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Approaching eight months into the coronavirus pandemic with no end in sight, some companies are letting their employees work from home indefinitely. But do we fully understand the impact this could have on mental health or productivity? Key Takeaways While working from home provides increased flexibility, many individuals experience decreased efficiency and motivation and feeling lonelier in isolation.Burnout is a major part of the problem.Devising new strategies to cope and stay motivated can greatly benefit daily life, as well as long-term mental health....

The keypad has replaced the pen in many walks of life—we email instead of writing a letter, create shopping lists on our smartphones, and give children tablets in lieu of pencil and paper. Many would argue that these modern ways of writing are easier and quicker, but there’s a downside. Key Takeaways Schools are becoming increasingly digitized, with some offering no formal cursive handwriting training at all.Handwriting activates a specific part of the brain, which researchers believe is important for learning and memory....

Feeling stressed out about work? You might want to find some time to spend on a yoga mat. New research has found that yoga is particularly effective at reducing work-related stress. Key Takeaways Research on healthcare workers found that physical relaxation methods were effective at providing relief from work-related stress.The data suggests that yoga is the best relaxation technique for reducing occupational stress, followed by massage therapy, progressive muscle relaxation, and stretching exercises....

If you’ve ever glanced at your teen’s conversations over text or you’ve seen how they chat on social media, there’s a good chance that there have been times when you’ve had no idea what they’re talking about. Social media acronyms and abbreviations can feel like another whole language. But it’s important to learn what some of that shorthand means. Monitoring your teen’s online activity won’t be helpful if you can’t understand what your teen is saying....

There’s something very appealing about using patterns when naming your children. Some families may choose to give all their kids pop culture names from their favorite movies. Others may choose their favorite season (or the season when the child was born). For some, it’s a matter of picking a letter to start all the names with. Names that start with the letter “V” are some of the most unique you’ll come across....

If you have been recently diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD), you may feel overwhelmed, scared and alone. But BPD is much more common than you probably think. Learning the facts about the disorder, including prevalence statistics, can help you feel more empowered to seek help through therapy and support groups. Here are some relevant BPD facts and figures. Prevalence In the United States, recent research has shown that 1.6% of the population has BPD....

Cervidil is a brand drug used to dilate the cervix and induce pregnancies in women who are at the end of their pregnancy term or near the end. It comes in the form of a vaginal insert and contains prostaglandin. Prostaglandin is a hormone that is produced in several parts of the body. Its function depends on which part of the body it’s made. Prostaglandin is responsible for controlling the menstrual cycle, ovulation, and inducing labor in the female reproductive system....

Think about your daily interactions with people. When you go to the store, for example, you follow a certain script—a series of steps—to interact with the cashier. These kinds of scripts are generally known by everyone within a culture when they are children, and they are intended to make social interactions easier. We don’t need to think about what we should say or do in specific situations—we have scripts all ready to go in our heads....

People with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often experience emotions with a greater intensity than people without ADHD. You probably heard of sayings such as, ‘You are too sensitive for your own good’ or ‘You are so thin-skinned’ all your life. This is because ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder, which can impact the brain in ways increasing the likelihood of emotional dysregulation. Crying at movies and weddings, expressing happiness or passion can be endearing to people....

Suicide is among the top ten causes of death of people ages 10 to 64 in the United States. For people ages 10 to 14 and 25 to 34, it is the second leading cause of death. Suicide and attempted suicide cost close to $70 billion dollars per year in medical and work-related costs. Key Takeaways Suicide is the second leading cause of death among youth ages 10 to 14, and adults ages 25 to 34....

The term “random sample” comes up a lot when you’re reading about medical research. Understanding this term can help you interpret those health studies you come across in the news and get a better grasp of how they may, or may not, apply to you. Simply put, a random sample is a subset of individuals randomly selected by researchers to represent an entire group as a whole. The goal is to get a sample of people that is representative of the larger population....

