Carmen Pineiro, LMHC

There is no easy way to determine one is addicted.. Oftentimes warning signs are either not recognized or ignored. When dealing with addiction, we easily come up with excuses or rationalizations to explain our behavior and dig ourselves further into the hole. You tell yourself "I have it under control," and "I c...

On February 20, as we celebrate our Commanders In Chief, we take a look at those who have lived in the White House and who have struggled with addiction to raise awareness on how addiction affects any family, regardless of socioeconomic status, age, gender or race.

According to an analysis of presidential biographies conducted by p...

"Asking for help when you're struggling is a sign of strength. Find the strength and speak up. Using my voice has always been a part of my professional life, but that wasn’t always the case when it came to bipolar disorder. Despite the setbacks, I finally found the strength to speak up " Demi Lovato

In Florida, approximately:

- 525,000 adults and 181,000 children live with serious mental illness, bipolar disorder, severe depression or schizophreni...

This year, Borinquen Medical center along with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and organizations nationwide calls on everyone to shine a light on mental illness and replace stigma with hope. During the week of October 2-8, BMC will raise awareness about mental illness with the hopes to reduce stigma, provide support, educate and advocate for equal care. Let's come together with compassion and help improve the lives of those 43 million adults living with a mental illness.

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One in four adults suffers from a mental health disorder. That equals to 22% of the United States population, approximately 57.7 million people. Individuals with mental health disorders suffer in many ways. First, they struggle with symptoms such as mood swings, sadness, or fatigue, just to name a few. Secondly, they may have trouble maintaining relationships and finding adequate employment, housing, and healthcare. And if that wasn't enough, they deal with the stigma that goes along with hav...

Do you drink more if you mix alcohol and red bull? Do you feel less drunk if you combine an energy with alcohol? Does mixing alcohol with energy drinks cause you to make bad decisions? Energy drinks have been popular since the late 90's. They're known to give anyone a quick "pick me up" whenever feeling tired. But among the younger aged crowd, energy drinks are being mixed with alcohol. It appears that the combined use of energy drinks and alcohol is “a growing problem."

"What I do to prevent spreading HIV is do my best to stay off drugs, go to groups and talk to others. At first, they look at me like if I'm crazy, but then they tell me how much I helped them by being open about my HIV status and saying my story. I feel accepted." ~N.A.~

The HIV epidemic is serious nationwide. Everyone should be mindful of the effects HIV has on the population and how some ethnic groups are more a...

Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month is observed throughout the month of February. Organizations nationwide believe that every teen deserves to have a safe and healthy relationship, no matter who they are or who they love. Parents think that teen violence isn't an issue but 1 in 3 young adults will experience some type of abuse in their romantic relationships. Dating violence can happen to anyone, but it doesn't have to. It may be scary, but there are n...

Drugs are substances that change the way a person’s body and mind works regardless if they are legal or illegal. Different drugs produce different effects depending if they either slow down the nervous system, increase the activity of the brain or alter perception and cause hallucinations. They fall into different categories such as depressants, stimulants and hallucinogens. People use drugs for various reasons for example, as a way to escape problems or reality, to fit in certain gr...

There are about 50,000 new HIV infections reported in the U.S. each year. Florida has risen to the number one spot nationwide. Out of 3,143 counties in the U.S., Florida has two counties in the top 5 with new infections. The counties are Miami in #1, and Ft. Lauderdale #2. New York and San Francisco which were always at the top 10 have gone down to #12 and #29 respectively.

According to the latest statistics reported by the Center for Disease and Control (CDC), In Miami-Dade County, new...