Strategies range from not participating in becoming the best-dressed house on the block. Below are some tips to help you cope with anxiety created by trick-or-treaters at your door—ranked by the level of your social anxiety. How to Handle Trick-or-Treaters When You Have Severe SAD If your social anxiety is severe, consider making plans to be away for the night. Lock all doors and turn off the lights to signal that you are not participating....

Disinhibition is the opposite of inhibition, which means being in control of the way you respond to what’s going on around you. You Know More About Disinhibition Than You May Think Do the definitions provided above sound familiar, even if you haven’t heard the word ”disinhibition” before? If you have borderline personality disorder (BPD), chances are you’ve seldom, or possibly never, been called “disinhibited.” But you’ve likely heard the word “impulsive” many times....

Several sections of the new DSM-5 have come under criticism, including the section dealing with alcoholism. Alcohol Abuse Disorders In the previous version of the manual, DSM-IV, published in 1994, alcohol use disorders were divided into two categories, alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence. According to the APA, “The distinction between abuse and dependence was based on the concept of abuse as a mild or early phase, and dependence as the more severe manifestation....

Because of the physical nature of their defining symptoms, eating disorders can cause both emotional distress and significant medical complications. They also have the highest mortality rate of any mental disorder. Types of Eating Disorders There are many types of feeding and eating disorders, and they all come with their own defining characteristics and diagnostic criteria. The eating disorders formally recognized by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) include the following....

She went on to become a prominent figure who has had a lasting influence on the field of psychology. Best Known For: Research in developmental psychologyResearch on gender and sex rolesStudies on selective attentionInvestigations into the impact of divorceFirst woman to chair the Stanford Psychology Department Early Life and Education Eleanor Emmons Maccoby was born on May 15, 1917 in Tacoma, Washington. She was the second of four daughters born to her parents, Eugene and Viva....

To determine the mortality risks facing nondaily smokers, the researchers, which included Maki Inoue-Choi, PhD, MS, RD, a staff scientist at the National Cancer Institute’s Division of Cancer and Epidemiology, looked at tobacco use and health outcomes for roughly 505,500 U.S. adults between 1992 and 2011, including daily and nondaily users. The daily users, they found, smoked a mean of 20 cigarettes per day (600 cigarettes per month), and the lifelong nondaily smokers typically smoked 40 cigarettes per month....

“Experiential therapy is distinguished by its emphasis on action. Action is important because when a person is bodily engaged, they have access to psychological elements they wouldn’t have access to otherwise. Action can also be a precursor to change—by acting in a new way, a person can think in new ways,” says Sabrina Romanoff, PsyD, a professor and clinical psychologist in New York City. Types of Experiential Therapy There are several types of experiential therapy....

There’s nothing wrong with tried-and-true tactics to better our lives. But what about more experimental methods that may come with some major health risks? It’s a technique called biohacking. Popular with wealthy individuals and Silicon Valley tech executives, this do-it-yourself biology involves trying to engineer our way past our physical and mental shortcomings. Some biohackers have taken things to the extreme, with reports of people getting transfusions of plasma from young donors to fight aging, dripping chemical cocktails into their eyes to induce night vision, and even trying to edit their own DNA for muscle enhancement....

In August 2022 the FDA approved a drug called Auvelity which may offer faster relief for depression symptoms than other commonly used drugs. The medication is from the company Axsome, and is a combination drug that can be taken orally at home. Mechanism of the drug is based on earlier research looking into the effects of ketamine, an anesthetic, as a depression treatment. Dan Iosifescu, MD, professor of psychiatry at Langone Health, said the drug offers a new treatment for people who may not have had success with other medications....

While these drug-related hallucinations can be unpleasant and distressing, they are usually temporary. If they do persist, flashbacks can be difficult to cope with and can disrupt a person’s everyday life. In some cases, flashbacks can be a sign of an underlying mental health disorder or medical condition. The good news is, these causes can be treated as long as they are properly diagnosed. What Are Flashbacks? Flashbacks are a type of disturbed perception or distorted sensory experience that affects your senses; how you see, hear, feel, taste, or smell the things around you....

Friday Fix: Episode 219 Whether you want an extra hand moving furniture or you need professional help for depression, asking for help can be tough. It can feel scary too. We don’t want people to reject us, judge us, or feel more powerful than us. Sometimes, we don’t know how to build up the courage to ask. At other times, we aren’t sure what to say. Fortunately, there are some things you can do to make asking for help feel a little less uncomfortable....

Friday Fix: Episode 212 Sometimes, we inadvertently increase the chances that our biggest fears might come true. That’s not to say it’s your fault if something bad happens to you. Bad things happen to us through no fault of our own much of the time. Take overprotective parents, for example. Most of them hover over their children because they don’t want them to get hurt–physically or emotionally. So, they prevent their kids from making mistakes, getting rejected, or taking risks....

Google is partnering with the Stanford Neurodiversity Project whose goals include establishing a culture that values neurodivergence and empowering “talented” neurodivergent people through training and work opportunities. Google hopes to combat the high unemployment rate of autistic people by confronting biases that create barriers to equitable job access. Addressing Interview Challenges The Stanford Neurodiversity Project promotes specialized employment support programs for adults with autism. Their work at Google will shift the company’s hiring process....

Why didn’t I want to be known as the smart one in the class? Why didn’t I want people to think I have the ambition to pursue such an accomplishment? It was at that moment that I questioned whether it was because I was one of few Asians in my class or because I was a straight-A student. As an Asian female, I fit many stereotypes. I am introverted and quiet....

Marijuana detox is a process that involves completely ridding your body of marijuana. This is done by complete abstinence from the drug. Marijuana detox is the first step a person with marijuana use disorder needs to make to recover from the condition. This article looks at what you can expect from a marijuana detox. What to know before embarking on one, and what comes after you are done with your detox....

What’s the key to helping your child to sleep? Your challenge is to find a happy medium between 1) when your child’s medication has completely worn off (making him too restless for sleep) and 2) when your child’s medication is in effect but still too stimulating for sleep. This process may take some trial and error, but with your doctor’s help and your child’s involvement, you can resolve the problem....

The benefit of this all-day relief from symptoms of ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) meant that kids with ADHD no longer had to line up during lunch to get their ADHD medicines from the school nurse. What Concerta Is Used For Concerta is a central nervous system stimulant that is used to treat children and teens with ADHD. It can be prescribed to children who are over six years old, although, since it is a pill that must be swallowed, even some young children who are over age six may have problems taking it....

Creativity Improves Mental Health Expressing yourself through artistic and creative activities is like a prescription for your mental health. Turning to creativity has been proven in extensive research to relieve both stress and anxiety. Creativity also helps lessen the shame, anger, and depression felt by those who have experienced trauma. The Walter Reed National Military Medical Center has an art therapy program for soldiers with PTSD. Veterans often find it difficult to express their trauma verbally....