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While more research is needed to understand exactly why this happens, being aware of this potential effect can help you feel more prepared if you find yourself baffled by your dreams or nightmares. How Antidepressants Affect Dreams If you have clinical depression, you’re probably familiar with the wee hours of the morning. Depression is known to cause sleep disturbances such as insomnia, early morning awakenings, and bad dreams or nightmares....

The link between mental health and reproductive health makes sense when you consider that nature does everything it can to create favorable conditions for reproduction. If a woman is chronically stressed, anxious, sad, or upset, she’s really not in a physical or emotional position to go through a pregnancy and then take care of and nurture a child. Under these less than ideal conditions, the female reproductive system can shut down....

If these sorts of things sound interesting to you, then you might be interested in a career in the field of cognitive psychology. In order to better understand the sort of things that professionals who work in this field do, let’s begin by learning a bit more about cognitive psychology itself. Overview Cognitive psychology is concerned with how people acquire, process and store information. Major areas of interest in cognitive psychology include language, attention, memory, decision-making, and problem-solving....

CBD has become a widely used product over the past several years. The FDA has only approved it in one product to treat seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, Dravet syndrome or tuberous sclerosis complex in patients one year or older. However, research is examining CBD’s impact on various ailments that are psychiatric, neurodegenerative, inflammatory, and cancerous in nature. Some studies indicate that CBD oil can effectively treat stress and anxiety....

It’s not just long-term drinkers who can develop these symptoms, but also those who drink heavily for a relatively short period of time. What is not clear is exactly how heavy alcohol consumption can affect so many systems of the body—from brain function to the immune system to the digestive system. Alcohol Increases Cortisol Levels One theory about how alcohol causes these effects is that heavy alcohol consumption produces an increase in cortisol, also known as a “stress hormone....

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 162 million Americans have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, but that still leaves more than half of the population across the country at risk. Especially as vaccine hesitancy of some continues to pose a barrier for many, given that vaccines for children under the age of 12 are not expected until 2022, it is crucial to address COVID-19 vaccine doubts among adults....

A 2022 study notes that though the losses may have different causes, affect different areas of your life, and vary in their levels of intensity, they can be harder to cope with than individual losses because of the compounding effect. This article explores the symptoms, potential causes, and diagnosis of compounded grief, as well as some coping strategies that may be helpful. Symptoms of Compounded Grief According to Dr. Marcum, these are some of the symptoms you may experience if you’re struggling with compounded grief:...

Confirmation biases impact how we gather information but also influence how we interpret and recall information. For example, people who support or oppose a particular issue will not only seek information to support it, but they will also interpret news stories in a way that upholds their existing ideas. They will also remember details in a way that reinforces these attitudes. History of Confirmation Bias The idea behind the confirmation bias has been observed by philosophers and writers since ancient times....

Memory Consolidation and Synapses In order to understand how memory consolidation functions, it’s helpful to understand how synapses work in the brain. Think of it like an electrical system conducting a current: the synapses pass the signals from neuron to neuron, with the help of neurotransmitters. When two neurons fire at the same time repeatedly, they become more likely to fire together in the future. Eventually, these two neurons will become sensitized to one another....

The infant monkeys in some experiments were separated from their real mothers and then raised by “wire” mothers. One of the surrogate mothers was made purely of wire. While it provided food, it offered no softness or comfort. The other surrogate mother was made of wire and cloth, offering some degree of comfort to the infant monkeys. Harlow found that while the monkeys would go to the wire mother for nourishment, they preferred the soft, cloth mother for comfort....

These symptoms are common for people who have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. However, they can also affect anyone to varying degrees at different times. Fortunately, there are effective strategies that you can use to help cope with anxiety in both the short and long term. This article discusses some of the strategies that may be helpful for coping with anxiety including breathing exercises, distraction, and self-care. For more mental health resources, see our National Helpline Database....

Subthreshold PTSD can be associated with distress and impairment consistent with what is seen among people with a PTSD diagnosis. To officially have a diagnosis of PTSD, you need to have a certain number of re-experiencing, avoidance, and hyperarousal symptoms. PTSD Symptoms PTSD symptoms can begin up to three months after a traumatic event, but sometimes do not appear until years after the event. These symptoms cause significant problems in social or work situations and in relationships....

Like other forms of bullying, serious consequences like depression and suicidal thoughts and behavior have been linked to cyberbullying, according to Dr. Jeff Hutchinson, an adolescent medicine specialist in Washington, D.C. Fortunately, your awareness and vigilance can keep your child safe from cyberbullying. How Cyberbullying Affects Children Victims of cyberbullying can experience symptoms of depression including sadness, loneliness, insecurity, poor self-esteem, academic decline, feelings of not belonging, and suicidal thoughts and behavior....

Cymbalta (duloxetine) is a prescription medication used to treat depression, anxiety, fibromyalgia, and diabetic neuropathy. It is what’s known as a serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI). SSNRIs have a powerful effect on the brain, working to increase the activity of neurotransmitters called serotonin and norepinephrine. When SNRIs are discontinued, some people experience withdrawal symptoms. This article discusses withdrawal from Cymbalta, including symptoms, how long it lasts, and how to cope....

While there are treatments available to deal with OCD symptoms, behaviors can still interfere with a person’s ability to function on a daily basis. Studies now show that when other treatment methods don’t work, deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an alternative that can make a difference. “OCD is a very severe disorder for some patients, and some patients do not respond to available treatments. Interventions such as DBS increase the options that are available for this difficult illness,” states Danesh Alam, MD, medical director of behavioral health at Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital....

Getting sufficient folate can prevent anemia and other diseases. Deplin is typically used by people who have suboptimal levels of folate with certain psychiatric disorders. Uses The active ingredient in Deplin is L-methylfolate, which is a synthetic form of folate. Folate is needed by the body to efficiently produce red blood cells. Deplin is generally used as an adjunctive treatment in the management of major depressive disorder in patients with suboptimal folate levels....

Types of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Symptoms Numerous research studies have established that there are distinct types of obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms. The most common include: Obsessions to do with symmetry and repeating and counting, and ordering compulsions Hoarding obsessions and compulsions Contamination-related obsessions and cleaning compulsions Aggressive obsessions and checking compulsions Sexual/religious obsessions and related compulsions While it is certainly possible to experience one, some, or all of these symptom types, the vast majority of research indicates that once an OCD symptom type appears, it is very rare for it to disappear and be replaced by other symptom types....