Giving your baby a bath is one of the joys of parenting. When your baby is born early, many parenting tasks must be shared with NICU staff. Helping with bath time in the NICU is a great way to bond with your baby and can help prepare you to take your baby home. If you didn’t get many chances to give your baby a bath in the NICU, don’t worry! You’ll learn quickly and will soon feel like a professional....
Behavioral activation is a basic coping strategy, as well as a short-term treatment, that can have a tremendous effect on your mood. If you’re already getting treatment for depression and/or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), studies show that behavioral action can be an effective part of that treatment. When you feel depressed or anxious, you may be less likely to do the things you enjoy or avoid other potentially pleasurable activities. The consequences of this are often a worsening of mood, feeling more detached from others, and an increase in anxiety....
This area of psychology emerged during the 1950s as a reaction to psychoanalysis and behaviorism, which had dominated psychology during the first half of the century. Psychoanalysis was focused on understanding the unconscious motivations that drive behavior while behaviorism studied the conditioning processes that produce behavior. Humanistic psychology is a perspective that emphasizes looking at the whole individual and stresses concepts such as free will, self-efficacy, and self-actualization. Rather than concentrating on dysfunction, humanistic psychology strives to help people fulfill their potential and maximize their well-being....
Idealization and devaluation and are defense mechanisms that help a person manage their anxiety as well as internal or external stresses. While this subconscious protection system can be found in a few personality disorders, it is most often associated with borderline personality disorder (BPD). This shift between idealization and devaluation found in BPD is known as splitting, which signifies a disturbance in both thinking and emotion regulation. It reflects challenges in maintaining an integrated view of the good and bad in a person under stress....
October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, so it may provide a meaningful opportunity to learn more about resources that can support individuals who may be dealing with such challenging situations. Key Takeaways National Domestic Violence Awareness Month has been recognized in October in the US since 1987.The pandemic forced many to spend more time in their homes, which may have exacerbated domestic violence issues.Targeted efforts are needed to address the mental health impacts associated with domestic violence....
Lavender essential oil is one of the most popular and versatile essential oils used in aromatherapy. Distilled from the plant Lavandula angustifolia, the oil promotes relaxation and believed to treat anxiety, fungal infections, allergies, depression, insomnia, eczema, nausea, and menstrual cramps. In essential oil practices, lavender is a multipurpose oil. It is purported to have anti-inflammatory, antifungal, antidepressant, antiseptic, antibacterial and antimicrobial properties, as well as antispasmodic, analgesic, detoxifying, hypotensive, and sedative effects....
On October 10, countries across the globe celebrate World Mental Health Day, an occasion to raise awareness of the work done and desperately needed to make mental health care easily accessible for all. The World Federation for Mental Health chose ‘Mental Health in an Unequal World’ as this year’s theme, a decision highlighting the inequity of mental health care due to factors such as gender, sexual orientation, and income. Key Takeaways...
One tiny word with a life-changing impact: Positive. You’ve stared at the test long enough, and it’s finally sinking in: you’re pregnant! The barrage of thoughts about what to do next is overwhelming, but there’s one order of business that sticks out: How and when do you tell everyone? Announcing your pregnancy can be one of the most fun parts of growing a tiny human. After all, it’s exciting! You’re bursting at the seams to tell everyone the moment you see that positive result, and who could blame you?...
After a loss, you may experience many different emotions, including shock, denial, grief, anger, guilt, and regret. Eventually however, you may reach a stage of acceptance. The loss may be the loss of a loved one, or something else that had meaning for you, such as an idea, a business, a relationship, a physical ability, or even a sense of independence or control. “Acceptance doesn’t mean that you feel happy about the loss....
Structuralism is considered to be the first school of thought in psychology. It involved breaking down and analyzing the mind into the smallest possible parts. Structuralist psychology is most often associated with Wilhelm Wundt, who was famous for founding the very first lab devoted to experimental psychology and is generally considered the father of modern psychology. Origins Was Wundt really the founder of this early school of thought? While Wundt is often listed as the founder of structuralism, he never actually used the term....
