Samantha Mineroff is a writer, mental health advocate, and aspiring author. In 2018, her paper, “The Rhetoric of Major Depressive Disorder: Performativity and Intra-activity of Emotions in Major Depression” won best seminar paper award at West Chester University of Pennsylvania. At the Poetics And Linguistics Association (PALA) Conference in 2019, she went to The University of Liverpool to present her paper “An Application of Scripts, Schemas, and Negative Accommodation Theory in Leslie Jamison’s The Empathy Exams.” She currently works as a marketing writer for clinical research. She enjoys live jazz, good conversation, and writing letters. You can reach her at sammineroff@gmail.com
Serotonin and dopamine are two neurotransmitters that play a critical role in how we feel, and since low levels of serotonin and dopamine can lead to all kinds of issues, I’ve put together a list of how to increase serotonin and dopamine levels naturally. Our brains are made up of a collection of chemicals, and depending on the varying levels of those, hormones, and everything…
The holidays are supposed to be the warmest, happiest time of the year, but for many, Christmas depression is a horrible reality. Every commercial and advertisement project the fantasy that everyone gets together and shares good times with each other. It appears that the holidays are supposed to be a time where we all get along, put differences aside, and be thankful for all that…
In this article, you’ll learn about what gratitude lists are, the benefit of making gratitude lists, and some examples you can use in your own life. A phrase I’ve been seeing tossed around a lot is that you cannot be anxious and grateful at the same time. According to positive psychologists, gratitude is the human way of acknowledging the good things of life. Emmons &…
While both men and women can have Autism, the symptoms of Autism in women can be profoundly different from those in men. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a lifelong developmental disability that appears during early childhood. It can impact a person’s social skills, communication, relationships, and self-regulation. Autism is defined by a certain set of behaviors, such as being nonverbal, having atypical speech patterns, restricted…
Have you ever heard someone describe a person as “borderline?” They’re usually referring to borderline personality disorder Similar to how people say, “that’s depressing” or “you’re acting bipolar,” “borderline” is a term that often gets used colloquially without understanding the heavy weight behind the word. In the ever-important fight against ending the stigma around mental health/illness, we need to begin by understanding what these different…
Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) is an evidence-based subset of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) that addresses unwanted thoughts and behaviors, focusing on the development of acceptance and change through a variety of methods, including self-governed emotional regulation and meditation/mindfulness. Dialectical behavioral therapy has grown and expanded to address negative and hindering ways of thinking, learned patterns of behavior that have been conditioned but unhelpful to us,…
Rapid cycling bipolar disorder is a pattern of frequent, distinct episodes (manic, hypomanic, depressive, or mixed) in bipolar disorder. This can include four or more episodes over the course of about twelve months and may come and go, depending on the patient’s treatment and course of bipolar. It is not an explicit diagnosis, but rather a descriptor for the kind of bipolar a person is…
There are many different signs of bipolar disorder, including signs of a manic episode and signs of a depressive episode. Bipolar disorder, which was previously called manic-depressive illness or manic depression, is a mental disorder that causes abnormal shifts in levels of mood, energy, activity, concentration, and the ability to carry out regular, day-to-day tasks. To better understand what this disorder is, it is helpful…
Breaking codependency can be one of the hardest things that you ever do in your life. Thankfully, there are ways out. Co-dependency is a learned-behavior emotional and behavioral condition that affects an individual’s ability to have healthy, mutually satisfying relationships and can be passed down from one generation to the next. This behavior may lead to destructive and/or abusive relationships. It may also emerge alongside…
Have you been asking yourself lately, “Am I depressed?” It’s a much more common question than you might think. Depression is a serious (though treatable) mental illness that comes in many different forms. Unfortunately, the media, television, and popular culture oftentimes make depression look a certain way (ie, someone who never showers or gets out of bed). If you’re wondering if you’re suffering from depression,…