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Living with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) means living with repetitive and unwanted intrusive thoughts—obsessions—that are terrifying to the person experiencing them. The content of the obsessions varies widely. While some obsessions involve fears of contamination, concerns about contamination make up a small percentage of obsessional themes. Obsessions are often “taboo” in nature. For example, someone with OCD may experience violent thoughts and images (i.e. killing oneself or others), sexually intrusive thoughts and images that are disturbing (i....

Your body goes through a lot of changes during pregnancy—after all, you are literally growing a human inside of you, so your body is adapting to make that possible. But there are arguably no changes more significant than those that happen to your belly. As you welcome your new baby into your life, you may also be saying hello to some noticeable marks on your belly skin, from stretch marks and scars to loose skin, in the months after giving birth....

Sleep problems commonly occur among people with substance use disorders, but these issues can also occur during withdrawal and recovery. Problems with sleep can make recovery more complex. Trouble sleeping is a common withdrawal symptom for people addicted to drugs and alcohol. This can be troubling and lead to increased anxiety. Fortunately, research suggests that long-term recovery can help reverse sleep problems induced by substance use. While withdrawal insomnia is common, there are ways that you can deal with it and try to get a better night’s sleep....

Muhammad Ali once said, “Friendship is the hardest thing in the world to explain. It’s not something you learn in school. But if you haven’t learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven’t learned anything." Key Takeaways Friendship benefits both our mental and physical health.After a year of pandemic restrictions and Zoom fatigue, it’s natural that some friendships have gone dark. Reaching back out can feel awkward, but it’s worth the effort....

Parents often change their baby’s formula, going from one brand to another or one type of formula to another. For example, if their baby is gassy, fussy, or spitting up, they may change their infant’s formula from milk to soy-based formula, or to a hypoallergenic or elemental formula. Changing Your Baby’s Formula Most of formula changes are usually unnecessary, such as changing formulas to treat a thriving baby with simple infantile colic....

A lucid dream occurs when a person is asleep but aware that they are dreaming. In this state, a person can take control of their dream’s narrative to some degree, essentially guiding and directing the course of their dream. Because this type of sleep is associated with awareness and the reflection of this awareness, it is often associated with what is known as metacognition. Metacognition involves the awareness and understanding of your own thought processes....

Research is emerging that babies of depressed and anxious mothers may have a stronger stress response than other babies. It adds to previous research suggesting that behavior, mental health, and development of children is impacted by the mental health of parents. Key Takeaways When left unmanaged, maternal depression and anxiety can have lasting impacts on a child.Staying in touch with both your doctor and your support network can improve outcomes. While this may be upsetting for new parents to consider, there are ways to improve outcomes and build resiliency in your children and yourself....

When you have a new baby, you will be flooded with all kinds of decisions to make, and many of them won’t feel easy. Should you choose a family name or something more contemporary? Should you use cloth diapers? Breastfeed or formula feed? And of course: Should you give your baby a pacifier? Pacifiers and babies seem sort of synonymous. If you picture a cute little baby, you may picture them waddling around in a diaper, sucking happily on a binky....

Are you getting enough sleep? If you’re like many people, you’re no stranger to sleep deprivation. According to a sleep poll of about 15,000 respondents on this site, around half are getting six or fewer hours of sleep per night—which can put them in a state of sleep deprivation. Effects of Sleep Deprivation If you’re reading this and have gotten less sleep than you wish you did last night, you may also find yourself more stressed than you could be....

Stress cardiomyopathy is a condition in which severe emotional or physical stress causes the heart muscles to weaken quickly and sometimes severely. Emotional stressors that cause this condition could be grief, fear, or surprise, while physical stressors that may lead to stress cardiomyopathy include asthma or pain from an accident. Stress cardiomyopathy is also known as “broken-heart syndrome” or takotsubo cardiomyopathy. Although complications might occur, people with this condition are usually able to make a full recovery in a couple of weeks....

