Articles of Interest

Check out these recent Hot Topic articles! Visit this page regularly to find links to new articles that will keep you informed and engaged.

Anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and avoidant or restrictive food intake disorder are life-threatening psychiatric disorders that are generally difficult to treat. The lifetime prevalence of eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and binge-eating disorder is 8.4 percent for women and 2.2 percent for men around the world. These data reflect diagnostic criteria based on clinical presentation in women and, therefore, most likely underestimate the prevalence in men. Women experience societal pressures that encourage and reward them for being thin; in contrast, men are encouraged to become large and muscular.

Opioids, such as heroin and oxycodone, are pain-relieving medications that can sometimes lead to dependence and addiction.

Opioid use disorder (OUD), formerly known as opioid addiction, has become an increasing concern in the United States. This mental health condition involves a pattern of opioid use that may become difficult to manage or begin to interfere with daily life.


Understanding Survivor Guilt

It is a perplexing human response: Survivors are frequently stricken with profound guilt if they were in the company of others who were not so fortunate during a traumatic event. This can happen when there is no rational basis for feelings of failure; indeed, even those who respond heroically and saved others’ lives are frequently overwhelmed by survivor guilt.

Do you notice that your partner is constantly unhappy and discontented? Falling short of what you might consider a form of depressive disorder, it may be that your partner just seems to lack joy in life.

As joyless as your partner seems to be, however, you notice that they refuse to discuss their feelings. Perhaps you’ve just had a pleasant evening with relatives with the exception of a tactless remark someone made toward your partner. On your way home, rather than talk about this incident, your partner just says, “It’s fine, I don’t care," and ends it at that.

In any relationship people have different views and opinions. There are two different people. Sometimes they can work out their differences through discussion or compromise. Some relationships are marked by unremitting strife—differences that cannot be talked about and negotiated by input from each person. These are conflictual relationships where divides cannot be breached.


Bulimia: The Pleasure That Poisons

Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder whose name comes from the Greek for "the hunger of an ox." It is characterized by an uncontrollable impulse toward food and a feeling of having a lack of control over the type and amount of food consumed. Frequently, the condition is confused with vomiting syndrome (Gibson et al., 2022; Nardone, 2014).


4 Encouraging Signs That Your Relationship Can Be Saved

Intimate relationships are complex. What works for one couple—what some see as acceptable or even perfectly fine—will not be the case for other couples. Some friends may offer their "helpful opinions" when they know of those hurting in their relationships. For example:

Earlier this month, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommended anxiety screening for adults under the age of 65. The draft recommendations are designed to help primary care clinicians identify early signs of anxiety during routine care, using questionnaires and other screening tools. Although they did not specify a particular tool, the one commonly used is the GAD-7 scale.