Managing Your Illness

If you are a caregiver to someone living with a serious mental health disorder, your support and help is very important. Learn from experts how you can help and what questions you can ask to find the right treatment for your loved one.

Learn the signs of when anger and irritability might be out of control. Hear stories from Veterans. Find treatment options for anger and irritability.

Some Veterans try to cope with uncomfortable thoughts, feelings, people, or situations through avoidance. Professional support provides the skills to learn how to meet obstacles head-on and face difficult thoughts, feelings, and memories.

Learn the signs and symptoms of bipolar disorder. Hear stories from other Veterans. Find treatment options for bipolar disorder.

Veterans describe the impact that difficult experiences had on their spiritual and religious lives. Each person's journey is unique, but there is a shared sense of hope in these Veterans' true stories. Whether renewing their faith or finding a new spiritual path, Veterans are discovering ways to overcome challenges.

After serving, some Veterans seek out risky situations for a thrill. Other Veterans may act recklessly without thinking about the consequences. Hear stories from these Veterans, who realized they needed a change after living on the edge. With counseling and treatment, they made changes and are living more fulfilling lives.

Difficult experiences can be harder to cope with when it feels like no one, not even family or friends, understands what you went through. Connecting with other Veterans and reaching out for support can help to overcome isolation and increase enjoyment of life.

Veterans who experienced physical injuries talk about their experiences. As they recovered and transitioned from the military, they faced difficult circumstances. Reaching out for support helped them overcome their challenges. Listen as they share stories of strength and resilience.

Hear from Veterans who found ways to overcome feelings of guilt. After experiences such as surviving when others died, feeling remorse for something they did, or being unable to serve with their units, hear them talk about steps they took to understand and process their experiences and feelings to move forward with their lives.

Many Veterans feel on edge after returning from deployment or living through a stressful situation. Hear Veterans discuss situations that set them on edge and how, after seeking out support, they were able to manage their triggers and cope better with daily life.

Some Veterans find that they feel numb and lose interest in things they used to enjoy. Others start to feel hopeless, which may lead to thoughts of suicide. By reaching out for support, these Veterans connected to resources for recovery, including counseling or the Veterans Crisis Line. Learn how they discovered ways to enjoy life again.

Veterans who have experienced TBI, including some who didn't know they had a traumatic brain injury until later, talk about their experiences. Listen as they describe the signs and symptoms of TBI and its effects on their families. By reaching out for help, they were able to overcome these obstacles and live better lives.

Sexual harassment is when a coworker says or does something sexual that makes you uncomfortable. If you're the victim of sexual harassment, you may feel violated or intimidated.

If you're interested in joining an online support group, read on to learn more about finding one that's right for you.

Research shows that couples who seek couples therapy increase their chance of staying together. They also improve communication and satisfaction in their relationship. Read on to learn more.

At least some anger is necessary for survival. Frequent or intense episodes of anger, however, aren't good for you or the people around you. If you find yourself boiling mad more often than not, try some of these tips to keep your temper in check.

Suggestions of what you can do to help if your loved one has a mental illness.

You may think that asking for help is a sign of weakness. In fact, taking action to make your life better takes a lot of courage. Talking about a trauma can be hard, but it can make a big difference.

If you have a chronic health condition, you have a problem that may not go away over time. Heart disease, asthma, arthritis, and diabetes are just a few of the chronic conditions that exist. Right now, these conditions have no known cure. But you can take an active role in managing your health.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder makes it hard to focus your mind. You may daydream a lot. And you may be restless much of the time. As a result, you may have trouble with detailed or boring work. And it may be hard to stick with one project for very long.

There is no easy way to recover from a sexual assault. But getting the medical care and support you need is a good place to start.

Veterans dealing with PTSD or anxiety can improve with exposure therapy. With professional guidance, this therapy exposes Veterans to situations and sensations that lead to difficult reminders of traumatic events. After learning effective coping skills, Veterans learn ways to deal with their reactions and get back to moving forward with life.

Sometimes change brings unexpected rewards. This is a good time to look for all the ways you can be involved in life. Challenge yourself. Don't be afraid, or think of yourself as limited.

Your healthcare provider will work with you to set up a treatment plan. The plan may include medicines. It might also include ways to find emotional support. To feel more healthy and in control, do your best to follow your plan.

Dealing with stress isn't easy. And being tired or in pain can make stress worse. Learning to control stress does take effort. But reducing stress can help you stay healthy.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) begins in childhood. It may continue throughout your life. When it does, it may affect your job and even your relationships. Fortunately, with help, you can manage ADHD.

Agoraphobia is an intense fear of being somewhere you feel would be difficult to escape from. Here are details about different types of treatment.

If you have OCD, treatment and your own efforts can offer hope for a healthier, happier life. Talk to your healthcare provider. Or, contact a mental health professional or mental health clinic.

The symptoms of schizophrenia are severe and ongoing. They can disrupt lives and cause great suffering. But treatment may help relieve many of these symptoms. Most often, treatment includes both medicine and counseling (psychotherapy). It also may involve help with social and life skills.

Bipolar disorder results in extreme mood swings that can greatly disrupt your life. These symptoms may cause you distress. But with treatment, you can lead a more normal life.

Eating disorders include anorexia nervosa, bulimia, and binge eating disorder. All involve eating patterns that can harm your health and can greatly disrupt your life. For most people, treatment can help.

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is sometimes called shock therapy. This may sound painful, but ECT doesn't hurt. It's often the safest and best treatment for severe depression. It can treat other mental disorders as well.

Affective disorders are disorders of mood. One is depression. Another is bipolar disorder (also called manic depression). They are often treated with medicines and therapy.

You may have a problem you can't handle on your own, such as trouble with your marriage, a child, or drugs. Or, you may be feeling anxious or depressed. In most cases, psychotherapy can help you cope with these and other issues. Many caring professionals provide psychotherapy. Among them are psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and family counselors.

An anxiety disorder can make you feel nervous or apprehensive, even without a clear reason. Certain anxiety disorders can cause intense feelings of fear or panic. You may even have physical symptoms, such as a racing heartbeat or dizziness. Treatment is available.

After a sexual assault, it's normal to feel angry, afraid, and even ashamed. But try not to let these feelings keep you from getting medical care. Medical treatment can help you recover physically as well as emotionally.

An SSRI is an antidepressant. SSRIs help reduce the extreme sadness, hopelessness, and lack of interest in life that are typical in people with depression. SSRIs are also used to treat panic disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a type of anxiety disorder. It can happen after you go through an extreme trauma, such as a car crash or combat. With PTSD, you constantly relive the trauma through nightmares, intrusive memories, and flashbacks. Therapy (also called counseling) is a very helpful treatment for PTSD.

Panic disorder is a type of anxiety disorder characterized by panic attacks. A panic attack is a sudden, intense fear that lasts for several minutes when there is no real danger. If you have panic disorder, your healthcare provider may prescribe 1 or more medicines for treatment. Here's what you need to know.

A psychiatric evaluation will look at symptoms and when they happen, as well as what impact they have on family and work relationships.

Families, spouses, or friends are often the first to suspect that their loved one is challenged by feelings, behaviors, or environmental conditions that cause them to act disruptive, rebellious, or sad.

Benzodiazepines are medications that slow the central nervous system and lower the activity of the brain signals to the body. They can make you feel sleepy and relaxed.