3+ week, 6+ day ago (184+ words) Posted November 3, 2025 | Reviewed by Monica Vilhauer Ph.D. If there is anger underneath the anxiety, it might unleash energy to face the threat and recognize injustice or behavior in other people that you need to address through assertiveness. Following the anger may be cause for ending or attenuating a relationship, which may be a healthy step for setting boundaries. You can also find great discoveries or treasures never before known to exist. Sometimes you find love under hatred and hatred under love. Most relationships have elements of ambivalence; every person has admirable traits and negative traits. We don't find perfectly good or perfectly bad people. Just as digging at an archeological site can uncover history never known before and change your world view, so too can you find valuable buried emotions that change the trajectory of your life. Thinking about your…...

2+ week, 4+ day ago (461+ words) Updated November 12, 2025 | Reviewed by Lybi Ma One of the most frequent risk factors for sibling estrangement is a family member who has narcissistic personality traits. That person may not be diagnosed with the full-blown disorder; they may simply display some of the characteristics. Whether a parent, a sibling, or an in-law, a narcissist in any role creates conflict and works against establishing loving family relationships. Here are ten behaviors that those with narcissistic personality style or disorder (NPD) may display: At times, all of us display some of these traits. What matters is their duration. These key questions help to determine whether these behaviors are consistent and damaging: Not surprisingly, children of narcissistic parents often become estranged in adulthood. Self-involved parents lack empathy and manipulate others to get their own needs met. Narcissistic parents expect to be the center of…...

3+ week, 3+ day ago (657+ words) Posted November 6, 2025 | Reviewed by Gary Drevitch Understanding the reasons behind such behavior is not about blaming youth for their decisions. It is about recognizing a developmental truth: Risk-taking is not simply rebellion; it is often exploration gone unchecked. Sensation seeking is a fundamental element of human exploration. It is the spark that pushes someone to hike a mountain, perform on stage, or take on a difficult challenge. In its healthiest form, it fuels learning, ambition, and creativity. Without it, progress itself would stall. However, when the desire for excitement drowns out caution, it can lead to dangerous choices. A study on college student risk-taking showed that those who score high on sensation seeking engage in risky activities more often, such as drinking alcohol, using drugs, or having unsafe sex. For some, the thrill becomes a form of validation'a means of…...

2+ week, 4+ day ago (438+ words) Posted November 12, 2025 | Reviewed by Devon Frye Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental condition shaped by both genetics and environment. The ADHD brain is structurally different, and research shows that it's linked to lower dopamine levels, difficulty regulating dopamine, and increased activity in the brain's default mode network (DMN). ADHD is highly heritable: Twin, family, and adoption studies estimate heritability in childhood between 70 and 80 percent (Brickell, 2019). Yet genetics tells only part of the story. ADHD risk reflects an interplay of genetic, prenatal, perinatal, and post-adoption environmental factors that can amplify vulnerability. Research consistently finds that adoptees are diagnosed with, or treated for, ADHD at higher rates than their non-adopted peers (Cawthorne et al., 2025). These elevated rates appear across adoption contexts: infants adopted at birth, international adoptees who experienced institutionalized care, and children adopted from foster care (Kennedy et al., 2016; Keyes…...

3+ week, 15+ hour ago (348+ words) Updated November 9, 2025 | Reviewed by Lybi Ma Solution-focused therapy (SFT) strategies and techniques can be helpful when working with neurodivergent people, including people diagnosed with Autism. In addition to solution-focused one-on-one work with children, adolescents, and adults, I often coach parents of neurodivergent children and adolescents to adopt a solution-focused mindset as well. The principles and strategies include: They note that when we use this strategy, we approach the neurodivergent with respect and curiosity. We acknowledge their strengths, talents, and solutions, and take into account the individual's needs. The authors add that we can "listen very carefully to what they want." When helping or collaborating with neurodivergent people, including autistic people, it might be useful to ask: Think in terms of multiple intelligences. Everyone has a unique profile of weaknesses and strengths and resources. A key question: How does one apply…...

