Although traditionally, the words ‘sex’ and ‘gender’ have been used interchangeably, it is important to note that there is a significant difference between the meanings of the two. The term sex is used to describe a person’s biology. It can include gonads, sex chromosomes, sex hormones, internal reproductive organs, and external genitalia.3 Gender refers to a society’s…
Tag: mental health
Diabulimia
Diabulimia is an eating disorder in which patients with Type 1 diabetes deliberately skip and/or restrict their intake of insulin in order to cause extreme weight loss, and many patients often supplement this activity with bulimic behaviors. Bulimia is an eating disorder that involves binge eating followed by a compensatory behavior, such as vomiting or…
Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) in Men who have sex with Men (MSM)
Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) is a mental health disorder where an individual obsesses over a single or multiple feature(s) of their body that they perceive as abnormal, deformed, ineffective, or unattractive. The perceived flaws are often imperceptible or insignificant to others.2 BDD affects people of all ages, genders, and sexualities. It is often correlated with anxiety and low…
Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)
Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) is an obsessive preoccupation with a perceived or imagined defect or flaw in personal appearance that others generally do not see.1 The individual may focus on any part of the body and the preoccupation may involve multiple body parts at the same time. Preoccupation with one’s nose, chest, stomach, hair, or…
Male Sexual Assault
Disclaimer: We acknowledge that there are many different words that individuals use to describe themselves after experiencing sexual assault. In this article, we only use the term “survivor” for the sake of consistency. We acknowledge that there are many different ways of processing sexual violence, and we believe each individual should be able to choose the language…
Postpartum Depression
Nearly 80% of new mothers experience what is referred to as the “baby blues.”1 The baby blues appear a few days to a week after giving birth, and may manifest as moodiness, irritability, insomnia (problems falling and/or staying asleep), anxiety, or tearfulness.1, 2 Following childbirth, the body goes through significant changes, including a drop in…
Homophobia
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, homophobia is the irrational fear of, aversion to, or discrimination against homosexuality or homosexuals.1 However, people commonly describe homophobia as less of a fear and more of a prejudice and an intolerance toward those within the LGBTQ community.2 Whether it is believed to be an inherent and inborn quality or…