Trintellix (Vortioxetine) is an antidepressant medication used in the treatment of major depressive disorder in adults. While its exact mechanism of action is unknown, it is suggested that the drug works by blocking serotonin reuptake. Overview The drug differs from other types of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) because it also works to modulate different serotonin receptors. It is believed that Trintellix works by increasing the levels of serotonin in the brain....
Unexplained infertility is a frustrating diagnosis to receive. It is also a common one. Unexplained infertility does not, however, mean that you have no options. There is a reason for hope. In fact, depending on your age and how long you’ve been trying, the odds of conceiving on your own may be higher than it is for most infertility diagnoses. A 2012 study of just over 1,300 women with infertility, ages 28 to 36, found that 43% of those who never received fertility treatment eventually conceived and gave birth....
Instead, they are caused by psychological factors such as stress, trauma, or mental health problems. Common symptoms of PNES include convulsions and other movement disorders, changes in consciousness or awareness, strange bodily sensations, and emotional outbursts. Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) are a condition in which someone experiences physical symptoms associated with epileptic seizures, but the cause of these symptoms has no physiological basis. PNES is often misdiagnosed as epilepsy due to its similarity in physical characteristics....
What Is a Mental Hospital? Mental hospitals often provide care and treatment for people with serious mental health illnesses. A mental hospital, also known as a psychiatric hospital, is a facility that provides specialized inpatient care for mental health conditions. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, a serious mental illness is a mental, emotional, or behavioral condition leading to substantial impairment in a person’s ability to function in their daily life and activities....
Many kids are excited by the change in seasons each year. They enjoy the colorful leaves, crisp air, and falling snow. But other kids seem to struggle just to get through the day—especially as the days get shorter and colder. Instead of enjoying the change, these kids seem to be irritable, depressed, and tired. For some kids, this low mood and reduced energy is the result of a type of depression known as seasonal affective disorder or SAD....
Feeling your baby move is an exciting part of pregnancy. These movements often start out as subtle flutters and eventually progress into full-blown kicks. Once you’re in your third trimester, you should be regularly feeling your baby move. Typically, your baby will have regular periods of activity alternated with periods of rest. Their movements get more vigorous as they get bigger and stronger. You can often encourage your baby to start moving by slowing down and/or eating or drinking something sweet, such as a glass of juice,...
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 103 On the surface, it seems like hearing nice things about yourself would help you feel good. After all, don’t you want to know if your colleague thinks you’re brilliant or the person you’re dating thinks you’re attractive?...
The use of ultrasound in pregnancy is fairly commonplace. It was originally designed to help monitor the status of complicated or high-risk pregnancies. Today, ultrasounds are considered a standard facet of prenatal care. While ultrasounds can provide doctors and midwives with valuable insights into how a pregnancy is progressing, there are times when the results may either be misleading or inaccurate. An Incorrect Pregnancy Date An ultrasound technician, known as a sonographer, will look for certain features during the different stages of a pregnancy to determine if things are proceeding as they should....
Emotional stress can be particularly painful and be challenging to deal with. It can take more of a toll that many other forms of stress. Part of the reason is that thinking about a solution, or discussing solutions with a good friend—coping behaviors that are often useful and effective in solving problems—can easily deteriorate into rumination and co-rumination, which are not so useful and effective. In fact, rumination can exacerbate your stress levels, so it helps to have healthy strategies for coping with emotional stress as well as redirecting yourself away from rumination and avoidance coping and more toward emotionally proactive approaches to stress management....
What Is Bullying? Sadly, bullying is quite common. And while pervasive in elementary through high school, it can also occur in other settings including with siblings in childhood and far into adulthood among work colleagues, work supervisors, friends groups, and other social communities. Bullying Bullying is the repeated infliction of harm or distress on another person with the intent to control, intimidate, or otherwise damage another. It comes in all forms—including verbal torment, social attacks, physical aggression, and taunting—and can happen both in person or through social media or the internet at large....
