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For teens and young adults, as well as adults, it’s challenging when you recognize that your parents need therapy. Sometimes parents associate seeking counseling with having “something wrong with them.” After all, for generations, mental health issues were taboo topics and not discussed. So, perhaps you fear your parents will be hesitant about the whole issue. Or totally rule out your ideas completely. Although therapy is not always a welcome suggestion, you can address the conversation in a productive manner, and help your parents see the value of therapy....

Learning to effectively manage stressful people is no easy feat. Too many people suffer from co-workers who make their jobs harder or families and friends who at best may be unaware of their negative impact, or at worst derive some satisfaction from it. Of the many negative feelings that can arise from dealing with difficult people, most will eventually boil down to emotional stress, which is the killer. Stress has been the subject of many a study in research dedicated to health and wellness (or, on the contrary, disease) and it has been shown to have a lasting impact on your mental state and physical health....

Ritalin is widely prescribed for both children and adults who have ADHD, but it also has the potential for abuse — begging the question, “Is Ritalin addictive?“ Unfortunately, the answer isn’t a simple one. Here’s why. How Ritalin Works Ritalin, also known as methylphenidate, is a stimulant drug that’s commonly used to treat attention problems in both adults and children, many of whom have described the effects of the drug positively....

People with narcissistic personality disorder (NPD), otherwise known as narcissists, have a grandiose sense of self, unreasonable expectations of favorable treatment, and a marked lack of empathy for others. People with narcissistic traits often have difficulty maintaining interpersonal relationships across all areas of life, including at home, at work, and in the community. Their relationships with others can sometimes be emotionally abusive. While it’s common for people to have narcissistic traits, the severity of traits runs on a spectrum....

Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) are used to treat depression, bipolar disorder, and other conditions such as chronic pain and insomnia. While newer classes of antidepressant have far fewer side effects, TCAs still have their place in treating these and other disorders. Tricyclics are a class of antidepressant medications that are sometimes used in the treatment and managment of depression. They affect neurotransmitter pathways throughout the body, including serotonin and norepinephrine. First introduced in the 1950s, tricyclic antidepressants are so-named because their molecular structure is composed of three rings of atoms....

It can be frustrating for parents when their child only seems to listen when they hear words they like, such as ice cream. But rather than simply ignoring you, this can be caused by selective hearing. Selective hearing refers to when a person appears to only hear what is important to them. It has nothing to do with hearing acuity. Instead, it happens due to the way the brain prioritizes sounds....

Sometimes parenting can make you feel like every day is your first day on the job. Just as you conquer one stage of your child’s life, they enter another one that leaves you wishing you had a parenting manual. There’s nothing wrong with seeking support for the issues you face today. Not only will you take relief in knowing there are other parents going through exactly what you are right now, but you’ll also make invaluable connections with families and experts who can help you tackle the parenting obstacles you’ll encounter as your child grows....

It’s impossible to deny that our planet is changing—and not for the better. The August 2021 report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), written by over 200 of the world’s top climate scientists, makes for grim reading. The experts say that in the next 20 years, the earth is likely to reach or surpass 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) of warming over pre-industrial levels. As UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres recently said, “time is running out....

What Is Stereotypic Movement Disorder? Stereotypic movement disorder, also known as motor stereotypies, is a condition characterized by repetitive, rhythmic, involuntary movements, such as head banging, hand waving, or body rocking. While the movements, known as stereotypies, don’t seem to have a specific purpose, they occur in predictable patterns and parts of the body. The episodes may appear several times a day, and last for seconds or minutes. They may interfere with the person’s ability to function or cause them to hurt themselves....

With normalized sayings like men are from Mars, women are from Venus, we’re led to believe there are inherent psychological differences between the sexes. We accept notions like boys will be boys and that women are automatically more nurturing, but a recent meta-synthesis of three decades worth of research, published in Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews entitled “Dump the Dimorphism,” found surprisingly minimal biological variance between the male and female brains....

