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Spoiler alert! This article contains major spoilers for the first season of the Apple TV+ series Surface. Mind in the Media is an ongoing series discussing mental health and psychology topics in popular movies and television. Sophie (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), the main character in Apple TV+’s psychological thriller Surface, is pursuing an extremely personal mystery. After falling from a boat and suffering a terrible injury that left her without any memory of her past, Sophie is trying to figure out who she was and whether her fall was really a suicide attempt like her husband James (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) and therapist Hannah (Marianne Jean-Baptiste) insist....

The unthinkable has happened; you’ve learned your baby will be stillborn only weeks or even days before you should have delivered a healthy newborn. You may be in shock or already beginning your grieving process. There are a lot of things on your mind. Why did this happen? Is there anything you could have done differently? How will you tell your family and friends? What are you going to do with the gifts you got at your shower?...

If you live with social anxiety disorder (SAD), you might consider using positive affirmations as a way to improve your self-esteem and reduce anxiety. Research indicates that self-affirmations may help to reduce your sensitivity to threat—which often forms the basis of social anxiety. In addition, higher self-esteem has been shown to predict less anxious responses. In this way, using positive affirmations may both boost your self-esteem (and as a result reduce anxiety) as well as make situations seem less threatening....

If you or a loved one has borderline personality disorder (BPD), you may be wondering what caused it or if you are to blame. The development of this disorder is complex, and there are likely a variety of potential causes, so it’s unlikely that one person or thing is at fault. The exact causes of BPD are not yet known, but most experts believe that BPD develops as a result of biological, genetic, and environmental factors....

Having a premature baby, also known as a “preemie,” can be scary and even depressing. Parents eagerly await the day when they can bring their baby home from the hospital, but when a baby is born prematurely, it has to stay in the hospital, sometimes for months, while the parents go home empty-handed. It can be a lonely, empty feeling. Leaving baby behind in the hospital for weeks is just the beginning of the difficulties awaiting the parents of a preemie in the following months....

Many people were greatly affected by the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and as a result of these attacks, many people have wondered if there is a relationship between 9/11 and PTSD. On 9/11, the United States was faced with one of its greatest tragedies. Many people were directly exposed to this massive traumatic event. Others were indirectly exposed through the extensive television coverage and/or stories from survivors of the attacks....

Deciding if your tween is responsible enough to have a cell phone isn’t always an easy decision to make. Once you’ve made it, you will still need to teach your child some basic rules of cell phone ownership, as well as the responsibilities that come with having a cell phone. Creating a cell phone contract between you and your tween is an excellent way to teach your kid about these rules and responsibilities, as well as the consequences for not seeing them through....

Parents today certainly know that bullying is a problem. But many may not realize that bullying can happen as early as kindergarten. When we prepare kids for the first day of kindergarten and help them overcome kindergarten jitters, bullying isn’t likely to be on most parents’ lists of things to do before the big day. But the fact is that bullying can happen in kindergarten and first and second grade and, according to bullying experts, even as early as preschool....

Caring for a baby can involve lots of bottles. New parents often wonder if washing their baby’s bottles and bottle parts with soap and water is sufficient, or if certain situations call for true sterilization (which kills all germs). Though using clean equipment is important for your baby’s health when bottle-feeding, sterilization isn’t needed as often as you might think—but this was not always the case. How Often Should Bottles Be Sterilized?...

As much as stress is a part of grownups’ lives today, it is, alas, also increasingly a part of kids’ lives as well, which means stress management for children is an important topic for parents to understand. Child stress, like adult stress, stems from a number of factors and can be best addressed by learning about what the problem is, what may be causing it, and then taking steps to help a child feel better and more relaxed....

