About mental illness and addiction
Caregivers often provide essential physical, emotional, and practical support to older adults, children, people with disabilities, and individuals recovering from illness or addiction. Most caregivers work hard under demanding circumstances. However, some caregiving relationships can become unhealthy, controlling, neglectful, exploitative, or abusive. Although a title such as “How to Spot a Toxic Caregiver Instantly” gets … Read more
Talking about addiction recovery with someone who shows narcissistic traits can be challenging. They may become defensive when confronted, minimize the consequences of substance use, blame other people, or interpret concern as criticism. However, narcissistic traits exist on a spectrum and are not the same as narcissistic personality disorder (NPD), which requires professional assessment and … Read more
The phrase “addicted politician” can easily become a sensational label, but substance use disorder (SUD) is a health condition that can affect people in every profession and level of society—including elected officials. A politician experiencing addiction may face many of the same challenges as anyone else: cravings, impaired control, secrecy, relationship difficulties, health consequences, relapse, … Read more
Bradley Cooper’s experience with addiction demonstrates that substance use disorders can affect anyone, regardless of talent, ambition, career potential, or eventual success. Before becoming an internationally recognized actor and filmmaker, Cooper has publicly described struggling in his twenties with cocaine addiction, problematic alcohol use, depression, and extremely low self-esteem. He has explained that professional uncertainty … Read more
Underage drinking can affect a teenager’s physical health, emotional well-being, relationships, academic performance, judgment, and future risk for alcohol-related problems. Because adolescence is an important period of brain and social development, helping teenagers recover requires more than simply telling them to stop drinking. Effective recovery involves understanding why alcohol use began, identifying triggers and peer … Read more
Partial Hospitalization Programs (PHPs) provide an important level of care for individuals managing substance use disorders (SUDs) and co-occurring mental health conditions. These programs offer intensive, structured treatment during the day while generally allowing participants to return home or to supportive housing in the evening. PHPs can combine addiction treatment, individual and group therapy, psychiatric … Read more
Robin Williams was an internationally celebrated actor and comedian whose extraordinary creativity and humor were matched by personal struggles with substance use. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Williams experienced problems with cocaine and alcohol before achieving approximately two decades of sobriety. He later returned to alcohol use and sought professional treatment, demonstrating that … Read more
Steven Tyler, the legendary lead singer of Aerosmith, has publicly discussed a long history of struggles with alcohol and drug addiction that developed during the height of his music career. During the 1970s and 1980s, substance use became deeply intertwined with the rock-and-roll lifestyle surrounding the band and eventually affected his health, relationships, performances, and … Read more
Romantic addiction, also referred to as love or relationship addiction, describes an unhealthy pattern in which the need for romantic attention, connection, or emotional reassurance becomes increasingly difficult to manage and begins affecting a person’s emotional well-being and daily life. Although romantic addiction is not an official diagnosis in the DSM-5-TR, the term is sometimes … Read more
Rosalynn Carter left an extraordinary legacy as one of America’s most persistent advocates for mental health, behavioral healthcare, and the dignity of people living with mental illness. Beginning her advocacy in Georgia in the early 1970s and continuing for more than five decades, she worked to reduce stigma, improve access to community-based treatment, strengthen mental … Read more