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A 2020 study published in Biological Psychiatry focuses on the effects that attachment styles and personal relationships have on the genetic risk factors of military veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Key Takeaways A recent study suggests that social bonds and interactions may have an impact on the negative effects of PTSD.Interpersonal therapy could be a solution for impacted or at-risk individuals. These findings may help inform additional treatment options for veterans and other individuals dealing with this disorder....

Breast milk is the ideal food for your baby. It’s full of nutrition to help them grow, develop, and fight off illnesses. That said, you might be wondering if breast milk contains everything that your child needs and whether or not your breastfed baby should take vitamins. While most of your child’s nutrients come from your breast milk, there are a few vitamins and minerals that healthy breastfed newborns might not get enough of through breastfeeding alone....

Whether you’re experiencing poor blood circulation or playing sports, compression socks help circulate blood flow from the feet to the heart while reducing the swelling that may be a result of standing or sitting for too long. Using compression socks can keep people “focused on that part of their body, which is always a good practice,” says Rachel Troesch, NASP-CPT, NASM-certified personal trainer and pilates instructor at Lifetime. We researched dozens of compression socks and evaluated them for fabric, price, extra features, comfortability, and breathability....

Whether you’re a beginning runner who needs help getting started, a more experienced runner looking to get to the next level, or someone who needs a little inspiration to get in your daily miles, a high-quality running book will do the trick. Learning more about your favorite sport can help you get the most of your runs and build mental and physical endurance. Running books can range in content from personal memoirs to general advice to specific training plans....

Whether you surf leisurely or competitively, a rash guard is critical to your performance and comfort. A rash guard does exactly what it sounds like, protects your skin from sun exposure and prevents irritation from spending hours on your board. Factors worth considering are built-in UPF protection, sweat-wicking and quick-drying properties, and whether or not you want to wear it with a wetsuit. While they may have started out as a staple for the surfing community, you don’t have to be a surfer to benefit from the extra coverage at the pool or the beach....

In color psychology, red provokes the strongest emotions of any color. While cool colors like green and blue are generally considered peaceful and calming, red is considered the warmest and most contradictory of the colors. In fact, this fiery hue has more opposing emotional associations than any other color: Red is linked to passion and love as well as power and anger. Below are some of the most common feelings and qualities that the color red can stimulate....

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a condition that can occur after a person has experienced a traumatic event involving intense fear and threat of bodily injury or death. Examples include military combat, sexual assault, or natural disasters. The person may not have experienced the event firsthand. Witnessing a traumatic stressor, such as the accidental death of a person or an attack on someone, can bring about symptoms. PTSD can also occur when a person has heard about the details of another’s exposure to trauma, including learning about the tragic death of a friend or family member....

What is it that makes some people excel in leadership roles? Leadership theories seek to explain how and why certain people become leaders. Such theories often focus on the characteristics of leaders, but some attempt to identify the behaviors that people can adopt to improve their own leadership abilities in different situations. Early debates on the psychology of leadership often suggested that such skills were simply abilities that people were born with....

The conscious mind is one element of Sigmund Freud’s topographic model of the mind. Freud was not the first theorist to describe consciousness or unconsciousness, but these elements played a fundamental part in his theories of human psychology. This article discusses the conscious mind, including how it is defined, how it works, and why it is important in Freudian theory. It also covers how the conscious mind differs from the preconscious....

January 20, 2023 To our readers— It’s important to us that we’re providing you with accurate, reliable health information, and that you feel welcome no matter what your background is. To do that, we rededicate ourselves to a diversity pledge we first made in June 2020—a detailed promise to all who visit Verywell, so they may see themselves reflected in the voices and content we share. As a health website that reaches more than 38 million readers per month, we are uniquely positioned to create positive change....

The three main elements of intrinsic motivation are autonomy, purpose, and mastery. People are intrinsically motivated when they can act independently, feel that their efforts matter, and gain satisfaction from becoming more skilled. Intrinsic motivation refers to actions that are driven by internal rewards. The motivation to engage in a behavior arises from within because of the inherent satisfaction of the activity rather than the desire for a reward or specific outcome....

What Is a Contact High? A contact high is an experience of sensing or perceiving drug effects when in the company of someone who has actually taken drugs, without having taken the drug yourself. A person experiencing a contact high may start to have bizarre thoughts, experience mild pseudo-hallucinations, and find everyday situations hilariously funny. They may also share feelings of fear, anxiety, or panic that are being expressed by the other person....

The pandemic may have made it a bit trickier to visit your favorite stores, but it’s not like you have to leave your home to go on a spending spree. Experts say one of the many mental health impacts of COVID-19 is a rise in what’s known as emotional spending—but it’s not a new phenomenon. Key Takeaways Emotional spending is spending money during a period of heightened emotions, like stress or sadness....

The moment when parents first hold their premature baby is one of the happiest NICU milestones. Preemies are very small at birth and have complex medical needs, so parents may not be able to hold NICU babies for days or even weeks. Helping to settle a premature baby into a parent’s arms for the first time is one of my greatest joys as a NICU nurse. There are many things to think about when deciding when a NICU baby is ready to be held....

Abraham Maslow was an American psychologist who developed a hierarchy of needs to explain human motivation. His theory suggested that people have a number of basic needs that must be met before people move up the hierarchy to pursue more social, emotional, and self-actualizing needs. Maslow’s Early Life Abraham Maslow was born on April 1, 1908, in Brooklyn, New York, where he grew up the first of seven children born to his Jewish parents who emigrated from Russia....

Can eating a healthy diet help relieve symptoms of anxiety? Experts suggest that diet can directly affect mental well-being, including anxiety, stress, and mood. Certain foods can contribute to feelings of anxiety, while other substances can affect the brain and body in various ways. For example, research has found that people who eat diets high in processed, high-fat, and high-sugar foods are more likely to have anxiety than people who follow diets richer in complex carbohydrates, lean proteins, fruits, and vegetables....

Self-sabotaging in relationships involves engaging in behaviors, either consciously or unconsciously, that lead to the end of a relationship. This might involve pushing the other person away or finding reasons to get out of the relationship. Such behavior often stems from trust issues, past experiences, and poor relationship skills. You meet someone new and happily date for a little while. The connection is great, there is chemistry, and sex is fun....

Smoking in secret is a behavior that creates pain and loneliness for the smoker. It makes us feel guilty, weak, and stuck. Karen’s story will resonate with anyone who has struggled to hide their smoking. Thank you for sharing your story Kay, and congratulations on taking your life back. My name is Karen, but my friends call me Kay. I started smoking when I was 14. I am now 31. I realize now that my reasons for smoking at that age have twisted themselves into reasons why I was still smoking 16 years later....

Many people with borderline personality disorder (BPD) experience intense and chronic shame, a self-conscious emotion associated with a sense of worthlessness, self-contempt, or self-loathing. Shame may in part explain the high rates of self-harm and suicidal behavior in people with BPD. What Is Shame? We use the word all the time, but what exactly is “shame?” Shame is considered one of the self-conscious emotions; it is an emotion that relates to our behavior or self, often in relation to other people’s opinions....

Phobias, which are extreme irrational fears of certain things (like fear of insects/entomophobia) or situations (like fear of flying/aerophobia), can be treated with therapy, but when you’re looking for a therapist, you may not know where to start. This article discusses how to find the right therapist to treat your phobia. It also covers some of the different types of therapy for phobias and how they might inform your search for a mental health professional to treat your condition....