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How is your child likely to react to things or approach situations? Is he more likely to be cautious and shy or bold and fearless? Does he dislike loud and stimulating situations, like a child’s birthday party or is he someone who loves to dive right into the action? Temperament is defined as the components of our personalities, such as being outgoing or being shy, that we are born with. And in turn, a child’s temperament influences how they experience situations (for example, a child who is shy and dislikes noise, excitement, and new situations will have a very different experience at a child’s birthday party than a child who jumps right in and starts playing games and engaging with the other kids)....

Many studies show that tweens become less engaged in school after entering middle school. Some psychologists suggest this occurs because middle school teaching does not fit well with tweens’ developmental needs. Middle School Students vs. Middle School Teaching According to psychologists, as they enter the middle school years, tweens begin to have two new needs. One is a need for increased independence. The other is an increasing need for meaningful interactions with adults who are not their parents....

A standardized test score is usually represented as a number indicating how well a child performed on an assessment. There are a number of different types of scores used in educational testing. Test scores can either be norm-referenced (comparing kids to others the same age) or criterion-referenced (assessing a child’s performance on a specific task). Learning disabilities are often diagnosed and assessed using norm-referenced scores. These types of scores estimate whether a student’s scores are above average, average, or below average compared to his or her peers....

LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer or questioning) adults experience worse cardiovascular health than their cisgender heterosexual peers, according to a new scientific statement from the American Heart Association (AHA), published in Circulation. Key Takeaways The majority of LGBTQ+ adults report experiencing discrimination from a health care professional.LGBTQ+ individuals face a higher risk of heart health issues, with discrimination playing a role. There are more than 11 million LGBTQ+ adults in the United States, yet they remain a marginalized group in health care settings....

According to Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory of personality, the id is the personality component made up of unconscious psychic energy that works to satisfy basic urges, needs, and desires. Overview The id operates based on the pleasure principle, which demands immediate gratification of needs. The id is one of the three major components of personality postulated by Freud: the id, ego, and superego. An understanding of Freud’s psychodynamic perspective is important in learning about the history of psychology....

If you or a loved one has recently been diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), you may want to know how long it might take for treatment to help get the symptoms under control. OCD is chronic, which means that it is an illness that you will potentially be dealing with (on some level) for the rest of your life. Overview It’s important to remember that even if your OCD is under control, symptoms can return, particularly if you don’t actively employ the coping strategies that you may have learned in psychotherapy and/or if you stop taking any prescribed OCD medications....

The induction of labor, or starting labor artificially, is fairly common. Rates of induction have been steadily climbing as more and more social or elective inductions (inductions for non-medical reasons) are done. Social inductions may happen for the convenience of the doctor, midwife, or family; for changing due dates; or for other reasons. But the truth is that induction of labor increases complication rates, including the use of cesarean section. (However, a 2018 study of elective inductions in low-risk women found they resulted in fewer C-sections than spontaneous labor....

An important part of taking care of your breasts when you’re breastfeeding is learning how to safely and correctly remove your baby from the breast. You may not need to do it often since your child will likely release the suction on their own most of the time. But, on those occasions when you have to do it yourself, using the right technique will help prevent unnecessary pain and damage to your breasts and nipples....

It can be hard to imagine why anyone would want to cut themselves or hurt themselves on purpose. And for parents who discover their teen is engaging in self-injury, it can be confusing, terrifying, and downright frustrating. Cutting is a form of self-injury that involves using sharp objects such as knives, razor blades, or scissors to make cuts, marks, or scratches on the body. What Constitutes Self-Harm? Self-harm describes any deliberate action intended to cause physical pain....

Finding out your child is gifted inevitably leads to the question of what to do about it. Whether you noticed your child’s advanced behavior or others pointed it out to you, you may be left wondering what (if anything) you should do if your child is gifted. Some parents worry that they will do the wrong things for their child or that they aren’t smart, talented, or educated enough to provide the types of experiences their child needs....

Many breastfeeding parents choose to collect and freeze breast milk. It might be necessary if you have to transport or ship it, but it is more likely that you want to create a stockpile to have on hand for when you have to be away from your baby or when you decide to stop breastfeeding. When the time comes, it’s important to know how to safely thaw, warm, and use your frozen breast milk....

Not so long ago, having someone cut the cord was considered to be a bit “out there.” Now it is nearly universal that every mother at least considers, even if only for a moment, whom she wants to cut the cord. The version of who wants to cut the cord in today’s births is who will help catch the baby. Catching babies has been part of home births for a very long time....

Many people have yelled “I hate you” at their mom, often when they’re adolescents and are mad about not getting their way. They probably didn’t mean it at the time and looking back they may even regret their rebellious behavior. However, in some cases, people actually do hate their mothers, sometimes for good reason. This can be a difficult situation to be in, because mothers are typically characterized as warm, caring, and nurturing....

If you’re coming to this page, it’s probably because you’ve noticed some problems with your eating or your weight. Or maybe someone else has expressed concern about your weight, appearance, or eating behavior. Maybe someone has suggested you have an eating disorder and you don’t believe it. You should know, though, that this is a common symptom of the illness. It can be hard to confront the possibility of an eating disorder....

When I was in college, I noticed a large bump on my upper chest between my clavicle and my heart. It extended four inches long, one inch wide. It wasn’t a breast lump that I could tell, but it was something. I showed my mother, a registered nurse, and immediately her eyes widened. She pressed her fingers to the bump and said, “This could be a tumor.” I didn’t know enough about tumors to know what that meant or how it would impact my life, but then my mother said, “You might have to take a semester off....

Getting pregnant after 35 may be more difficult than at age 25… but it’s not impossible. You can likely think of at least a few friends who conceived after 35, or even after 40. However, if you want to understand why getting pregnant after 35 is more difficult, learn about the various pregnancy risks after 35, and find out what your real odds are for pregnancy success—keep reading! Fertility and Age You’ve no doubt seen the myriad of features focusing on women waiting until after age 35 to have children and having trouble getting pregnant....

What Is Schizoaffective Disorder? Schizoaffective disorder is a chronic mental health condition that combines symptoms of psychosis (e.g., hallucinations and delusions) with symptoms of mood disorders (e.g., mania and/or depression). Depending on what type of mood symptoms are present, schizoaffective disorder is diagnosed as either bipolar type or depressive type. The prevalence of schizoaffective disorder in the population is believed to be around 0.3%, which is less than for schizophrenia or mood disorders....

Middle school gives your child a chance to grow, develop independence and maybe even get a head start on high school courses. Many middle schools offer gifted or high achieving students the option of taking high school courses before high school even begins. Courses may be offered in math, foreign language, science, English, or in other subjects. Taking an advanced class or two can give your child a running start on high school courses, and the experience might also nudge your child to develop better study skills, and time management skills....

In the United States, 7.5 million people are stalked each year; and teens and young adults are particularly vulnerable. In fact, one study found that 48 percent of teens between the ages of 12 and 18 who had been in a relationship had been stalked or harassed by a partner. Meanwhile, 42 percent of those teens also reported stalking a partner. If your teen is being stalked, they are likely feeling anxious, alone, vulnerable, and stressed....

Feeling good in your body is not an inherently easy task. And feelings of self-consciousness are only compounded by increased social media consumption, toxic “summer body” imperatives and, perhaps, changes in your weight after a year more sedentary and isolated than ever before. Key Takeaways Weight gain is a natural response to the stress and changes experienced in the pandemic.But as a result of toxic diet culture, some people are struggling to accept the changes their bodies have undergone during this time....