It’s very common for pregnant people to notice new sensations in their chests, such as a racing, uncomfortable, or strange heartbeat. This is often due to heart palpitations, which happen due to the increased blood volume during pregnancy. The body has to work extra hard to pump all this blood. This experience can be concerning—or even scary, and may many pregnant people wonder when to worry about heart palpitation in pregnancy....

If you have obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), you may find yourself trying to figure out how you can stop having OCD thoughts. You are not alone. However, what many people with OCD don’t realize is that the distressing thoughts they experience are not necessarily something that they have (or can have) control over. While this fact might initially make you feel stressed, understanding how your OCD thinking works and why it happens will help you develop more effective ways to cope....

People sometimes rule out therapy as an option because they think it will be unaffordable. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), only around 44.8% of people with mental illnesses receive treatment. A report by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) found that despite the passage of the mental health and addictions parity law in 2008, many people continue to struggle with barriers to mental health care. Most prominent among these obstacles were coverage denials by insurance providers, difficulty getting psychiatric medications, problems finding in-network providers, and high out-of-pocket costs....

On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade case that provided a constitutional right for people to terminate a pregnancy. As a result of the decision, individual states now have the legal authority over abortion, which means they can restrict the procedure or ban it altogether. Key Takeaways The Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, which provided a right for people to terminate a pregnancy, instead giving legal authority to the states....

Many of us have had the thought, “I feel like I’m losing my mind” at one time or another. This thought may surface in times of heightened stress, but it can also be a manifestation of a mental health condition, such as anxiety, panic disorder, or depersonalization. Sometimes the thought itself can induce even more stress or anxiety. Feeling as though you are losing your mind is a very scary idea!...

To be in a position where you feel ready to come off antidepressants is a good thing. Unfortunately, it’s not always easy. Antidepressants can be notoriously difficult to quit because stopping can produce withdrawal-like symptoms referred to as “discontinuation syndrome.“ Discontinuation symptoms are typically mild and short-lived. However, for some people, symptoms can be severe enough to impact their day-to-day lives. By working with your doctor to gradually lower your dose over time (a process known as “tapering”), you may be able to minimize or even prevent many of these uncomfortable symptoms....

Recent decades have seen a rise in foreign language immersion schools, in which students are taught a second language as part of the regular school curriculum. Usually, the goal is that students will become comfortable speakers of the common language in their community (usually English in the U.S.) and the chosen language of the school. What Are Immersion Schools? Foreign language immersion schools are often public schools of choice. These schools may be very popular with parents and have waiting lists and lotteries to determine which children are admitted to the school....

Alternative schools are designed to educate students who have not been successful in regular schools, often because of behavior, disciplinary and safety concerns. An alternative school may involve a range of different educational settings other than the typical school. Alternative schools are frequently used as an alternative to expulsion and suspension. Alternative Schools as an Option Alternative schools provide educational options for students who are not successful in typical schools. Over the years, they have been viewed as schools where “bad kids” go, but that’s not necessarily the case....

Mary Whiton Calkins was an American psychologist who became the first female president of the American Psychological Association. While she rightfully earned a doctorate degree in psychology from Harvard, the university refused to award her a degree because she was a woman. In spite of this, she became an influential figure in the development of early psychology and taught many students through her position at Wellesley College. Best Known Work Self-psychologyInventing paired-associate techniqueFirst woman APA President Timeline of Events Born on March 30, 1863 in Hartford, Connecticut1884 - Graduated from Smith College1887 - Began teaching Greek at Wellesley College1890 - Began attending lectures at Harvard taught by William James and Josiah Royce1892 - Admitted to Harvard as a “guest"1895 - Presented thesis to Harvard faculty, but was denied a degree1927 - Retired from Wellesley CollegeDied on February 26, 1930 of cancer Early Years Mary Whiton Calkins began Smith College in 1882 as a sophomore....