Post-traumatic Stress Disorder: recurrent, intrusive & distressing memories of a life-threatening or traumatic event that coincides with persistent avoidance. Avoidance can take many forms. Persons with PTSD generally avoid thoughts, feelings, activities, places and people associated with the event. Other symptoms may include, difficulties concentrating, fragmented memories of the traumatic event, as well as disinterest in activities, feelings of detachment, a sense of a shorter future, difficulty sleeping, numbness, anger or irritability, acute awareness of one's surroundings, and an exaggerated startle response.
Borderline Personality Disorder: extreme difficulty managing emotions, history or current self-injury and/or suicidal behavior, painful emotions experienced as intolerable, quick shifts between different emotions and moods, individuals often report feeling controlled by their emotions, some may experience intense self-hatred and shame, report proneness to irritability and anger, and a pattern of tumultuous relationships, express intense fears of abandonment and sensitivity to criticism, report a profound sense of emptiness or emotional numbness, demonstrate self-defeating behaviors that are impulsive or destructive
Relational Distress/Interpersonal Difficulties: Although there is not a diagnostic criteria for individuals who struggle with maintaining satisfactory relationships in their personal and professional lives, I offer treatment for individuals who find themselves in problematic patterns with others that often includes difficulties with intimacy, self assertion, vulnerability, low self-esteem, empathy, compassion for self, self-defeating expectations, excessive guardedness, etc...
Bipolar Disorder: Periods of elevated or irritable mood that alternate with periods of depressed mood, duration and intensity may vary between swings in mood.
Panic Disorder: Recurrent, sudden, unexpected experiences of panic (i.e., sudden rushes of intense fear and physical symptoms such as racing heart, shortness of breath, dizziness, tingling sensations, fear of losing control, fear of dying). Panic attacks are followed by ongoing concern about having panic attacks in the future, and changes in one's behavior as a result having panic attacks.
Agoraphobia: Anxiety in places or situations from which escape may be difficult or embarrassing or in which help may be unavailable in the event of a panic attack; often crowded areas, traffic, bridges, traveling, tunnels, etc.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder: Excessive and uncontrollable worry that is usually accompanied by muscle tension, restlessness, trouble sleeping, difficulty concentrating, fatigue, and irritability
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Obsessions are intrusive and distressing thoughts, images or impulses that a person seeks to ignore or suppress. Compulsions are repetitive behaviors that a person feels drive to perform in order to alleviate distress. Most common obsessions are repeated thoughts about contamination, ongoing doubt (e.g., did I leave the stove on, lock the door), need to have things in a particular order, aggressive or horrific impulses (e.g., hurting one's child), and sexual imagery. Most common compulsions are repetitive hand washing, ordering, checking or mental acts (counting, praying, repeating words silently). Persons may have obsessions and/or compulsions.
Social Phobia/Social Anxiety Disorder: Anxiety that occurs only in relation to social or performance situations in which embarrassment may occur. Typically, persons with social phobia fear that he/she may be evaluated or judged negatively by others in social situations (e.g., public speaking. dating, meeting new people etc...)
Specific Phobia: Excessive or unreasonable fear of a specific situation or object (e.g., flying, heights, spiders, clowns, enclosed spaces)
Depression: Sad mood, reduced pleasure and/or disinterest in activities previously enjoyed, fatigue, feelings of worthlessness, difficulties concentrating and/or sleeping, appetite disturbance, thoughts that life isn’t worth living