The most contentious debates circling the DSM-5 process are all tied to the fundamental question of how we define the boundaries of disorder and the lines between normal and abnormal.

The truth is that from the college campus to the workplace, we are all members of a national and increasingly global community. We must all learn the signs of depression and other mental disorders and reach out to someone in trouble.

PE, CPT and similar treatment programs are relatively short-term, and have proven effective in a variety of settings. And studies suggest that providing these treatments for PTSD result in reduced health-care costs. So why aren't they being commonly delivered to the people who need them?

Even though the economy is showing some signs of recovery, America's psychological state is still in the slumps, if what we're searching for on Google...

If we had a chronic illness, no doubt we would tell our friends and welcome their support. If we were hospitalized for cancer, we would want our family by our sides to rally for our health. Mental health is no different, and deserves equal treatment.

At a moment when mental health is so much at the forefront of the minds of Americans and our media, it seems time, again, to try to understand the damaging views so commonly held about people with mental illness.

Many routine but important medical services today are far more convenient to obtain than they were a generation ago. So how could these types of conveniences transfer to mental health services?

There was basically no town in Newtown, as I remember it. We had to catch a ride into New York City if we expected much fun.

Communities need specially-designed psychiatric emergency departments. Private insurance companies should provide more and better community care for persons with psychiatric problems, and more community alternative programs for persons in emotional distress should be developed.

These days, we talk incessantly about living well and achieving life balance, yet we wear masks to hide our pain. No matter who you are, true wellness can never be achieved behind these and without facing our pain and stressors.

Is there anything that can be done by the field of mental health to reduce the rare incidence of murders by people with serious mental illness?

Life is and can be incredibly stressful. If we do not have the tools we need to handle that stress, our emotions can get the best of us. When our distress level becomes elevated, rational thinking (being able to clearly see all of our options) ceases to exist.

Following a public act of unspeakable horror, like the shootings in Connecticut or Aurora, mental health professionals are asked to explain why or how a person could hurt others so profoundly. And then we are asked how to identify such people and prevent these violent acts.