LifeStance Insights
Our team of expert clinicians give their perspectives across a range of subjects, touching on current topics, family and loved one issues, mental health struggles and the comprehensive services that can help you live a better life.
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Psychology of Horror: What Your Favorite Movie Says About You
What’s your favorite scary movie? Maybe it’s one you’ve seen a hundred times. You know the rules, you know the killer. Or maybe it’s one with no rules: a ghost, a curse, a wish gone wrong.
This year's box office shows how different horror taste can be. Scream 7 is the highest-grossing Scream movie. It’s a slasher, and fans know Ghostface by heart. Obsession is the highest-grossing original horror movie of the century. It’s a brand-new story that centers on a supernatural wish.
Why do such different movies both work? Because we all seem to have a different appetite for fear. Here’s how your favorite horror movie fits your own “sweet spot,” and what it may say about you.
Why Everyone Has a Different Sweet Spot for Horror Movies
Your brain is like a prediction machine. It's always guessing what happens next, then adjusting when it's wrong. Researchers have proposed that horror works by playing with that guessing. It seems to...
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Anxiety
How to Cope With Layoff Anxiety: 5 Science-Backed Strategies
Layoffs used to come in waves. But many companies are now making smaller, more frequent cuts instead of one big round. These “forever layoffs” never really stop long enough for anyone to feel secure. According to the 2026 Work in America™ survey from the American Psychological Association (APA), about 1 in 3 (32%) U.S. workers are concerned about losing their job in the next few weeks or months.
But layoff anxiety doesn’t seem to affect everyone the same way. Here's why some people tend to handle it better than others, and five steps you can take to help buffer against it.
Layoff Anxiety: What It Is and Why It Hits Some People Harder
Layoff anxiety is worry about losing your job. It can show up even when your job may be secure. Your mind treats the possibility of job loss like a real, present danger. That can keep your body in a stress response for weeks or months, even if nothing bad ever happens.
But this worry doesn't...
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How to Cope With Layoff Anxiety: 5 Science-Backed Strategies
Layoffs used to come in waves. But many companies are now making smaller, more frequent cuts instead of one big round. These “forever layoffs” never really stop long enough for anyone to feel secure. According to the 2026 Work in America™ survey from the American Psychological Association (APA), about 1 in 3 (32%) U.S. workers are concerned about losing their job in the next few weeks or months.
But layoff anxiety doesn’t seem to affect everyone the same way. Here's why some people tend to handle it better than others, and five steps you can take to help buffer against it.
Layoff Anxiety: What It Is and Why It Hits Some People Harder
Layoff anxiety is worry about losing your job. It can show up even when your job may be secure. Your mind treats the possibility of job loss like a real, present danger. That can keep your body in a stress response for weeks or months, even if nothing bad ever happens.
But this worry doesn't...
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Trends and Predictions
How I Use AI to Protect My Mental Health Without Losing My Creativity
A few months ago, I was sitting in front of a blinking cursor trying to write an essay I knew I was capable of but couldn't quite access it. I had the idea; I had the direction, but the words weren't coming together the way I needed them to. I kept typing and deleting; the cycle continued for about two hours. Out of frustration, I finally opened an AI tool and asked it to help me figure out how to start.
Within seconds, I had options. Angles I hadn't considered, headlines that actually sounded good, a loose structure that suddenly made the entire piece feel possible again. At first, I felt relieved. What was once heavy suddenly felt manageable. But almost immediately, I felt something else, a question. If I continue writing the essay based on what AI had helped me start, was it really mine?
That question didn't go away. It stayed in the background, even as AI started to become a regular part of my creative process, mainly executive function related. In turn, I felt guilty. While yes, it made certain parts of the creative process easier, faster, less overwhelming, it also introduced a set of questions about originality, identity, self-trust, and what it means to call something your own....
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How I Use AI to Protect My Mental Health Without Losing My Creativity
A few months ago, I was sitting in front of a blinking cursor trying to write an essay I knew I was capable of but couldn't quite access it. I had the idea; I had the direction, but the words weren't coming together the way I needed them to. I kept typing and deleting; the cycle continued for about two hours. Out of frustration, I finally opened an AI tool and asked it to help me figure out how to start.
Within seconds, I had options. Angles I hadn't considered, headlines that actually sounded good, a loose structure that suddenly made the entire piece feel possible again. At first, I felt relieved. What was once heavy suddenly felt manageable. But almost immediately, I felt something else, a question. If I continue writing the essay based on what AI had helped me start, was it really mine?
