Whether someone has lost a loved one, has a house in foreclosure, or gone through a divorce, Christmas is an especially difficult time of year. Loss, death, separation, and divorce issues seem especially painful during the holiday season. At a time when people focus on their family and relatives, it accentuates the depth of many [...]

Childhood sexual abuse has only become a societal issue in the past several decades. Consequently there is a lack of research, much of which began in the 1980’s. Finkelhor and Brown (1986) defined sexual abuse as any sexual activity involving a child under eighteen in which the other person is five or more years older [...]

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, during any 1-year period, 17.6 million American adults or 10% of the population suffer from a depressive illness. The cost in human suffering cannot be estimated. Depressive illnesses often interfere with normal functioning and cause pain and suffering not only to those who have a disorder, but [...]

Although all behavior that causes tissues damage should be assessed for lethality, the intent of self-mutilating behavior is one of reaffirming life. So no, it is not a suicidal act and the person should not be treated as if they had attempted to end their life. Adolescents and adults who self-injure generally do not have [...]