Ailey O’Toole Staff Writer Hillary Clinton is slowly, but surely, losing steam as a presidential candidate. Most liberal millennials, prior to knowing that Senator Bernie Sanders existed, were psyched about the idea of the first female president. But between Clinton constantly changing her political views to reflect popular opinion and her lack of appeal among young voters, things aren’t looking so great for … Continue reading Hillary can’t reach millennials
Ailey O’Toole Staff Writer If I were to say “OCD,” what would come to your mind? Probably your friend who arranges her wardrobe by color, or that guy next to you in class who always has to have two pencils lined up perfectly on his desk, or someone you work with who uses Purell every five minutes during flu season. OCD, the acronym … Continue reading Stop stereotyping mental illness
Ailey O’Toole Staff Writer Marsha Linehan once said, “Borderline individuals are like people with third degree burns over 90 percent of their bodies. Lacking emotional skin, they feel agony at the slightest touch or movement.” Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a type of cognitive behavioral psychotherapy (a.k.a. talk therapy or counseling) developed in the late 1980s by psychologist Marsha Linehan to treat … Continue reading Mental Health: Dialectical Behavior Therapy
Ailey O’Toole Staff Writer Cyclothymia is a rare mood disorder in which the patient experiences emotional highs and lows. The symptoms are similar to those of bipolar disorder, but they are less severe. If you have cyclothymia, you can generally still operate in your daily life, though some days not as well as others. The unpredictable nature of a cyclothymia patient’s mood swings may … Continue reading Mental Health: Cyclothymia
Ailey O’Toole Staff Writer Since before he was elected, President Barack Obama has pledged to shut down the military prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, a facility that holds suspected members of terrorist groups capture overseas. Though he has hit roadblock after roadblock, Obama has managed to whittle down the number of detainees from 241 to 107 during his time in office and he’s … Continue reading Close the prison at Guantanamo Bay
Ailey O’Toole Staff Writer Panic disorder is a mental illness in which debilitating anxiety and fear frequently arise without any reasonable cause. The Mayo Clinic defines a panic attack as, “A sudden episode of intense fear that triggers severe physical reactions when there is no real danger or apparent cause. Panic attacks can be very frightening. When panic attacks occur, you might think you’re … Continue reading Mental Health: Panic Disorder
Ailey O’Toole Staff Writer During the 2016 State of the Union address, President Barack Obama made the following statement about social security: “For everyone else, especially folks in their 40s and 50s, saving for retirement or bouncing back from job loss has gotten a lot tougher. Americans understand that at some point in their careers, in this new economy, they may have to retool … Continue reading Social Security must be fixed.
Ailey O’Toole Staff Writer One of the stigmas that frustrate me the most is that of “multiple personality disorder.” The most important thing to know about this topic is that there is no such thing as multiple personality disorder. That cluster of symptoms is called “dissociative identity disorder” or DID. Most of us have experienced mild dissociation, such as daydreaming or getting lost … Continue reading Mental Health: Dissociative Identity
Ailey O’Toole Staff Writer How many times have you heard someone explain away bisexuality as being a stage where the person is just confused or experimenting, or heard someone state that if a bisexual person is involved with someone of the opposite sex, they are not really bisexual? Maybe you have even been told that bisexuality was invented by men in denial about their … Continue reading Stop misunderstanding bi-erasure
Ailey O’Toole Staff Writer “Mental illness does not discriminate based on age, class or ethnicity. It affects all segments of society. More than 11 million Americans have severe schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depression yet millions are going without treatment as families struggle to find care for loved ones.” That is the opening statement of the “Helping Families In Mental Health Crisis Act” (HFIMFCA), … Continue reading Dear Congress: Please pass the Mental Health Bill
THE CAROLINIAN 