That question didn't go away. It stayed in the background, even as AI started to become a regular part of my creative process, mainly executive function related. In turn, I felt guilty. While yes, it made certain parts of the creative process easier, faster, less overwhelming, it also introduced a set of questions about originality, identity, self-trust, and what it means to call something your own....
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ADHD
Insurance Denied Our Son’s ADHD Medication — How Prior Authorization and Appeals Got Us to Yes
What happens when your son has tried numerous ADHD medications and finally found the medication that helps him thrive, but your insurance company refuses to pay for it?
I wish I could say this is a rare situation. Unfortunately, for many families seeking mental health treatment, it's not.
If you've ever stood at a pharmacy counter, looked at a price tag you can't afford, wanted to cry, and felt scared that you couldn’t help your child get the care they need, I understand.
My husband and I recently found ourselves in that frightening position.
How We Found the Right ADHD Medication – Years of Trial and Error
My son, who I'll call Joseph, was diagnosed with ADHD and anxiety about five years ago when he was in first grade. Like many families navigating ADHD treatment, our journey wasn't as simple as finding the right medication upon the first prescription. We spent years trying different options while working closely w...
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Insurance Denied Our Son’s ADHD Medication — How Prior Authorization and Appeals Got Us to Yes
What happens when your son has tried numerous ADHD medications and finally found the medication that helps him thrive, but your insurance company refuses to pay for it?
I wish I could say this is a rare situation. Unfortunately, for many families seeking mental health treatment, it's not.
If you've ever stood at a pharmacy counter, looked at a price tag you can't afford, wanted to cry, and felt scared that you couldn’t help your child get the care they need, I understand.
My husband and I recently found ourselves in that frightening position.
How We Found the Right ADHD Medication – Years of Trial and Error
My son, who I'll call Joseph, was diagnosed with ADHD and anxiety about five years ago when he was in first grade. Like many families navigating ADHD treatment, our journey wasn't as simple as finding the right medication upon the first prescription. We spent years trying different options while working closely w...
Read More
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Depression
Is Ketamine Therapy Safe? Why At-Home Ketamine Is a Different Story
Ketamine-related deaths have sadly become a familiar headline. In 2023, the actor Matthew Perry died from what the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner ruled the acute effects of ketamine. Now the drug is back in the news after the death of 27-year-old model Presley Gerber. His official cause of death has not been determined, and no toxicology results have been released, but some of the public conversation has already turned to ketamine. Separating what’s confirmed from what’s speculation, ketamine safety is a conversation worth having.
So why do doctors still prescribe ketamine at all? The answer has less to do with the drug itself and more to do with where it is taken, how it is dosed, and who is watching. That difference is what separates carefully supervised treatment from ketamine taken alone at home.
Is Ketamine Safe? Risks and Side Effects
Ketamine is an anesthetic, a medication used to put people to sleep for surge...
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Is Ketamine Therapy Safe? Why At-Home Ketamine Is a Different Story
Ketamine-related deaths have sadly become a familiar headline. In 2023, the actor Matthew Perry died from what the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner ruled the acute effects of ketamine. Now the drug is back in the news after the death of 27-year-old model Presley Gerber. His official cause of death has not been determined, and no toxicology results have been released, but some of the public conversation has already turned to ketamine. Separating what’s confirmed from what’s speculation, ketamine safety is a conversation worth having.
So why do doctors still prescribe ketamine at all? The answer has less to do with the drug itself and more to do with where it is taken, how it is dosed, and who is watching. That difference is what separates carefully supervised treatment from ketamine taken alone at home.
Is Ketamine Safe? Risks and Side Effects
Ketamine is an anesthetic, a medication used to put people to sleep for surge...
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Therapy
How to Find Mental Health Care, No Matter Where You Live
You've decided to seek help for your mental health. You may have thought about it for months. Or a hard week may have led you to seek care. Either way, you have taken an important first step, and what happens next shouldn't be the hard part. But for many people, it is. And where you live may make that search easier or a lot harder.
According to Mental Health America’s (MHA) 2025 State of Mental Health in America report, access to mental health care varies widely by state. The rankings place Vermont, Maine, and Massachusetts at the top while Alabama, Texas, and South Carolina are at the bottom. That gap reflects differences in available providers, insurance coverage, and whether people can get the care they need.
