Deciding to tell the people you love that you’re struggling with depression is a big step. Not only is it challenging to find the energy to reach out to people, but there are naturally worries about how the news of your diagnosis will be received. If you’re considering disclosing your diagnosis to the people close to you but just aren’t sure how to start the conversation, here are some things to consider....
Does your current morning routine consist of hitting the snooze button four times and walking out the door five minutes later as you put on your shoes and eat a protein bar, all while checking email on your phone? From that point on, our entire day can feel like we’re always trying to rush and catch up, never really feeling on top of our game or very productive. Overview We can do better!...
Whether your child insists his friend needs his own chair at the dinner table or you overhear him talking to an imaginary friend whenever he’s in a room by himself, imaginary companions are quite common in childhood. And while there’s nothing wrong with kids who don’t have imaginary friends, children who have imaginary companions shouldn’t be a cause for concern either. In fact, some studies show there are many benefits to having imaginary friends....
It’s not always easy to tell whether you are having a miscarriage in the first trimester of pregnancy. For people who know they are pregnant, possible miscarriage symptoms can be challenging to interpret. And sometimes, a miscarriage doesn’t cause any symptoms at all (this is called a missed miscarriage or silent miscarriage). Signs like vaginal bleeding or cramping may not always be present right away nor are they strictly limited to miscarriage....
Oxycodone is a short-acting, semi-synthetic opioid used to treat moderate to severe pain. It is prescribed for both acute pain (after surgery or injury) and chronic pain (from disease or damage). Oxycodone is the narcotic component of several common combination drugs, including Percocet and Percodan. Oxycodone is also the active ingredient in Oxycontin, an extended-release version of the drug. Taking oxycodone for more than a few weeks causes tolerance and dependence, regardless of whether or not you are using it as directed....
What Is Paranoid Ideation? Paranoid ideation is a symptom that can occur in borderline personality disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia. It involves transient, stress-related paranoia. Paranoia is characterized by the experience of feeling threatened, persecuted, or conspired against. It can also loosely refer to beliefs of general suspicion regarding the motives or intentions of others. If you have borderline personality disorder (BPD), it’s likely that you have experienced transient paranoid ideation under stress....
Peer pressure is the influence wielded by people within the same social group. It is also the term used to describe the effect this influence has on a person to conform in order to be accepted by the group. Often, peers are thought of as friends, but peers can be anyone of a similar status, such as people who are the same age, who have the same abilities, or who share a social status....
Personality is one of the most popular subjects in psychology, so it’s no surprise that this broad area is rife with fascinating research topics. Are you looking for a great topic for a paper, presentation, or experiment for your personality psychology class? Here are just a few ideas that might help kick-start your imagination. Possible Topics for Personality Psychology Research How does temperament relate to creativity? Are people with certain temperaments more or less creative?...
Psychedelics are a class of drugs that cause individuals to have hallucinatory experiences for hours at a time. This article will explain what psychedelics are, why people take them, and why they are stigmatized. History of Psychedelic Use They are often associated with the counterculture of the 1970s, harkening back to days of artists and musicians taking these drugs for creative inspiration. At the start of the 1970s, LSD entered popular culture....
For many autistic people, perceived rejection or failure can feel intensely emotionally painful, to the point that they struggle to cope with these feelings. This phenomenon is known as rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD). Not all autistic people experience RSD, but those who do may struggle due to these feelings. Although RSD is not a clinical diagnosis, many autistic people struggle with these feelings. This article explores autistic people’s experiences of RSD, how autistic people cope with RSD, and ways to support an autistic person experiencing RSD....
When it comes to personal development, our culture often celebrates those who are self-assured or self-confident. However, self-compassion might be a better way to approach success and personal development. For instance, self-confidence makes you feel better about your abilities, while self-compassion encourages you to acknowledge your flaws and limitations. And once you acknowledge and accept your flaws, you are more likely to view them objectively and realistically. This, in turn, can lead to positive changes in your life....
You’ve probably heard by now that smoking isn’t the best thing for you. Now that you are pregnant or are considering becoming pregnant, it’s even worse. Problems With Smoking During Pregnancy There are many things that we know about smoking during pregnancy. We know that the woman who smokes during her pregnancy has a baby who gets less food and oxygen than her non-smoking pregnant counterparts. We know that certain risk factors are increased for these women....
Miscarriage is defined as the spontaneous end of a pregnancy (also called spontaneous abortion) in the first 20 weeks. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, about 15 percent to 20 percent of pregnancies end in miscarriage; more than 80 percent of these occur in the first trimester. In some cases, a woman may not even be aware she is having or has had a miscarriage because it happens before she even knows she is pregnant....
Maybe your child’s school sent home some great information about how they are updating their curriculum to match the latest standards in science, all in an effort to improve their science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) teaching. Or maybe you are glad that your kids are taking part in new STEM classes at school. Or maybe your kid isn’t into STEM subjects, and you wonder if they can get a quality education for their future that they will find interesting....
Panic disorder is a type of anxiety disorder that is characterized by persistent and frequently unexpected panic attacks. These attacks are marked by a mix of physical and cognitive symptoms, such as sweating, shaking, shortness of breath, and fearful thoughts. Fearful perceptions about panic attacks can become so severe that you may develop avoidance behaviors. These avoidance behaviors develop into a separate and commonly co-occurring condition known as agoraphobia, which causes you to stay away from environments or situations that may trigger a panic attack....
In the learning process known as classical conditioning, the unconditioned stimulus (UCS) is one that unconditionally, naturally, and automatically triggers a response. In other words, the response takes place without any prior learning. Contrast this with the condition stimulus. It only prompts a response after a person or animal has learned to associate the stimulus with a certain response. Examples of Unconditioned Stimuli Unconditioned stimuli are all around us. Think about:...
Vanishing twin syndrome is the spontaneous loss, or miscarriage, of one developing baby early in a multiple pregnancy, usually resulting in a normal singleton pregnancy. It may also be called disappearing twin syndrome. Sometimes the term “vanishing twin” is used for any pregnancy in which one baby in a multiple pregnancy is lost while the other survives, even if the twin has not technically vanished. Usually, the term is reserved for a twin that vanishes in the first trimester....
Defense mechanisms are methods people use to cope with feelings of stress or anxiety. These methods can vary widely in their degree of helping or potentially causing further harm. For most people, defense mechanisms are unconscious behaviors. Identifying and recognizing adaptive and maladaptive defense mechanisms, as well as their root causes or triggers, can help you understand and care for yourself better. Sigmund Freud, the renowned psychoanalyst, was the first person to propose the idea of defense mechanisms....
What Is a Preoccupied Attachment Style? Attachment styles refer to the emotions and behaviors an individual has around the significant relationships in their lives. We form an attachment style as young children, though these styles can change over time in response to life experiences, trauma, and treatment. Preoccupied Attachment Preoccupied attachment style (also known as anxious-preoccupied attachment style) manifests as high anxiety about the relationships and connections in our lives....
Psychologists and media scholars have been researching the impact of sexual content from TV, movies, music, and other mediums on people for decades, however results of these studies have been inconsistent. While some analyses have found consuming media with sexual content has little to no impact on people, other studies have found exposure to sexual content and sexualized images can impact sexual attitudes and behavior, can contribute to body dissatisfaction, eating disorders, and low self-esteem, and is associated with depression and other mental health challenges....
