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The negative effects of depression on relationships involving children, teens, or adults are well-established. Research has found that the quality of peer relationships plays a significant role in predicting the severity of depression symptoms. Improving interpersonal relationships has been shown to be effective in reducing depression in teens. Forming romantic relationships is an important developmental step for adolescents. Teen relationships teach important skills that aid future adult ones. How Depression Affects Relationships Adolescents with high levels of depressive symptoms may lack problem-solving skills, resulting in difficulty resolving conflict in romantic relationships through early adulthood, according to a study published in The Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology....

Endless nausea. Fatigue. Headaches. My toddler shrieking like a velociraptor. The first trimester with my second baby was a handful! Being able to stay home certainly helped, but unlike my first pregnancy, I couldn’t just glue myself to the couch. After all, I couldn’t chase my toddler lying down, and my toddler needed a lot of chasing. (Don’t they all, though?) One of the most difficult parts of my second pregnancy was the internal tug-of-war between wanting to rest and the need to entertain my 2-year-old....

A little stress can be a great motivator, as any student can tell you. A lot of stress, however, can often create more of an obstacle than a benefit. This is true when it comes to many things, including health-promoting behaviors, relationships, and even our memories. Stress can inhibit the way we form and retrieve memories and can affect how our memory works. Fortunately, there is good news here to balance out the bad....

The Green-Eyed Envy Monster is no stranger to the fertility-challenged. Feeling pregnancy envy over friends, co-workers, and relatives is normal and common. You may even feel jealous just seeing a stranger’s pregnant belly! What causes envy? And how can you cope? Overview Envy is a normal emotion. You’re not a bad person, friend, or relative for feeling pangs of jealousy. Understanding the underlying thoughts that feed into jealous feelings may help you understand yourself better and even reduce these uncomfortable feelings....

Empathy is a powerful force that helps maintain social order and cooperation. It is the mechanism that allows people to understand and relate to others. Empathy is a necessary precursor to intimacy, trust, and belonging. It is also the feeling that makes it difficult to turn a blind eye to the suffering of others. Empathic people experience a number of happiness benefits. Empathy often encourages altruistic behavior, and empathy-based kindness has been shown to increase cooperation and forgiveness, strengthen relationships, decrease aggression and judgment, and even improve mental and physical health....

An anxiety therapist is someone who has specialized training to treat anxiety disorders. When looking for a therapist for social anxiety disorder (SAD), you should seek someone who specializes in treating this specific mental health concern. Although the process of finding an anxiety therapist will not be easy, the benefits of entering into therapy with a qualified professional are great. Below are some steps to help you find an anxiety therapist in your area....

Up until now, you’ve been your child’s playmate. Together you’ve conquered Candy Land, eaten more than your fair share of mud pie and built the most excellent block towers this side of the Mississippi. But as your preschooler gets older and starts attending school or daycare, her social circle will expand and playdates will become a vital part of her life. Playing with friends at a playdate isn’t just about having fun — although that certainly is important....

Subscribe 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 115 We all make mistakes. Some mistakes are thinking errors—like assuming the reason your friend didn’t respond to a text message is because they’re mad at you....

Are you looking for a classic, biblical, traditionally masculine name that goes back to the Bible? Isaac may be the perfect choice for you. Derived from the Hebrew יִצְחָק (Yitzhak), the name Isaac means “one who laughs” or “one who rejoices.” In the Old Testament of the Bible, Isaac is the firstborn son of Abraham. He is one of the three biblical patriarchs revered by Jews, Christians, and Muslims. How Popular Is the Name Isaac?...

Femara (letrozole) is an oral medication used to stimulate ovulation in people with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and unexplained infertility. While letrozole was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use as a breast cancer drug, it has been used off-label for fertility for more than two decades because it has fewer side effects than Clomid (clomiphene) and a lower risk of multiple pregnancies. Clomid was once the first-line choice for treating infertility associated with PCOS....