This article explores why access varies by state, how online care may help, and offers steps you can take to find mental health care.
Why Mental Health Care Access Varies by State
MHA's rankings score states acro...
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How to Find Mental Health Care, No Matter Where You Live
You've decided to seek help for your mental health. You may have thought about it for months. Or a hard week may have led you to seek care. Either way, you have taken an important first step, and what happens next shouldn't be the hard part. But for many people, it is. And where you live may make that search easier or a lot harder.
According to Mental Health America’s (MHA) 2025 State of Mental Health in America report, access to mental health care varies widely by state. The rankings place Vermont, Maine, and Massachusetts at the top while Alabama, Texas, and South Carolina are at the bottom. That gap reflects differences in available providers, insurance coverage, and whether people can get the care they need.
This article explores why access varies by state, how online care may help, and offers steps you can take to find mental health care.
Why Mental Health Care Access Varies by State
MHA's rankings score states acro...
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Share
Depression
Self-Harm Treatment: Therapy and How to Stop Cutting
Self-harm is far more common, and far more varied, than most people realize. It is often hidden, frequently mistaken for a suicide attempt, and reduced in the public imagination to a single act, when in reality it takes many forms. Research from Cornell’s Self-Injury and Recovery Resources program has documented more than 16 distinct self-injurious behaviors, and there may well be more. The most frequently reported include:
Cutting or carving the skin
Subdermal scratching
Burning
Hitting or punching oneself to cause pain
Embedding objects under the skin
Understanding what self-harm is, who it affects, and why it happens makes clear why effective, evidence-based treatment matters. Recovery is possible, and the right treatment can help address the emotional pain underneath the behavior.
What Self-Harm Is and Who It Affects
Self-harm, or non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), refers to the deliberate injury of one’s own bod...
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Self-Harm Treatment: Therapy and How to Stop Cutting
Self-harm is far more common, and far more varied, than most people realize. It is often hidden, frequently mistaken for a suicide attempt, and reduced in the public imagination to a single act, when in reality it takes many forms. Research from Cornell’s Self-Injury and Recovery Resources program has documented more than 16 distinct self-injurious behaviors, and there may well be more. The most frequently reported include:
Cutting or carving the skin
Subdermal scratching
Burning
Hitting or punching oneself to cause pain
Embedding objects under the skin
Understanding what self-harm is, who it affects, and why it happens makes clear why effective, evidence-based treatment matters. Recovery is possible, and the right treatment can help address the emotional pain underneath the behavior.
What Self-Harm Is and Who It Affects
Self-harm, or non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), refers to the deliberate injury of one’s own bod...
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Self-Help & Wellness
Retail Therapy and the “Treat Yourself” Spiral: When Self-Care Spending Becomes a Coping Mechanism
There was a period of my life when I had a very reliable routine of dosing myself with little treats to get through the day. During a stressful workday in my Manhattan office (which was pretty much every day), I would pop out for a latte and a pastry to get through the afternoon slog as a little booster or reward for working hard. Maybe twice, if it was a doozy. And then, on more evenings than I care to remember, I’d stop at H&M or Zara on the way home to pick up a cute new look.
I told myself I deserved it. And in that moment, I believed that. But what I couldn’t see then – and only really understood years later – was that I wasn’t treating myself. I was self-soothing. What I’d been calling treats was really a form of retail therapy: emotional spending I leaned on to get through the day. There’s a difference, and it took a complete lifestyle change for me to see it clearly.
What Is Retail Therapy?
“Retail therapy” i...
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Retail Therapy and the “Treat Yourself” Spiral: When Self-Care Spending Becomes a Coping Mechanism
There was a period of my life when I had a very reliable routine of dosing myself with little treats to get through the day. During a stressful workday in my Manhattan office (which was pretty much every day), I would pop out for a latte and a pastry to get through the afternoon slog as a little booster or reward for working hard. Maybe twice, if it was a doozy. And then, on more evenings than I care to remember, I’d stop at H&M or Zara on the way home to pick up a cute new look.
I told myself I deserved it. And in that moment, I believed that. But what I couldn’t see then – and only really understood years later – was that I wasn’t treating myself. I was self-soothing. What I’d been calling treats was really a form of retail therapy: emotional spending I leaned on to get through the day. There’s a difference, and it took a complete lifestyle change for me to see it clearly.
What Is Retail Therapy?
“Retail therapy” i...
Read More
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