Basic knowledge about the brain can yield greater understanding and compassion about mental health issues.

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Have you ever tried to do something and failed, only to have someone say, "Try harder," or "Use more willpower?" If you have, chances are that didn't help, and possibly only made you feel worse? Well-intentioned or not, that type of suggestion reveals a profound lack of knowledge about how the brain works, and not only does it impede finding solutions, but it may also lead to self-blame and stigma around mental health and illness.

For example, using one's willpower means, in neuroscience terms, tapping into the prefrontal cortex, the area of the brain that governs what is called executive function. The "CEO" of the brain, this area considers the big picture, plans, organizes, and inhibits impulsive actions. If one's problem is due to not being able to plan or direct action, then the prefrontal cortex may be the target of the solution.

However, most emotional and behavioral issues involve other parts of the brain primarily, or in concert with one another. As a clinical........

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