Special Interest Topics

Co-occurring disorder refers to having a co-existing mental illness and substance use disorder.  When a substance use disorder and a psychiatric disorder co-occur, they may differ in severity, and the severity of each can change over time.  Compared to individuals who have a single disorder, those with a combination of disorders may experience more severe medical and mental health challenges and may require longer periods of treatment.

Depression is a complex condition and can often involve many systems in the body, including the immune system.  It disrupts sleep and interferes with appetite, which can contribute to weight loss or gain.  It often involves persistent sad, anxious, or empty mood, feelings of hopelessness, and feelings of guilt, worthlessness, or helplessness.  It can also involve a loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies or activities that were once enjoyed.  It can decrease energy or cause restlessness, irritability, difficulty concentrating, and difficulty remembering or making decisions.

Anxiety can present in many different forms.  It is both a mental and physical state of negative expectation.  Mentally, it is characterized by increased arousal and apprehension tortured into distressing worry, and physically by unpleasant activation of multiple body systems, all to facilitate response to an unknown danger, whether real or imagined.  Occasional bouts of anxiety are natural, but persistent, pervasive, or outsize anxiety can disrupt daily life at school, work, with friends, and with family.

Complex trauma can arise from experiencing repeated or multiple traumatic events of differing types from which there is no possibility of escape, creating a sense of being trapped.  It can undermine a sense of safety in the world and bring about hypervigilance, and constant exhaustive monitoring of the environment for the possibility of threat.

Historical & intergenerational trauma refers to the cumulative emotional and psychological wounding experienced by a specific cultural group or the transmission of trauma across generations, often stemming from historical events like oppression, genocide, or colonization.

Grief is a natural human response to loss, encompassing a wide range of emotions and experiences, and while it's often associated with death, it can also occur with other significant life changes or losses like those experienced genen the changing nature of relationships over time.

Emotion regulation generally describes a person's ability to effectively manage and respond to an emotional experience, which can be heavily influenced by our lived experiences and individual vulnerability factors.  People unconsciously use emotion regulation strategies to cope with difficult situations.  Most of us use a variety of emotion regulation strategies and can apply them to different situations in order to adapt to the demands of our environment.

Distress tolerance is the ability to manage and endure emotional distress without resorting to unhealthy coping mechanisms. It is a crucial skill for navigating challenging situations and promoting emotional well-being.

Mood is defined as a pervasive and sustained feeling endured internally and impacting nearly all aspects of a person's behavior.  Mood disorders are described by marked disruptions in emotions, such as severe lows called depression or highs called hypomania or mania.

Life transition therapy helps individuals navigate significant life changes by providing support, coping strategies, and guidance to adapt to new circumstances and foster resilience.