Author Archives for Sarah Vander Schaaff
It’s up to us to end stigma right at home By: Sarah Vander Schaaff May is Mental Health Awareness Month. And if there’s one aspect of mental illness that I think deserves special attention, it’s the element of “stigma” still clinging to the topic. Why, in 2017, with neuroscience revealing what were once the invisible… View Article
Published on - May 26, 2017 4:27 pm
Published by - Sarah Vander Schaaff
Last week, I was reminded that being open-minded and understanding the depths of another person’s life experience are two very different things. For all the talk about transgender issues in the news today, how many of us have had the opportunity to talk with an individual about his or her experience—not in the political sense—but… View Article
Published on - January 24, 2017 11:27 am
Published by - Sarah Vander Schaaff
Brown paper covered the door to what was once my dermatologists’ office. Ever since the practice moved to a new location several blocks away, the second-story office sat dormant. No light. No visitors. No indication of who or what would move in next. I had a steady awareness of what was, or what was not,… View Article
Published on - December 12, 2016 11:18 am
Published by - Sarah Vander Schaaff
Anxiety. It’s a worry about what might happen. A worry about the future. The best way to manage these fears is to stay grounded in the present moment. I have spent the past few years working on my relationship with anxiety and here’s the good news: it doesn’t matter what the worry is about, the… View Article
Published on - November 9, 2016 3:49 pm
Published by - Sarah Vander Schaaff
This month, the entire country is focused on suicide prevention. But as the theme “Be The One To” (#BeThe1To) indicates, this is about one person at a time making a difference in someone’s life. What I love so much about this campaign is that it asks us to relate to one another with open eyes… View Article
Published on - September 8, 2016 5:17 pm
Published by - Sarah Vander Schaaff
When Tess Kaytmaz left for college, she took with her a long history of therapy and a diagnosis of ADHD, a label and identity the adults in her life had given her, despite her sense that they’d gotten it all wrong. Growing up with the disconnection between a diagnosis and what she felt inside sent… View Article
Published on - August 25, 2016 7:27 pm
Published by - Sarah Vander Schaaff
Sarah Vander Schaaff is a writer, blogger and a mother of two from New Jersey, who has struggled with Obsessive-compulsive disorder for as long as she can remember. Her courageous column in the Washington Post (“Obsessive –compulsive disorder nearly ruined her life”, January 4th) received international attention for its honesty and openness. This is the first blog… View Article
Published on - August 5, 2016 2:39 pm
Published by - Sarah Vander Schaaff
Sarah Vander Schaaff is a writer, blogger and a mother of two from New Jersey, who has struggled with Obsessive-compulsive disorder for as long as she can remember. Her courageous column in the Washington Post (“Obsessive –compulsive disorder nearly ruined her life”, January 4th) received international attention for its honesty and openness. This is the first blog… View Article
Published on - June 20, 2016 7:29 pm
Published by - Sarah Vander Schaaff
Sarah Vander Schaaff is a writer, blogger and a mother of two from New Jersey, who has struggled with Obsessive-compulsive disorder for as long as she can remember. Her courageous column in the Washington Post (“Obsessive –compulsive disorder nearly ruined her life”, January 4th) received international attention for its honesty and openness. This is the first blog… View Article
Published on - June 14, 2016 7:07 pm
Published by - Sarah Vander Schaaff
Sarah Vander Schaaff is a writer, blogger and a mother of two from New Jersey, who has struggled with Obsessive-compulsive disorder for as long as she can remember. Her courageous column in the Washington Post (“Obsessive –compulsive disorder nearly ruined her life”, January 4th) received international attention for its honesty and openness. This is the… View Article
Published on - June 1, 2016 4:07 pm
Published by - Sarah Vander Schaaff