It is very rewarding to love someone who is different from you in terms of race, culture, identity, religion, and more. When we are open with each other, we can broaden each other’s perspectives, approach the world in different ways, and even find that there is a connection in our differences. Unfortunately, interracial couples can still experience difficulties at times by virtue of the fact that racism exists in our society on a deep level....
If you have borderline personality disorder (BPD), your emotions can be overwhelming. Symptoms of BPD, include erratic mood shifts, self-harming behaviors, suicidality, intense emotional experiences, sensitivity to problems in your relationships, and problems with impulsive behaviors. These symptoms may all be related to one core feature: emotion dysregulation. Because of emotion dysregulation, you may have very strong emotional responses and difficulty managing those responses. Unfortunately, many people with BPD turn to unhealthy behaviors to cope with emotional pain, such as violence, self-harm, or substance abuse....
Realizing that there are LGBTQIA+ identities you are unfamiliar with can feel difficult for anyone who grew up in a time when there wasn’t language to describe all the different ways that people can love and relate to one another. Amongst all the different sexualities that exist, there are two specific sexual identities that often get confused: demisexuality and pansexuality. They aren’t similar to one another, and actually don’t have anything at all to do with each other, but sometimes people conflate demisexuality with pansexuality....
Elavil is a medication used primarily for the treatment of depression. It is what’s known as a tricyclic antidepressant. It can also be used to treat some symptoms of mood disorders, eating disorders, nerve pain, and anxiety. In 2000, Elavil was discontinued by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) due to the severe side effects people experienced while using the medication. The reasons why the brand name form of the drug was discontinued remain unclear....
If you’re seeing friends and loved ones over the holidays and beyond, you may want to think twice before commenting on their appearance, whether or not your intentions are pure. According to data from Verywell Mind’s latest Mental Health Tracker survey, your comments could make them feel worse, even if they are meant to be positive. For folks who struggle with body image issues, the wrong comment could be an added stressor on top of everything else we’re dealing with....
Cognitive theory is an approach to psychology that attempts to explain human behavior by understanding your thought processes. For example, a therapist is using principles of cognitive theory when they teach you how to identify maladaptive thought patterns and transform them into constructive ones. Cognitive Theory Basics The assumption of cognitive theory is that thoughts are the primary determinants of emotions and behavior. Information processing is a common description of this mental process....
Although a majority of women who drink usually cut down or quit drinking altogether when they decide to get pregnant or find out they are pregnant, alcohol consumption during pregnancy has become a significant public health issue. Estimates on how many women continue heavy drinking throughout their pregnancy range from 14% to 22.5%. These estimates are based on self-reported drinking during pregnancy. Those pregnant women who drink excessively during pregnancy are probably the same group least likely to accurately report their alcohol consumption....
When you’re breastfeeding, you are hydrating your little one and yourself. Breast milk is about 90% water, so it’s key to know how much water to drink while breastfeeding. Experts recommend drinking about 128 ounces (or 16 cups) of water per day if you are breastfeeding. Although research has found that nursing parents do not need to drink more fluids than what’s necessary to satisfy their thirst. 128 ounces sounds like a lot—16 8-ounce cups—but 8 ounces is a pretty small serving size....
Stories about bullied teens taking their own lives are too numerous to ignore. There is a link between bullying and suicide, and an urgency to understand the complexity that drives victims from depression and hopelessness to ideation to action. Information presented in this article may be triggering to some people. If you are having suicidal thoughts, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 for support and assistance from a trained counselor....
Cleaning up after a fun day of play is probably tops on your preschooler’s “Things I Don’t Like to Do" list. But unless you want to spend your time tripping over the Little People and their school bus (and their farm and their zoo and their Ferris wheel), your preschooler needs to learn how to clean up toys. Cleaning up a mess they’ve made themselves is an important part of a young person’s development....
