The pace of life has greatly increased, and the escalation of chronic stress is costing people their health, relationships, and careers. In this program, an immunologist, a psychiatrist, and a mental skills coach lay bare the symptoms of chronic stress, the negative impact on the body of continual exposure to adrenalin and cortisol, and biological and psychological factors that influence vulnerability to overstressing. The fight/flight/freeze response...

Every year in North America, chronic compulsive gambling shatters the lives of millions. In this program, psychologists Claude Boutin and Robert Ladouceur talk with recovering gamblers who share their stories of exhilaration and despair as they rode the roller coaster to ruin-what it felt like to win and lose, to spend every dollar they had, to lie and steal in order to finance their addiction, to contemplate suicide, and, fortunately, to enter group...

Filmed in the U.K., this program sympathetically presents the stories of four young adults-two men, two women-who triumphed over bipolar disorder, chronic anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder, clinical depression, and an eating disorder. Looking back on their lengthy ordeals, each person explains to viewers what it was like to slide into mental illness and how, with the help of others, they reestablished control of their lives.

This video is a film about sex, relationships and mental health. Although mental health problems may interfere with peoples' sexual functions and practitioners are aware that psychiatric medication can interfere with sexual function, service users often feel that these matters are ignored or discounted. At a time when there is such an emphasis on promoting equality, working towards recovery and overcoming stigma, UNSPOKEN argues the importance of...

Chad is mesmerized by trains. Mikki's passion is washers and dryers. And for Derek, life is a game show, where he is the host and anyone within listening range is a contestant. While these boys might seem like any other children, their intense obsessions are early symptoms of Asperger's syndrome. In this program, ABC News correspondent Jay Schadler reports on that neurological disorder, which makes normal interactions with peers virtually impossible....

Approximately 19 million American adults are grappling with depression. In this ABC News program, Ted Koppel talks with guests who have experienced the disease as well as family members who have lived through their loved ones' agonies. The program also pays tribute to the late actor Spalding Gray, who had the courage to go public with his condition, and features clips from his performances in which depression was the focus.

One of the great success stories from the world of autism, Temple Grandin revolutionized the field of livestock management, empowered by her sensitivity with animals. Tommy McHugh displayed no such sensitivity-until a brain hemorrhage transformed him from a brawler into a gentle soul. As scientists continue to investigate differences between the male and female brain, the special characteristics of autistics and savants take on increased importance....

Clinical depression affects 19 million Americans, of whom two-thirds are women. This program from The Doctor Is In addresses the good news about depression: it is a diagnosable and treatable illness. Valerie Davis Raskin, a therapist and research psychiatrist whose practice is solely dedicated to women, and Ardis Olsen, a physician and researcher at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, are joined by patients and their families to explain the symptoms,...

For two years, the narrator of this program went through a nightmare, feeling a self-hatred and worthlessness beyond love and redemption that he described as "the concentration camp of the mind." This video presents one man's attempt to convey the ordeal of severe depression by writing a memoir about the experience. Dramatic reenactments, along with interviews of the narrator's psychiatrist, fellow patients, and their spouses and friends, effectively...

Although the stigma of depression is fading, less than half of those who need help with depression will seek it out. Using several patient histories, this program addresses mild, moderate, and severe depression as well as the specialized cases of vascular depression, treatment-resistant depression, and the depressive aspect of bipolar disorder. Signs and symptoms of depression are spelled out, and multimodal treatment through psychotherapy, medication,...