If you’ve ever known kids who are not regularly disciplined by their parents, you’ve probably seen some very stark examples of why it’s important to discipline children. Discipline is not only good for children, but it is also necessary for their happiness and well-being. Discipline is as vital for healthy child development as nutritious food, physical and cognitive exercises, love, and other basic needs. Without discipline, children lack the tools necessary to navigate relationships and challenges in life such as self-discipline, respect for others, and cooperating with peers....

Systematic desensitization is a technique sometimes used to manage anxiety, panic attacks, and phobias. It usually starts with imagining yourself in a progression of fearful situations. Before beginning systematic desensitization exercise, you need to have mastered relaxation training and develop a hierarchy (from least feared to most feared) list of your feared situations. Once you can successfully manage your anxiety in this way, you can repeat the steps in the actual situations that you fear....

Test anxiety is a form of performance anxiety that is characterized by fear, worry, tension, and even feelings of physical illness in the face of taking an exam. Many people experience stress or anxiety before an exam. In fact, a little nervousness can actually help you perform your best. However, when this distress becomes so excessive that it actually interferes with performance on an exam, it is known as test anxiety....

Pyromania is a serious mental health condition characterized by intentionally and repetitively setting fires—and doing so compulsively. People with pyromania feel unable to stop the behavior. Setting a fire releases inner tension or anxiety and gives the person a rush of pleasure or relief. Symptoms The latest edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5) files pyromania in the disruptive, impulse-control, and conduct disorders section. The essential feature of pyromania is the presence of multiple episodes of deliberate and purposeful fire setting....

Family enmeshment is when clear roles and boundaries are lacking within the family unit. Those in enmeshed families typically have low levels of differentiation, which is the process of defining one’s self outside of their family of origin. Enmeshment is an idea that comes from family therapy and analyzing family systems. It is a concept from Salvador Minuchin’s structural family therapy theory, which emphasizes the examination of how family relationships contribute to individuals’ function or dysfunction....

The Thematic Apperception Test, or TAT, is a type of projective test that involves describing ambiguous scenes to learn more about a person’s emotions, motivations, and personality. Popularly known as the “picture interpretation technique,” it was developed by American psychologists Henry A. Murray and Christina D. Morgan at Harvard University in the 1930s. The TAT is one of the most widely researched and clinically used personality tests. How the TAT Works The TAT involves showing people a series of picture cards depicting a variety of ambiguous characters (that may include men, women, and/or children), scenes, and situations....

Dreams can be mysterious, strange, confusing, or even amusing. Have you ever shared a dream with your friends and noticed that many people report having the same or similar types of dreams? The content of dreams can vary from one person to the next, but some people have suggested that certain types of dreams tend to be more common. It is important to recognize, however, that this an evolving field that still has a great deal of uncertainty....

There are so many bold, beautiful, buzzy names to choose from for your new bouncing baby—especially if you want one that starts with the letter “B.” There are popular names like Bradley and Brittany, but also more unique names like Bowie and Brooklyn. Whatever theme you’re going for, whether it’s floral, seasonal, or something out of a movie, there’s a name for every family to pick. The process of choosing a name for your new addition can be quite tricky to figure out....

While dissociation is not a symptom of ADHD, the two are closely related because they are often comorbid. People with dissociative disorders may also show symptoms of ADHD and vice versa. Here’s a guide to what dissociation is, why it’s so closely linked to ADHD, and how you can regain control of your dissociative symptoms. ADHD Symptom Spotlight is a series that dives deep into a hallmark or overlooked symptom of ADHD each week....

Many women who experience a pregnancy loss wonder if their birth control pills could have caused the miscarriage. Others wonder if they can terminate a pregnancy with birth control pills. The answers to these questions depend on many factors, including the type of birth control pills and other hormonal contraception and when they are used. Birth Control Pills Prior to Conception According to the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, taking birth control pills before getting pregnant does not cause early pregnancy loss....