Claney (2025) describes autistic masking as "a complex phenomenon in which autistic individuals consciously or unconsciously hide or modify their behaviors and traits to fit within societal expectations." Masking, Claney argues, takes a massive emotional toll on autistic adults and can be devastating to mental health. A substantial body of research supports these findings, with the entire neuroaffirmative movement as evidence of the psychological and physical costs of long‑term masking.
Jennifer Breheny Wallace: I shudder when I hear people bragging about perfectionism or saying perfectionism can be good; healthy striving, striving for excellence is good. Perfectionism? I just don't see any good that comes of it. Samantha Laine Perfas: Many people hold themselves to extremely high standards, but when the scales tip to the pursuit of perfection, it can result in anxiety, depression, and other serious mental health issues. So how do we know when we've gone too far in trying to do our best?
Gen Z is never beating the " unemployable " allegations. For Gen Z, a growing confidence crisis means common workplace interactions are now a major source of anxiety. Working with unfamiliar colleagues, making small talk, using the phone, and waking up early were among the biggest anxieties for young workers, according to new research from Trinity College London. These fears have also been echoed online.
It's a chance to see your fam, wear your favorite pajamas from high school, and regress to childhood, in the best way. It feels like all is right with the world - until it's time for bed. When staying with your parents as an adult, it's not uncommon to find yourself in an odd sleeping situation. On TikTok, people are discussing being relegated to uncomfortable couches and cots, often because a married sibling got the guest room
The topic of mental health is a crucial one, as security team burnout is a top challenge for many organizations. Those in the industry know stressors can be abundant when working security roles, and without proper mental health practices in place, many professionals can burn out. And when one team member burns out, it's possible that more will follow. "We're pretty much [on] 24/7, being security professionals," says Rodriguez.
Recently, an acquaintance of an acquaintance (let's call her Dina) heard that I was a therapist and an educator and asked if she could chat with me (she approved this write-up). She shared that she had discovered her therapist was using AI to partially conduct their sessions. While I won't go into how the issue came to light, Dina mentioned that she felt shock and anguish. She was terrified that her protected health information (PHI) and feelings were "out on the internet."
In 1973, an American psychologist called David Rosenhan published the results of a bold experiment. He'd arranged for eight pseudo-patients to attend appointments at psychiatric institutions, where they complained to doctors about hearing voices that said empty, hollow and thud. All were admitted, diagnosed with either schizophrenia or manic-depressive psychosis. They immediately stopped displaying any symptoms and started saying they felt fine. The first got out after seven days; the last after 52.
Today, I want to share a goal-setting process I use in my life whenever I feel a change is needed. I also use it in just about every client session, both at the start of treatment and periodically along the way. This creates a sweet synergy: Using a tool yourself is the best way to learn what it takes to actually apply it.
Given the depth of these symptoms on psychological processes, such as forming and maintaining relationships, a simple evolutionary view would likely have predicted that schizophrenia "should" have been de-selected from the human gene pool. Studies have suggested the (genetic) fitness loss that results from schizophrenia can range from 20 to 70 percent. The ongoing stable global prevalence of schizophrenia is an example of an evolutionary paradox.
Just a few months ago, I wrote about how lucky I felt. My husband is a firefighter with long shifts (and overtime), and I'm a morning radio personality who wakes up hours before the sun rises. Though our work schedules can be difficult, we have a village that includes both my mother and my in-laws, and not only are they close by, but they're also dependable.
"Hi." The 20-something man approached my table, the corner of his mouth curving up. He looked away and rubbed his chin before making eye contact and telling me: "I just wanted you to know that if you'd come in sooner, my girlfriend and I would've invited you to join us." I smiled at him. It was nice of him to want to create community with me, although I was perfectly happy just as I was. But he wasn't quite finished.
The audit, commissioned by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership and funded by NHS England, found there were more community teams to support children than there were for adults. On average, adults with eating disorders had to wait twice as long as children for an assessment, and more than 10 times as long for treatment, the report found. The eating disorder charity Beat said the growing disparity between child and adult services was particularly worrying.
After the blaze destroyed his uninsured home in the Palisades Bowl mobile home park - which the owners, to this day, still have not cleared of fire debris - the boat docked in Marina del Rey became his home. "You either rise from the ashes or you get consumed by them," he said between tokes from a joint as he watched the sunset with his chihuahua tucked into his tan Patagonia jacket.
My mom joined a religious cult when I was about 8 years old. I wasn't buying their shit even as a child and was not going to let them drag me in. I was still around for a couple of years and saw everything that was going on. She's still in it today, over 30 years later. My uncle is there, and two cousins. One cousin got out/was kicked out and has been out for about 15 years.
"Don't underestimate the fact that your life has changed now forever. And yes, it's going to be better, if you play your cards right. The life you once had has gone forever now. It's OK to feel a sadness about that, but people then get caught in the spiral of beating themselves up over feeling sad about it. "It's a case of, 'Oh, hold on a second, I have no right to be sad', but you actually do, because there is a grieving process of the life you once had."
When people hear the words domestic violence they usually think of intimate partner violence, but there is another form of domestic violence that's just as real and often just as dangerous, although few want to talk about it: Parents who are abused and sometimes killed by their own children. This is called filial domestic violence. In my work, it's not rare and it's not mild.
There's something about walking into our childhood home that can make many of us feel like we're 13 again. We arrive as capable adults with our own lives, and 10 minutes later find ourselves defending choices we made years ago or falling into arguments we swore we would never have again. It can be hard to watch ourselves from the outside and think, I don't act like this anywhere else, so why do I do it here?
