Specific phobias are an irrational fear of a situation or object, and their boundless number is only limited by the number of nouns in any language. All types of phobia are forms of anxiety disorders and affect nine percent of people in the United States. The other two types of phobia are agoraphobia and social phobia (social anxiety disorder). An Evolutionary Phobia There is a theory that herpetophobia, along with arachnophobia (fear of spiders), is an evolutionary phobia....

But even though ADHD wasn’t always recognized, diagnosed, or treated as much as it is now, doctors have actually known about ADHD for some time. It was often referred to by different names, which is why you may still hear it referred to as ADD from time to time. Previous Names for ADHD Doctors and scientists once used terms including these to describe the condition we call ADHD today....

Based on interviews with 17 Black and Latinx healthcare workers in support roles, researchers noted such concerns as abrupt changes to work responsibilities, increased hours, navigating use of new technology, safety protocol changes, and lack of access to personal protective equipment. Since this is the first study to focus on the perspectives of support healthcare workers from underserved communities during COVID-19, its insights can inform future directions for employers to support staff....

The good news: These discomforts are temporary as long as you stay smoke-free. In the meantime, celebrate yourself and your accomplishment of quitting! There are natural ways to increase dopamine in the body and start feeling good. Plus, rewarding yourself with something each day reinforces your positive behavior—not smoking—and can help manage uncomfortable symptoms of quitting and get you motivated to keep going. Treat Yourself to Relaxation In the long run, quitting smoking can help reduce feelings of stress and anxiety, but initially, quitting tobacco tends to increase stress....

Knowing the risks and benefits of medications and what to watch out for can help you make a confident decision for your child. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), 3% of all children are diagnosed with depression. The majority of children receiving treatment experience a decrease in their symptoms within two months. It is recommended that children receive prompt treatment because of the potential for serious consequences of untreated depression....

But if you have ADHD, you may be more drawn to it because caffeine and the medications used to treat ADHD all work on your dopamine system, the reward center in your brain. Here’s what you need to know about caffeine, and how it may affect people with ADHD, especially if you are also already taking stimulant medication to manage ADHD symptoms. What Is Caffeine? Caffeine is one of the most commonly used substances in the world—research shows thatmore than 85% of Americans will have at least one caffeinated drink a day....

The purpose of reductionism is to simplify psychological events and processes by looking at their smallest elements, thus “reducing” something rather complex into its most simple. These two approaches are often pitted against one another. Where a reductionist would propose that the best way to understand something is to look at what it is made up of, a holist would argue that the sum-product is more than simply the sum of its parts....

Knowing how to regulate your emotions is important for everyone, whether or not you have BPD. But what is emotion regulation, and how can you improve your emotion regulation skills? Understanding Emotion Regulation We all feel emotions, both negative or positive, on a daily basis. As children, most of us typically learn how to manage, express, and cope with these emotions in a healthy way. For some people though, including those with BPD, emotion regulation is much more difficult, sometimes due painful childhood experiences such as abuse or trauma, sometimes due to a biological vulnerability to emotional sensitivity, and sometimes because of not having been shown or taught how to manage difficult emotions....

Managing Negative Emotions The idea of “managing” negative emotions is a complex one. It doesn’t mean avoiding them—avoidance coping is actually a form of coping that attempts to do this, and it can often backfire. It also doesn’t mean letting these negative emotions wreak havoc on your life, your relationships, and your stress levels. Unmanaged anger, for example, can compel us to destroy relationships if we allow it to. Managing negative emotions is more about embracing the fact that we are feeling them, determining why we are feeling this way, and allowing ourselves to receive the messages that they are sending us before we release them and move forward....

Results obtained through the experimental method are very useful, but they do not prove with 100% certainty that a singular cause will always create a specific effect. Instead, they show the probability that a cause will or will not lead to a particular effect. What Is the Experimental Method in Psychology? The experimental method involves manipulating one variable to determine if this causes changes in another variable. This method relies on controlled research methods and random assignment of study subjects to test a hypothesis....

Thoughts of catastrophe are understandable when we think about any type of crisis. After two years of bouncing from one COVID-19 variant to another, the Ukraine situation has people on edge. “Feelings people may be experiencing are anger…hopelessness, helplessness, and numbness, because of being overloaded,” states Erin Jones, LCSW, of e.Piphany Concepts. The Russian invasion of Ukraine and the concerns about war are a lot to handle. But if you understand how the flow of information about the conflict is impacting you mentally, there are steps you can take to protect your mental health and maintain a sense of peace....

The Link Between OCD and Sexual Dysfunction For many people, one of the key ingredients required for a healthy romantic relationship is an active sex life. Although sexual problems are relatively common, research suggests that people with OCD report higher than average levels of problems with sexual functioning. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for people with OCD to experience: Trouble becoming sexually aroused A low sex drive Dissatisfaction with their sexual partner A fear of having sex High levels of disgust when thinking about sexual activities....

Whatever the reason, it’s easy to delete a photo from a WhatsApp chat. So if you’re ready to get rid of some unwanted photos, keep reading! Requirements Before you can delete a photo from a WhatsApp chat, there are a few things that you need to keep in mind. First and foremost, you must have the latest version of WhatsApp installed on your phone. This is because the option to delete a photo from a chat is not available on older versions of the app....

If you are looking for an interesting idea for a psychology experiment, exploring the connection between musical tastes and personality traits might be a fun and exciting choice. Before you begin any psychology experiment, you should always discuss your project with your instructor. In some cases, you might need to gain permission from your school’s Institutional Review Board. Start your experiment by narrowing your focus down to a specific research question and then develop a hypothesis....

Fortunately, there are now there are a number of websites with free search engines to help you find mental health providers in your area who treat PTSD. Of course, you’ll also need to consider the cost of therapy, insurance, location, treatment orientation, and whether the therapist is a good match. This article discusses what PTSD counseling is and some popular websites to help you get started in your search for a PTSD therapist....

But, research suggests that people with BPD have difficulties developing good support networks. It is not easy to find support if you have strained relationships with friends and family. So, where can you find support? Here are some ideas. Support From Family Yes, many people with BPD have strained relationships with family, either because of past trauma or because the symptoms of BPD can interfere with family relationships (or a combination of both)....

Friday Fix: Episode 206 We all make poor decisions sometimes. But we often blame those bad decisions on not having enough information. And while that may be a factor, there’s another factor that often comes into play–we aren’t balancing our emotions with logic. Logic should also play a role in decision-making. But if we base our choices on logic alone, we’ll also make mistakes. We make our best decisions when we balance logic with emotion....

How these OCD tendencies may present during this time varies depending on the individual. For some, it may include a notably heightened fear surrounding their health, including obsessive behaviors and thoughts (like compulsively checking their body for symptoms or becoming fixated on hand washing). For others, it may present with obsessions about cleanliness or being up to date and compulsively cleaning or checking the news—to the point that it’s severely impacting mental health and interpersonal relationships....

General Benefits of Yoga According to the Yoga Alliance, “yoga was developed up to 5,000 years ago in India as a comprehensive system for well-being on all levels: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.” Although there are a wide variety of approaches to its practice, all approaches to yoga strive to improve health. Yoga practice most commonly combines stretching and physical postures with deep breathing, mindfulness, and meditation. Yoga can help improve fitness, strength, balance, and flexibility....