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If you grew up in a home with a parent who misused alcohol, you’re probably familiar with the feeling of never knowing what to expect from one day to the next. When one or both parents struggle with addiction, the home environment is predictably unpredictable. Overview Argument, inconsistency, unreliability, and chaos tend to run rampant. Children of alcoholics don’t get many of their emotional needs met due to these challenges, often leading to skewed behaviors and difficulties in properly caring for themselves and their feelings later in life....

Dealing with a child’s misbehavior can feel overwhelming at times, especially if you have tried everything you can think of. But the good news is that reward systems can be highly effective at changing a child’s behavior. Plus, almost all kids respond favorably to rewards. So, whether your toddler is biting, your preschooler is throwing tantrums when it’s time to leave the park, or your tween keeps forgetting to do their chores, a simple reward system can help them become more responsible for their behavior....

Most centers offering infant daycare accept babies who are 6 weeks of age or older. Along with considering when to begin daycare for your child, it’s important to learn about the different options and the pros and cons of each. There are certain things to look for when interviewing daycare candidates, and you may want to begin the interview process before your baby is even born to secure a prime daycare spot....

Family life can be frustrating and exhausting when you have a child who often displays challenging oppositional behaviors. But there are ways to make the situation better. The key is to understand where the behavior is coming from and to be prepared to handle hostile or defiant actions. Studies have even found that anywhere from 45 percent to 84 percent of children and adolescents with ADHD meet the full diagnostic criteria for oppositional defiant disorder....

If you struggle to maintain employment due to your bipolar disorder, it’s important to understand your rights. Bipolar disorder is a qualified condition for disability, but that doesn’t mean everyone with bipolar disorder is automatically granted supplemental security income (SSI) or disability payments. Explore who’s eligible and how to make the most of what’s offered to you. Your Rights Under the ADA Many people with bipolar disorder are able to maintain a job....

Venlafaxine is an antidepressant drug in a class called serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). It is an oral tablet that comes in both an immediate-release (Effexor) and extended-release (Effexor XR) formula. Both are used to treat depression in addition to a variety of other mental health conditions. SNRIs work by blocking the reabsorption (or reuptake) of serotonin and norepinephrine back into the nerve cells that released them. Blocking their reuptake increases the levels of these neurotransmitters in the brain....

If you have a loved one with borderline personality disorder (BPD), family therapy may be a helpful addition to traditional treatment plans. It’s common for family members of those with mental health issues to feel overwhelmed by their loved ones’ symptoms and often need help understanding where how they can cope. By involving the whole household in therapy, BPD can be better managed by empowering the family to work together in a more effective way....

Teens are less likely than ever to get an after-school job. In fact, a 2019 report by the Pew Research Center found that only 35% of teens get summer jobs (and even fewer get jobs during the school year). That’s not to say today’s teens are lazier than ever. There can be lots of challenges that complicate traditional employment for teens. Lack of transportation, being too young to get a job, or lack of job opportunities are just a few of the reasons some teens struggle to find work....

Whether you are just starting your journey of homeschooling, or you have been at it for some time, probably the number one question you get asked (or you ask yourself) is about socialization: How will your kids be properly socialized if they are learning at home rather than in a school environment? It’s an understandable concern. After all, most of us spent our childhoods in more traditional educational settings, attending brick and mortar schools, surrounded by other kids daily, and where social interaction was an intrinsic part of our educational experience....

The longer the COVID-19 pandemic drags on, and the more trauma and anxiety it causes, the more people start to feel like contracting and spreading COVID-19 is out of their control. More people are starting to experience caution fatigue, or “COVID fatigue,” experts say, and it’s causing them to make decisions that increase their risk of contracting the virus. Key Takeaways Caution fatigue is affecting an increasing number of people as the pandemic drags on....

Most of us like to believe that we have a reasonably good memory. Sure, we might forget where we left our car keys once in a while and of course, we have all forgotten someone’s name, an important phone number, or maybe even the date of our wedding anniversary. But when it comes to remembering the important things, like a cherished childhood event, our memories are accurate and trustworthy, right?...

Mother’s Day is often incredibly difficult for those navigating infertility or grieving a pregnancy loss. Whether it’s been years since your loss or days, the holiday can feel impossible to navigate, especially if you don’t have living children. While there is no specific set of rules to follow when it comes to Mother’s Day, allowing space for your natural feelings and placing boundaries where you need them is often a good place to start....

The first time your child stays away from home is a momentous milestone not just for you as a parent or guardian figure, but also for your child. Even if your kiddo is all smiles and excitement about the prospect of venturing into the world without you for an evening, an entire day, or week (if we’re talking something like summer camp), there are some important steps you can take to ensure all goes smoothly....

If you want to know how to quit smoking, it is important to start by learning about the challenges you’ll likely face and developing a plan to tackle them. This article discusses the things that you’ll need to know about how to quit smoking and some of the challenges you’ll face. It also covers some of the tools and resources that can help you be more successful and reach your smoking cessation goals....

Follow 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. Friday Fix: Episode 168 When someone is gaslighting you, you’ll likely second guess yourself. Gaslighters are good at convincing you that you’ve lost touch with reality....

Learning how to swaddle your baby can help you get a little more sleep in the magical yet exhausting newborn phase. Swaddling is a traditional method of wrapping an infant snugly in a blanket to keep them feeling calm and secure. If you’ve ever seen a baby bundled up like a little burrito, you have seen swaddling in action. This method of wrapping babies isn’t just adorable, it also serves a function by helping babies regulate their body temperature and potentially sleep longer....

Parents and their children experienced a profound shift in their daily lives due to the coronavirus pandemic. The once-clear separation between employee and parent disappeared for those working remotely with their children at home. Juggling work meetings and deadlines with your children’s needs is undoubtedly challenging. It can leave you feeling like they’re being pulled in two different directions throughout the day. If you’re working from home while caring for kids, there are ways to maximize your time to allow you to shift more seamlessly from work mode to parenting mode....

Hypervigilance is about more than just being extra vigilant. It is a state of extreme alertness that undermines the quality of life. What Is Hypervigilance? People who are hypervigilant are constantly on guard and prone to overreaction. They maintain an intense and sometimes obsessive awareness of their surroundings, frequently scanning for threats or routes of escape. If you are hypervigilant, you are always looking for hidden dangers, both real and presumed....

Learning disabilities are neurological differences in processing information that limit a person’s ability to learn in a specific skill area. That is, these disorders are the result of actual differences in the way the brain processes, understands, and uses information. Everyone has differences in learning abilities, but many people with learning disabilities have severe problems that persist throughout their lives. There is no “cure” for learning disabilities. Special education programs can help people cope and compensate for these disorders, but the learning disability will last a lifetime....

In the first few days or weeks of staying away from drugs or other addicting substances, individuals often experience acute withdrawal symptoms. The severity of these symptoms can vary from person and person and is usually dependent upon what substance the person was addicted to. Once the acute withdrawal symptoms subside, post-acute withdrawal syndrome (PAWS) may set in. Symptoms of PAWS PAWS can be a major barrier for many pursuing recovery from addiction....