Many students who have completed an undergraduate degree in a non-psychology field might find that they would like to switch to psychology for graduate school. Is this even possible? Not everyone figures out where their passions and interests lie during the busy undergraduate years, but it’s really never too late to start. It really just depends on how much time, effort, and commitment you are willing to put into making the change....

Whether you’re training for a race, swimming laps for cardio, or preparing for a triathlon, it is important to have the right goggles while you’re in the water. You may require different features like sun protection or peripheral visibility depending on whether you’re swimming indoors or outdoors. We reviewed the goggles in our roundup for features like value and affordability, sun protection, overall visibility, comfort, and how leakproof they are. All of the products on this list were vetted and selected by a former competitive swimmer who knows the value of a quality pair when she sees it....

Forgetting is an all too common part of daily life. Sometimes these memory slips are simple and fairly innocuous, such as forgetting to return a phone call. Other times, forgetting can be much more dire and even have serious consequences, such as an eyewitness forgetting important details about a crime. Memory failures are an almost daily occurrence. Forgetting is so common that you probably rely on numerous methods to help you remember important information, such as jotting down notes in a daily planner or scheduling important events on your phone’s calendar....

What Is Therapy for Bipolar Disorder? Medication is the mainstay for treating bipolar disorder, but the most successful and durable treatment involves a combination of both medication and therapy. Effective therapies for bipolar disorder include cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), family-focused therapy, and interpersonal and social rhythm therapy. Group psychoeducation and peer-support programs are also useful therapies for bipolar disorder. Read on for what to know about the importance of properly treating bipolar disorder, what the different therapy types involve, how therapy can help people with bipolar disorder, and how to find a therapist you feel comfortable with....

The thyroid, a small gland located in the neck, plays an important role in a number of body functions. In some cases, a thyroid imbalance may contribute to depression as well as other types of mental health conditions. Although it is estimated that around 12% of the U.S. population will develop a thyroid condition during their lifetime, the American Thyroid Association reports that 60% of people with a thyroid problem are unaware of their condition....

While definitions may vary, learning is often thought of as a relatively permanent change in behavior due to experience. It is influenced by various biological, cultural, social, and emotional variables. Several different theories have emerged to explain how people learn. Some of the main theories of learning include: Behavioral learning theoryCognitive learning theoryConstructivist learning theorySocial learning theoryExperiential learning theory This article explores these learning theories, including how each one explains the learning process....

COVID-19 vaccines for babies and children aged 6 months and older are finally here. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) officially approved Pfizer’s pediatric vaccine for ages 5 to 11 on November 2, 2021. Key Takeaways COVID-19 vaccines are now approved and recommended for adults and children aged 6 months and older.COVID-19 vaccines side effects are generally mild to moderate in children.The most common side effects are pain at the injection site, fatigue, and headaches....

This period of the sleep cycle usually takes place about 90 minutes after a person first falls asleep. Each REM sleep cycle typically occurs every 90 to 120 minutes. People spend approximately 25% of their total time asleep in REM sleep. Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is one of the four stages the brain goes through during the sleep cycle. It is marked by several physiological changes, including muscle relaxation, eye movement, faster respiration, and increased brain activity....

The luteal phase is the portion of your menstrual cycle that occurs after ovulation but before the first day of your next menstrual cycle. On average, this phase lasts from 12 to 14 days. Some people who menstruate and who have fertility problems experience a short luteal phase. In some studies, recurrent miscarriage (miscarrying two or more times in a row) has also been associated with a luteal phase that is shorter than normal....

After the loss of a friend or family member, sometimes it’s tricky to know if you’re grieving or stressed. While both are natural responses to the death of someone you cared about, here’s information so you can recognize the ways in which grief and stress are similar as well as different. This article also includes information on broken heart syndrome, destructive ways to manage these feelings as well as constructive ways to deal with grief and stress....