Although it's not as well documented as postpartum depression, post-adoption depression syndrome (PADS) is not uncommon: In a 2012 study from Purdue University, between 18 and 26 percent of adoptive mothers (depending on the screening scale) reported depressive symptoms within the first year of bringing home a new baby or child. (Rates for the small number of adoptive fathers also surveyed were similar.)
Read MoreA panic attack is an intense wave of fear characterized by its unexpectedness and debilitating, immobilizing intensity. Panic attacks can feel different for everyone, and largely depend on your personal experience. These attacks are quite common, and in the United States alone affect more than 40 million people.
Read MoreYou know the saying, “You can never have too much of a good thing?” Yeah, I’m not a fan of that one, because too much of pretty much anything isn’t good. And as a new or expectant mom, this is particularly true when it comes to information. And while that’s great for many things, it can also make it very difficult to separate the good information from the bad. And when bad information circulates without correction, some potentially harmful myths can seem to turn into facts.
Read MoreTrue stories of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders show how these common conditions can feel different than you expect.
Read MoreRelationships are both a blessing and can be increasable hard. And one element that complicates relationships is that they are all so different. What works in one relationship doesn’t work in another. How I interaction in this one doesn’t work in the other. It’s helpful to remember that we are complex as humans and so relationships also have a complexity to them. But when I notice I’m continually hurt, disappointed or confused in a relationship, I find that one question seems to be incredibly helpful in assessment process.
Read MoreWhat do I say to a friend going through infertility struggles? As a friend, I want to be there for her, but I don’t want to overstep. How can I offer to help without meddling in her business? And what can I actually offer to do for her during this time?
Read MoreWhen we hear the word trauma, many of us thing of sexual abuse, natural disasters, or war time experiences. And while those are common traumas we see regularly here at The Counseling Collective Fort Worth, I thought it would be helpful to list out other types of traumas and distressing experiences we see and process inside EMDR therapy.
Read MoreNothing can fully prepare you for the day you receive a medical diagnosis for your child. I still remember ours as if it were yesterday. I was sitting in a room, excited to see my baby on the ultrasound screen, when the sonographer left the room to get the Medical Director of the SSM Health St. Louis Fetal Care Institute to come in and look at our scan, I felt a pang of fear.
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