Excoriation, also classified as an Obsessive-Compulsive Related Disorder, is a disorder in which a person repeatedly picks at their skin, causing signficant sores or open wounds to appear. (APA 2013) Most people who pick at their skin do so by centering on a specific area, usually the arms, legs, scalp,Continue Reading
The disorder of Hair-Pulling has become classified as an Obsessive-Compulsive Related Disorder. Individuals with hair-pulling disorder (also known as trichotillomania, derived from the Greek term for frenzied hair-pulling), repeatedly pull hair out from their scalp, eyebrows, eyelashes or other parts of their bodies. (APA, 2013, 2012). Typically, people with thisContinue Reading
Recently, the need to save and accumulate items, known as hoarding, has been added to the American Psychiatric Association’s classification system: the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5). People diagnosed with hoarding disorder persistently feel they must save items and experience great distress if they attemptContinue Reading
In the addict’s world there is ongoing tension between a person’s normal self and the addicted self. A Jekyll-and-Hyde struggle emerges. The addictive system is so compelling that the addict feels it would be deadly to stop it. Yet, as the system continues, the person’s values, priorities and loved onesContinue Reading
Online gaming was officially recognized as a mental illness by the World Health Orgahization (WHO) in June, 2018, adding it to the International Classification of Diseases according to Newsweek Magazine. For Online Gaming Disorder to be considered an addiction, the condition must extend beyond normal playing, to a point whereContinue Reading
It may be difficult for a person to admit they have a problem with online pornography or internet sex addiction. Porn addiction, like substance abuse, is a problem that affects many people of nearly all age groups. Porn availability is one of the fastest growing problems of the 21st centuryContinue Reading
You may be asking yourself, how do I know if I have an internet problem? It may be a difficult question to answer, so let’s take a few minutes to define the question a little better. What do we mean by the word problem? When a behavior or a setContinue Reading
Several large studies show that use of digital media devices beyond two hours a day of free time, and especially beyond four hours a day is correlated with more depression and unhappiness in teens, according to a recent Wall Street Journal Report (June 24, 2018). Compromised Well-Being The article wentContinue Reading
Perfectionists look for faults in everything, and nothing is ever quite good enough. Perfection is an illusion that is always just out of reach. High achieving individuals try to overcome their internalized shame and guilt, which stems from a belief they are somehow flawed, and strive to prove their worthContinue Reading
The word habit has been used since ancient times, and its root is derived from the verb “to have.” Artistotle considered this meaning in the sense that a man may be said “to have a coat or tunic” or to have “a piece of knowledge or a virtue.” So habitsContinue Reading