For children, illness-related obsessions and the resulting compulsions are distressing enough on an average day. Add to the mix an international quarantine and constant public discussion of a dangerous virus,…
Anxiety amid COVID-19 is common. Public events have been cancelled, businesses are closing, people are engaging in panic buying of necessities, and there is a lot of uncertainty. Can you…
How does one go about correctly diagnosing a patient who presents with preoccupations about their health? There are many different diagnoses that these symptoms could fall under, including a physical…
My colleagues have already mentioned various aspects of self-harm, but self-harm can also be more generalized. Activities or thoughts that do not allow us to engage in self-care could be…
Self-harm is a term used when someone intentionally causes injuries to their body, usually as a way of coping with overwhelming emotional distress. Some young people who self-harm may also…
I remember the first time I met the mother of a young adolescent who presented with self-harm obsessions. She was scared about these thoughts because a psychiatrist, who was a…
Although many of us generally understand the concepts of eating disorders as when someone doesn’t want to eat or wants to eat too much, this view barely scratches the surface…
Maintaining a clean and tidy home is usually a sign of good emotional health. When cleaning becomes obsessive, however, an underlying mental disorder may be the cause. Obsessive fears of…
Despite trumpeting the importance of self-care to patients every day, clinicians struggle to practice what they preach. Mental health practitioners must juggle many important responsibilities, personally and professionally, so self-care…
It’s a typical, beautiful, LA morning. And it begins: Wake up. Caffeinate. Walk the dog. Feed the Dog. Get ready. Drive to work. Answer phone calls. Answer Emails. Answer colleagues….