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The extreme stress of the last nine months (and counting) is resulting in a significantly higher rate of hair loss in racially diverse communities, new research in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology shows. A study on two hospitals in low-income, diverse communities in New York City, which had high COVID-19 death rates, found there’s been a 400% uptick in a hair-shedding disorder among some people of color....

Name Your Emotions It’s important to notice when you’re feeling anxious. Simply recognizing your anxious feelings might help you feel a little better. Research has found that naming your emotions can reduce their intensity. So you might ask yourself, “How am I feeling right now?” Whether you’d describe your emotions as anxiousness, fear, or terror, just labeling them might give you some instant relief. Identify Your Fears There are several reasons why people are fearful of returning to their normal social interactions....

Delayed-onset PTSD is not frequently diagnosed, and there is not a great deal of research on this type. However, its occurrence has been observed and studied in some research, and it appears that almost a quarter of PTSD cases may be delayed onset. This research has produced some theories on what delayed-onset PTSD is and why it occurs. What Is Delayed-Onset PTSD? Delayed-onset PTSD describes a situation where a person does not develop a PTSD diagnosis until at least six months after a traumatic event....

This article discusses the key differences between eating disorders and disordered eating. It covers the symptoms of each, their causes, and some of the treatments that can help. Disordered Eating vs. Eating Disorder: Key Differences There are a few key differences between disordered eating and eating disorders. People with disordered eating do not necessarily meet the diagnostic criteria for an eating disorder. They also may not have the same intense fear of gaining weight that is characteristic of eating disorders....

Unfortunately, as seasons change, choice is taken out of our hands. For disabled people, that shift can have additional psychological impacts. Here Comes the SAD One common concern during the winter months is seasonal affective disorder, or SAD. Katlyn Richardson, a Canadian disability advocate, says that as the calendar turns to the winter months they change the light levels in their house and switch to using a mobility aid. “One of the things I started doing was keeping brighter lights in my house....

When someone learns that they have PTSD, they may not be that surprised. Receiving a diagnosis can actually be a positive experience. People may be comforted by the fact that there is a name for the number of symptoms that they are experiencing. Being diagnosed with PTSD may also bring about a sense of hope. Even though recovery from PTSD can be a long and difficult road, there are a number of effective treatments for PTSD....

According to the 2020 NSDUH findings, illicit drug use rates have increased, particularly due to trends in marijuana use and the abuse of prescription-type psychotherapeutic drugs. SAMHSA suggests using caution when comparing the results to past years, however, due partly to methodological changes. The coronavirus pandemic and other events of the past few years are also believed to have played a part in shifts in drug use behavior. In 2020, NSDUH respondents reported which drugs, if any, they had used in the 30 days before the survey....

Tachyphylaxis tends to develop quickly over a short period. It occurs when a person’s response to repeated doses of a medication rapidly decreases over a short period. The condition is also known as acute drug desensitization and can occur with any drug. Learn how tachyphylaxis is diagnosed, what causes it, types, and how this condition can be treated. Diagnosis One of the first indications of tachyphylaxis is the return or worsening of your condition’s symptoms....

It’s not the proverbial stranger who poses the most danger to children, but the people entrusted to care for them. And it’s not just men who harm children, 54 percent of reported abusers were women and 45 percent were men. For 2015, there were a nationally reported 683,000 (rounded) victims of child abuse and neglect. The victim rate was 1 in 110 children for reported cases. Neglect is the most common form of child abuse, followed by physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychological abuse and, lastly, medical neglect....

The five-shot test is composed of two questions from the AUDIT test and three questions from the CAGE test and is designed to be a shortened version of the AUDIT test which can be administered quickly in emergency rooms or busy doctors’ offices. The questionnaire is short and easy to score, but it is not as accurate as other available alcohol screening tests. The five-shot questionnaire incorrectly identifies “normal” drinkers as hazardous drinkers 24 percent of the time....

For example, individuals with oral fixations may have problems with drinking, smoking, eating, or nail-biting. How Fixations Develop According to psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, children develop through a series of psychosexual stages during which the id’s libidinal energies become focused on different areas of the body. During the anal stage, for example, a child supposedly gains a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment by controlling his or her bladder and bowel movements....

Imagine for a moment that you are running a race. Your attention is focused on the movements of your body, the power of your muscles, the force of your lungs, and the feel of the street beneath your feet. You are living in the moment, utterly absorbed in the present activity. Time seems to fall away. You are tired, but you barely notice. This is an example of a flow state....

Friday Fix: Episode 128 I thought it would be fun to answer your questions on the podcast this week. I put out the call on social media to ask me anything you want. And you certainly answered! It’s been fun sifting through your questions and hearing your comments. To my surprise, the vast majority of your questions centered around one thing—relationship issues. And most of them weren’t contained to romantic relationships....

A core belief in Gestalt psychology is holism, or that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. This school of psychology has played a major role in the modern development of the study of human sensation and perception. History of Gestalt Psychology Originating in the work of Max Wertheimer, Gestalt psychology formed in part as a response to the structuralism of Wilhelm Wundt. While followers of structuralism were interested in breaking down psychological matters into their smallest possible parts, Gestalt psychologists wanted instead to look at the totality of the mind and behavior....

Types of Guided Imagery Visualizations The most common visualization involves a tropical beach, warm sun, and soothing sounds of the ocean. If you find, however, that some other imagined scene is more appropriate for you, such as sitting in front of a roaring fire on a blustery night, by all means, make use of that setting. The type of scene is not important, what matters is that you imagine every sight, sound, and smell and transport yourself to that place....

When your mind begins to wander, you’re likely still hearing the other person, but you’re not truly listening to what they have to say. However, this can negatively impact your conversations and relationships with people, if they feel that you’re rarely listening to them. With inputs from a psychologist, this article breaks down the differences between hearing and listening and describes how they impact mental health. It also provides some tips to help you become a better listener and improve your relationships....

In addition to displaying attention-seeking behavior, histrionic personality disorder is characterized by shallow emotions and manipulative behavior. It begins in early adulthood (when personality begins to form) and is obvious in different situations. Histrionic personality is one of 10 personality disorders recognized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), a manual used by mental health professionals to diagnose mental health conditions. Roughly 9% of the U.S. population has a personality disorder, with histrionic personality disorder appearing in somewhere between slightly less than 1% and 3% of Americans....

This type of test is quickly becoming one of the most popular screening tools for drugs because of the ease with which it can be done. It offers almost instant results and is generally low-cost. It is also less invasive than some common tests used to detect substances, such as a urine or blood test. This article describes what you can expect during a mouth swab drug test and why you might need to take it....

A new study published in JAMA Psychiatry suggests that some of these negative outcomes can be mitigated by a simple phone call. What the Study Shows The randomized clinical trial surveyed 240 adults who received calls from individuals trained in empathy. Researchers utilized the three-item UCLA Loneliness Scale, the De Jong Giervald Loneliness Scale, a Personal Health Questionnaire for Depression, a generalized anxiety disorder scale, and a Short Form Health Survey Questionnaire to collect data from the participants....