Category: Mental Health
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Dopamine Addiction. Why the Click Myth Doesn’t Tell the Whole Story.
Everyone talks about dopamine like it’s some secret drug hidden in your phone. One click, one like, one scroll, and boom—you’re hooked. Social media is supposed to be addictive, right? But here’s the truth: it’s not that simple. The idea that every little ping from your phone floods your brain with dopamine and keeps you…
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The perfectionist who couldn’t stop proving himself
Daniel thought his relentless standards were the reason for his success. In therapy, he discovered they were also the source of much of his unhappiness. Daniel spent almost an hour rewriting an email. It wasn’t a particularly important email. Nobody’s job depended on it. No major decision would be made because of it. It was…
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Perfectionism isn’t about high standards. It’s about fear
We tend to think of perfectionists as driven people with high standards. But psychologists have long argued that perfectionism is less about excellence and more about avoiding criticism, rejection and the fear of not being good enough. There was a time when describing yourself as a perfectionist sounded almost like a humblebrag. During job interviews,…
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“Everyone has ADHD these days”: what mental illness says about society
There is a phrase that keeps resurfacing with increasing certainty: “everyone has ADHD these days.” It tends to appear in casual conversation, often with mild irritation and a sense that something has gone wrong. The implication is that a once-specific clinical diagnosis has somehow leaked into everyday life, becoming a catch-all explanation for distraction, procrastination…
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When the Mind Steps Back: The Hidden Spectrum of Dissociation
Most people only notice dissociation when it looks dramatic: missing chunks of time, blank spells, or describing the world as unreal. But that’s just the far end. In reality, dissociation runs through ordinary life in much smaller doses, usually unnoticed. It is less a rare condition and more a sliding scale of how much a…
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Trauma-Informed Care – A Journey to Healing with Zain
Trauma-Informed Care: A Journey to Healing with Zain As a therapist, I’ve been fortunate to witness many remarkable stories of healing and resilience. One story that stands out is Zain’s, a man in his mid-thirties of Asian descent, who courageously allowed me to share his journey with the understanding that his real name is not…
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Finding Light in the Darkness. Elio’s Journey Through Depression and the Power of Psychotherapy.
Elio had always been the kind of person who kept things to himself. On the outside, he seemed fine—maybe even great. He had a decent job, a small circle of friends, and a cozy apartment that he shared with his cat, Luna. But on the inside, things weren’t so simple. Elio had been struggling with…
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How I finally found the right therapist
I’m just going to put it out there: my first experience with therapy was a disaster. Not the dramatic, movie-scene kind of disaster, more like that awkward, cringe-y type where you’re sitting in a small, too-clean room, trying to figure out if you’re even in the right place. I remember it clear as day. I…
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Autism and ADHD: illnesses to treat, or identities to accept?
This is the question sitting at the centre of the neurodiversity movement, and it is not a theoretical one. It affects diagnosis, school support, medication, and how people understand themselves. Conditions like Autism Spectrum Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder have traditionally been treated as disorders. Something in brain development affects attention, communication, impulse control,…