NECHATUAL WAVES

Are you, or is someone you love, self-medicating with drugs or alcohol? Self-medication is the practice in which a person misuses drugs or alcohol in an attempt to feel better – typically, to manage distress or pain caused by a health condition. Rather than seeking professional treatment or advice, many individuals will turn to drugs or alcohol to cope. For example, many individuals struggling with a mental health issue, like depression or anxiety, will self-medicate with drugs and alcohol in efforts to alleviate, or even escape, their symptoms. Sometimes, individuals will self-medicate to try and numb physical pain, such as that caused by injury or even drug withdrawal. Have you ever felt so sad that you wanted to drown your sorrows in alcohol? Or, have you hurt so bad that you took whichever pills you could find in the medicine cabinet? Maybe you have been extremely anxious about something, and took a drug to ease your nerves. Those are all examples of self-medication. As highlighted...

When you think of graphic designers, what do you picture? Creative-looking, fashionable people with a tablet in one hand and a pen in the other? A lone professional using design software in a dark room? An artist? And what does graphic design really mean? Eye-grabbing graphics on websites? While that can certainly fit under the scope of what a graphic designer might create, a career in graphic design could involve so many different things. Posters, infographics, book covers, product labels, logos, business cards, signs, website layouts, mobile apps, software interfaces—the list goes on. “Every day, we take many of the subtly artistic things around us for granted,” says Jacob Smith, founder of illustration studio ProductViz. “But hidden in every magazine, exit sign and textbook lies a set of design ideas that influence our perceptions.” Graphic designers work to communicate ideas in a visual format, guiding perception and informing their audience. Most graphic designers work on behalf o...

  WHAT ARE THE LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF MENTAL ILLNESS, WHEN LEFT UNTREATED? Mental health disorders are extremely common, though they are not always apparent. More than likely, you have neighbors, friends, family members, or colleagues struggling with symptoms of a mental health condition. Each year around the globe, an estimated 1 in 10 youth experience a mental illness. Even more adults are affected. However, these “invisible illnesses” often go undetected and, therefore, untreated. This can lead to exacerbated symptoms, carried through to adulthood, and lead to long-term effects. Mental Health institutes reports that over half of adults with a mental illness do not receive treatment. While this statistic is not available for youth, it is reported that over 60 percent of youth battling depression do not receive treatment, either. These untreated conditions, again, can lead to detrimental and long-term effects on each person’s health. You may be asking, “What are the long-term effect...