LifeStance Insights

Bipolar disorder affects an estimated 4.4% of U.S. adults at some point in their lives, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, yet it remains one of the most frequently missed psychiatric diagnoses in clinical practice. Research published in The Lancet Psychiatry shows that only 20% of people with bipolar disorder who present in a depressive episode are correctly diagnosed within the first year of seeking care, and the average delay between symptom onset and diagnosis is five to ten years. That gap has pushed millions of people online in search of answers. Free quizzes, self-tests, and questionnaires now promise to flag the condition in a few minutes. Some of those tools are based on validated clinical instruments, but others are not. Knowing the difference is important, because what happens after a positive quiz result can shape years of treatment. What Is a Bipolar Disorder Quiz? A bipolar disorder quiz i...

For decades, depression treatment has centered on brain chemistry, with medications built to adjust chemical messengers like serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. A new clinical trial published in JAMA Psychiatry in May 2026 points somewhere unexpected: the immune system. Researchers gave a single dose of an arthritis drug to people whose depression had not improved with standard antidepressants. Within four weeks, more than half of those who received the active medication met remission criteria. The study was small, and the approach strictly experimental. Even so, the results raise questions about whether a blood test could eventually help match people with the care most likely to work for their unique biology. That possibility carries enormous weight for the millions of people living with treatment-resistant depression, a group that has historically had the fewest options and the longest waits for relief. What Is Immunotherapy for Depression?...

Eating disorders are still widely assumed to be a teenager’s condition, not something that surfaces in a 52-year-old woman who may be juggling a career, children, volunteer work, aging parents, and then on top of that, the physical whiplash of menopause. That blind spot is exactly why a quieter wave of illness has gone unnamed for so long. Online, people have begun calling it “menorexia”: disordered eating that surfaces, or comes roaring back, during the menopausal transition. It’s not a formal diagnosis, but the experience behind the word is increasingly recognized and too often mistaken for a harmless midlife diet. What Is Menorexia? Menorexia is a colloquial term, a blend of “menopause” and “anorexia,” used to describe an eating disorder that either develops, intensifies, or relapses during midlife, particularly across perimenopause and menopause. It’s not an official clinical diagnosis, and it’s not limited to a...

Financial stress is one of the most consistent triggers of both anxiety and depressive symptoms in adults, and the research backs it up at scale. The American Psychological Association’s 2024 Stress in America survey of more than 3,300 U.S. adults found that 73% rated the economy as a significant source of stress, making it the second most common stressor in the country. A separate national survey of over 1,000 U.S. adults found that 83% of Americans report financial stress driven by inflation, rising living costs, and recession fears, with millennials and Gen Z carrying the heaviest psychological load. Researchers have started calling this convergence of economic pressure and mental health strain “stressflation.” The cruel paradox is that the same financial pressure fueling the distress is also keeping people out of care: 60% have avoided mental health support specifically because of cost. Money worries can affect mental health, with measurable effects on sleep, mood, relationships, and physical health, and they can persist even in people whose bank balances look stable on paper....

This content has been updated from the previous article published on July 31, 2023. As summer’s long, sun-drenched days start to make their appearance, parents often mull over the question: should my child take a break from their ADHD medication? This concept, known as a “medication vacation,” is a topic that warrants understanding and consideration. To many, the freedom of the summer months presents an opportunity to pause their child’s medication routine. However, it’s vital to weigh this decision against various factors. LifeStance is here to help guide you through this process with compassionate, clear, and accurate information. What is a Medication Vacation? A medication vacation, known in clinical terms as a structured treatment interruption, is a deliberate, temporary halt in the administration of medication. For children with ADHD, it’s often considered during school breaks when the structure and focu...

This content has been updated from the previous article published on February 1, 2021. You have a big decision to make. Your mind keeps running over and over with every possible solution. You lay out all your options but you still can’t make a decision. You’re frazzled and frozen. You can’t move forward because you’re stuck on making the perfect choice and your anxiety is through the roof. If this sounds like you, then you may suffer from analysis paralysis. Don’t struggle alone. Our providers can help. Make an Online or In-Person Appointment What is Analysis Paralysis? Analysis paralysis is a state in which a person becomes so overwhelmed by options and potential outcomes that making a decision feels impossible....

Bed rotting has a name now, its own Wiki page, a hashtag, and millions of posts framing it as a form of self-care. So does its gentler cousin, hurkle-durkling, a term pulled from 19th-century Scottish dialect for lounging in bed long after you should be up. While hurkle-durklers tend to emerge from the bedroom eventually, bed-rotters are more apt to stay horizontal all day, but both appear to be retreating from the same types of pressures. The question mental health professionals are asking is not whether rest is legitimate, but whether what looks like rest is actually functioning that way. What Is Bed Rotting? Bed rotting is a viral term used to describe spending extended periods of time lying in bed while scrolling, watching shows, or disengaging from daily responsibilities. The bed rotting trend took hold on social media as part of a broader cultural conversation about burnout, rest, and pushing back against the press...