Simon got scammed. It wasn’t the first time. He has a severe mental illness and he is lonely. He really wants friends and is willing to do anything to get them-including giving them his money, belongings, and even I.D.

But I am not much of a window shopper. So, when she is looking at the stuff she likes to look at (books, bed linens, rugs and antiques, handbags, furniture, kitchen equipment, clothing, shoes-I checked, that’s the correct order), I look around at the people rushing by.

Nutrition plays a role in mental health, but “a chocolate chip cookie baked with love is healthier than a bowl of organic vegetables served with hate”.

For many people with a variety of mental illnesses (bipolar, depression, schizophrenia, and others), medications are a lifesaver. They may prevent distressing symptoms from fully expressing and in some cases, eliminate them nearly entirely.

If you abuse drugs or alcohol you should know that there’s a strong correlation between substance abuse and suicidality. Important findings were recently released from SAMHSA’s 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

It doesn’t make sense. You pay a lot of money (or use up your insurance “bank account”) to your therapist – and you don’t tell them what’s really on your mind. You may not even tell them the main reason you are in therapy and just offer a “side” issue for them to focus on!

In Western culture, love precedes relationship/marriage. In other cultures, marriage precedes love. If two like minds share similar values, beliefs, and goals, it is easier for love to grow. For many, the slower love grows the longer it burns.

More and more, addiction and mental health professionals need to address the fact that there is much overlap between mental illness and substance abuse/addiction.

I just learned that I am supposed to care about my Twitter numbers-in fact, they are quite important. Yes, a kind, dear friend asked me how many followers I had. Here’s the conversation:

When we interviewed therapy patients for Therapy Revolution one of the most common complaints was that therapists took phone calls (or accepted other interruptions), during sessions. Can taking a phone call during a patient’s time ever be okay?