Have you ever found yourself changing your mind in the middle of a purchase, only to feel pressured to stick to your earlier decision to buy the item? For example, have you ever agreed to buy a car, only for the salesman to change the terms of the sale right before you sign the paperwork? Was it easy to walk away, or did you feel a sense of pressure and obligation to stick to your original agreement?...
Schizophrenia is an illness of the brain that causes certain characteristic symptoms, abnormal experiences, and behaviors. For different people, schizophrenia can involve different clusters of symptoms. It is possible that slightly different disease processes are involved in these different clusters. However, many researchers believe that schizophrenia is a single disease which can have different effects depending on which brain regions are most affected. In the latest edition of the DSM, the subtypes of schizophrenia were removed....
From clothes to gadgets to self-care items, there are plenty of fitness and wellness products to gift to fitness-focused moms. The best fitness gifts are easy to use and store and will fit within your budget. The easiest way to look for a fitness gift for your mom is to look at their current interests. If your mom’s post-workout smoothie game could use an upgrade, a new kitchen gadget could be a good option....
When you’re pregnant, doctors and midwives will often talk about helping to ensure that you go “full term.” Pregnancy is considered to be 40 weeks, and “full term” refers to having your baby after 37 weeks. Preterm labor is defined by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) as contractions and cervical changes that occur before 37 weeks of pregnancy, and preterm birth is a birth that occurs between weeks 20 and 37 of pregnancy....
The U.S. Census Bureau lists Hispanics are the largest ethnic or racial minority in the United States, forming about 17% of the nation’s population, according to 2014 population numbers. In 2014, there were over 55 million Hispanics in the United States. That means there are a lot of abuelos. The term Hispanic as used by the U.S. Census Bureau refers to persons with roots in Mexico, Central America, South America, Puerto Rico, and certain Caribbean nations....
It may sound improbable that strep throat can be a cause of obsessive-compulsive disorder. However, for the first time, large-scale research coming out of Denmark seems to support this causal relationship. Background Bacteria are responsible for between 5 and 10 percent of sore throats. The most common bacterial agent responsible for sore throat is group A beta-hemolytic streptococci (GAS or “strep”). In 1998, researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIHM) observed that some children abruptly develop obsessive-compulsive disorder, tics, and other neuropsychiatric symptoms after being infected with GAS and other types of bacteria and viruses....
Spoiler alert! This article contains major spoilers for the movie Encanto, available on Disney+. Mind in the Media is an ongoing series discussing mental health and psychological topics in popular movies and television The Madrigal family of the Disney animated film Encanto lives in a beautiful hidden village in Colombia, where a miracle imbues members of the family with a magical gift—from super-strength to the ability to heal to shapeshifting—that they use to help their community....
In August 2022, NBC News Chief Foreign Correspondent Richard Engel announced the death of his 6-year-old son, Henry Engel. Henry lived with Rett syndrome, a genetic neurological disorder that impacts a child’s ability to speak, walk, eat, and breathe. There is currently no treatment or cure for the condition. Key Takeaways Rett syndrome is a rare, genetic neurological condition that impairs a child’s ability to walk, talk, eat, and breathe.It’s most often diagnosed when a child is between 6 and 18 months old....
What Is Sexual Fluidity? Sexual fluidity, like the term, might hint at refers to a person’s sexual preferences being flexible. Many people tend to identify with one particular type of sexual orientation. For instance, someone might identify as heterosexual, bisexual, pansexual, asexual, gay, etc. However, people who identify as sexually fluid don’t commit to a particular sexual orientation or identity. They don’t ascribe to any of these labels. If you think you are sexually fluid, you should know you are not alone....
We all experience unwanted impulses or urges from time to time. We want to yell and scream at someone who cuts in front of us at the store, for instance. Or we see an attractive person and feel an urge to flirt with them even though we are in a committed relationship. The American Psychological Association (APA) defines sublimation as “a defense mechanism in which unacceptable sexual or aggressive drives are unconsciously channeled into socially acceptable modes of expression and redirected into new, learned behaviors, which indirectly provide some satisfaction for the original drives....
