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Communication Is Critical The key, as it is in all relationships, is communication. Keep the lines of communication open on a daily basis. Send photographs, Skype one another, send text messages, share short videos online or through cloud computing. Technology is a very useful tool (this is even supported by scientific research), as long as you find the methods that work best for you. Although you are apart from one another, make time for one another....

Being able to recognize, understand, and control your anger allows you to communicate more effectively. This, in turn, leads to stronger and healthier relationships, both in your professional and personal life. Here are our best tips for managing conflict, tension, and anger. Identify (and Avoid) Your Triggers Everyone has different “anger triggers” or things that commonly lead them to respond with anger. These triggers are unique to each person and are usually based on individual life experiences....

People with mental illnesses, such as bipolar disorder, major depression, or even depressive tendencies, may be particularly susceptible to toxic relationships since they are already sensitive to negative emotions. For example, someone with bipolar disorder who is in the midst of a mixed or depressive episode may have a somewhat weaker grip on emotional stability than others, and that may make that person an easier target for toxic people. However, toxic people can affect anyone....

There is some debate among researchers as to whether trypophobia is a genuine condition. Early reports of trypophobia were first described in an online forum in 2005, but it has not been recognized as a distinct diagnosis in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders of the American Psychiatric Association. What Is Trypophobia? Trypophobia is often described as “the fear of holes,” but it is important to note that it may also apply to bumps or other patterns that are closely clustered together....

It is common for people with Alzheimer’s disease to have sleep problems. In fact, research suggests that 40%-90% of people with Alzheimer’s disease suffer from some form of sleep disturbance. Poor sleep can also worsen Alzheimer’s symptoms. In addition, researchers are studying whether sleep may play a role in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. In this article, we discuss the connection between Alzheimer’s and sleep, the different types of sleep problems that can occur in people with Alzheimer’s, and some tips for improving sleep....

The DSM-IV (published in 1994) likewise had no “alcoholism” diagnosis but instead described two distinct disorders—alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence—with specific criteria for each diagnosis. The DSM-5 combines those two disorders into one alcohol use disorder with sub-classifications of severity. Although there is a lot of overlap between the criteria (list of symptoms) used by the DSM-IV and the DSM-5, there are two significant changes. The DSM-5 eliminates having legal problems as a result of drinking as a criterion for diagnosis but adds craving for alcohol as a criterion....

“Ketamine treatment is actually a spectrum of services which include the use of ketamine as a psychiatric pharmaceutical, the use of ketamine as a lubricant for the psychotherapy process, and the use of ketamine to induce mystical-type experience,” says Raquel Bennett, PsyD, and founder of the Ketamine Research Institute. If you are considering this treatment, you might want to learn more about the different treatment philosophies to determine which one best aligns with your goals....

What Is a Midlife Crisis? A midlife crisis is a shift in identity that sometimes affects middle-aged adults between the ages of 40 and 60. This crisis can affect self-concept and self-confidence, leading to changes in moods, behaviors, emotions, and relationships as people cope with the transition to midlife. It’s thought that aging leads to feelings of depression, remorse, and anxiety. And a midlife crisis is a phase that helps people feel youthful again as they struggle to come to terms with the fact that their lives are half over....

In addition, it results in an upbringing in which the scapegoated child’s inherent worth, goodness, and lovableness are ignored. Instead, insults, bullying, neglect, and abuse are deemed appropriate for the child forced into this position. How Scapegoats Are Chosen There are myriad reasons why a parent might choose to scapegoat a child, but it is never the child’s fault. While some might be nonsensical, some arbitrary factors that can influence this can include:...

The report, which surveyed more than 4,000 people from around the world, found that having vegetation at home boosted emotional wellbeing for about 74% of participants amid COVID-19 lockdowns. People with houseplants also tended to experience negative emotions less frequently than those with no greenery at home. “Plants are more than just home decor; they add a whole new dimension to your otherwise lifeless space at home,” says Rashmi Parmar, MD, a psychiatrist with Community Psychiatry in Newark, California....

Plato believed that platonic love could bring people closer to a divine ideal. However, the modern use of ‘platonic relationship’ or ‘platonic love’ is focused on the idea of people being close friends. This term can apply to both opposite-sex and same-sex friendships. Platonic Relationship vs. Romantic Relationship A platonic relationship is different from a romantic relationship. While both types of relationships often involve having a deep friendship and sometimes even love, people in a romantic relationship are typically physically intimate whereas there is no sex or physical intimacy in a platonic relationship....

Consumer psychology is a specialty area that studies how our thoughts, beliefs, feelings, and perceptions influence how we buy and relate to goods and services. One formal definition of the field describes it as “the study of individuals, groups, or organizations and the processes they use to select, secure, use, and dispose of products, services, experiences, or ideas to satisfy needs and the impacts that these processes have on the consumer and society....

What Causes a Crisis? A mental health crisis can occur for many different reasons. By definition, we often do not know when a crisis may occur, and we might not be able to wait for a regularly-scheduled therapy appointment or standard business hours to address it. Stressful and Traumatic Events May Lead to Crisis When a person experiences a highly-stressful or traumatic event, they can go into crisis afterward because they cannot process what happened independently....

What Is General Intelligence (G Factor)? General intelligence can be defined as a construct that is made up of different cognitive abilities. These abilities allow people to acquire knowledge and solve problems. This general mental ability is what underlies specific mental skills related to areas such as spatial, numerical, mechanical, and verbal abilities. The idea is that this general intelligence influences performance on all cognitive tasks. Psychologist Charles Spearman helped develop a statistical technique known as factor analysis, which allows researchers to use a number of different test items to measure common abilities....

Pyromania (intentionally starting fires) and kleptomania (the urge to steal) are well-known types of impulsive disorders. Intermittent explosive disorder, trichotillomania (urge to pull your hair out), conduct disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, and unspecified impulse control disorder are a few others. Signs and Symptoms of Impulse Control Disorder There are signs and symptoms that may point to an impulse control disorder in some individuals. It is not always easy to identify this type of disorder, but the following may indicate a need for investigation....

Masturbation, sexual addiction, and porn addiction fall under the larger umbrella category of behavioral or process addictions, compulsive behaviors that share many characteristics of addictions to substances. Still, these terms are descriptive rather than established diagnostic categories. Sexual addiction is also sometimes referred to as compulsive sexual behavior. Symptoms of Masturbation Addiction While engaging in masturbation regularly does not necessarily mean that you have a problem, any of the following could signify that it’s time to reach out for help:...

Othering also involves attributing negative characteristics to people or groups that differentiate them from the perceived normative social group. It is an “us vs. them” way of thinking about human connections and relationships. This process essentially involves looking at others and saying “they are not like me” or “they are not one of us.” Othering is a way of negating another person’s individual humanity and, consequently, those that are have been othered are seen as less worthy of dignity and respect....

For example, a person might have a lot of preconceived ideas about someone who is Christian, Muslim, or Jewish and will allow those judgements to affect the way they view and treat those people. The same can be true for people who are Black, White, or Asian. Common features of prejudice include: Negative feelingsStereotyped beliefsA tendency to discriminate against members of a group In society, we often see prejudices toward a group based on race, sex, religion, culture, and more....

For example, an older adult who is hospitalized after being diagnosed with a medical issue may deal with their circumstances by curling up in a fetal position and clutching a stuffed animal. On the other hand, a young child whose parents just brought home their baby sibling may deal with the insecurity of no longer being an only child by reverting to behavior they’d outgrown, such as wetting the bed or sucking their thumb....