What is Substance Use Disorder | Psychiatry in 60 Seconds

This post includes affiliate links Millions of Americans suffer from substance use disorder (SUD). For instance, opioid use disorder and alcohol use disorder have been on the rise in recent decades. However, many people do not even realize that they have an illness. Of note, SUD is not one illness. Rather, it is a collection of diseases representing ten categories of substances with potential for disordered use (e.g alcohol, cocaine, methamphetamine, Xanax, tobacco, etc.) According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) – the psychiatrist’s guide for diagnosis – there are 11 criteria that comprise…

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3 Things You’re Avoiding in Life and Why It’s Making You Miserable

Whether it’s your schoolwork, an ex-partner, or past trauma, there are likely some things you’re avoiding in life. Sometimes this avoidance is subconscious. At other times, the avoidance is completely purposeful. Either way, you might not even realize it, but these things you’re avoiding are likely making you miserable. Even more alarming, the avoidance might lead to mental illness. On my current psychiatry block in residency, the attending I’m working with said something that stuck with me. “Avoiding” he said, “is at the root of most psychiatric disorders.” As I spent time reflecting on these words, I realized that he…

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Is My Life Over if I’ve Been Diagnosed with a Mental Illness? Psychiatry in 60 Seconds

If you’ve been diagnosed with a mental illness, you might be concerned about what comes next. Is your life over? Can you still do the things that you love? In (a little more than) 60 seconds, I share some tidbits on why your life is NOT over if you’ve been diagnosed with a mental illness. I hope that the above video encourages you and assures you that your life doesn’t have to change drastically if you’ve been diagnosed with a mental illness. For example, milder forms of anxiety or depression can be easily treated with therapy and medications. Whereas more…

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Risk Factors Associated with Mental Illness – Psychiatry in 60 Seconds

Mental illness is on the rise in the US, and this might leave you wondering whether or not you are at risk of having a mental illness at some point in your life. The short answer is yes, but there are some avoidable mental illness risk factors. Check out the video below for a quick 60-second explanation of different mental illness risk factors and steps you can take to minimize your chances of developing a psychiatric illness. Want to know more? Keep reading below for more details! Mental Illness Risk Factors Genetics Some psychiatric disorders, such as bipolar disorder and…

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Revamp Your New Year’s Resolution Strategy to Finally Meet Your Goals

With 2019 right around the corner, you’re probably thinking about the New Year’s resolutions that you want to make. As the calendar resets to January, we often find ourselves wanting to reset our habits as well. Whether you want to work out more, eat more healthily, grow spiritually, or make more money, a New Year’s resolution could be the jump start that you need to make the life changes that you desire. However, you’ve probably noticed that year in and year out, you make resolutions in January, only to fall short of your goal soon after. Personally, I’ve never made…

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