If you are experiencing a mental health challenge, entering therapy is a brave first step. As you begin this journey, keep in mind that each person is unique and has specific needs when it comes to therapy. Not only is it important that you choose a type of therapy that will work best for your mental health condition, but it’s vital that you find a therapist who you feel comfortable with....
Bullying is not limited to the teen years. In fact, more and more people are reporting bullies in the workplace. Some studies indicate that as many as 30 million American workers have been, or are now being, bullied at work. Another 30 million have witnessed it. Workplace bullying can occur between anyone in the workplace. But perhaps the most difficult situation to deal with is bullying by a boss—the very person responsible for your advancement within the company....
Albert Ellis was often described as one of the most important thinkers of the past century. He was one of the founders of cognitive behavioral therapy and he developed a groundbreaking approach to psychotherapy known as Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, or REBT. His wife, Dr. Debbie Joffe Ellis, continues the work that Dr. Ellis left after his passing in 2007. We had the opportunity to ask her some questions about Dr....
What Is Attentional Bias? Attentional bias is the tendency to pay attention to some things while simultaneously ignoring others. This represents a type of cognitive bias. Attentional bias affects not only the things that we perceive in the environment but the decisions that we make based upon our perceptions. The attentional bias can be adaptive in many situations, particularly if you are dealing with threats. It allows you to attend to the things in your environment that present the greatest danger and require some type of response....
Can birth control harm your fertility? The short answer is no. Women who have used hormonal birth control are just as likely to conceive as women who have never used hormonal contraceptives. A three-year study of 3,727 participants found that long-term use of oral contraceptives did not affect their ability to have children in the future. In fact, people who had used combined (estrogen and progestin) birth control pills for more than three years were found to be more fertile than the study participants who had used them for less time....
If you enjoy using honey to sweeten your tea, or as an ingredient in baked goods or other treats, you might be wondering if it’s safe to consume as you breastfeed your little one. Maybe you use honey to soothe a sore throat or cough and are wondering if there are risks to doing so while nursing. Thankfully, it’s generally not harmful to eat honey while breastfeeding. You may have heard that babies under the age of 1 shouldn’t eat honey because of the risk of botulism, but your baby can’t get botulism if you eat honey while breastfeeding....
Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are often constantly moving or fidgeting, have trouble focusing, and struggle to process information as rapidly or correctly as other children. This can affect how they interpret the consequences of their behavior, which can be frustrating for parents and teachers. Let’s take a look at why there is often a disconnect between behavior and consequence in children with ADHD, and how to best help them make the connection....
It’s a thrilling moment to welcome your baby into the world. Your healthcare team will be by your side, celebrating with you and ensuring your newborn is well. You may be used to hearing about Apgar scores once your infant arrives, but other tests are done as well, including one to see if your baby is Coombs positive. A Coombs-positive diagnosis is usually not serious but does require that your baby receive medical monitoring....
Based on the comments on my site and on Facebook, twins fighting is a BIG problem for families with multiples. The day-in-day-out squabbles and spats make parents want to tear their hair out. The relationship between twins and multiples is definitely complicated. On the one hand, they are blessed with built-in buddies. Yet they are also subject to constant comparison and competition. Just as in any relationship, there will be tender, loving moments, and times of dissension and disagreement....
‘Daddy issues’ has no precise definition. Still, it’s become a popular catch-all phrase for how the relationship with one’s father in childhood impacts someone in adulthood, especially with a father who is absent or emotionally unavailable. The term is often used in a derogatory way to describe women who date older men, call their sexual partner “daddy,” or any other sexual behavior that someone might deem aberrant or unusual. Despite its prevalence, ‘daddy issues’ isn’t a clinical term or a disorder recognized by the American Psychiatric Association’s latest update of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR)....
Close and affectionate relationships among cousins can be a wonderful result of extended family bonding. The flip side of cousin love, however, is cousin rivalry. Competition between cousins can be every bit as intense and bitter as sibling rivalry. Why Cousin Rivalry Happens All the triggers commonly seen in sibling rivalry can also operate to spark a case of cousin rivalry. Jealousy is, of course, the major triggering factor. Cousins are more likely to be jealous of each other if they are close together in age and the same gender....
When you grow old, who will take care of you? For many, that is a husband or wife. So does marriage improve life expectancy? Here’s what research shows. Marriage was one of the first non-biological factors identified as improving life expectancy. The explanation given was that married people tend to take fewer risks with their health and have better mental and emotional health. Marriage also provides more social and material support, which means having someone to take you to the doctor or care for you when you are sick....
Sneaking the occasional cigarette has greater health consequences than most people may realize. A new study published in 2020 in JAMA Network Open found that even low levels of cigarette smoking is hazardous. In fact, smoking just 6 to 10 cigarettes per month can still increase your risk of death and disease. Key Takeaways Researchers found a significant increase in mortality and disease risk in nondaily smokers vs. non-smokers.A family history of certain conditions can put nondaily smokers at an even higher risk....
What Is General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)? The easiest way to understand GAS is to view it as the different stages of stress and how your body reacts at each stage. GAS occurs in three stages, and each stage is characterized by a unique set of physiological changes that your body undergoes. General Adaptation Syndrome General adaptation syndrome (GAS) is a description of the process of how your body responds to stress....
In December 2016, Tammy Van Dyke, a mom from Minnesota, sued the hospital where her son was born in 2012 for the baby mix-up that occurred when she and her baby were patients. Van Dyke’s son was given to another mother, who had recently given birth to twins and did not notice that the baby boy she had been given was not actually her son. The other mother had Van Dyke’s son with her for over two hours and even breastfed him before the mistake was realized....
Do you suspect that you are experiencing the symptoms of panic disorder? Finding out whether or not you have panic disorder begins with a diagnosis. The following describes how panic disorder is diagnosed. The Evaluation Process Only your doctor or a qualified specialist can diagnose you as having a mental health condition. Professionals who treat panic disorder are trained to make an accurate diagnosis. Although the diagnosis of panic disorder is largely clinical, based on the doctor’s interview, they may have you complete self-assessment tools or questionnaires that will ask you questions pertaining to your symptoms....
You may already be familiar with the term “kangaroo care” or “skin-to-skin” care for your baby. It’s an important way to not only bond with your baby, but to help them thrive and grow also. A 2017 study revealed that skin-to-skin care provides long-lasting benefits that help your baby throughout their life. How Skin-to-Skin Works Skin-to-skin care is actually a very simple way to bond with your baby and provide them with health benefits....
Before the baby entered your family, your toddler was told he’d have a wonderful little brother to play with, and how much fun it would be. Then the little brother is born and your toddler is thinking, “Are you kidding me? This squirming, red-faced baby that takes up all your time and attention is supposed to be fun?” He then “plays” with the baby in the only ways he knows how....
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 69 Whether you want to bring up a difficult subject with a loved one or you want to join a new class, fear can be a powerful obstacle....
Love is one of the most beautiful, yet complicated emotions human beings are able to feel. When done right, it can produce perpetual stomach butterflies, an extra spring in the step, and a cheesy grin that only the thought of a loved one can muster. There are many reasons why you may decide to stop loving someone—perhaps your feelings aren’t returned, or maybe your partner repeatedly acts in ways that are against your best interests....
