Witnessing the suffering of a loved one can be one of the most difficult situations we face. Among other things, we may feel powerless, frustrated and frightened. That’s true whether the suffering originates from a physical illness or injury, addiction or self-destructive activity.

When a loved one suffers a debilitating, persistent and chronic mental illness, such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, those feelings can be compounded. Strange, unpredictable behaviors can be terrifying and confusing. Your loved one may suddenly rage at you with blame or be utterly dependent upon you for basic needs and emotional stability.

You may experience many confusing emotions yourself, including anger, grief, guilt, fear and sadness. As you struggle with each episode of illness and worry about the future, you may feel anxious and overwhelmed.

“Loneliness,” writes Abigail Van Buren, “is the ultimate poverty.”

As humans we are social beings, but sometimes we lose touch with that social part of ourselves—or we don’t have enough chances to exercise it. When this happens, we may feel lonely and isolated.

What Loneliness Is—and Isn’t

Loneliness is the feeling that we would like more connection, community and companionship than we think we have.

The curious thing about feeling lonely is that it has roots in a measurement. When we feel lonely, we are measuring the amount of social interaction we have against our ideal or our desire for how much we would like to have. That “ideal” differs with each individual and can change over time.

We all have friends or coworkers who just can’t seem to sit still or stay focused. “I must have undiagnosed ADHD,” they joke. When you get right down to it, we’ve all felt restless, disorganized, or distracted at one time or another. So then, do we all just have ADHD?

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)¬—once referred to as Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)—is one of the most common disorders in childhood, affecting about 7.5 percent, according to the Mayo Clinic. But many adults with ADHD don’t even realize they have the disorder. They do know that everyday tasks—from keeping appointments and getting up in the morning, to staying focused and being productive—are a real challenge.

Adults who have ADHD have had it since childhood. The Mayo clinic states that out of every three people with ADHD, one grows out of their symptoms, one has symptoms that are less severe than when they were younger, and one has persistent and significant symptoms as an adult.

So many people experience feelings of sadness or loss, of being overwhelmed at this time of year, even the name for it has become a cliché: the Holiday Blues.

As the name implies, these blues are seasonal. When the holidays are over, they'll probably disappear along right with the decorations and last of the Christmas cookies. But they are real and their symptoms can dampen an otherwise joyous holiday experience. Here are some symptoms and some solutions

• Families and family traditions change. Are you hanging onto old ideas or pictures?

• Media images of the perfect holidays seldom match anyone’s real life. Check your expectations against the reality of your situation.

• Over-indulging in food and drink will have aftereffects. So will lack of physical exercise, sleep and rest.

Used in everything from creating eccentric TV characters to being the punch line on late night TV talk shows,

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is often oversimplified and misused. But for those who suffer from OCD it’s no joke.

What Is It?

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder where people experience obsessions and/or compulsions.

Obsessions are unwanted, persistent thoughts, such as about germs or intruders, or images of doing—or actual impulses to do—something destructive.

Compulsions are deliberate behaviors (washing, checking, organizing, hoarding) or mental rituals (praying, counting, repetitive statements) typically performed to reduce the anxiety triggered by the obsessions.

For instance, people with an obsessive fear of uncleanliness and infection may wash their hands repeatedly or refuse to shake hands or touch things that they believe are “contaminated.”

People who have an obsessive desire for exactness and need everything to be “just so” and “in its place” may be compelled to organize food cans by size and with the labels facing in the same direction.

Ernesto just returned from Afghanistan where he witnessed an improvised explosive device (IED) destroy a Humvee in his convoy, killing his best friend. Now that he’s back home, he’s no longer the easy-going guy he once was. He has angry outbursts at the slightest provocation and uses illegal drugs to repress his wartime memories.

When Liz was seven years old, her stepfather sexually abused her. Now in her thirties, she wants to put the past behind her but can’t. She’s unable to establish intimate relationships and has frequent nightmares about her abuse.

It may not appear that Ernesto’s wartime experience has much in common with Liz’s sexual abuse, but it does. As a result of the trauma they’ve each experienced, they both now suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD.

The crushing blackness of depression can seem insurmountable when you’re in it. But there are things you can do to help lighten the darkness and even project a feeling of well-being and joy.

1. Stay connected with others. Isolating yourself doesn’t protect loved ones nor help you. Just being around others in silence is better than hiding away.

2. Set priorities and do what you can. Acknowledge (even celebrate) the completion of even little things.

3. Do physical work. Chop wood or scrub the bathtub or prune trees. Physical effort helps to shift emotional blockages and numbness.

Winter blues color the mood of those in the higher latitudes most often, but even residents of milder climes can experience a touch of after-the-holidays seasonal heaviness. Symptoms may include feeling a little sad, experiencing a lack of energy, boredom, and maybe some loneliness.

Following are ten ways to relieve those winter blues.

1. Exercise regularly and maintain a healthy diet.

2. Keep a regular sleep schedule.

3. Pamper yourself—massage, beauty salon, spa. Paint your toenails.

Depression/Disorders becomes a depressive illness when symptoms intensify and persist over an extended period of time.

The good news is that depression can be treated; the sad news is that nearly two-thirds of depressed people don’t get appropriate treatment. Even with all we know, some still believe depression is a personal fault or weakness, and that the person who is suffering could just “snap out of it” if he or she wanted to....

Some Symptoms of Depression/Disorders

• Persistent sad or “empty” feelings, feeling discouraged, blue or down.

• Negative feelings – feeling guilty, unworthy. Self-criticism or self-blame.

• Decreased energy, feeling fatigued, restless, irritable or lethargic.

• Increase or decrease of sleep, insomnia; awaking earlier or later than usual.