Real-life eating disorders are very different than how they are often portrayed in popular media. Eating disorders are not a choice or a symptom of vanity. They are serious mental illnesses caused by a combination of biological, environmental, and psychological factors. Maybe friends and family have been expressing concerns about your weight loss. Maybe you are feeling increasingly scared around activities involving food. Maybe you’re feeling a loss of control around food....

A new study, published in Psychological Science, found that people who experience high inflammatory reactivity to socially stressful situations are more likely to develop depressive symptoms. “We set out to discover why psychological stress, and particularly interpersonal stress, triggers depression in some people but not others,” says lead author and Ohio State University PhD candidate Annelise A. Madison. One theory (The Social Signal Transduction Theory of Depression) suggests that those whose bodies mount an exaggerated inflammatory response to a conflict or other social stressor are most at risk for developing depression over time, especially in the face of frequent or recurring stress....

Mistakes in Your Interfaith Marriage When committing to an interfaith marriage, or even if you have already been in one for awhile, you will need to consider the challenges that can crop up. Some common mistakes couples make when facing these situations include: Ignoring religious differences. Trying to pretend these problems don’t exist often makes them grow worse over time. Taking a “love conquers all” attitude and ignoring the problem thinking it will go away....

These were more like white lies. With a real lie, the intent is malicious and the consequence is serious. While with a white lie, often more like a harmless bending of the truth, the intent is benign and positive, and usually, the consequence isn’t major. White Lies vs. Real Lies White lies are often innocuous. We tell them to create a magical world for our children, or, more often, as a way to be polite and demonstrate social manners....

The following describes the chemical imbalance theory and other potential factors that may influence the development of panic disorder. The “Chemical Imbalance” Theory According to chemical imbalance theories, panic disorder symptoms can be attributed to imbalances in naturally occurring chemical messengers in the brain, known as neurotransmitters. These help communicate information between nerve cells brain throughout the brain. The human brain is thought to have hundreds of these different types of neurotransmitters, and chemical imbalance theories suggest that a person can become more susceptible to developing panic disorder symptoms if one or more of these neurotransmitters do not remain balanced....

What Is Job Burnout? Burnout is more than just a feeling of stress at the job in that it tends to follow you from day to day, presenting itself as a feeling of dread on Sunday night (if you know you have to work again on Monday), a feeling of being unable to muster any enthusiasm or motivation for your work and a lack of pleasure in what you do. It can feel scary because you may not know how to get yourself out of this place once you’re feeling burned out....

Jungian Learning Styles One learning style theory is based on the work of analytical psychologist Carl Jung, who developed a theory of psychological types designed to categorize people in terms of various personality patterns. These dimensions can also be used to assess and describe various learning styles. While each dimension represents a unique aspect of a learning style, individual learning style may include a combination of these dimensions. For example, your learning style might include elements of extraverted, sensing, feeling, and perceiving learning styles....

Learning to savor the moment in life is a convenient, free, and effective way to increase your happiness and quality of life. It can also be a helpful way to reduce stress. Enjoying what you have can help you to appreciate what you’ve got rather than lamenting what you don’t have. Being able to savor the moment with loved ones can bring a stronger connection and sense of appreciation, which leads to better quality relationships and all the benefits of social support that they bring....

Though tornadoes and hurricanes are dangerous, and many people fear them, a person with lilapsophobia has a level of fear that is above average. Their fear causes distress or disruption to their everyday life, even when they’re not in any real danger of being affected by a tornado or hurricane. This article covers the definition of lilapsophobia, as well as its symptoms, causes, diagnosis, and treatment. Symptoms Many of us have fears of inclement weather, and fear can be adaptive....

While the thought of cuddling up with your partner can definitely seem cozy and appealing, you may wonder how it will affect your ability to sleep and whether sleeping next to your partner is better than sleeping alone. In addition to deepening your physical, emotional, and spiritual connection with your partner, sleeping next to your partner can benefit your mental health in many ways, says Claudia de Llano, LMFT, a licensed marriage and family therapist....

Researchers at the University of Colorado compared sleep before and during stay-at-home orders for 139 university students and found they slept longer by about half an hour nightly. Also, the timing of sleep became more regular, thanks largely to less “social jetlag,” which means varying a sleep schedule based on evening activities. Insufficient sleep duration, irregular sleep timing, and social jetlag are common in the U.S. and have been linked to major health risks like obesity, heart disease, and mood disorders, as well as impaired immune health, according to the study’s lead author, Kenneth Wright, PhD, of the University of Colorado Boulder’s Sleep and Chronobiology Laboratory....

At the age of 16, my mother began to grow concerned about moments when I would space out. To me, these were just random “deja vu feelings” and head sensations that I would get since I was a kid. These were finally identified as petit mal seizures, or absence seizures, mostly present in children in which most outgrow. I didn’t grow out of them and was put on seizure medication....

The condition can have a significant and serious impact on daily activities since people will feel overwhelmingly tired and unable to stay awake during the day. They may even unwillingly fall asleep in the middle of activities including driving or eating. Narcolepsy affects approximately 1, in 2,000 people, although the condition is often believed to go underdiagnosed and undertreated. Narcolepsy Symptoms There are a number of symptoms that characterize narcolepsy....

It works by decreasing the brain’s vulnerability to having seizures and can also help to reduce pain. Neurontin is also available as a generic medication sold under the name gabapentin. It comes as a tablet or an oral solution. Uses Neurontin is approved by the FDA for the treatment of the following conditions: Seizures: This medication is used to reduce the occurrence of seizures in children and adults with epilepsy....

With annual increases of $27.5 million for inpatient psychiatric beds, $9 million to recruit psychiatrists and psychiatric nurse practitioners, and $12.5 million for 500 additional supportive housing beds for people experiencing homelessness, it should benefit many New York residents. At the city level, the Subway Safety Plan is expected to address public safety concerns and support people experiencing homelessness and serious mental illness on the subways, with comprehensive investments. These data points underscore the need for increased funding to support the mental health of New Yorkers....