Without commutes, regular school schedules, and pre-pandemic socialization levels, Americans seem to be catching up on sleep, a recent study in Current Biology found. But don’t think of this as a COVID-19 silver lining quite yet. Unfortunately, some research suggests sleep quality may not come along with sleep quantity. Key Takeaways Although Americans may be getting more sleep in general, sleep quality doesn’t seem to be improving.According to recent research, this balance of more sleep but less quality appears to be a global issue....

Most of us won’t have to worry about our kids getting mumps. Thanks to vaccines, mumps outbreaks are rare. Still, some children do get this contagious virus, and if you are a parent who’s considering vaccination or dealing with a possible case, you likely have many questions. You might want to know the telltale signs of mumps, effective treatments, and the best steps for prevention. Mumps is a respiratory virus that can cause fever, headache, exhaustion, and swelling of the salivary glands....

Persistent human papillomavirus (HPV) is a common viral infection that often goes unnoticed. However, new research points to the idea that HPV may cause birth complications. A recent study found that women infected with strains HPV 16 or HPV 18 between the first and third trimester were three times as likely to experience preterm birth. Key Takeaways A study found that women infected with certain strains of HPV were significantly more likely to give birth prematurely....

When problems come up in your daily life, are you able to move forward in a solution-focused and thoughtful way, or do you tend to get stuck? For some adults with ADHD, the process of problem-solving becomes so overwhelming—too many options, too much uncertainty—that they have trouble moving forward. Thus, no resolution is reached at all. They may even feel a sense of paralysis—wanting to move forward, willing themselves to make a decision around the problem, but ultimately unable to do either....

Some children love reading, some dislike it, and many are in between. Most children (and adults) are drawn to reading material that is engaging and understandable. But, your child will eventually have to read material that is not entertaining or simple to comprehend, so building reading abilities is always a good idea. As a parent, you can help your child develop reading skills with enjoyable activities, some of which you might not have thought of as reading enrichment....

When it comes to how much water you need for proper hydration, we’ve all heard the eight glasses a day mantra. But the truth is there is no one-size-fits-all number—daily water intake requirements vary from person to person and depend on factors like size, activity level, metabolism, climate, medications, and more. Required water levels might differ between people, but one absolute rings true: hydrating is important for everyone’s overall health. To satisfy this wellness cornerstone, investing in a reusable water bottle can help you keep track of your consumption, quench your thirst when you’re on a run or at the gym—all in a convenient, stylish package....

It won’t come as a great surprise that for most people, cognitive abilities peak at some point during midlife and deteriorate from then on. But a new study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, used an innovative way to demonstrate this—measuring the cognitive skills of professional chess players. Key Takeaways Most people’s cognitive abilities peak at some point during midlife and deteriorate as they age.Researchers analyzed the cognitive skills of professional chess players and found that after age 45, their skill level began to decline....

We live in an age where sharing our lives on social media comes almost instinctively to many people. This doesn’t change when we have kids. We feel the urge to share everything about our new bundles of joy. Photos of their first smile, their first walk, their first day of school, and all the precious moments in between—we want our friends and family to see them. According to one national poll, 84% of mothers and 70% of fathers use social media, many times to share photos of their family....

For transgender and gender-diverse individuals, gender-affirming procedures can be a huge step towards feeling comfortable in their own bodies. These medical undertakings can involve anything from chest reduction to silicone injections. Key Takeaways A new research letter found that gender-affirming hair removal can improve a person’s risk of severe psychological distress.Hair removal is one of many procedures individuals can undergo to diminish body dysmorphia.Currently, legislators across the country are working to limit access to gender-affirming care for youth and adults....

We know that mindfulness can be a powerful tool to reduce symptoms of borderline personality disorder (BPD), in particular emotion regulation. In fact, mindfulness is a core component of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), one of the most effective treatments for BPD. Mindfulness can be practiced in many ways, including walking meditation (or mindful walking). This active practice is great for newcomers as well as those who prefer a more active form of meditation....