1+ week, 6+ day ago (766+ words) Updated November 18, 2025 | Reviewed by Monica Vilhauer Ph.D. In part 1 of this series, we explored how coming across violence or disturbing content online is often unavoidable. So how do children cope? Children who use social media have developed remarkably sophisticated strategies for managing violent content. They scroll past quickly. They share warnings in group chats. They create code words for particularly disturbing material. They teach each other techniques for "just not looking." To an outside observer, these strategies might look like digital literacy, maybe even resilience. Children are learning to navigate a complex online environment. They're developing their own coping mechanisms and adapting to the reality of the internet. But according to research on learned helplessness, these adaptations tell a different story. Maybe they're not evidence that children are handling the situation well, but evidence of how children have learned that…...

2+ week, 6+ day ago (978+ words) Updated November 11, 2025 | Reviewed by Hara Estroff Marano Childhood anxiety has been on the rise. Our instinct as parents is often to get more involved. But what if that's part of the problem? What should be good news is that psychotherapy is more accessible and ubiquitous than ever. Especially among young people. But mental illness, self-harm, and suicide have continued to rise even as more young people seek therapy. And standard psychotherapy can sometimes exacerbate some mental health issues: Not only can a constant focus on our own thoughts and feelings lead to self-preoccupation, talk therapy can devolve into venting. Research indicates that venting makes people feel worse, not better Most therapists don't seem to want to push their clients into being that uncomfortable, especially if those clients are kids. Most kids don't want to sit in an office and stare…...

3+ week, 5+ day ago (160+ words) Kimberlie Bower-Wagner - WCCD - Relationship Stress & Burnout Specialists, Clinical Social Work/Therapist, Denver, CO, 80203, (303) 562-1582, Are you successful at work but burned out at home? Career, household, childcare, schedules, everyone's needs'you're managing it all. Burnout at its peak. Your own needs? Always last. Your social life is gone. Self-care doesn't exist. One more task feels impossible. The stress and anxiety may be affecting your relationship. You're irritable, resentful, too exhausted to connect. Are you asking too much'or just doing it all alone? You're drained. And you're wondering: do other women feel this anxious and burned out too? WCCD - Relationship Stress & Burnout Specialists Clinical Social Work/Therapist, LCSW, MSW (she, her) Practice at a Glance Women's Counseling Center of Denver Denver, CO 80203 map - Sliding scale: apply if you may be eligible Clinical Social Work/Therapist: Kimberlie Bower-Wagner - Verified by Psychology Today Licensed by…...

3+ week, 5+ day ago (705+ words) Posted November 4, 2025 | Reviewed by Margaret Foley My focus on my granddaughter's trip home fits a general definition of worry: concentrated thought and associated anxiety about potentially unpleasant or threatening outcomes. I always worry about tight connections, and in a few instances, this worry has allowed me to avoid considerable inconvenience, although with most trips over the years, worry has been unnecessary. But is it an unhealthy drain on my psychic resources, or is it helpful? Moderation Versus Extremity. There is an inverted U relationship between worry and helpfulness: a low level of worry neither motivates nor harms; a medium level motivates us; and too much worry can overwhelm us with anxiety. Extreme worry can bring on catastrophizing and a lack of action. Indeed, high levels of worry are never helpful and can lead to depression and poor physical health. Moderate…...

2+ hour, 14+ min ago (508+ words) Posted November 30, 2025 | Reviewed by Hara Estroff Marano An investigation by The Wall Street Journal into ADHD prescribing revealed a national phenomenon racing ahead faster than families, science, or ethics can keep pace (Ramachandran, McKay, & McGinty, 2025). Within that reporting, the story of Danielle Gansky stands out as a portrait of the hopes parents cling to and the risks they often never see coming. Danielle was 7 years old when her school suggested a psychiatric evaluation due to concerns about distraction and sloppy work. What followed was a decades-long journey through 14 psychiatric medications that left her unsure who she might have become without them. Parents often arrive at appointments exhausted, pressured, and out of options. Clinicians who lack extensive pediatric mental-health training may respond to stimulant side effects by adding more medication. Insomnia, irritability, or anxiety may be mistaken for new disorders requiring…...