Mental Health Site
	Erin Kelley-Soderholm, M.Ed. BellaOnline's Mental Health Editor

About Electroconvulsive Therapy aka ECT
Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) is an electrical-stimulation technique used to treat severe depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and psychosis, and catatonia. It is a remarkable fact that ECT is an effective treatment for so many apparently unrelated types of mental illness.

Antidepressants called SSRIs
What are SSRIs? This article will assist you in understanding the purpose of this group of antidepressant medication, some noted side effects and resources available in helping you understand this treatment for depression.

Axes of Mental Health Disorders
Personality disorders are like tips of icebergs. They rest on a foundation of causes and effects, interactions and events, emotions and cognitions, functions and dysfunctions that together form the patient and make him or her what s/he is.

Beginner's Guide to Antidepressants
An overview of the potential risks and benefits of antidepressants, including questions to consider before you start medication therapy. Use this guide to make an informed choice.

EMDR : A Remarkable Treatment for Trauma
The emotional wounds caused by serious trauma can be very difficult to heal. The difficulty is greater, the more severe and prolonged the traumatic episodes. Yet recovery is often possible, and one interesting technique for enabling recovery is called "Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing."

Fear of Mental Health Visits
Are you afraid to talk to your doctor or a therapist about your depression, your disorganized behavior, or the night terrors you´re having?

Finally Letting Go of Anorexia : How Hypnotherapy worked for me
Debra Mittler finishes her story here on how she overcame anorexia through hypnosis, therapy, visualization and strong determination.

High Risk Behaviors and Treatment
Have you or a friend recently been diagnosed with bipolar disorder? Has someone suggested that a 'personality' disorder could be to blame for your problems? Take the fear out of losing control and explore some advice on situations you should avoid and reminders on maintaining treatment.

Personality Assessment and the MMPI
Personality assessment is perhaps more an art form than a science. In an attempt to render it as objective and standardized as possible, generations of clinicians came up with psychological tests and structured interviews. Read more for information on MMPI testing and what it means.

Psychological Testing
A Thematic Appreciation Test uses pictures and subjects tell a story based on what they see. The Structured Clinical Interview uses 12 groups of questions corresponding to the 12 personality disorders. Disorder specific testing is based on assisting diagnosis of a specific psychological disorder.

Steroids and Bipolar Do Not Mix Well
For my son with Bipolar disorder, taking Prednisone was almost a deadly mistake.

The MCMI III Test and Rorschach Inkblot Test
The MCMI-III diagnoses personality disorders and Axis I disorders but not other mental health problems. The Rorschach Inkblot test teaches a skilled diagnostician how the one processes information and what is the structure and content of his internal world. Read more to learn details on these tests.

What is a Dual Diagnosis?
More information on the meaning of a dual diagnosis as it relates to mental health, drug addiction and how we have learned to cope.