Mental Health

All of the Feels: Accepting the Gifts of Emotion

By Brenna Gonzales, MS, LPC, Rio Retreat Center at The Meadows Therapist In our culture, we are taught that certain feelings are off-limits. There is a general sense that if you’re not happy most of the time that you’re doing life wrong. Read More

Young Adults Are More Likely to Develop Seasonal Affective Disorder

January. The excitement of the holidays is over. It’s time to return to your college classes after a nice, long break. For those in northern climates, there’s also less sunlight and painfully cold temperatures to contend with. It’s completely normal to feel a little bummed out about it all, right? Read More

Kid Cudi, Shame, and Depression

Hip-hop artist and actor Kid Cudi announced yesterday that he is currently receiving treatment for depression and suicidal thoughts. In a Facebook post he said, “It’s been difficult for me to find the words to what I’m about to share with you because I feel ashamed…” Read More

Addiction and Eating Disorders Often Linked in Young Adults

In a recently published Recovery Campus magazine article, Remuda Ranch at The Meadows Senior Fellow Jessica Setnick takes a closer look at the Collegiate Recovery Community (CRC) eating disorder program at Texas Tech University. It is one of the first communities of its kind to recognize the need for eating disorder support services among students who are also struggling with drug or alcohol addiction. Read More

Is Pokémon Go Really the Best Medicine for Depression?

If you spend any time at all on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Tumblr, chances are that you’ve heard of Pokémon Go, the smartphone-based augmented reality game that is taking the world by storm. You’ve probably seen many exclamatory posts from players of that game about snagging “gyms” and hitting “Pokéspots”… Read More

March Madness and Gambling Addicts Are Often At Odds

We’re nearly halfway through NCAA® March Madness® tournament. The excitement is ramping up as the team in the Sweet Sixteen prepare for the next round. Those whose brackets aren’t already busted are anxiously waiting to see if their picks will help them reign supreme over their friends and co-workers, and maybe even allow them to take home a cash prize. But some people—an estimated 6 million in fact— might instead be anxiously waiting for the tournament to be over. They are the people who struggle with pathological gambling addictions. For them, this time of year presents an overabundance of challenges and triggers. While many of us are cheering our teams on the road to the Final Four, they are fighting to stay on the road to recovery. Read More

The Downward Spiral of Self-Harm and Drug Abuse

When a person has no healthy outlet for emotions like anger, frustration, self-hatred and sadness, he or she may turn to acts of self-harm as a way of expressing and dealing with distress. Self-harm, also known as self-mutilation or non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), is a type of self-inflicted bodily injury that causes pain, bruising, or bleeding. Cutting is the most common form of self-harm, but hair pulling, biting, burning, head-butting, hitting, carving, scratching, skin picking, poisoning, and intentional interference with wound healing are also typical. Read More

Why is January the Peak Month for Depression?

The third Monday of every January has been declared “the most depressing day of the year.” Even though there’s little scientific evidence that depressed moods peak at this time, many people do start to feel blue this time of year for one reason or another. In many parts of the country, the weather is cold and dreary, the holidays are over and the credit card bills from said holidays need to be paid. It’s important to note, that there’s a significant difference between feeling a little blue and suffering from clinical depression. If you’re not sure whether what you’re feeling is a temporary “funk” or something serious, please reach out to a healthcare professional. Read More

Man Rule #1: No Crying

By Dan Griffin, Senior Fellow at The Meadows “Stop crying or I’ll give you something to cry about!” “What? Are you going to cry like a little girl?” “Crybaby.” And, of course, the meaningless and obtuse: “Man the f#@$ up!” Rare is the man who has not had at least… Read More

The Privilege Paradox in Today’s Young Adults

By Claudia Black, Ph.D. At the Claudia Black Young Adult Center, we work with young adults from a range of socioeconomic backgrounds. But, many of our clients grew up with the privileges that come with being from upper-middle income and high income families. Read More