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Decorating the nursery is practically a rite of passage for expectant parents. Once nesting mode kicks in and your attention turns to preparing for your new arrival, you might find yourself flicking through color swatches and coming up with designs for your dream nursery. As excited as you are, you might have reservations about whether or not painting while pregnant is safe. While it is generally deemed to be low risk, there isn’t any concrete evidence to confirm this....

As the school year wraps up, report cards are making their way to your inbox. If you’re surprised at the contents, don’t call the tutor just yet. Color blindness may be the cause. Color blindness is common but, when undiagnosed, can lead to a child being labeled with behavioral or learning difficulties. Key Takeaways Color blindness is common but underdiagnosed.If color blindness is undiagnosed it could lead to a misdiagnosis of learning or behavioral concerns....

What Does Cora Mean? When looking for baby names, mythology can provide a plethora of names rich with inspiration and meaning. Cora is one such memorable name for your baby girl. The name Cora is of Greek origin and the Latinized version of the name “Kore.” Meaning “maiden” or “daughter,” Cora (or Kore), is a name found in classical Greek mythology referring to Persephone. She was the goddess of Spring, and the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, who was the goddess of agriculture....

The declining mental health of Americans is an ongoing issue, and a recent study published in the American Psychologist has found that the higher education protective factor that was associated with better mental health in midlife has been decreasing. Key Takeaways Middle-aged Americans experience greater mental illness than older generations or their European and Asian counterparts.Americans between 40 and 65 report more depressive symptoms and worse memory recall than Americans had in the past....

ENFP is an acronym that stands for Extraverted, Intuitive, Feeling, and Perceiving. The ENFP personality type is one of the 16 different types identified by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). People with an ENFP personality are often described as enthusiastic, charismatic, charming, energetic, and independent. ENFPs are also creative, so they typically do best in situations where they have the freedom to create and innovate. There are two subtypes of ENFPs: ENFP-A and ENFP-T....

Gender schema theory was introduced by psychologist Sandra Bem in 1981 and asserted that children learn about male and female roles from the culture in which they live. According to the theory, children adjust their behavior to align with the gender norms of their culture from the earliest stages of social development. Bem’s theory was influenced by the cognitive revolution of the 1960s and 1970s as well as her desire to remedy what she believed to be shortcomings in the psychoanalytic and social learning theories of the time....

Online shopping has become increasingly popular in recent years, but the growth it experienced in 2020 was like none other. Around 70% of Americans say they’re doing more shopping online now than they did prior to the pandemic, according to a survey released in early 2021. Key Takeaways The rates of people shopping online have skyrocketed during the pandemic, which has had mixed effects on our mental health.Shopping online helped ease anxiety by providing people a safe way to get supplies and restored a sense of control through retail therapy....

Although time off after the birth or adoption of a child has typically been discussed primarily from a working mom’s perspective, there is a growing interest in paternity leave, or time off for dads too. Designed to allow fathers to prioritize their family responsibilities, paternity leave is becoming more and more common as fathers step up and take on a bigger role in their families. In fact, in 2012 two million fathers were stay-at-home dads....

Pow. Boom. Sploosh. It’s time for the fireworks to fly! That’s right, the Fourth of July is just around the corner. From red, white, and blue clothing to educational outings, there are plenty of ways for you and your family to celebrate Independence Day. Here are some activities to inspire your festivities. Dress the Part Wearing red, white, and blue is one of the simplest ways to show your patriotism and celebrate this national holiday....

Life’s daily ins and outs don’t just keep us busy. Sometimes they bog us down with their weight, making it feel like we’re paddling our way through the mud just to make it through a full day. While there are many ways to improve your mental health including therapy, meditation, exercise, hobbies, a healthy diet, and time spent with loved ones, there are also small things we can do to create a shift in our mood....

I grew up half Filipino (hapa, as we call it); I don’t know anything other than being straddled between two cultures. While I was raised effectively White in a suburb of Atlanta, I was occasionally exposed to my Filipino side through food, music, and six weeks a year at my grandmother’s house. I wasn’t exposed to more culture because there wasn’t any culture except inside my own home. My mother was mostly raised in Texas, not the Philippines....

Breech position is when a baby is in a head-up position in the uterus near the due date. The optimal birthing position is for the head to be down, which is called cephalic or vertex presentation. Often, a baby in breech position will flip over before childbirth, but in about 3% of pregnancies at term (37 weeks or later), the baby is still in breech position. In these cases, interventions may be used to turn the baby....

You may suspect your child is quite bright, but are they gifted? Among other characteristics, gifted children tend to have high energy levels and intense curiosity. They may walk, talk, and hit other developmental milestones earlier than other children. A strong desire to investigate and master their environment is also common among gifted children. Parents who see early signs of giftedness in their children should learn more about when IQ testing is appropriate along with tips to encourage and support their child’s development at home, at school, and in the community....

Have you ever had a really strange dream and thought there must be some sort of hidden message behind it? Dream interpretation is based on the idea that the events of your dreams serve to disguise the real meaning of your dreams or the latent content. The latent content refers to the symbolic meaning of a dream that lies behind the literal content of the dream. The hidden meaning of dreams played an important role in Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory....

There are a number of different reasons why you might need help with pill identification. Maybe you misplaced a drug label or forgot what the pills in your weekly pillbox are. Perhaps you found some pills in your loved one’s pocket while doing the laundry, and you’re worried they might be misusing them. Considering the epidemic of prescription drug misuse and addiction and an uptick in deaths due to overdoses around the United States, you may be right to be concerned....

When talking about borderline personality disorder (BPD) and the possible causes of BPD, you may hear talk of both proximal risk factors and distal risk factors. What are proximal risk factors, and what do we know about their role in BPD? How are the causes of BPD, behaviors associated with BPD, and risk factors related? What Causes Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)? Researchers are still uncertain about how or why borderline personality disorder (BPD) occurs....

A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who specializes in the treatment of mental disorders. Because psychiatrists hold a medical degree and are trained in the practice of psychiatry, they are one of the few professionals in the mental health field able to prescribe medications to treat mental health issues. Much like a general practice physician, a psychiatrist may perform physical exams and order diagnostic tests in addition to practicing psychotherapy....

What Is Pure O? Pure O, also known as purely obsessional OCD, is a form of OCD marked by intrusive, unwanted, and uncontrollable thoughts (or obsessions). While someone experiencing Pure O may not engage in obvious behaviors related to their intrusive thoughts, such as counting, arranging, or hand-washing, the disorder is instead accompanied by hidden mental rituals. Pure O is sometimes mistakenly seen as a “less severe” form of OCD. For those who experience symptoms of this disorder, the characteristic intrusive thoughts can be very disruptive and distressing....

Sexting is sending sexually explicit messages, photos, or videos via cell phone, computer, or any digital device. Sexting may include photos and videos containing nudity or showing simulated or real sex acts. It also includes text messages that discuss or propose sex acts or other sexually explicit exchanges. As teens and children increasingly carry smartphones and use tablets, computers, social media, apps, and messaging, the risks that they will be exposed to or send or receive sexually explicit content has become a concern for parents, teachers, and law enforcement....

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 150 Most people don’t really think about their mental health until they develop a problem. Fortunately, this idea that you should only be concerned with your psychological well-being if you’re sick is starting to shift....