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Experiencing grief is an entirely normal and natural response to loss. Grief is a form of emotional suffering that often includes, strong and intense feelings of denial, anger, sadness, lethargy, sleep problems, confusion, and feelings of rawness. While these emotions may feel significantly intense, they are very normal reactions and part of the “grieving process”.…

*Please note that the following blog primarily examines postpartum depression from a heterosexual view. This is not intended nor dismissive of any other sexual identity relationship as postpartum depression can occur in multiple ways across all new parental relationships* Postpartum depression is a rather familiar and common occurrence pertaining to women that have just…

Within approximately 3 months of giving birth, some women can experience unexplainable sadness. These depressive-related feelings were not present before giving birth and often times one of the only precipitating events was childbirth. This can be a confusing, complicated, and worrisome experience for all involved. Although the exact etiology of this type of depression isn’t…

More than 21 million people in the United States, or approximately 8.5% of the population, live with some sort of depression. Depression is known primarily for affecting people’s moods, but it can also be responsible for changes in people’s motivation levels, attitudes, thoughts, and actions. As brain and neuroscience research continues to make advances, it…

Depression is a mental condition that can have multiple symptoms, including difficulties in motivation, ambition, and challenges with focusing on work, school, or other day-to-day tasks. Chronic depression has also been correlated to short-term memory problems such as confusion and forgetfulness in some individuals. Often, these short-term memory lapses will abate as depression is treated…

Postpartum depression, also known as PPD, is a common condition affecting over 3 million women in the United States each year. PPD is more intense and longer-lasting than the also common “baby blues”, which are general feelings of sadness occurring within the first few days after having a child. In some cases, postpartum depression doesn’t…

“Maybe later…” Do underlined depressive symptoms unconsciously contribute to procrastination or do procrastination behaviors lead to feelings of depression? The intersection of procrastination and depression is a weighted and interesting picture of overall mental health. Depressed feelings and procrastination are very common occurrences. At Louis Laves-Webb, LCSW, LPC-S & Associates we’ve supported numerous clients to…

Loneliness is as common as prevalent mental health issues like anxiety and depression. Why, then, don’t we have any pharmaceutical treatments for it yet? Dealing with loneliness and a possible cure for loneliness is a complicated matter. Find out more...

Optimistic nihilism isn’t a cure for depression. It’s a way of looking at upsetting concepts like death with a more accepting attitude. You can’t choose whether or not to be depressed, but you can choose how you wish to mitigate it. Put on your philosophy hats and let's talk about happy topics like death, nihilism, and existential dread!

Dating someone with depression is not easy. Sometimes, it can feel like you’re the only one putting energy into the relationship. The good news is that there is plenty you can do to make the relationship work better.

Seasonal affective disorder can make you feel like Mother Nature is in control of your inner happiness. Cloudy cold day after cloudy cold day can have a negative effect on anyone's psyche. If you're especially susceptible to SAD, you need to be proactive in fighting it. Use these tips to stay happy this winter season.

I’ve been in practice for about 15 years, working with the Texas Lawyers’ Assistance Program, or TLAP, and many people in the legal field, specifically around depression, addiction, and anxiety. I’m going to speak with you today about the shadow side of the legal profession as well as some of the signs and symptoms of addiction and depression.

If you are struggling with depression, take a look at the video from GoodTherapy.org. The following is based on an actual case of a man who woke up one day and couldn't stop crying.

Dr. Kay Redfield Jamison, a psychiatry professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine shares her experience with mania and severe depression in this video by the University of Virginia.

Does the changing of the seasons, especially in fall and winter, leave you feeling sad, fatigued, and hopeless? These are just a few common signs associated with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

One of the more advanced expressions of emotional IQ, is the ability to take full ownership of emotions or behaviors that are ours to own, while simultaneously having enough strength and resilience to not “take on” what is not ours to own.

Grief is often associated with the loss of a life. However grief can also be thought of as a significant emotion that can accompany a change in perception, a change of roles, or the loss of something sacred. As with all types of loss, the emotion of grief can be experienced as a process that can include: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Although each individual may grieve differently, grief is an important emotional state that when honestly felt can bring about hope, resiliency, and life-affirming coping responses.

Grief is the process of responding to loss. It usually occurs as a response to death, but it can also be triggered by the end of relationships, jobs, or chapters in our lives. We all deal with grief at some point; it’s a natural response to losing someone or something we cared about deeply.

Coping skills, also sometimes called “coping mechanisms,” are tools that help us deal with triggers, anxieties, and stressors in our lives. In a sense, they are the ways we choose to comfort or calm ourselves. Each of us has our own methods for working through stressful, painful, or difficult emotions and experiences. Some of these methods are things we turned to naturally, and some have evolved from what we learned throughout our lives. Coping skills are something everyone uses, but sometimes we develop ways of dealing with difficulties that end up harming us in the long run–manifesting in addiction, avoidance, or bottled emotions.

As I think first and foremost, isolation. Isolation if you notice that you just tend to isolate and withdraw. And that can look like a number of different things. It can look like sleeping all the time. It can look like not returning phone calls, not reaching out to friends and family. That's a pretty significant sign.