Social isolation is hard on everyone. Humans are social creatures, and even some of the most introverted people are starting to feel the effects. With Ontario having just extended its state of emergency until June 30th, you may be looking for resources to help get yourself through. There is lots of information out there, and sometimes it can be hard to determine which recommendations to follow. Below you can find 5 tips to help maintain good mental health during these stressful times, with an explanation of the research that backs them up so you can make up your own mind about what will help you the most right now. 1. Stay in contact with your loved ones Being unsure of your loved...
The dangers of the “Chemical Imbalance” myth of depression. Carley Lyn Richards MSc Neuroscience, BA Psychology, BSc. Neuroscience and Mental Health, Actor and Creator. I often hear people defending their depression by saying “it’s a chemical imbalance in my brain”. What they really mean is, it’s a medical problem. This is true, depression (and all other mental health issues) are medical issues that need to be treated as such. However, is it both incorrect and dangerous to continue spreading the myth that depression is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. First of all, there are many different potential causes for depression. There is no “one cause”. Depression is a very complex condition, and scientists are still trying to...
Carley Lyn Richards MSc Neuroscience, BA Psychology, BSc Neuroscience and Mental Health, Actor and Creator. Hey there! Before I started posting "real" blog posts, I wanted to do a little introduction and give you a sense of what to expect from my posts. So I'm Carley, which you can (if I did this blog thing right) see above. You should also be able to see my handful of degrees above, but please don't get intimidated! I promise, I am actually an idiot. If you ever have the pleasure of talking to me in real life, you'll quickly figure that out. I can (sometimes) make myself sound very intelligent when I have the time to write my thoughts out. I've always...