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While prescription and illegal drugs may be consumed for their sedative and positive attributes, their effects can be short-lived, causing an individual to experience a rollercoaster of emotions if such drugs are misused. A rebound effect, a crash, and a comedown are all drug after-effects that cause different symptoms. It is important to understand each condition and how each set of symptoms plays a role in addiction. The Rebound Effect Understanding the rebound effect explains why certain drugs, particularly those that have a quick and intense effect on the nervous system, are very addictive....

Grief is a person’s natural response to losing a loved one. It’s accompanied by feelings of hurt, loss, and sadness. Complicated grief, also known as complicated bereavement disorder, is a condition that can occur in some people who have just lost a loved one or are experiencing grief for another reason. While the intensity of grief usually fades with time for most people, these feelings don’t improve for people with complicated grief....

Do you want a drink so badly you can’t think of anything else? Find out if you meet the latest criteria for an alcohol use disorder (AUD). Diagnosing AUD can be tricky since the diagnosis depends on the person doing the drinking being willing to honestly answer a series of questions about drinking patterns and attitudes. AUD is the medical term for alcohol abuse, like binge drinking, or it can be used to mean alcohol dependence, such as your body goes into withdrawal without alcohol....

After more than a decade of revisions, the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) was published in 2013 by the American Psychiatric Association (APA)—but not without controversy. The DSM-5 is widely used by health professionals to diagnose behavioral health problems and is used for insurance billing purposes. Several sections of the new DSM-5 have come under criticism, including the section dealing with alcoholism. Alcohol Abuse Disorders In the previous version of the manual, DSM-IV, published in 1994, alcohol use disorders were divided into two categories, alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence....

What Is Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia)? Persistent depressive disorder (PDD), formerly known as dysthymia, is a fairly new diagnosis that is characterized by chronic depression. The latest edition of the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders” (DSM-5) consolidated dysthymia and chronic major depressive disorder under the umbrella of persistent depressive disorder, which includes any chronic depression running on a spectrum from mild to severe. These diagnostic changes were made to reflect the fact that there is no scientifically meaningful distinction between chronic major depressive disorder and what was previously known in the DSM-IV as dysthymic disorder....

Everyone experiences embarrassment from time to time. People with social anxiety disorder (SAD), however, are often harder on themselves about these moments. This is because they more strongly believe that their social blunders will lead to criticism and rejection. While thinking of embarrassing things to do in public might seem like the last thing you would want to do if you live with SAD, it just might be the best way to start overcoming your fears....

Are you looking for a classic, traditionally feminine name that has surged in popularity in recent decades? Emily may be the name you are looking for. The name Emily is derived from the Roman family name Aemilius. The Aemilius family was a prominent and powerful family in ancient Rome. The name may come from the Latin word aemulus meaning “rival,” or the Greek term aimylos meaning “wily” or “persuasive.” How Popular Is the Name Emily?...

Expertise is what separates the amateur from the true master in almost any field, from medicine to science to sports to artistic performance. The question of whether experts are born or made is related to the age-old nature versus nurture debate in psychology: Do genetics or experience play more of a role in shaping who we are? There has been a considerable amount of attention paid to the “made” aspect of the debate....

If you’re the parent of a fussy baby, chances are, you’ve received a number of suggestions from other people on how to soothe and comfort your baby. If your baby has colic, friends and family members may suggest walking the baby around, going for a long drive at night, eliminating certain foods from your diet, and giving your baby gripe water. If you haven’t heard of gripe water before, it’s a liquid that is touted to have calming properties for babies with upset tummies....

Versed (midazolam) used for pre-anesthesia sedation and for procedural sedation for children and adults. It is often used for uncomfortable procedures such as colonoscopies because it produces memory impairment. Versed is in a class of drugs called benzodiazepines, which are central nervous system depressants and Schedule IV controlled substances. When combined with alcohol or other depressants, or when taken in large dosages, Versed can cause a loss of consciousness and respiratory failure....

As parents, we know that our babies like to be held, young kids enjoy being cuddled, and even older kids need regular hugs from their parents or caregivers. But what many don’t realize is there are concrete and scientific benefits from offering kids hugs. Hugs release oxytocin (often referred to as the “love hormone), and there’s even evidence suggesting that hugs can decrease blood pressure, reduce illness severity, and help people recover from interpersonal conflict....

Dr. Sydney S. Zentall, professor of Special Education at Purdue University, is an internationally known researcher in the education of children with ADHD. He focuses specifically on the preferences and responses of these students to specific learning conditions and environments and is the author of the book ADHD in Education. How Do ADHD Children Learn Best? According to Dr. Zentall, children with ADHD seek change/novelty and high-interest activities. They do best with an engaging active curriculum at school and an active home environment....

If you are newly single after being in a relationship for a long time, if you’ve been single with no luck for a long time, or if you are hovering anywhere in between, you might be wondering how to find the best dating app for you. Online dating can feel daunting and you may feel that the odds are stacked against you, but a 2017 study found that nearly 39% of heterosexual couples in the United States reported meeting online, up from 22% in 2009....

Caring for a child who might have a fever can be stressful. But on top of that, many parents feel unsure about how to go about taking their child’s temperature. You may be wondering what type of thermometer to use, the best way to use it, how often you should take the temperature, how you clean the thermometer, and which thermometer gives the most accurate reading. These are common and understandable questions—and we’ve got answers....

We all have concerns about our health which can be hard to get off our minds. If these thoughts become severe, it could signal a condition such as hypochondriasis or obsessive-compulsive disorder. Hypochondriasis and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) have many similarities, with underlying anxiety being at the root of both conditions. In response, many types of “safety behaviors” may be shared by both disorders. In contrast, there are important differences as well....

According to the World Health Organization, the number of people aged 60 and over is expected to double by 2050. Research has traditionally focused on reducing physical risk factors to ward off chronic disease in those joining the ranks of our aging population. This article will focus primarily on psycho-social activities you can increase doing which have been proven to aid in healthy aging. It will also incorporate mental health tips that will better your chances of living a good life in your advanced years....

The Mini-Social Phobia Inventory (Mini-SPIN) is a 3-item, self-rated scale originally developed to screen for generalized social anxiety disorder. The Mini-SPIN was developed by Dr. Jonathan Davidson of Duke University Medical Center, based on the longer 17-item social phobia inventory (SPIN). As professionals no longer distinguish between different types of social anxiety disorder (generalized vs. specific), this scale would now be used for the assessment of social anxiety disorder of all types....

Most parents teach their kids to get along well with others, to work together, and to compromise. But there are times when this desire for peaceful relationships can turn into something unhealthy. Typically, when kids become too compliant and flexible, often at the expense of their own wants and needs, they have fallen into the trap of people pleasing. While this may not seem obvious, people pleasers are one of the primary targets of bullies....

If you are in the process of choosing a preschool for your little one, you may want to consider one that offers print-rich classrooms. In a print-rich preschool environment, preschoolers are exposed to a host of different materials geared at reading and writing. Not only are the materials readily available for little ones to access as they wish, but their use is encouraged on an organic level — their utilization comes naturally, through lessons and play....

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a well-established treatment for adults with eating disorders. Instituting a pattern of regular eating is one of the earliest goals of CBT and is a crucial building block for recovery. Most people who begin treatment for an eating disorder have adopted an irregular pattern of eating that is usually characterized by dietary restraint (food rules, calorie limits, etc.) and/or dietary restriction (actual under-eating). This may take the form of delaying eating for as long as possible over the course of a day, allowing for only one meal, drinking water or liquids to stay “full,” or counting calories and consuming only foods that are considered to be “safe,” non-fattening, etc....