My junior year of college, I bought a used computer for $100. It was cheap because the thing was as huge as it was heavy. The challenge was to walk with this cumbersome piece of technology across campus to my dorm. I was finally to the steps of Holy Cross Hall when I tripped and...

When I was 11, I auditioned for a ballet school. Miss Jo, the founder of the program, and of The Dayton Ballet Company, came to the auditions and sat next to my mom. “Your daughter has beautifully arched feet,” she told my mom. “Although we wish all dancers had high arches, it will make it...

Pregnant and postpartum women with bipolar disorder more frequently have significant mental health and early mothering challenges than other perinatal women undergoing psychiatric treatment, according to a study in the Journal of Affective Disorders. The findings indicate the importance of properly identifying the disorder and developing specific treatments for women during and after pregnancy, the...

The direct cost of depression to the United States in terms of lost time at work is estimated at 172 million day yearly. According to the World Health Organization, mental disorders are the leading cause of disability in the U.S. and Canada. Australian Graeme Cowan, who experienced a horrific five-year mental breakdown, published a report...

I started this column about guilt—why it stalks me. Why, no matter how hard I try to be a good girl, I can’t get rid of the knot in my stomach that says I’ve been busted, just like I was with a bottle of vodka at band camp in high school. However, upon doing a...