Compulsive Skin Picking – What Is Dermatillomania? Mental HealthBy Promises Behavioral HealthJanuary 13, 2020Dermatillomania, also known as skin picking disorder (SPD), is a serious problem in which an individual picks at their skin to the extent that it causes wounds. Many people don’t have an awareness of this condition but 2% to 3% of the population actually struggles with it. If you struggle with compulsive skin picking, you…
Ritual Prevention Therapy Good Addition to OCD Treatment Mental HealthBy Promises Behavioral HealthDecember 11, 2013Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a potentially debilitating mental health condition that centers on unpleasant, repetitive mental fixations, as well as ritualistic behaviors designed to reduce the potency of those fixations. Doctors commonly try to control the symptoms of OCD with antidepressant medications called SSRIs; however, these medications fail to produce an adequate benefit in substantial…
Complications in Diagnosing Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Mental HealthBy Promises Behavioral HealthNovember 14, 2013Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental condition well known for its ability to produce a combination of mental obsessions and compulsive behaviors. Sometimes, mental health professionals have a fairly easy time diagnosing the condition’s presence in their patients. However, certain factors can complicate an OCD diagnosis and create a much more complex picture for doctors.…
Mental Illness Awareness Week Launched Mental HealthBy Promises Behavioral HealthOctober 7, 201310 Myths About Mental Illness Are Debunked. This week, Oct. 6 to Oct. 12, we are celebrating Mental Illness Awareness Week, also known as Mental Health Awareness Week. “Celebrating” might seem like an odd word as the mention of the phrase “mental health” will inevitably bring up thoughts of suffering and dysfunction. But as we…
Exposure Therapy Boosts Antidepressant Treatment of OCD News and ResearchBy Promises Behavioral HealthSeptember 13, 2013Exposure therapy for those with obsessive-compulsive disorder combined with antidepressants is more effective in reducing symptoms than medication alone, according to a new study by New York’s Columbia University. Current guidelines favor augmentation of antidepressants with antipsychotics for those who suffer from OCD.
Eating on Autopilot: The Case for Food Addiction Eating DisordersBy Promises Behavioral HealthJuly 20, 2013Beryl was from a long line of tough Georgia women but she had one weakness that seemed to control her. Her home, Savannah, was a haven for some of the best food in the South and that was a happy fact for her, but also a point of vulnerability; Beryl could partake in so much…
Is Your Teen Suffering From Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder? Mental HealthBy Promises Behavioral HealthJune 27, 2013Obsessive-compulsive disorder, also known as OCD, belongs to a class of mental illnesses called anxiety disorders. People with OCD feel as if bad things will happen unless they go through certain routines. In some patients, these routines and bad feelings can be severe enough to overwhelm their lives. In others, the symptoms are mild. Anxiety…
Is Your Teen Obsessed With Religion? Adolescent IssuesBy Promises Behavioral HealthMay 30, 2013Religion can be a very positive thing for a teenager. By practicing the family religion, or even an alternative religion, a teen can develop high self-esteem, focus on schoolwork, and develop a positive social life. Being devout is also associated with avoiding negative things like drugs, alcohol and crime. Most parents, in fact, would be…
Important Distinctions Between OCD and ADHD Mental HealthBy Promises Behavioral HealthMay 25, 2013Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are two well-known conditions that can significantly alter normal mental function in affected individuals. While the two conditions are distinct, they can produce symptoms that strongly resemble each other in a variety of ways. For this reason, doctors sometimes mistake OCD for ADHD—or vice versa—when making their…
DSM-V: Hoarding New Mental-Disorder Diagnoses Mental HealthBy Promises Behavioral HealthMay 3, 2013Hoarding disorder is the name of a psychiatric condition that produces symptoms such as the compulsive urge to acquire unusually large amounts of possessions and an inability to voluntarily get rid of those possessions, even when they have no practical usefulness or monetary value. Until recently, mental health guidelines in the United States viewed hoarding…
