There is a serious lack of treatment for dual diagnosis with substance abuse. A dual diagnosis is two co-occurring mental health conditions, in this case, one of which is a substance abuse disorder. The use of substances as a way to cope with psychiatric symptoms is so common there's a term for it: "self-medicating." Treatment for dual diagnosis with substance abuse is critical, but few get treatment.

If your holiday is making you depressed, you should know this is actually pretty common. While it is a mental health myth that the suicide rate goes up during Christmas, that does not negate the fact that many people find the holidays to be a drag. It's okay to feel that way--holidays are a stressful time, and our culture demands a "perfect" holiday so anything that falls short may seem like a personal failure (What Is Holiday Depression?). But the good news is you don't have to have a "perfect" holiday, and there are things to try if your holiday is making you depressed.

The first stage of mental illness is denial. It's also a common symptom of mental illness and a barrier to treatment. So how do you help people in denial of their mental illness? While it may seem hopeless, there's actually quite a bit that you can do.

Do you know how to cope with self-harm thoughts? Self-injury is a highly stigmatized behavior that is common among people with borderline personality disorder. Self-injury is never a healthy coping skill, and people thinking of self-harm should fight against it by using healthy coping skills. But what healthy coping skills should one use? Here are ways to cope with self-harm thoughts.

Are there alternative treatments for schizophrenia? Recently I was diagnosed with liver disease, cause unknown. As I don't drink and have a reasonably good diet, I suspect the psychiatric medication I am on, which metabolizes in the liver may be the culprit. It's left me wondering if there are alternative treatments for schizophrenia, and, if so, what are they and how do they work? Note that you should never go off your medication or start an alternative medicine without your doctor's approval--I'm putting this out only to start a discussion.

There are many mental health issues that come up thanks to Donald Trump. The past week has been cruel to me. I've been called everything from a snowflake to a crybaby to (my favorite) Satanic because I don't support Donald Trump - or Hillary Clinton, for that matter  (Don't Stigmatize Emotional Reactions to the US Election). I've been told to get out of America even though I'm a veteran, part Native American, and the descendant of a Revolutionary War veteran. Both the winners and losers in this election have displayed the worst in terms of their conduct. But my concerns about Trump boil down to a five-year-old girl: my niece, Addie. This is what I want my niece to know about mental health issues and Donald Trump.

The stages of grief after a death suddenly became more relevant to me, unfortunately. I was notified that one of my friends on Facebook died at age 24 of what appears to be kidney failure. Combined with the recent All Souls Day service at church, this has made me think about the stages of grieving and recovery after a sudden death. According to Elisabeth Kubler-Ross,1 there are five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. They don't always go in this order, and they don't always happen to everyone. But this is a general road map to grief.

Halloween can be a fun holiday, but Halloween can also spread myths about mental illness. The main ones all have to do with stigma--that we are violent and unpredictable, that hospitalization is traumatic and abusive, and that there is no such thing as recovery. Mental illness is the only medical condition shown for shock value on Halloween--you never see haunted cancer wards, for example. Here are some myths Halloween spreads about mental illness and how to combat them.

Can you consent to abuse? Donald Trump's recent comments about grabbing women have sparked a question: "If his comments are such a big deal, why is 50 Shades of Grey a bestseller?" The problem is that in the novel, the main character consents to the mistreatment (Abusive Relationships – Why do victims stay?). Whether or not Christian Grey's conduct is abusive is a subject for another post, but it raises a valid question--Can you consent to abuse?

It is always sad when faith and mental health stigma go hand in hand (Abused for Christ: When Religion Becomes Painful). Recently I was interviewed by a reporter about the stigma attached to mental health in a faith community.