If you’ve ever referred to yourself as a “morning person” or a “night person,” you were referencing your chronotype. It is a natural individual difference that can have a big impact on how much and how well you sleep, especially if you have a job or other obligations that adhere to a schedule that doesn’t work with your chronotype. This article will define what a chronotype is, detail the categories of chronotypes, and explain why chronotypes differ between people....
Children with hyperlexia are often self-taught readers who can read well above what is expected at their age but struggle to understand what they are reading. They excel in knowing how to decode written words but struggle with comprehension. The term hyperlexia was coined in 1967 and is typically characterized by four features. These include having advanced reading skills, learning to read early without being taught, having a strong preference for letters and books, and having an accompanying neurodevelopmental disorder....
What Is Hypnotherapy? Hypnotherapy is an adjunctive technique that utilizes hypnosis to aid in the treatment of specific symptoms or health conditions. Hypnotherapy works by inducing a hypnotic state marked by waking awareness that allows people to experience detached external attention and to focus on inner experiences. It is sometimes used as part of a treatment plan for phobias and other anxiety disorders. It is also sometimes used for pain management, weight loss, smoking cessation, and a variety of other applications....
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a mental health condition that affects the brain’s development, particularly in areas that control attention, impulse control, and behavior. Roughly 5% of people around the world live with this condition. If you think you have ADHD, this article provides a checklist of ADHD symptoms that may be helpful, as well as some next steps such as finding a healthcare provider, getting yourself assessed, and receiving a formal diagnosis....
Identity foreclosure is a psychological term that describes one of the key steps young people experience in the process of finding a sense of self. At this stage, adolescents may adopt different traits and qualities from friends and relatives, but have not yet settled on their own. When Does Identity Foreclosure Occur? Identity foreclosure occurs when people think they know who they are, but they have not even explored their options yet....
If you’re undergoing fertility treatments to help you conceive a baby, you probably have a lot on your mind. You might be doing a fair amount of second-guessing your usual activities, too. You might wonder if it’s safe to eat particular foods, drink coffee and other caffeinated beverages, or engage in certain activities, like coloring your hair or using your favorite skin care product containing salicylic acid. And yes, you may also wonder if you can (or should) exercise, especially if exercise is part of your usual routine....
When you stop drinking, you may experience alcohol withdrawal symptoms. You can seek medical treatment that can relieve these. Your healthcare provider will use medications to help you manage aspects of your withdrawal. Common Mild to Moderate Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms Symptoms of alcohol withdrawal can be divided into mild, moderate, or severe, with the majority of withdrawal symptoms being mild to moderate. When you stop drinking alcohol, you may be agitated, experience trembling, have no appetite, and have trouble sleeping....
Solomon Thomas played college football at Stanford University from 2014 to 2017. His dream of playing in the NFL came true when he was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in 2017. Key Takeaways After the loss of his sister, NFL player Solomon Thomas started a foundation to spread awareness about suicide prevention.Talking about suicide to young people can help normalize reaching out for mental health help.States around the nation can follow the lead of mental health and suicide prevention organizations....
Moving up to middle school or high school often means that your child will have to use a locker. And for kids with motor planning problems or fine motor delays, that can be quite a challenge. Consider these tips for helping your child handle the locker challenge. Practice Buy a combination lock for your child, and make it a summer project to learn how to work it successfully. Locks are easy to carry around and bring out whenever there’s an idle moment, in the car, in a restaurant while waiting for your meal, in doctor or therapist waiting rooms....
During the first few days of breastfeeding, you may notice rust-colored milk. This is known as rusty pipe syndrome. Specifically, rusty pipe syndrome is a breastfeeding condition where the color of the breast milk looks pink, orange, brown, or rust-colored, almost like the dirty water from an old rusty pipe. The rusty color comes from a small amount of blood that mixes with colostrum, or first breast milk. Although it can be scary to see blood in your breast milk, rusty pipe syndrome is a temporary condition, and it’s not dangerous for you or your baby....
