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Celebrating Black History Month 2023

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black history month

By Ashley Barnes   About Black History Month. Black History Month celebrates and honors Black communities’ contributions to American culture. February is National Black History Month. This year’s theme, “Black Resistance,” focuses on “Black Americans’ efforts to advocate for dignified, self-determined lives within our democratic society, while bringing attention to their achievements” (Postell, 2023). However, we also want to emphasize the importance of celebrating and honoring Black communities daily, not just during the month of February.  Celebrating Black Mental Health Professionals. The following individuals are merely some Black mental health professionals who’ve made profoundly positive impacts on the mental health field: Bebe Moore Campbell – an American author, journalist, teacher, and mental health advocate who “worked tirelessly to shed light on the mental health needs of the Black community and other underrepresented communities. She founded NAMI-Inglewood in a predominantly Black neighborhood to create a space that was safe for Black …

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What is Unipolar Depression? (And How to Find Treatment)

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Unipolar Depression

Unipolar depression affects 8.4% of Americans, primarily women and people between 18 and 25. Of those with unipolar depression, close to 15 million people had a severe episode. In addition, 17%, or nearly 3 million, adolescents between 12 and 17 had at least one unipolar episode. Unipolar depression is another name for major depressive disorder. Because there are at least ten types of major depressive disorders, and each requires different treatments, it’s essential to know how to distinguish between them. What is Unipolar Depression? To be diagnosed with unipolar depression, you must lack mania. Also, you must have at least five symptoms listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 5th edition (DSM5) for two weeks or longer, including: Feeling sad or down for no apparent reason that lasts most of the day and multiple days a week. Losing interest in activities you once enjoyed. Gaining or losing weight without trying …

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National Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month 2023

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black history month

By Ashley Barnes   Why National Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month? February is National Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month, created to spread awareness about the prevalence of teen dating violence, to educate people about healthy relationships, and to provide support for teens who have survived dating violence.  About teen dating violence. Teen dating violence is considered to be an adverse childhood experience, a potentially traumatic experience that occurs in childhood and adolescence (0-17). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), teen dating violence can occur in person, online, or through technology (2022). Intimate partner violence can include the following types of harmful behavior: physical violence (when a person tries to hurt their partner through use of hitting, punching, use of physical force, etc.), sexual violence (forcing or attempting to force a partner to engage in an unwanted sexual act without consent, also including sharing explicit pictures of …

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How to Find a Good Psychiatrist for Mental Health

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How to Find a Good Psychiatrist

Are you experiencing mental health symptoms but not sure whom to turn to for help? Have you done some research but got confused over the many different titles and types of mental health professionals available? You are not alone. Around 50 million American adults experience mental illness. Each has likely asked the question, “Who can help me?” A good place to start is with a psychiatrist. Whether your symptoms are severe or mild, whether you feel like you are facing a crisis or have questions about your mental health, a psychiatrist can help. In this article, we’re exploring a common question we hear – how to find a good psychiatrist? What Is a Psychiatrist? Psychiatrists are medical doctors. They attend the same medical schools that all other doctors do. After medical school, students move on to their residencies and specialty courses, where they gain further knowledge and experience in a …

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Supporting Transgender Youth Mental Health

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black history month

By Ashley Barnes, M.S.   Transgender identity. Transgender individuals are those whose sex assigned at birth does not completely align with their current gender identity; it is important to note that the identities of transgender and nonbinary are not always mutually exclusive (Price-Feeney et al., 2020). People who identify outside of the gender binary and who may or may not also identify as transgender are non-binary individuals. Non-binary gender identity can include identifying as neither male nor female, both male and female or as different genders at different times. (Richards et al., 2016). Risk Factors. While the LGBTQ+ community is often lumped together as one large unifying group, it incorporates sub-communities and identities with vastly different experiences; one such sub-community with its own unique experience is the trans-community. Though the larger LGBTQ+ community experiences stigmatization and discrimination on social and political levels, research has identified solemn truths about some of …

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