The holiday season is a time often filled with joy, togetherness, and celebration. However, amidst the festivities, this time of year can exacerbate existing mental health challenges–leaving many people overwhelmed and exhausted. During the holidays, it is common for individuals to experience increased anxiety relating to stressors such as social obligations, financial strain, changes in […]
MANAGING STRESS THROUGH THE HOLIDAYS Read More »
BIPOLAR DISORDER + MOOD SWINGS :: HOW CAN YOU KNOW THE DIFFERENCE? Some legitimate mental health disorders have become layman’s terms and thrown around to describe traits and expressions of people. Bipolar disorder is one that is often uttered when someone sees emotional mood swings in an individual. Emotional ups and downs are not the
BIPOLAR DISORDER + MOOD SWINGS Read More »
At The Mental Health Collective, we seem to be seeing an upswing in complex clinical presentations, with somatic issues accompanying them. The million dollar question is, WHY? It is near impossible to say with 100% certainty what the causal factors are. Having said that, many sources of reliable research data are showing that not only
Pandemic Era Increases Diagnosable Mental Illness Rates | Dr. Anna McCarthy Read More »
The 1946 Christmas classic It’s A Wonderful Life, ironically, is a tale of a man contemplating suicide on Christmas Eve, until his “guardian angel” shows him how much he would be missed by people in his life, were he to end his life. If only every human being struggling right now could have such a
Will We Get Through This? By: Dr. Anna McCarthy Read More »
Depression is a mental illness that can affect people of all ages. Sometimes, depression occurs whenever a person experiences an event that negatively affects their mood, such as the death of a loved one or the loss of a job. But most cases of depression are caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain, due
Five Tips for Strengthening Relationships During Bouts of Depression Read More »
Part Two A recap of April 13th’s webinar with The Collective’s Dr. Monisha Vasa + Mindfulness Facilitator Cayce Howe. What is self compassion? Self compassion is a genuine wish for ourselves to be free from suffering. Why is self compassion especially important for clinician resilience right now? -A greater percentage of our clients might
Self-Compassion :: Strategies for Clinicians Read More »
Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Monisha Vasa, Dr. Anna McCarthy and Ryan Franke. So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story. Ryan Franke: We knew Orange County was feeling the void of comprehensive, integrative, and evidence-based mental health treatment programming. Dr.
Voyage LA Interviews The Mental Health Collective Read More »
The end of the year, and the beginning of the next, is often a time for setting goals. These goals often take the form of the ever-present New Year’s Resolution. We find ourselves setting out to finally lose those last ten pounds, begin a meditation practice, or call our parents more often. The year starts
New Year\’s Resolutions Have Unintended Side Effects Read More »
Depression is a complex word. Beyond its clinical definition, we have the stigmas, misconceptions, variations, and implications that come with it. Questions like “Why are you sad?” or “What happened?” seem natural, but as anyone with depression can attest, these are often far from answerable. WHAT IS DEPRESSION? The World Health Organization defines depression as
DEPRESSION SUPPORT + TREATMENT Read More »
How Widespread is Therapy Today? Among the myriad of characteristics dubbed “Millennial,” perhaps one of the most avant-garde is the generation’s affinity for self care and mental health awareness. As a result, we’ve entered a new era of treatment. Whether it stems from the current social and political climate, economic strains, or the impending fear
Why Therapy Takes More Than That First Session Read More »
