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You can create a simple paper diary that breaks down your day into 30-minute chunks. Write down what you were doing during each time slot, such as eating, watching TV, or scrolling through social media. At the end of the week, take a look at your log. Add up how many hours you spend doing each activity—like eating, sleeping, running errands, watching TV, working, and looking at your phone. You might also discover that you have several free hours every day without anything to do—and that’s why you sort of walk around aimlessly....

Overview In the United States, a BAC of 0.10 (one-tenth of one percent) means that there are 0.10 g of alcohol for every 100 milliliters (mL) of blood. According to the law, the legal limit for operating a motor vehicle is 0.08 for drivers 21 and over, and a BAC of 0.0 to 0.02 for drivers under 21 (depending on the state). Blood Alcohol in Men The blood alcohol concentration differs significantly between men and women, with women tending to have higher BAC than men of the same age and weight....

Learning the facts about the disorder, including prevalence statistics, can help you feel more empowered to seek help through therapy and support groups. Here are some relevant BPD facts and figures. Prevalence In the United States, recent research has shown that 1.6% of the population has BPD. That number may seem small, but when you consider just how large the United States is, you may realize that 1.6% represents quite a large number of people....

“Unfortunately, I have observed an increase in bullying over the last few years,” says Leela R. Magavi, MD, a psychiatrist and Regional Medical Director for Community Psychiatry and MindPath Care Centers. “Children, adolescents, and adults of all ages have shared that they are experiencing a higher frequency and severity of bullying in disparate settings including online, school, work, and even home.” A Bullying Pandemic Dr. Magavi believes that the pandemic has adversely affected individuals’ mood states, which has contributed to an increase in bullying....

Experiencing stress can also make managing diabetes more challenging, and having diabetes may contribute to elevated stress levels. In this article, we discuss the connection between stress and diabetes and how one condition affects the diagnosis and treatment of the other. The Connection Between Stress and Diabetes One review found that people who experience stress had a higher risk of developing diabetes. Stressors linked to an increased risk of diabetes included:...

Caplyta is taken as a capsule one time each day. The exact mechanism of action is not fully understood, but the medication is believed to act as an antagonist on certain serotonin and dopamine receptors. In clinical trials, the drug was shown to improve symptoms of schizophrenia. There is no generic version of the medication available. Caplyta Uses Caplyta is approved for the treatment of schizophrenia in adults. Caplyta works by affecting dopamine, serotonin, and glutamate in order to improve symptoms that affect mood, thoughts, and behaviors....

Some people who are claustrophobic are uncomfortable in elevators, on amusement park rides that use secure restraints (such as roller coasters), public restrooms, or even revolving doors. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) chambers and other medical testing can also be difficult or impossible if you have claustrophobia. Symptoms of Claustrophobia If you’re claustrophobic, you may experience mild anxiety in a confined space or even severe panic attacks, and the symptoms may worsen the longer you stay where you are....

This finding is not entirely surprising. PTSD symptoms can cause a person to act in ways that may be hard for family members to understand. Their behavior may appear erratic and strange or be upsetting. The Role of the Family The family can either positively or negatively impact a loved one’s PTSD symptoms. The first step in living with and helping a loved one with PTSD is learning about the symptoms of PTSD and understanding how these symptoms may influence behavior....

Many healthcare professionals use a tool called a structured clinical interview to see if your symptoms are consistent with OCD. Structured clinical interviews contain standardized questions to ensure that each patient is interviewed in the same way. These questions usually ask about the nature, severity, and duration of symptoms. You may also be asked about your mood or other symptoms to make sure there aren’t other psychological problems that need to be addressed....

Results from a study led by investigators at McLean Hospital suggested that dissociation after trauma can indicate severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, physical pain, and social impairment. In a press release, lead author Lauren A. M. Lebois, PhD, director of the Dissociative Disorders and Trauma Research Program at McLean Hospital and an Assistant Professor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, said, “Dissociation may help someone cope in the aftermath of trauma by providing some psychological distance from the experience, but at a high cost—dissociation is often linked with more severe psychiatric symptoms....

The answer is yes and no. The challenge in and of itself may not yield the promised results, such as six-pack abs, but the act of practicing a new behavior daily can help you develop better habits. The Science of Change A habit is a learned automatic response. Forming new healthy habits—or breaking bad ones—involves multiple steps including making a decision to change, initiating the new behavior, and repeating it often....

Wondering if you are a bad person isn’t always a fleeting thought or existential question; it can be a sign of a mental health condition such as depression. In that case, it is important to be aware of the symptoms to watch for so that you can seek help. This article explores what you should do if you find yourself thinking, “I’m a bad person.” It covers some signs that you might have a problem and what you can change....

This article explores oxytocin’s potential effects and uses in treating mental disorders. It also discusses its history and how this hormone can affect bonding behaviors. What Is Oxytocin? The hormone also plays an important role in human bonding, including the bonding that occurs in maternal and romantic relationships. After a baby is born, skin-to-skin contact helps promote the production and release of oxytocin. This helps increase bonding between a mother and baby....

Depending on the cause, sometimes dementia symptoms are treatable, but, in other cases, they are permanent or progressive. This is why early detection of cognitive decline is important, and the proper medical treatment might reverse or relieve symptoms. Signs and Symptoms of Dementia A long list of symptoms is associated with dementia, but many overlap with other health conditions, meaning that having some of them does not confirm that an individual is cognitively impaired....

What Are Eating Disorders? Eating disorders are psychiatric disorders characterized by severe problems with eating behavior and related thoughts and emotions. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), the official guidebook to the diagnosis of psychiatric disorders used by mental health providers, recognizes eight types of eating disorders. Eating disorders included in the DSM-5 include: Anorexia nervosa Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) Binge-eating disorder Bulimia nervosa Rumination disorder Other specified feeding or eating disorder (OSFED) Pica Unspecified feeding or eating disorder (UFED)...

Theories behind why fear of abandonment occurs include interruptions in the normal development of certain cognitive and emotional capacities, challenges with past relationships, and other problematic social and life experiences. Although it is not an official phobia, the fear of abandonment is arguably one of the most common and damaging fears. People with a fear of abandonment tend to display behaviors and thought patterns that affect their relationships. Ultimately, these maladaptive coping strategies can result in the very abandonment they dread....