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This article covers the definitions of provisional diagnosis and differential diagnosis. It also reviews a particular approach to the differential diagnostic process a doctor or healthcare professional might use for making a diagnosis. What Is a Provisional Diagnosis? A provisional diagnosis means that a doctor is not 100% sure of a diagnosis because more information is needed. With a provisional diagnosis, a doctor makes an educated guess about the diagnosis you most likely have....

The primary goal of this type of therapy is to reestablish trust between the parent and child, so allowing therapy to progress at the child’s pace is essential. Reunification work can be long-term, though short-term intensive programs are also available. Types of Reunification Therapy In most cases, reunification therapy happens after a high-conflict divorce. A judge often orders this therapy to repair the bond between parent and child following intense disagreements and disputes during the parents’ separation and legal battle....

Meet Erica Spiegelman Erica describes herself as a recovering alcoholic. When she stopped drinking, she learned that she needed to learn some new skills to aid her recovery. She chose to become an addiction specialist so she could help other people address their struggles with addiction and dependency. As a certified drug and alcohol counselor, she helps people combat addiction through private sessions, workshops, and online courses. She’s written several books including, “Rewired: A Bold New Approach to Addiction & Recovery....

For more mental health resources, see our National Helpline Database. But depression is not the only risk factor for suicide. Suicide accounts for about 1.5% of all worldwide deaths. Other psychiatric conditions including substance use disorders, anxiety disorders, and psychosis can also be risk factors for suicide. While there is a strong relationship between mental health and suicide and the risk is serious, it is important to remember that the majority of people with mental health conditions do not attempt or complete suicide....

This New Year’s Eve, consider caring for yourself as you would for others. Here are some ideas on how to leave behind what doesn’t serve you and give yourself credit for the hard work you’ve done. Let’s toast to being present now and discovering tips on how to move forward and start the new year off fresh and positive. Create a DIY Spa Night Treat yourself to an hour of relaxation, which means no interruptions, even by well-meaning others....

Techniques As with compulsive behaviors like gambling and hoarding, a person dealing with a sexual addiction has little to no control over the urges that may overtake them during the course of the day. These urges often demand satisfaction, no matter how inconvenient achieving this might be. To get sex addiction under control, one may adopt the following management techniques: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) CBT is a therapy technique that helps individuals recognize and change dangerous thought patterns or behaviors....

What Is Sexual Dysfunction? Sexual problems or sexual dysfunction can refer to a wide range of issues, including decreased sexual desire, premature ejaculation, or erectile dysfunction. This may be due to a number of reasons. For example, the experience of a traumatic event (such as a sexual assault) may contribute to a person feeling anxious rather than relaxed in intimate settings. Injuries sustained during a traumatic event may also interfere with sexual functioning....

The sinuses are normally clear and filled with air, but they can sometimes become irritated, inflamed, and infected. Known as sinusitis,this can happen if the sinuses can’t drain properly and become blocked, which can provide an opportunity for infectious germs to grow there. Allergies, viral infections, and in extremely rare cases, bacterial infections can cause congestion and swelling in the sinuses, says Christopher Gottschalk, MD, a headache specialist at Yale Medicine and professor of neurology at Yale School of Medicine....

Step 1 in AA and Al-Anon Programs Is Honesty “We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable.” When alcoholism begins to take control of a family, usually one of the first things to go is honesty. The alcoholic lies about how much they drink and those around them begin to cover for them as the problem progresses. This cycle of lies and keeping secrets can go on for years and that in itself can create an atmosphere that actually causes the situation to deteriorate faster....

Both terms refer to the act of utilizing substances, such as alcohol, drugs, nicotine, cannabis, or prescription medications. However, one refers specifically to problematic use, whereas the other is a broader term that refers to all substance use, problematic or otherwise: Substance Use: “Substance use” is the act of using any legal or illegal substances, says Maeve O’Neill, MEd, LPC-S, CHC, CDTLF, the Executive Vice President of Addiction and Recovery at All Sober....

Although we don’t know exactly what has led to the overall reported declines and increases in suicide rates, experts believe the COVID-19 pandemic may have played a part. “It’s been clear throughout the pandemic that the overall impact on the population’s mental health has been significant,” says Christine Moutier, MD, Chief Medical Officer at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). A Mental Health Pandemic During the pandemic, about 4 in 10 adults in the US have reported symptoms of anxiety or depression, compared to one in 10 adults who reported between January and June 2019....

The four stages of treatment are: These stages were developed by the National Institute on Drug Abuse as a resource on individual drug counseling for healthcare providers, but it is also a useful model for recovery from alcohol addiction. In this model, recovery is a lifelong process. Follow Now: Apple Podcasts / Spotify / Google Podcasts Stage 1: Treatment Initiation When you reach out for help from a professional alcohol and drug rehab program, you begin the first stage of your recovery, treatment initiation....

Why We Tend to Bottle Up Our Emotions There are so many scenarios in which we feel compelled to suppress our feelings. For example, we may just want to get through the day, we tell ourselves we’ll deal with the emotion later, we think the feeling isn’t worth exploring, or we try to conceal our feelings in order to make a relationship “work.” Ultimately, though, we tend to bottle up our feelings for one key reason: it seems easier and safer to do so....

California Governor Gavin Newsom recently revealed his plan to create mental health courts in every county of his state—which has one of the largest homeless populations in the country. This would allow treatment for more homeless people with severe mental health and addiction disorders but it would also force some of them into care—a move that many homeless campaigners see as a civil rights violation. “Homeless people are more likely to have chronic mental illnesses like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder,” says Amy Morin, LCSW, psychotherapist and the editor-in-chief of Verywell Mind....

Your Body Within the First 2 Days of Quitting After 20 Minutes: Your heart rate and blood pressure drop back to normal, and the circulation in your hands and feet starts to improve. After 12 hours: The carbon monoxide levels in your blood reduce, and the oxygen level in blood increases to normal. After one day: Your chance of having a heart attack decreases. After two days: Your sense of smell and taste improves as your nerve endings start to heal....

This can be helpful in determining whether someone is at risk for developing an illness, or if they may benefit from stress-reduction interventions. History of the Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale The Holmes and Rahe stress scale was developed in 1967 by psychiatrists Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe while working at the University of Washington. The scale was based on a study of over 5,000 medical patients who were asked to rate the life-changing events they had experienced in the previous two years....

What Is Instinct Theory? According to the instinct theory of motivation, all organisms are born with innate biological tendencies that help them survive. This theory suggests that instincts drive all behaviors. So, what exactly is instinct? For example, infants have an inborn rooting reflex that helps them seek out a nipple and obtain nourishment, while birds have an innate need to migrate before winter. Both of these behaviors occur naturally and automatically....

There are many benefits of practicing body neutrality, and those benefits range from physical to emotional. One of the physical benefits is that the simple act of shifting focus away from exercise that feels like punishment or for weight loss purposes, and instead engaging in exercise activities you enjoy, will make you less likely to overwork or injure your body. Let’s examine the various ways that body neutrality can contribute to better mental health....

With so much destruction left in their wake, what motivates someone to engage in this type of hate-filled violence? The reasons are complex and multi-faceted. Here’s a closer look at hate crimes in the United States as well as the psychology behind them. What Is a Hate Crime? According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), a hate crime is a violent crime intended to harm or intimidate people or damage their property because of their race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, disability, religion, or other minority group status....