Category Archives

Science

Snowflakes

You Call Us Snowflakes Like It’s a Bad Thing

By Kristance Harlow | May 3, 2017 |
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People have been calling each other “special snowflakes” at least as far back as Fight Club, but the insult has snowballed recently. The Guardian dubbed “poor little snowflake” the top insult of 2016.

Drawing of eye

Opioids, Dissociation, and PTSD – The Shocking Connections

By Kristance Harlow | March 2, 2017 |
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Animals that are put under constant duress seem as if they are on an opioid like heroin. Scientists also observed animals reacting like addicts in withdrawal when an opioid blocker was used to disrupt the flow of natural endogenous opioids.

8 Bizarre Facts About Animal Reproduction

By Kristance Harlow | December 26, 2016 |
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There’s no rule that regulates how animals obtain the necessary genetic material to reproduce—and as a result, there is a lot of weird animal sex going on out there.

Overhead shot of map, camera, laptop and two people

How To Travel with Chronic Illness

By Kristance Harlow | December 11, 2016 |
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Use language that makes you the authority on your health, but don’t use language that makes it sound like it is your fault or completely in your control.

Sur de Chile

Is Guilt Selfish? Regret, Shame, and Relapse

By Kristance Harlow | November 27, 2016 |
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Since guilt is cited as a frequent relapse trigger, we need to uncover the layers of internal regret. Looking back over journals from different periods in my life, guilt has always been a major character in my evolving chapters of self-destruction. I have heard it said that alcoholics tend to think they are the piece…

Blurred image of girl in glasses, yellow background.

Denial and Blackouts: A Vicious Cycle

By Kristance Harlow | October 26, 2016 |
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Blackouts are drug-related amnesia. Binge drinking can lead to memory loss and make it difficult to form new memories. Someone in a blackout might turn into an incoherent version of Dory from Finding Nemo who won’t stop repeating the same phrase, but a lot of the time it is difficult to tell if someone is blacked out.

Drugs

Will Big Pharma Support a Non-Addictive Opioid?

By Kristance Harlow | October 2, 2016 |
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With painkillers like OxyContin, the overdose reversal drug naloxone, and detox/maintenance medications like Suboxone, the pharmaceutical industry is making a profit off people addicted to opioid at every stage. Opioids are highly addictive and sometimes, especially in combination with other drugs, deadly.

Flower by Sebastian Bota

5 Happiness Tips When You Have PTSD

By Kristance Harlow | September 7, 2016 |
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Living with post traumatic stress disorder and her bluesy sister, depression, has drastically changed how I handle everyday life. Anxiety and lethargy applied for permanent residence in my body, and I thought I had to fight to have their applications thrown out. Turns out I didn’t have to fight, I had to give up and stop trying to control everything.

Woman in face mask looks out of window.

10 Surprising Ways The Modern World Is Making Us Sick

By Kristance Harlow | January 20, 2015 |
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Everything in moderation, as the old adage goes. As it turns out, that couldn’t be more accurate, as research continues to shed light on how the modern world is damaging our health. We might be living longer today than our ancestors did, but the current era isn’t as health-friendly as we might think.

Lightning Storm

Expats and Depression: The Research

By Kristance Harlow | July 14, 2014 |
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My last blog post on depression and expats sparked some interesting discussions on LinkedIn. Unfortunately, I accidentally deleted the thread when I got pissed at my non-responding mouse and started clicking it like a madwoman. In my fury of clicks it responded, just to delete a very productive conversation. Thanks technology. I’m going to follow…

If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call your local emergency number. The numbers listed here are the commonly used numbers for the stated region, the numbers can vary greatly depending on where you live. If you don't know your country's equivalent to 911, this wiki page and The Lifeline Foundation have comprehensive listings.

Americas

911

The Americas

Europe

112

Europe

Africa

112 & 999

Africa

Asia

112, 999, 110

Asia

Oceania

112, 911, 999, 111, & 000

Oceania

Find help for a crisis by texting, calling, or chatting online with these free crisis organizations. Looking for one outside of the USA? Check out our support listings.

Crisis Text Line
Text: “HOME” to 741741

Suicide Lifeline
Text: “ANSWER” to 839863
Call: 1-800-273-8255

Domestic Violence Hotline
1-800-799-7233
1-800-787-3224 (TTY)

Child Abuse Hotline
1-800-422-4453

The Trevor Project
Text “START” to 678678
1-866-488-7386

These online and international resources may help you anywhere you are located. Looking for local support outside of the USA? Check out our support listings.

DV Support Abroad
Call toll-free worldwide
1-833-723-3833

I'm Alive Virtual Crisis Center
Live chat with trained volunteers

Crisis Connections
24/7 crisis support with interpretation in 155+ languages