlying DisorderMental HealthBy Promises Behavioral HealthJuly 30, 2013Millions of people in the U.S. struggle to get a good night’s sleep on a regular basis. In some cases, insomnia is caused by physical ailments, such as seasonal allergies or chronic pain. For many others, however, sleep disturbances are directly linked to mental health problems, such as depression or anxiety. Unfortunately, frequent or chronic…
