Tag Archives: mental illness

Can viruses cause mental illness?

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Spend time in a crowded shopping center or in an air conditioned office during peak winter virus time and you’d expect that your chances of picking up a cold or flu virus would be increased. But what if you could pick up a mental illness via the same method? Conditions such as depression and schizophrenia have long been regarded as having a strong biological component by most doctors. That is, it is believed that there exists a genetic link in the development of these conditions. But what if these illnesses were caused by viruses? This is exactly what researchers in … Continue reading →

What is Schizophrenia?

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The public misconception of a schizophrenia sufferer as having a “split personality” has been pushed by Hollywood and novelists alike. Sufferers of this serious mental illness do not possess dual personalities, but the unfortunate stigma that is attached to schizophrenia and mental illness in general often precludes the general public having a thorough understanding of what this complex condition is all about. Schizophrenia affects roughly one in every hundred people, so it is hardly a rare illness. This proportion is consistent around the world, occurring in similar ratios in all races and socio-economic groups. It is no respecter of status … Continue reading →

When people do not understand mental illness

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When you have a mental illness, whether it be depression, anxiety, OCD, schizophrenia, or any of the raft of conditions that plague we humans, it is inevitable that, somewhere along our journey of recovery, we will encounter people who do not understand. But they are not content with merely not understanding mental illness. They feel it is their duty to deliver “advice”. Often, much of that advice is wrong, even harmful. In fact, if carefully questioned, many of the people who make derogatory or misinformed remarks to those suffering from a mental illness actually know very little about those conditions … Continue reading →

Could My Child Have Schizophrenia?

“Mommy, voices are talking to me…” What are the symptoms of childhood schizophrenia? One of the things that must be considered when determining whether a child might have the early signs of schizophrenia is whether his or her behaviors are age-appropriate. It’s not necessarily a concern, for example, if a four-year-old talks about imaginary friends, or even hearing “voices.” But a child who is seven years of age or older with these same behaviors should be evaluated. Fortunately, schizophrenia is quite rare in children, with approximately one in 40,000 children being diagnosed with the disorder. Yet unfortunately, schizophrenia comes on … Continue reading →

Taking the Stigma out of Mental Illness

All of us are mentally ill. You might find the above statement difficult to believe, but it’s true. We may not all fit into a textbook category for a particular illness, but whether we are aware of it or not, we all have our individual quirks— that’s what makes us human. And the best way to remove the stigma that is associated with mental illness is to see that we all have more in common with each other than we may like to imagine. And that includes the area of mental illness. Like physical illness, mental illness is very common. … Continue reading →

Hi and welcome to the Mental Health Blog site!

My name is Beth and I am a practicing Psychologist with almost ten years experience in personal, group, adolescent, and community counseling. Before I became a Psychologist, I graduated and worked briefly as a Geologist, mainly in research. But, as fascinating as geology is, it’s been a much more rewarding experience to help people come to grips with their problems and work with them to find a solution. It’s always given me a great sense of achievement to begin a session with an extremely distraught person, and by the end of that session, to see a smile and a glimmer … Continue reading →