Tests

Most medical tests are specialists. One test checks for alcohol; another checks for tobacco. But in the real world, our habits rarely stay in such neat little boxes. A person might smoke cigarettes to wake up, drink wine to fall asleep, and occasionally use something else to relax on the weekend. To understand the true […]

When you go for a physical, your doctor checks your blood pressure, your heart rate, and your weight. These are the “vital signs” of your physical body. But there is another set of vital signs that often gets skipped: your substance health. We often treat alcohol, tobacco, and prescription meds as separate things. You might

Asking for help with drug use is terrifying. There is the fear of judgment, the fear of legal trouble, and perhaps the biggest fear of all—the fear of having to stop. Because of this, many people suffer in silence. They tell themselves, “I can handle it,” or “I only do it on weekends.” But deep

Alcohol is the only drug where, if you don’t do it, people ask you why. It’s woven into our celebrations, our dinners, and our stress-relief rituals. Because it’s so normalized, it can be incredibly hard to spot when “social drinking” slips into “problem drinking.” You might tell yourself, “I still go to work,” or “I

Mental health isn’t a “Western” concept or a “rich country” problem. It is a fundamental part of the human experience, regardless of where you live or what language you speak. But for decades, most psychological tests were designed only for people in wealthy Western nations. They didn’t always make sense in other cultural contexts. Enter

We often think of mental health as something that happens strictly “above the neck.” We imagine that stress is just a racing mind, or that depression is just a sad mood. But the body keeps the score. Have you ever gone to the doctor for chronic back pain, dizzy spells, or stomach issues, only to

We brush our teeth to maintain dental hygiene. We check our temperature to see if we have a fever. But what do we do for our emotional hygiene? Most of the time, we ignore our mental state until we hit a breaking point. We push through the stress, the fatigue, and the irritability until we

We often think of childhood as something we “leave behind.” We grow up, move out, and assume the past stays in the past. But science tells a different story. Your childhood experiences—specifically the stressful ones—are written into your biology. They influence how your brain is wired, how your immune system fights disease, and even how

Sometimes, you don’t need a 20-page report. You just need a “Yes” or a “No.” When you visit your GP for a physical check-up, they check your blood pressure. If it’s high, they investigate further. The PC-PTSD-5 acts exactly like that blood pressure cuff, but for your trauma history. It isn’t designed to give you

Trauma isn’t just a bad memory. It’s a physical and emotional injury that changes how your brain processes the world. For many, it feels like the past refuses to stay in the past. You might find yourself startling at loud noises, avoiding certain streets, or feeling a sudden wave of panic for “no reason.” You

We all worry. We worry about bills, our health, or that weird noise the car is making. Worry is a normal function of the human brain—it’s how we anticipate problems. But for some of us, the “worry engine” gets stuck in the ON position. It runs in the background 24/7, draining our battery and making

We often use the word “stressed” as a catch-all. “I’m so stressed about work.” “I’m stressed about the future.” “I’m stressed because I’m sad.” But from a psychological perspective, stress, anxiety, and depression are three distinct animals. Treating one when you actually have the other is like taking cough syrup for a broken leg—it won’t

We often assume that feeling “low” or “slow” is just a normal part of getting older. But it isn’t. Depression in older adults is frequently missed by doctors and families alike. Why? Because seniors often don’t say “I feel sad.” Instead, they might complain about memory problems, vague physical aches, or simply lose interest in

If a friend asked you, “How was your week?”, you’d probably list the things you did—finished a project, went to the gym, bought groceries. But if a therapist asked, “How did you feel this week?”, the answer might be harder to find. Our memory of emotions is often blurry. We might remember one bad argument

Mental health rarely fits into neat little boxes. It is surprisingly common to feel “wired” and “tired” at the same time—anxious about the future, yet too exhausted to do anything about it. When anxiety and depression team up, they can create a confusing storm of emotions. Are you stressed because you’re down? Or are you