During my psychiatry residency and fellowship, we met weekly to watch a film and then gather in a room to dissect it. These were not casual Netflix nights with snacks and a side of gossip. They were deep dives into character motivation, symptom portrayal, ethical dilemmas, and cultural subtext. We would watch a scene, stop...

Some girl on social media says she’s “traumatized” because a barista called her “ma’am,” and your health teacher says trauma is what happens when you experience a “distressing event,” which is vague enough to include your GPA. Trauma, PTSD, being a victim, being a survivor, it’s all real, complicated, and way more than just a...

I prescribe actual medication. The kind that’s been tested, approved, and doesn’t come in a hemp-wrapped mason jar. But I’m also not blind. Or arrogant. Or so deep in my own lane that I can’t see there might be more than one way to help someone feel like a functioning human being. That’s why I...

With all of the craziness in the world, especially in our country, I thought I’d make us some food that might help you laugh before the next existential crisis hits. So… imagine this: You take your significant other out for a nice meal. Not your boss, not your kid’s school principal, not that cousin who...

Beneath conscious awareness, the inner monologue narrating your every move, is the unconscious. The unconscious is the shadowy mental storage unit where your brain hoards all the stuff you’re not actively aware of but that still manages to hijack your decisions1. Freud, who chain-smoked cigars and saw your mom in every dream you’ve ever had,...

Imagine your brain is like a chill, well-balanced party. Everyone’s doing their thing—dopamine’s out there passing around snacks of motivation and pleasure—basically the brain’s hype man, making sure you care about stuff, want stuff, and get up off the couch to go after stuff. In addiction, dopamine gets completely hijacked. Substances and behaviors that trigger...

It started with a shrug. Not a bang, not a riot. Just millions of people gaslit into submission while institutions cracked beneath the weight of denial. One moment you’re watching the news; the next, you’re questioning your sanity. Welcome to the world’s longest toxic relationship—America, circa right now—where the government’s got its hand on your...

This Didn’t Start With You—But You’re the One in Therapy Now What happens when the ghosts you inherit show up in your nervous system—and how to break the cycle without breaking down. The kind of pain that doesn’t start with you but somehow lives in you, waking you up at 3 a.m., tightening your chest...

A heritable disease is passed down through genes, increasing the likelihood that a person will develop it if it runs in their family. Mental illnesses like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression have strong genetic links, but genetics alone do not determine fate. While these conditions have biological roots, environmental factors such as stress, trauma, and...

Alienation in mental health is when someone feels disconnected from themselves, other people, or society. This feeling can make mental health struggles worse and often leads to loneliness, emotional numbness, or a sense that life has no real meaning. Some people feel cut off from their own emotions, thoughts, or identity, which is called self-alienation....