“There is so much pressure in our society for mothers to be perfect,” Batchelder remembers. “So when my daughter got depressed in high school, I wondered if it was my fault, what did I do wrong, what should I have done differently. Was I too much or not enough?”
Technologically-connected students and their peers can be exposed to any tragic occurrence at any time, so a mass shooting at a faraway school can create terror and panic all the same.
As many as 1-in-5 women experience mood changes or anxiety after experiencing trauma while giving birth, with roughly 9% being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, according to Postpartum Support International.
People who use mushrooms for depression or anxiety often have a clinical history of using pharmaceutical antidepressants or anti-anxiety medication. But for several reasons — undesired side effects, acclimation to the dosage or the drugs simply not working — they find those medications wanting.
The COVID-19 pandemic prompted more people to focus on their health, and the city’s many natural products stores rose to the occasion.
Seeking mental health support can be stigmatized in the culture at large. But for health care providers, the stigma associated with experiencing a mood disorder or feeling overwhelmed can be even more pronounced.
“People are just calling left and right,” says James Colvin, a licensed marriage and family therapist in Asheville. “Last week I must’ve had seven or eight calls. I hate turning anyone away but I had to do that.” Relationships have always had to navigate disputes, both large and small. But in his 30 years of […]
When Tiffany Schultz finally quit Facebook, it came after years of unease with the division and negativity she saw there. She joined the social network in 2006 but says she “had not been a very big fan of Facebook for a while. … I saw it as a necessary evil after moving from Wisconsin,” the […]
Caitlin Rawlins, innovation specialist for the Western North Carolina Veteran Affairs Health Care System, remembers vividly the first time that a patient at the Charles George Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center long-term care facility used virtual reality. “She had cognitive impairment, a history of needing stays on our inpatient psychiatric ward because of agitation […]
Prior to Dr. Robyn Tiger’s class, “Yoga for Cancer Recovery,” Asheville Community Yoga hadn’t offered yoga tailored to the unique needs of cancer survivors. While Asheville is brimming with yoga instructors, fewer practice yoga therapy, which requires extensive specialized training.
Briefly, it seemed like the coronavirus pandemic had turned a corner. “People were starting to feel a little bit optimistic this summer,” says Ariel Shumaker, an Asheville therapist in private practice, about COVID-19. “And now, it’s not feeling optimistic.” Fatigue, sadness, anxiety, rage, fear, exhaustion — these are the emotions area behavioral health professionals report […]
Mental Health Month, observed in the U.S. since 1949, brings awareness to the importance of maintaining mental health as much as physical health.
Rape cases result in convictions only 3 percent of the time, and when they do, a light sentence can add to the trauma many victims experience.
Despite having no military base nearby, nearly 20,000 veterans call Buncombe County home — giving it the sixth-largest veteran population in the state. As local visits for PTSD, depression, substance abuse, homelessness and unemployment continues to climb at Charles George VA, three local veterans share their struggles and stories about mental health. (Cover design by Sarah Riddle)
