Evidence-Based Supplement & Herb Guides

By proxy syndrome Explained: Signs, Causes, and Diagnostic Context

A clear guide to by proxy syndrome, including current terminology, caregiver behaviors, signs in victims, possible causes, risk factors, diagnostic context, and serious complications.

By proxy syndrome is a serious pattern in which one person falsifies, exaggerates, or causes illness in someone else, usually someone dependent on their...

Bulimia Nervosa Symptoms, Signs, Causes, and Health Risks

A clear, condition-focused overview of bulimia nervosa, including binge-purge symptoms, warning signs, causes, risk factors, diagnostic context, and possible medical and mental health complications.

Bulimia nervosa is a serious eating disorder marked by repeated episodes of binge eating followed by behaviors meant to “undo” or compensate for eating....

Bruxism Overview: Teeth Grinding, Jaw Clenching, and Health Effects

A clear overview of bruxism, including awake and sleep bruxism, common symptoms, causes, risk factors, complications, and how clinicians recognize concerning patterns.

Bruxism is repeated jaw-muscle activity that may involve teeth grinding, teeth clenching, firm tooth contact, jaw bracing, or jaw thrusting. It can happen during...

Brief Psychotic Disorder Overview, Symptoms, Causes, and Diagnostic Context

Learn what brief psychotic disorder is, how symptoms appear, what may trigger an episode, how diagnosis is approached, and why short-lived psychosis still requires careful evaluation.

Brief psychotic disorder is a short-lasting episode of psychosis that begins suddenly and causes a temporary break from a person’s usual sense of reality....

Brief Dissociative Disorder and Short-Term Dissociation: Symptoms, Risks, and Red Flags

Brief dissociative symptoms can include feeling unreal, detached, emotionally numb, or unable to remember parts of an event. Learn how these episodes are understood, what may cause them, and when safety concerns matter.

Dissociation can be frightening when it happens suddenly: a person may feel detached from their body, unreal, emotionally numb, confused about time, or unable...

Brain fog Symptoms, Signs, Causes, Risk Factors, and Effects

Brain fog can affect focus, memory, word-finding, and daily function. Learn how symptoms appear, what causes them, when they may signal something serious, and how clinicians evaluate cognitive fog.

Brain fog is a common way people describe feeling mentally slow, cloudy, scattered, or unable to think as clearly as usual. It is not...

Borderline Personality Disorder: Symptoms, Signs, Causes, and Complications

Learn what borderline personality disorder is, how BPD symptoms and signs appear, what may increase risk, and when self-harm, suicidality, or severe distress needs urgent evaluation.

Borderline personality disorder, often shortened to BPD, is a mental health condition that affects emotional regulation, relationships, self-image, and impulse control. It can make...

Body Integrity Identity Disorder Symptoms, Causes, Risk Factors, and Effects

A clear, condition-focused overview of body integrity identity disorder, including symptoms, signs, possible causes, risk patterns, diagnostic context, daily effects, and serious safety concerns.

Body integrity identity disorder is a rare and often misunderstood condition in which a person experiences a persistent sense that a healthy body part,...

Body Dysmorphic Disorder Overview: Symptoms, Risk Factors, and Effects

Body dysmorphic disorder can cause intense appearance preoccupation, compulsive checking, avoidance, and serious emotional distress. Learn the symptoms, signs, causes, risk factors, diagnostic context, effects, and complications.

Body dysmorphic disorder is more than ordinary concern about appearance. It is a psychiatric condition in which a person becomes intensely preoccupied with one...

Bizarre delusions: Causes, signs, complications, and when to seek evaluation

Clear, condition-focused explanation of bizarre delusions, including symptoms, signs, causes, risk factors, diagnostic context, effects, complications, and warning signs that may require urgent evaluation.

Bizarre delusions are fixed beliefs that are clearly implausible, not shared by the person’s culture or community, and not explained by ordinary misunderstandings or...

Bipolar II Disorder Explained: Hypomania, Depression, and Warning Signs

Bipolar II disorder involves depressive episodes and hypomania, but the signs can be subtle. Learn how symptoms, causes, risk factors, diagnostic context, effects, and complications fit together.

Bipolar II disorder is a mood disorder marked by episodes of depression and hypomania, a state of increased energy or mood change that is...

Bipolar I Disorder Symptoms, Signs, Risk Factors, and Effects

A clear guide to bipolar I disorder, including how mania is defined, common depressive and psychotic features, major risk factors, possible complications, and how clinicians distinguish it from similar conditions.

Bipolar I disorder is a mood disorder defined by at least one episode of mania: a period of unusually elevated, expansive, or irritable mood...

Bipolar Disorder Overview: Mania, Depression, Causes, and Risks

Bipolar disorder involves episodes of mania or hypomania and depression. Learn the key symptoms, signs, causes, risk factors, effects, complications, and diagnostic context.

Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder in which a person has episodes of unusually elevated, expansive, or irritable mood, often alternating with periods of...

Bipolar affective disorder symptoms, signs, risk factors, and diagnosis

A clear overview of bipolar affective disorder, including manic, hypomanic, depressive, and mixed symptoms; possible causes and risk factors; complications; and how diagnosis is considered.

Bipolar affective disorder is a mood condition in which a person has distinct episodes of unusually elevated, energized, irritable, or expansive mood and, in...

Bereavement-related depression risk factors, effects, and complications

Learn how bereavement-related depression differs from grief, including symptoms, causes, risk factors, effects, complications, warning signs, and diagnostic context.

Grief can bring deep sadness, shock, longing, fatigue, poor sleep, and changes in appetite. Those reactions can be painful without automatically meaning a person...

Bereavement Disorder Signs, Effects, and Complications

Understand bereavement disorder and prolonged grief disorder, including symptoms, signs, causes, risk factors, daily effects, complications, and diagnostic context.

Grief after the death of someone close can be intense, disorienting, and physically exhausting. For many people, the pain changes over time: it may...

Avolition Overview: Meaning, Effects, and Complications

Avolition is a reduced ability to start and sustain purposeful activity. Learn how it differs from apathy, depression, anhedonia, fatigue, and executive dysfunction, and what conditions may cause it.

Avolition is a marked reduction in the ability to start, continue, or complete purposeful activities. It is not ordinary procrastination, poor discipline, or a...

Avoidant Personality Disorder Signs, Risk Factors, and Diagnostic Context

Avoidant personality disorder involves more than shyness. Learn how symptoms, signs, causes, risk factors, diagnosis, effects, and complications shape relationships, work, and daily life.

Avoidant personality disorder is a long-term pattern of social inhibition, fear of criticism, feelings of inadequacy, and avoidance of situations where rejection or embarrassment...

Autism Spectrum Disorder Overview, Symptoms, Signs, and Causes

Clear overview of autism spectrum disorder, including core symptoms, early and adult signs, causes, risk factors, daily effects, complications, and diagnostic context.

Autism is a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition that affects how a person communicates, processes information, responds to sensory input, and relates to the world around...

Auditory Processing Disorder Signs, Diagnosis, Effects, and Complications

Auditory processing disorder can cause difficulty understanding speech in noise, following spoken directions, and keeping up with conversation despite typical hearing. Learn the symptoms, causes, risk factors, diagnostic context, and possible effects on learning, communication, and mental health.

Auditory processing disorder is a listening-related condition in which the brain has trouble interpreting sound accurately, even when the ears can detect sound at...