During times of stress, people often reach for alcohol. A substance long-relied upon for social relief, celebratory occasions, and for pleasure, it is also used as an escape mechanism, or to cope with difficult times, tiring days, or distressing situations. The latter scenarios are played out in all pockets of
Let’s Talk About Bullying! I had the great privilege of interviewing Tracey Maxfield, author of Escaping the Rabbit Hole and anti-bullying advocate. Tracey is a retired nurse with over 36 years experience. Tracey experienced an acute depressive episode in August 2015 due to workplace stress, harassment, and bullying. Tracey released her
It’s almost time for kids to go back-to-school and whilst many parents may be rejoicing, parents of children/teenagers living with a mental illness will probably be feeling anxious, apprehensive and a little worried. For children/teenagers with a mental illness/disorder, it can be a time of anxiety, depression and fear: Will
Substance abuse and mental health problems often seem to go together. Which begs the question, which comes first, the chicken (mental illness) or the egg (substance use)? What we have seen, is that some mental illnesses such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder may contribute to substance use and addiction. Similarly,
