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What Is a Psychiatric Evaluation? A psychiatric evaluation is essential to help identify the disorder and help you get the best treatment for your condition. A professional and certified psychiatrist conducts a psychiatric evaluation. If a child is being evaluated, their parent or guardian is required to be there. Psychiatric Evaluation A psychiatric evaluation is a clinical interview that comprises the first visit to a psychiatrist. Its purpose is to formulate working psychiatric diagnoses....

What Is Nihilism? You’ll usually hear something like “everything is meaningless” when discussing nihilism in mainstream culture. But, while this statement is true, it is an oversimplification of the philosophy. In truth, there are multiple variations of nihilism with their own unique positions and views. Nihilism Nihilism is a family of views that works around the shared premise that there is no inherent value, meaning and order to life (independent of the value/meaning we create)....

Bipolar disorder is a mental health condition marked by manic or hypomanic episodes and often periods of major depression. Learn more about the bipolar spectrum, symptoms, types of bipolar disorder, and treatment options below. Although bipolar disorder is not officially classified as a spectrum in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), some providers and people who live with a bipolar-type disorder find it helpful to conceptualize their symptoms on a spectrum....

People with social anxiety disorder (SAD) are sometimes put on the spot in one-on-one or group conversations. Usually, this comes in the form of a comment or question that somehow embarrasses, singles out, or worsens the anxiety of the person being addressed. What Not to Say to Someone With Social Anxiety Below are 10 of the worst things that you can say to someone with social anxiety. You may recognize using some of these in the past....

Xanax (alprazolam) is a common anti-anxiety medication. Doctors prescribe it for patients struggling with insomnia and mental health issues such as excessive worry, panic attacks, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Xanax can help people who are in acute distress, but it is not intended for long-term use. The long-term use of benzodiazepines like Xanax can potentially create problems with dependence and withdrawal. Overview of Xanax Withdrawal Even if you only take Xanax for a period of several days, you may develop a physical dependence on the drug....

Cesarean Sections — surgical births — are not always preventable. And sometimes they are literally lifesaving. In many cases, however, C-Sections can be avoided — and that’s a good thing. There is a myriad of advantages to vaginal birth, both for the baby and for the mother. Here are five steps you can take to lower the likelihood that you’ll need a C-Section. Select Your Care Provider Wisely The care provider you choose to help you give birth will be one of the key ways to avoid a cesarean section that isn’t necessary....

Switching from a crib to a toddler or twin bed is a big milestone that’s often exciting for a child as it’s one of the first signs that he or she is no longer a little baby, but a “big kid.” Any big change, however, can also be unsettling for young children, which is why some take longer to successfully make this adjustment than others. Picking up on signals that the time is right for a new bed can help with this important transition, as can knowing some tricks that some parents have found useful along the way....

People-pleasers are known for doing whatever it takes to make other people happy. While being kind and helpful is generally a good thing, going too far to please others can leave you feeling emotionally depleted, stressed, and anxious. This article covers the traits of a people-pleaser, as well as the causes of this behavior and the negative impact it can have. It also discusses tips to help you stop putting others before your own well-being and ensure that you take care of your own needs....

Akathisia may appear as a side effect of the long-term use of antipsychotic medications, Lithium, and some other neuroleptic drugs. It is one of the most common side effects of antipsychotic medications; between 15% and 45% of people who take antipsychotic medications experience akathisia. However, it may be hard to describe by patients and thus hard to diagnose by doctors. Akathisia, also spelled acathisia, is a neuropsychiatric syndrome or movement disorder characterized by inner restlessness and the inability to sit or stand still for a reasonable period of time....

Whether you’re experiencing pain after birth, nipple pain, or a good old-fashioned headache, you may be wondering if it’s safe to take Tylenol (acetaminophen) when breastfeeding. For most breastfeeding parents, it is safe to take Tylenol. This drug helps with aches and pains and helps to reduce fevers. Studies have shown that there are little to no impacts on infants of nursing parents who take Tylenol.All drugs taken while breastfeeding are rated between L1 (safest) and L5 (contraindicated), a measure created by Dr....

Many people have a lot of questions about what might change during pregnancy. From riding bikes to highlighting your hair to eating sushi, there are some things that temporarily change, in the name of safety during pregnancy. This can feel especially true when it comes to what you can put on your dinner plate. Lobster is the ultimate in luxury eating, so you might think that it’s going to be off-limits alongside wine, deli meats, and soft cheeses....

Pregnancy comes with its fair share of aches and pains. As your body grows and changes, it puts a strain on your lower back. Your hips and pelvis may be sore as well, as the hormone relaxin increases in your body, loosening your ligaments. If you regularly get massages, you may be wondering if it’s still safe to do so now that you’re pregnant. And if massages are not a part of your normal routine, you might consider if getting one could help with your aching back....

Can you be committed to a psychiatric ward at a hospital or a mental hospital against your will? What if you are feeling suicidal? What should you know about both short-term emergency detention and long-term commitment? The short answer is that you can be committed to a mental hospital against your will if you meet the criteria set forth by the state in which you live. General, Short-Term Commitment The exact process for commitment varies from state to state....

Ever wondered what happens if the baby’s cord is around its neck at birth? Parents are often frightened to think about the baby’s umbilical cord being around the neck at birth, also called a nuchal cord. The umbilical cord is covered with a thick protective coating known as Wharton’s Jelly. This is like gristle in texture and prevents the baby from compressing the arteries and vein that run through the cord....

A delusion is a false belief that a person firmly holds to be true, regardless of whether it actually is true or even possible. Someone who’s delusional will hang on tight to such a belief even if other people are able to logically explain why it’s false. There is a recognized mental illness called delusional disorder in which delusions are the dominant symptom. In a type of bipolar disorder that includes psychosis, however, delusions are a psychotic symptom of the mood disorder....

“Who will get custody of our children, me or my ex?” That’s the million-dollar question every parent fighting for child custody wants to know. And while it’s impossible to predict exactly how the judge will rule in your case, you can anticipate that the judge has one goal in mind: determining your children’s best interests. The Best-Interests Standard Many parents find this legal jargon confusing. Don’t all parents want what’s best for their children?...

Fertility vitamins and supplements can be found on store shelves at pharmacies, supermarkets, health food stores, and on the Internet. While these products typically have marketing that’s compelling and hard to ignore, the promises they make often go beyond the evidence to back up the claims. Ideally, you should get the vitamins and nutrients your body needs through your diet and adequate sun exposure (for vitamin D). But in some cases, these avenues are not enough and supplementation is necessary....

The effects of marijuana fade quickly, but the drug can be detected in the body for weeks and sometimes longer. The amount of time the active ingredients and breakdown products of weed remain in the system can range from a few hours to 90 days, depending on how often or how much marijuana the person has been using. For example, a single dose of weed may be detected in your system for up to 13 days, depending on the type of test used....

When you think of a service animal, the first thing that comes to your mind is probably a dog trained to perform the physical tasks that a person with a disability cannot. However, the scope of service animals has broadened in recent years, and they are available for people with invisible disabilities now just as they are for those with physical ailments. A diagnosis of depression is one reason that a person might benefit from a service animal....

A bedside sleeper or cosleeping bassinet is one way to keep your baby close to you at night. As of 2016, Safe sleep recommendations tell us to keep babies in the same room as parents for the first 6 months in order to reduce the risk of SIDS. But while your baby is supposed to be in the same room, safe sleep organizations do not recommend letting baby sleep in the same bed as parents....