The holidays promise rest, connection, and family time — but for many parents, December also arrives with a spike in irritability, screen battles, emotional blowups, and “I’m not doing that” moments from their teenagers. If you’ve ever wondered why holiday breaks sometimes feel harder than the school year, you’re not imagining it. The answer often lies in one key area of the brain: executive functioning . Executive functioning includes the skills that help us plan, prioritize, shift...

In recent years, the word bipolar seems to be everywhere. You might hear people say things like, “She’s so bipolar,” when describing mood swings, or notice how often the term pops up on social media, in TV shows, or in casual conversations. But is bipolar disorder really that common? Or has the term just become a cultural shorthand for “emotional” or “unstable”? Let’s unpack the truth behind the diagnosis, the real numbers, and what it actually means to experience a manic episode. Why...

There’s been a lot of buzz lately about a new research review from Harvard that’s raised questions about whether taking Tylenol during...