Have you ever felt ashamed about skipping out on a plan or event because of mental illness?       Gabi Garrett on Just The Way You Are Oct 11, 2015 • 1:00pm Like Us On Facebook     I have. Would the same apply if you had a health issue, such as a minor headache, instead of mild anxiety or heart palpitations? I’d say, probably not. As someone who has struggled with anxiety for the past five years, it’s important for me to highlight the stigma that comes along with having mental health issues. Mental illness has gotten a bad rep in popular culture. Many shows portray the idea that…

    In cabaret shows and musicals such as My Beautiful Black Dog, performers at the fringe are breaking the taboo of mental health         ‘People don’t want to talk about this stuff’ … Brigitte Aphrodite’s My Beautiful Black Dog. Photograph: Olivier Richomme Hannah Ellis-Petersen   Sunday 9 August 2015 09.34 EDTLast modified on Sunday 9 August 2015 12.09 EDT     As a nation, the UK has never excelled at talking about its own state of mind. From discussions about depression to frank admissions of unhappiness, such matters have mostly remained taboo in favour of maintaining that very British stiff upper lip. However, at this year’s Edinburgh festival…

Don't address your weight before your mental health By Yoni Freedhoff May 29, 2013 | 11:46 p.m. EDT+ More For many people, weight is depressing. Whether consequent to society's hateful weight biases, which expose individuals with obesity to mood-killing bullying, scorn and discrimination, or to personally held beliefs and attitudes, there's little doubt that weight is often a huge psychological burden. Yoni Freedhoff   [See When Science Met The Biggest Loser.]   There's little doubt, too, that those who struggle with both weight and depression often feel a tight relationship between them, that their depression would lift were they to lose weight. And for some it does. A recent meta-analysis…

Time may fly when you're having fun, but it can feel as though it's screeching to a halt when you're depressed.     People with depression actually perceive time as going by more slowly than people who are not depressed, according to a review of studies published in the Journal of Affective Disorders in January. To investigate the link between depression and time perception, German researchers analyzed data from 16 previous studies on more than 800 depressed and non-depressed people. Most of the studies assessed time perception by asking participants to gauge the length of time that they had engaged in different activities, such as watching a short film or…

  Your condition doesn't have to keep you from finding love.   Having an open and honest conversation with your date can help you decide if he or she will be worth your time and effort. By Amir Khan Dec. 5, 2014 | 9:15 a.m. EST+ More When you have a mental illness, the fun of dinner and drinks and the chemistry between the two of you can be dwarfed by worrying over how your date will react when you open up about your condition. If you tell him too soon, you might scare him off. Wait too long, and you run the risk of her feeling misled. So what…

<   It's that time again — time to reflect, refresh and redirect ourselves as we look at the approaching horizon of a new year. I love the week before New Year's Day because I take time every year to analyze the year that has passed — and make plans for the year to come! The journey to whole health is a part of that planning as we all continue to navigate the changing landscape of trying to be "healthy." Here are my strategies for making lasting New Year's resolutions to change your whole health.   Step 1 — Resolve to change your mind.   It is so easy to…

    Coping with Depression Holidays are supposed to be a time of joy and celebration, but for many people they are anything but. Learn about statistics and how to cope. Written by Michael Kerr Medically Reviewed by George Krucik, MD   Holidays are supposed to be a time of joy and celebration, but for many people they are anything but. Depression may occur at any time of the year, but the stress and anxiety of the holiday season—especially during the months of November and December (and, to a lesser extent, just before Valentine's Day)—may cause even those who are usually content to experience loneliness and a lack of fulfillment.…

  The After period of FBC (f-bomb breast cancer for new readers) presents its own unique set of challenges. The anxiety and depression that sneaked in AFTER my breast cancer treatment was a real shocker. Once I was done with treatment, I thought I was done. However, yet again, FBC laughed right in my face! The fantastic organization, Living Beyond Breast Cancer recently addressed anxiety and depression issues in a webinar (have you ever done a webinar? They are so great!) with psychiatrist Ruth H. Steinman. Dr. Steinman assured us that although conflicting emotions can be confusing to you and those around you, anxiety and depression after breast cancer is absolutely normal…

  By Susan Antilla updated 9:49 AM EDT, Tue May 27, 2014 STORY HIGHLIGHTS Two high school students tried to tell stories about teen mental illnesses   Susan Antilla: Schools need to have open conversations about mental health She says kids suffering from mental illness crave information that can help them Antilla: A town in Connecticut has seen good results when it fosters discussion Editor's note: Susan Antilla is an award-winning financial writer and author of "Tales From the Boom-Boom Room: The Landmark Legal Battles That Exposed Wall Street's Shocking Culture of Sexual Harassment." Follow her on Twitter @antillaview. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the…

      If you've been wondering whether or not you should get a pet, here's a pretty good reason to: A new study reveals that young adults who have a strong connection with a pet also experience social and relationship benefits.         Posted: 02/03/2014 8:51 am EST "Our findings suggest that it may not be whether an animal is present in an individual's life that is most significant but rather the quality of that relationship," said the paper's author, Megan Mueller, Ph.D., a developmental psychologist and research assistant professor at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, in a statement. “The young adults in…