Key Takeaways Many people use the term “sex addiction,” but the medical community continues to debate the diagnosis. Regardless of the label, compulsive sexual behaviors can create real distress, strain relationships, interfere with work, and negatively affect emotional well-being. The behavior itself is only part of the picture. At The Blanchard Institute, we believe understanding […]
Key Takeaways Alcohol-related liver damage often develops gradually, which means many people don’t recognize a problem until significant damage has already occurred. Learning the early warning signs and seeking help before symptoms become severe can make a meaningful difference. The liver has an incredible ability to heal, particularly during the early stages of alcohol-related damage. That’s why identifying alcohol use disorder and beginning treatment sooner rather than later is […]
Key Takeaways At The Blanchard Institute, education is not an add-on to treatment. It is a core part of how we help individuals and families understand mental health challenges and the path forward before treatment even begins. Many families enter the journey feeling overwhelmed by stigma, fear, and conflicting information. Education helps replace uncertainty with […]
This article discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call, text, or chat with the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988, or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741. You are enough. You matter. Your life is worth fighting for. Suicide is a leading cause of death […]
The World Health Organization defines burnout as “a syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.” Physicians and other healthcare professionals are particularly at risk. A study presented in the December 2015 issue of the Mayo Clinic Proceedings showed a 10 percent rise in burnout rates among physicians to 54.4 percent […]
The Blanchard Institute recently expanded treatment options at its Lake Norman facility. The new evening intensive outpatient program (IOP) is building on the success of other Blanchard programs. “Our modalities are highly successful because we use evidence-based treatment,” says Jennifer Harris, CADC, who manages the new program. One of the counselors at Lake Norman is […]
This article discusses suicide. If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for a list of additional resources. Back in 2017, psychologist and author Jean Twenge warned of a mental health crisis on the horizon. In her influential book iGen she […]
“In the most health-obsessed society ever, all is not well,” wrote addiction expert Gabor Maté in The Myth of Normal in 2022. “Multibillion-dollar industries bank on people’s ongoing investment—mental and emotional, not to mention financial—in endless quests to eat better, look younger, live longer, or feel livelier, or simply to suffer fewer symptoms.” We do […]
“Substance use disorder is a highly prevalent condition, leading to significant morbidity, mortality, and burden on the healthcare system,” wrote Muhammad Iqbal, and Charles and Frances Levin in their 2019 review of the treatment for substance use disorder (SUD) with co-occurring mental illness. “Substance use disorders are overrepresented among individuals with a mental illness. The […]
“You must practice tough love!”“Let them hit rock bottom!” For decades, we’ve heard these common recommendations come from the medical profession, therapists, friends, and even the recovery community itself. Unfortunately, these two themes rooted in concepts of tough love, could not be more inaccurate or hurtful to the health of our suffering loved ones and […]
