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Mental Health

Addiction Treatment ProgramsDual DiagnosisMental Health

Treatment for Substance Use and Mental Health Conditions

Substance use and mental health issues go hand in hand. In fact, between 40 and 60% of Americans who suffer from addiction have a co-occurring mental health diagnosis. Experts agree that treating co-occurring conditions in a coordinated plan is far more successful than treating one and then the other or providing simultaneous but uncoordinated treatment. The medical and mental health professionals at Pennsylvania Adult & Teen Challenge (PAATC) are incredibly…
Miki Finn
July 5, 2023
DepressionMental HealthMental Health Treatment

Utilizing DBT for Depression

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) was originally developed as an offshoot of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for the purpose of addressing and treating borderline personality disorder. Over time, clinicians and researchers began to realize the efficacy of this form of therapy for other mental health disorders. DBT is effective in the treatment of disorders ranging from anxiety to substance abuse. It's often possible to treat depression with very positive results. Therefore, if…
Miki Finn
June 19, 2023
InformationMental HealthMental Health Treatment

Observing National Mental Health Month

May is National Mental Health Month, a month designated for educating and raising awareness about mental health, research, and treatments. There remain many misconceptions among the general public about mental health disorders, from depression and anxiety to bipolar disorder, PTSD, substance use disorders, and more. Pennsylvania Adult & Teen Challenge (PAATC) treats addiction as well as co-occurring mental health disorders. So often, more than one mental health condition is present…
Miki Finn
May 1, 2023
AnxietyDepressionMental Health

How to Stop Self Harm

Children are born into an unfamiliar world. Their parents hope they feel safe and loved, and will always have access to comfort and protection when needed. But no matter how much parents want to protect their children from setbacks, hardships, pain, and heartbreak, they can’t. By the time children reach adolescence, the challenges and stressors they face in the modern world are manifold. Some teens turn to self-harming behaviors for…
Miki Finn
April 5, 2023
AnxietyDepressionMental Health

Safely Addressing Self-Harm in Teens

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) and deliberate self-harm (DSH) are unfortunately common mental health diagnoses among teens in the US and abroad. It's estimated that more than 15% of teens will self-harm at least once, while only one in five of those who do so will seek or receive therapeutic treatment for these symptoms, or for other disorders that often accompany self-harm, such as anxiety or depression. Self-harm in teens is a…
Miki Finn
March 1, 2023
AnxietyDepressionDual DiagnosisMental Health

Anxiety Symptoms in Teens

The fears and worries of children with anxiety often focus on things outside themselves, like the dark, wild animals, monsters, or scary things happening to the people they love. During adolescence, anxiety usually shifts inward and often looks like perfectionism. Worrying about their appearance, grades, and being liked can amplify into severe anxiety or even result in panic attacks. Managing anxiety in teens can be very difficult without professional support,…
Miki Finn
January 9, 2023
AnxietyDepressionMental HealthTeen AddictionTherapy

The Importance of Recognizing Self Harm

Humans and animals instinctively protect themselves from harm because survival is hardwired into the DNA of all sentient beings. But psychological harm or illness can interfere with what one might assume to be a given. Nearly one-fifth of all people will self-harm at some point in their lifetimes. Most who do so are teenagers. Self-harm is a disorder that goes by two names. It is known as deliberate self-harm (DSH)…
Miki Finn
December 26, 2022
AnxietyDepressionMental Health

Signs of Self-Harm in Teens

Self-harm, also known as non-suicidal self-injury, or NSSI, is a compulsive behavior usually in response to depression, anxiety, and/or extreme stress. Teens are the most common sufferers of this mental health disorder, with more than one in 10 teens engaging in at least one act of self-harm. NSSI often co-occurs with other mental health disorders. For instance, self-harm and depression are commonly diagnosed together, as are self-harm and anxiety or…
Miki Finn
November 16, 2022
AddictionAddiction RecoveryAddiction Treatment ProgramsDual DiagnosisMental Health

How Addiction Can Impact Mental Health

When addiction and mental health disorders co-exist, they are called co-occurring disorders. These overlapping diagnoses make treatment all the more important and also challenging. But in a dual diagnosis treatment program, you can receive the needed help. Addiction and mental health therapists work together to address both disorders simultaneously under a coordinated treatment plan. To learn more about dual diagnosis treatment for co-occurring disorders, reach out to Pennsylvania Adult &…
Miki Finn
August 15, 2022
DepressionDual DiagnosisMental Health

5 Signs of Depression Disorder

People seeking treatment for mental health or addiction issues often have a co-occurring depression disorder. Depression and anxiety are the two most common mental health disorders to accompany addictions. In some cases, addiction is the main cause of seeking treatment, and you also are diagnosed with depression. Then, you will need to get depression disorder treatment in addition to the addiction recovery work because these two disorders are very much…
Miki Finn
March 19, 2022