Posts

What Are Mood Stabilizers? Mood stabilizers are psychiatric pharmaceutical medications prescribed to help control the mood swings present in bipolar disorders. These medications control the severity of the highs and lows experienced by restoring the chemical balance in the brain. Most commonly, mood stabilizers are used to treat those with bipolar disorder. However, they can also be used to treat those with schizoaffective disorder, borderline personality disorder (BPD), and in some instances, depression....

What Is a Fetish? The term fetish has become fairly mainstream. For example, foot fetishes are the most common and openly talked about. However, people’s understanding of what constitutes a fetish and when it becomes a problem has lagged behind. Fetish: A fetish is an inanimate object or non-sexual part of the body that arouses sexual desire. The truth is that a fetish is only a problem when the fixation interferes with your life or causes undue suffering to you or those around you....

Expressive or creative therapies, such as drama therapy, are a unique way to deal with problems, express yourself, set goals, and gain confidence. Amongst the expressive therapies, drama therapy offers a forum to try on new roles, learn new ways of relating, and express how you feel. What Is Drama Therapy? Drama therapy takes a unique approach by using drama and/or theater techniques, including improvisation, role-playing, using puppets, and acting out stories....

Fetal station is something your doctor may check as your pregnancy delivery date nears. The fetal station is a measurement of how far the baby has descended in the pelvis, measured by the relationship of the fetal head to the ischial spines (sit bones). The ischial spines are approximately 3 to 4 centimeters inside the vagina and are used as the reference point for the station score. Station is a measurement of fetal descent in labor and is measured using vaginal exams....

What Is Heteronormativity? Heteronormativity is the assumption that everyone is straight. It’s the idea that romantic and sexual relationships are always between one man and one woman. Heteronormativity assumes heterosexuality is the default sexual orientation, and the only normal or natural way to express sexuality and attraction. History of Heteronormativity The word heteronormativity was coined in 1991 by queer literary critic and social theorist Michael Warner. Some of the inspiration for the term was based on an essay by Adrienne Rich called “Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence,” in which Rich theorizes that heterosexuality isn’t the natural instinct of all people, rather a cultural institution that makes women inferior to men....

Whether you made a conscious decision to remain childless, or it was foisted on you by circumstances outside of your control, it is natural to sometimes regret not having children. In fact, almost every non-parent has wondered if they should have had children—especially as they age. So, if you find that being childless is something you’re struggling with, here are some suggestions to help you make your situation regret-free. Acknowledge Your Feelings It’s normal to have regrets....

The majority of U.S. K-12 schools have been closed for many months now as part of the effort to curb the spread of COVID-19. But as vaccines are rolled out across the country and some restrictions are eased, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued new guidance for the reopening of schools. Key Takeaways The CDC has issued new guidance for the reopening of schools, but national reopening hasn’t been mandated....

Routine vision screening is important because many abnormalities are treatable if discovered early. But some conditions, if left untreated, can lead to vision loss and blindness. What Is Vision Screening? Beginning at three years of age, children should have a formal test of their vision. Prior to this, younger children’s vision can be assessed by observation of how they fixate and track objects and the history of the child’s parents....

Horror is one of the most enduringly popular film genres. They routinely top the box office and many of their characters have become part of the cultural zeitgeist, from Norman Bates in Psycho to Freddy Krueger in A Nightmare on Elm Street to Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs. Yet, while many people willingly buy tickets to the latest horror movie release, in our daily lives we try to avoid anything that frightens us....

Your child will go through numerous stages while they are on the road to puberty. It’s not uncommon for middle school and high school students to develop a “personal fable.” Such a fable is a common teen and older tween belief that arises from adolescent egocentrism, which develops between the ages of 10 and 13. The personal fable is the adolescent’s belief that they are highly special and unlike anyone else who has ever walked the earth....

Most parents have been in an uncomfortable situation where their child refuses to share a toy with another child at the playground or during a playdate. We sit there and try to coax our child into giving up the item they were enjoying because another child is interested in it. Why do we do this? One of the principles of early childhood education is teaching children to play well together, which many parents assume means teaching their kids to share....

Do you feel like you’ve lost interest in things you used to care about? This can happen from time to time for anyone, and the feeling usually passes with time. But if you find yourself persistently thinking “I don’t care about anything,” then it can be a sign that something in your life needs to change or that you are experiencing a mental health condition. This article discusses some of the signs that you’ve stopped caring and what causes this type of feeling....

Nausea is the uneasy feeling you have when you are about to throw up. It can range in severity from uncomfortable to altogether intolerable. Vomiting is often the only way to feel relief. However, you can experience nausea without throwing up. This article explains why nausea occurs and what you can do to find relief. Why You Might Be Nauseous Causes of nausea are many, from early pregnancy to a stomach bug....

When it comes to teen dating, a lot has changed over the years, especially with the advent of social media and online dating apps. In some ways, dating is a little riskier than it was years ago because of the ease of meeting people online and the ability connect with strangers, but in other ways it’s safer because that same technology can also provide a safety net. If you’re like most parents, you probably are a little unnerved by the prospect of your teen dating....

Disordered eating involves a number of different eating behaviors that may or may not be diagnosed as an eating disorder. Disordered eating is often accompanied by problematic (and often distressing) thoughts and beliefs about eating, shape, and weight, such as: “Eating will make me feel better.” “Eating a donut will make me fat.” “If I don’t carefully control my diet my weight will spiral out of control.” “I should only eat when I am truly hungry....

As you go through endless lists of baby names, you may find yourself gravitating toward certain sounds. Some parents love names ending in the long “e” sound or names with three syllables. If you are beginning to realize that you are attracted to names that start with the letter N, why not narrow down your list to names like Nadia, Noel, and Nate? Popular names beginning with N include Noah, Naomi, Nicholas, and Nicole....

Your child is disabled and requires special education, which means (in most cases) that a typical classroom in a typical public school is unlikely to be an ideal setting. But what are the other options? Fortunately, depending on your child’s particular strengths and needs, there are quite a few possibilities. Read about the pros and cons of each. Public Schools Public schools may be a good match for your child if:...

With the rise of social media as an educational resource for a multitude of topics, even mental health professionals are taking advantage of social platforms to create digestible content packed with timely mental health tips and insights for consumption. Many of them are currently influencing how people think about depression and debunking the stigmas related to this and other mental health conditions. This article spotlights eight public figures who are openly discussing depression and destigmatizing the conversations that come with the diagnosis....

One of the milestones that just about every tween encounters at some point is personal hygiene education. Usually conducted at school, hygiene education helps tweens learn about puberty and all that goes with it. Usually, the instructor will spend some time discussing body odor and deodorant, which might prompt your child to ask about the different kinds of deodorants available, and what kind to use. There are many deodorant and antiperspirant options....

Subscribe Now: Apple Podcasts / Spotify / Google Podcasts Every Friday on The Verywell Mind Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Amy Morin, LCSW, shares the “Friday Fix”—a short episode featuring a quick, actionable tip or exercise to help you manage a specific mental health issue or concern. Episode 137 Whether you say, “That chicken was too spicy,” or “The presentation was awful,” you might have strong judgments about the things around you. And while you’re entitled to your opinion, there are ways to experience those opinions without being too judgmental....