Foster's experience aligns with a well-known and disturbing trend in American health care: more children are having mental health problems. In 2023, 40% of high school students reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, and 20% had seriously considered attempting suicide, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study. Studies also found that more young people are going to emergency rooms for care an expensive option that can cost thousands of dollars.
The Washington Post analyzed TikTok usage, finding what topics the algorithm nudges users towards more: TikTok's algorithm favors mental health content over many other topics, including politics, cats and Taylor Swift, according to a Washington Post analysis of nearly 900 U.S. TikTok users who shared their viewing histories. The analysis found that mental health content is stickier than many other videos: It's easier to spawn more of it after watching with a video, and harder to get it out of your feed afterward.
I was absolutely thrilled to become a mother and I loved taking care of my baby. At the same time, though, some of those late nights breastfeeding her during those first six months were some of the loneliest and most desperate hours of my life. I had never been so tired. In the dark of my daughter's nursery, it sometimes felt like I was the only awake adult on the planet.
Grief doesn't follow a script. Whether you've lost someone suddenly or are navigating the slow unraveling that follows a major life change, it can be hard to find space for your emotions, let alone make sense of them. That's where journaling comes in. This commonly therapist-recommended tool has been shown to ease stress, clarify emotions, and support long-term healing. And, no, it doesn't have to be done daily to make a difference.
In 2023, I lost my soul dog, Chubbs. He had been with me for 14 years through every apartment, every move, and even a cross-country relocation from Texas to New York. When he passed, it felt like someone had pulled the anchor from my life. I didn't just lose my dog; I lost my sense of safety and the steady presence that had guided every chapter of my adult life. The grief felt overwhelming.
Oftentimes, within online support groups for parents, questions arise about "treatments" that fall well outside the established evidence base for childhood mental health disorders. These suggestions frequently include supplements and "natural" fixes-zinc, saffron oil, magnesium-or restrictive diets such as gluten-free, casein-free, or "detox" protocols. Posts also commonly promote pseudoscientific interventions like sensory integration therapy, red light therapy, or homeopathy. Parents recommend them to other parents despite little to no scientific support for their effectiveness.
As winter break approaches, college students are returning home for much-needed rest. Many will retreat to their rooms to recharge, while others may rush to reconnect with friends, even bypassing the open arms of their parents. College life is demanding, and most students develop coping skills to manage the semester's accumulated stress. For some, however, academic, social, and independent-living pressures can feel overwhelming, triggering new mental health or substance-use concerns or exacerbating existing vulnerabilities.
Start by getting a physical examination to make sure that your body is healthy. Talk to your doctor about how you are feeling, and ask for recommendations to support your new routine. Next, map out things you can do during the workday to up your energy. Typically, people get a bit lethargic after lunch and toward late afternoon. Can you take a 15-minute break right before you normally get sluggish and take a vigorous walk outside your building?
At the end of September, Malika Brittingham was arrested after falsely reporting an active shooter at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey. She'd sent a text saying that she'd heard five or six shots and was "hiding with her co-workers." After a lockdown and law enforcement response, Brittingham sheepishly admitted she'd made it up so she could "trauma bond" with her coworkers.
Stress tolerance is a key executive function skill that relates to our ability to cope with pressure, uncertainty, and change. Stress tolerance involves being able to navigate incoming demands and manage stressful situations. For some of us, this is a significant strength, and we may find that we thrive in uncertain, novel, and changing environments. For others, atypical circumstances can be very stressful (Dawson and Guare, 2016).
Overuse of AI for mental health support could well lead to the next public health emergency if the government does not take urgent action. We shouldn't be surprised that teenagers are turning to tools such as ChatGPT in this way. NHS waiting lists are rising, and one in five young people are living with a mental health condition. It is unacceptable that young people who require support for their mental health are unable to access the services they need, before they reach crisis point.
Lately, my sessions have been filled with clients reflecting on the tension that often arises during periods of transition. Some feel proud of their growth, while others feel discouraged by goals left unmet or intentions that quietly fell away as life became overwhelming. Many wonder what to do with this disappointment and whether to carry these unfinished hopes forward. As an art therapist, I guide clients toward practices rooted not in self-judgment but in intentionality, embodiment, and creative self-understanding.
When you've saved a lot of money, early retirement becomes a possibility. That's the situation this Reddit poster is in. The poster has a net worth of $8.1 million at 48 years old and is ready to stop working. They set their son up with enough money for college and grad school, as well as a $250,000 stock account. The poster feels guilty about leaving the workforce during their prime earning years, though.
I worked for a family-owned realty company for nearly 30 years. I am not a family member. We started out as just four of us while the company expanded into one of the largest real estate firms in our community. I was an intricate piece of it, but as it grew, I felt more and more left in the dark by their decisions and considerations. It felt hostile to me.
Grief can make some people hole up indoors. But in Northampton, Massachusetts a walking bereavement group gathers outside once a week on warm days and chilly ones. Most join the group after a spouse has died, but some are there to remember a sibling, a parent or a child. Maureen Cahillane, 91, walked with a cane around a local park with about two dozen other people.
I was so panicked by the grief I might experience if my loved one died that it prevented me from giving my loved one what I needed [to]," says Lambert, 54, who lives in London. That was back in 2017. Over time, through trial and error, Lambert says, she learned she had to put her own feelings aside in the moment and focus on the person in front of her.
