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ADHD Across Every Age ADHD Awareness Month runs all of October. The goal is not a trend. It is a correction. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is a brain-based condition involving attention, impulse control, activity level, and emotional regulation. It is not laziness, bad parenting, or a boy who cannot sit still. It also does not expire at 18. A large share of adults with ADHD were not diagnosed until adulthood. Girls and women are still missed, because inattentive sy

If you’ve ever been told “Just pray about it,” “Kaya mo ’yan,” or “Wala lang ’yan, tiis lang” while quietly wondering if your anxiety has its own passport, welcome. You’re in good company. Filipino American culture is full of deep warmth, fierce loyalty, incredible food, and a sense of humor that can turn almost anything into a punchline—including the things we sometimes struggle to talk about out loud. This isn’t a lecture. It’s more like sitting at the kitchen table with co

That’s OCD — and It Is Not a Personality Quirk “I’m so OCD about my desk.” Most people who say that do not have obsessive-compulsive disorder. OCD Awareness Week, October 11–17, uses a simple correction as its theme: That’s OCD. The week exists because so many people suffer for years without knowing the thing exhausting them has a name and a treatment. OCD is a cycle. Obsessions are unwanted thoughts, images, or urges that show up against a person’s values and cause distress.

A Check-Up for Your Mood We schedule physicals, dental cleanings, and vision checks. A mood check belongs on that same list. Thursday, October 8 is National Depression Screening Day, held during Mental Illness Awareness Week. Saturday, October 10 is World Mental Health Day. Both sit inside National Depression and Mental Health Screening Month. The point of the month is practical: mood disorders are common, they are treatable, and a confidential screening is a low-pressure way

Mental Illness Is Common. Silence Is Optional. The first full week of October is Mental Illness Awareness Week. Congress set this week aside in 1990. Communities still need it, because stigma has a long half-life. About one in five adults lives with a mental illness in a given year. That includes depression, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and other conditions that change how a person thinks, feels, and

October asks a simple question: how is your mind, really? This month stacks several national observances on purpose. National Depression and Mental Health Screening Month, ADHD Awareness Month, and National Bullying Prevention Month all run the full month. The first full week, October 4–10, is Mental Illness Awareness Week. October 8 is National Depression Screening Day. October 10 is World Mental Health Day. Mid-month, October 11–17, is OCD Awareness Week. None of these date

Substance Use & Suicide Awareness Month: What to Look For, Ways to Help, and Where to Get Support Every September, communities across the country observe National Recovery Month and Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. These observances belong together. Substance use and suicide are deeply connected—and so is hope. Treatment works. Recovery is possible. Asking for help is an act of strength. At Stronger Mental Health (SMH) Counseling Services in Jasper, Alabama, we walk with i

Mental Health & Suicide Awareness You carried others. You do not have to carry this alone. An information guide from Stronger Mental Health (SMH) Counseling Services • September 2026 IF YOU ARE IN CRISIS RIGHT NOW Call or text 988 • Chat at 988lifeline.org Veterans, service members, and their families: Dial 988, then press 1 • Text 838255 • VeteransCrisisLine.net If there is immediate danger, call 911. You do not have to be enrolled in VA care to use the Veterans Cr

Presence over perfect words. What actually helps when grief is this complicated. By Romalyn S. Aaron, LPC, NCC · Co-founder, Stronger Mental Health · August 2026 When someone we care about loses a person they love to suicide, most of us freeze. We are afraid of saying the wrong thing. We are afraid of making the pain worse. We wait for the “right” moment, and the moment passes. The person who is grieving often feels the silence as abandonment, even when the silence came from

Understanding ACEs, Unresolved Trauma, and the Path Back to Life By Romalyn “Roma” Seriosa Aaron, EdS, LPC, NCC, CTAPSB, EMDR · Stronger Mental Health Counseling Services If you are having thoughts of suicide or feel unsafe right now, please stop and reach out. Call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline). In Walker County, you can also contact Northwest Alabama Mental Health Center at (205) 302-9000. If you are in immediate danger, call 911. You do not have to earn help. Y

Important clarification: Talking about ACEs does not mean blaming parents, caregivers, adoptive families, or anyone who cared for a child. Many hard experiences happen because of stress, illness, loss, trauma, lack of support, or life situations that are bigger than one person. Naming ACEs helps us understand what a child may have lived through so healing can begin with compassion, not blame. One of the most common concerns people have when they first learn about ACEs and com

Complex trauma and high Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) scores often do not announce themselves with a clear label. Instead, they can produce symptom patterns that closely resemble, (or get misdiagnosed) as ADHD, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder (MDD), autism spectrum presentations, psychotic symptoms, personality disorders, and borderline personality disorder. Eating disorders frequently appear as part of the same trauma response. Understanding these overlaps

Imagine your mind and your life as a car on a long, winding adventure. Some days the road is smooth, and other days you hit potholes, detours, or warning lights you didn’t expect. The good news is you don’t have to navigate it alone. Different mental health and wellness professionals act like your personal “pit crew,” each with their own strengths, tools, and specialties. Here’s a friendly, easy breakdown of who’s who, and how they help keep you moving forward. Psychiatrist

At Stronger Mental Health LLC, we know that understanding the roots of challenges can open the door to real healing—especially for families and youth dealing with problematic sexual behavior (PSB). This post uses simple, everyday language to explore Sigmund Freud’s classic ideas about child development and how they can connect to sexual trauma, addiction, and PSB. Freud’s theories (late 1800s/early 1900s) are not the full modern picture, but they help explain unconscious patt

Family is often our first support system. It is where we learn, grow, and build our identities. However, as life gets busy, we may find...

Trauma can leave deep scars, often invisible to the naked eye. Many people carry the weight of their experiences, which can affect their...

Substance use can feel like a heavy weight on your shoulders. It can affect every part of your life, from relationships to work. But...