Perhaps you’ve heard about the effects of psilocybin, also referred to as magic mushrooms. This psychedelic drug is literally a mushroom that is ingested either fresh or dried. Some may choose to incorporate it into food, while others will brew it into tea. Despite this drug being currently criminalized, it is gaining mainstream attention for its therapeutic benefits, causing many to become intrigued by the possibility of taking them. This article will share everything you need to know about taking mushrooms for the first time, including benefits, considerations, and how to stay safe....
When you are waiting to meet your little one and for labor and delivery to begin, you likely have contractions on your mind. Toward the end of pregnancy, you second guess if every little cramp is a contraction. As your due date draws near, you wonder if your contractions are signs of “false labor” or if they are “real” contractions. As early labor ramps up, you wonder if your contractions are becoming frequent enough to head to the hospital....
Pumping can be used to relieve the pressure of painful, swollen breasts. It’s also helpful to maintain or even increase your milk supply. Most of the time, you will be pumping to provide your child with breast milk in a bottle or to store your milk for use at another time. However, there are some occasions when you can’t or shouldn’t give your baby the breast milk that you pump. In these instances, you will pump and discard the milk, or pump and dump....
Teaching people, especially kids and teens, to be anti-racist often begins with a conversation. And, many times the best conversation starters involve books, movies, television programs, and other resources. Not only do they give you a place to start but they help emphasize key issues about racial injustice and the challenges Black people face in the United States. Below is a list of resources that can foster anti-racist conversations with the children, teens, and young adults in your family....
Teenagers can be a challenge at the best of times. However, when your teen has obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) as well, it can present additional challenges. Teenagers with OCD may have a number of problems that can make treatment of symptoms difficult. Treatment Refusal Teenagers often refuse to go for assessment and treatment for OCD. This is often related to the stigma of being diagnosed with a mental illness. They may also worry about falling behind in school or have concerns about the side effects of OCD medications....
While researchers are still uncovering the secrets of how the brain works, they have discovered plenty of information about what goes on inside your head. Unfortunately, there are still a lot of misunderstandings about the brain. The following are the facts behind just a few of the many misconceptions. We Don’t Just Use 10% of Our Brains Have you ever heard that we just use 10% of our brains? It’s an oft-cited statistic, but constant repetition does not make it accurate....
Major life changes, such as the death of a loved one or moving to a new city, can cause stress. Most people adjust to these changes within a few months. For some, however, coping with the stress that comes with these changes can be so overwhelming that it disrupts their lives. When these feelings persist longer than usual, it may be a sign of an adjustment disorder. Adjustment Disorder Symptoms An adjustment disorder is categorized according to the type of reaction it causes....
Aromatherapy for anxiety involves the use of essential oils taken from plant sources such as flowers, leaves, seeds, fruits, and roots. When these oils are inhaled or absorbed through the skin, there are resulting physiological effects. If you live with social anxiety disorder (SAD), you may consider using essential oils to help calm yourself. How to Use Essential Oils Essential oils must be diluted for use as they are in a concentrated form....
Once you start thinking about getting pregnant, every little thing in your past becomes potential fodder to worry about. You might hope that none of your past choices, such as who you’ve had sex with or how long you’ve waited to conceive, will affect your ability to get pregnant. You may also worry that you might not be able to get pregnant if you had an abortion in the past....
You’re pregnant and a craving for grapes hits you hard. That sweet taste and the satisfaction of biting into the taut skin of a fresh grape just can’t leave your mind. Then suddenly you remember, wasn’t there that thing about not eating grapes while pregnant? You may have heard that grapes are unsafe during pregnancy, but actually, grapes are generally fine to eat when you are expecting. While they do contain an antioxidant called resveratrol that may harm fetal development, the amount in grapes is too small to pose any danger to you or your baby....