Dumbbells are a simple, convenient, and versatile way to elevate your strength workouts, no matter where you exercise. When used during cardio routines, they can increase your heart rate and help lower body fat. Dumbbells are versatile enough for both beginners and advanced exercisers and can help you maximize the benefits of moves like squats, deadlifts, overhead presses, rows, and more. “Consider your exercise space, flooring, budget, fitness goals, and material when you’re looking to add dumbbells to your home gym,” Jaime Follows, BS, ACSM-CPT, EIM I, owner of TruFit Personal Training in Virginia, says....

Slouchy, comfortable, and sometimes even compressive, joggers combine the best of what leggings and sweatpants have to offer. Most are made from lightweight, quick-drying fabric that can keep you cool, even during intense sweat sessions. And they can be worn just about anywhere—from low-impact yoga classes to high-impact runs and even to the office in some cases. When shopping for the perfect pair of joggers, consider: “Is it good for me?...

The startle or Moro reflex, which is named after German pediatrician Ernst Moro, is just one of several involuntary movements in newborns. Newborns may seem to come into the world as defenseless creatures, but they’re actually equipped with a variety of innate reflexes that help ensure their safety—primarily by alerting their parents for help when needed. The startle reflex is the baby’s response to the sensation of falling and/or stimuli in their environment, such as loud, potentially threatening sounds and bright lights....

While the psychology of today reflects the discipline’s rich and varied history, the origins of psychology differ significantly from contemporary conceptions of the field. In order to gain a full understanding of psychology, you need to spend some time exploring its history and origins. How did psychology originate? When did it begin? Who were the people responsible for establishing psychology as a separate science? Why Study Psychology History? Contemporary psychology is interested in an enormous range of topics, looking at human behavior and mental process from the neural level to the cultural level....

The majority of children will develop a preference to use one hand over the other as they grow. They will soon be labeled as either right-handed or left-handed. Some may even be able to use both or either hands for certain tasks. This is known as being either ambidextrous or mixed-handed. What Is a Dominant Hand? Hand dominance is the preference for using one hand over the other to perform fine and gross motor tasks....

By now, you’ve probably heard about the #FreeBritney movement and how Britney Spears is challenging the conservatorship she has been living under for 13 years. Key Takeaways Britney Spears is speaking out about the conservatorship she’s been under for the past 13 years.A conservatorship designates one or more persons or entities to be in charge of a person’s financial and personal and health-related decisions, if they are deemed incapable of managingtheir own affairs....

What Is Vistaril? Vistaril (hydroxyzine pamoate) is a prescription drug that a healthcare provider might give you for anxiety, itching, or hives, or to help sedate you before a surgical procedure. It belongs to these classes: Whether this drug is excreted in human milk is not known. Don’t take Vistaril if you are breastfeeding. Antiemetic agentsAntihistamines, first generationAntihistaminesPiperazine derivatives It comes in 25 mg two-tone green capsules, 50 mg green and white capsules, and 10, 25, and 50 mg tablets....

After any date, whether you’re recapping with friends or evaluating on your own, one question is almost always considered: Was there a spark? Key Takeaways Romantic chemistry is often described as a “spark” felt between two people upon first meeting.While sexual chemistry is an initiator, emotional and intellectual connections make for longer-lasting relationships.Greater use of dating apps has changed our perception of chemistry and how we recognize it. This “spark”, or more generally, romantic chemistry, is the highly sought-after indication that a deeper connection has been forged....

Your baby’s umbilical cord is a tube-like structure that connects your baby to you via your placenta. The umbilical cord carries nutrients and oxygen from your placenta into your baby’s body, and then carries waste material out. The umbilical cord has two arteries and one vein. The vein’s job is to transport oxygen and nutrients from your placenta, to your baby. The arteries are responsible for transporting your baby’s waste material, which are eventually disposed of through your kidneys....

Breastfeeding siblings that aren’t twins is called tandem nursing. When you have two children in close succession, you may want to continue breastfeeding your toddler even after the new baby arrives. Since breastfeeding works on supply and demand, you should have an adequate milk supply for both children. Breastfeeding a toddler and a newborn is a special situation, and it’s not always easy. Keep reading for tips to help you through tandem nursing....