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Posts by Carol Lee4

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Sorry if things seem a bit glitchy on my end; my system keeps crashing, or I get those annoying notifications saying a message failed to send, only to find out later that everything actually posted twice.
I ended up catching some kind of virus—a Trojan—that apparently loves scavenging through data, and it managed to linger in one part of my computer (which isn't really important to me), so I'm currently tackling that issue alongside my posts.
Carol Lee4 said:A good psychotherapist shouldn't "immerse" themselves in a patient's problems (and I don't mean empathy), because then they lose their objectivity. They become subjective, which significantly diminishes their professional approach—the very foundation of therapy.
It is actually impossible to be 100% objective at all times. For instance, during a session, a certain bond forms between the therapist and the patient, which a skilled clinician eventually reshapes into a different kind of connection—one that is healthy and beneficial for the patient.
In any therapeutic practice, you’ll naturally have patients you like more or less, or people you feel more empathy for than others. That level of subjectivity doesn't ruin the professional process, but if you start truly "living" through a patient's trauma, the therapy veers off course toward self-therapy. You start thinking, "What would I do in this situation?" or making subjective comparisons to your own life. These thoughts might be unavoidable sometimes, but you can't let them turn into full-blown immersion.

-I've mentioned before that choosing this career as a form of self-therapy is a mistake; most people who do this end up being poor therapists because what they really need is their own sessions (looking at you, psychiatrists).
-Truly great therapists (psychiatrists) usually emerge once they have worked through their own "diagnoses" before they ever begin treating patients.

I also agree that people with past struggles often make better therapists, provided they have fully processed those issues, gained control over them, and waited several years after their own recovery before starting to practice professionally. This applies to everyone in the field.
labellina said:😕
What a conclusion! And what an illusion... "psychiatrists are too mentally sound"?!
Look, I work in that field, and I can say with absolute certainty that they aren't any "healthier" than the rest of the population... and the psychology departments (at the universities)
😍
speak for themselves...
So many people study psychology just to try and figure out their own issues...
..the end of your post actually ties right back into my point, so we’re on the same page there👍

-"psychiatrists are too mentally sound"—I was simply quoting Robert Diaz7, that's what he wrote
- I was lucky enough to live in Germany, where I studied both psychology and sociology, earned my degrees, and completed a master's in social psychology. After that, I finished a four-year clinical training program to become a therapist and practiced professionally abroad (I currently run a very successful private practice). However, I've been based in Washington, D.C. for a while now, working on various projects and seeing patients as part of a geriatric care team at a state institution—so I'm not fully up to speed on the current state of affairs at the Harvard Psychology Department. What I do know is that before the 90s, the programs in Washington, D.C. weren't widely recognized in Western Europe, though I'm not sure how that stands today

- Choosing a specific major for personal reasons is a well-known phenomenon; I've actually written about this before, even in this PDF. It doesn't have to be a negative thing at all. In fact, the most important thing is that the student becomes self-aware and works through their own struggles. Besides, after graduating, there's always four years of specialized clinical training. During that time, even a licensed psychologist undergoes psychotherapy themselves. They aren't permitted to treat patients until that entire educational process is complete
- Robert Diaz7's insults toward me reflect more on him than they do on me (it’s not about what is being said, but rather who is saying it)
- If we are colleagues, then we should be able to have a competent discussion regarding borderline personality structures or various disorders. It’s common knowledge that every therapist gravitates toward a specific school of thought, and not all therapists agree on everything (just like in any other science)—on any single topic, you'll find hundreds of scientists publishing completely different theories, analyses, and papers...
- Patients with the exact same diagnosis don't behave identically, nor does every diagnosis present with the same symptoms... as I mentioned before,
"every single person is unique"
- Anyway, if you work in this industry, most of the things discussed here should be familiar to you, and Robert Diaz7's reactions should serve as a pretty clear indicator of what's really going on here

Best,
How do I stop racing thoughts? in Psychology ·
State Farm said:I've heard that a million times already... but I'm refusing to go because I just don't see the point. Why would anyone there actually care? They'd probably just toss you straight into the psych ward and pump you full of meds...

A little joke for State Farm:

"I actually got kicked out of the asylum once because my depression was starting to bring down everyone else's mood."
How do I stop racing thoughts? in Psychology ·
State Farm said:I'm just cruising... totally cruising... who cares about grass...

I don't quite follow—so drinking is a YES, but medication is a NO?😕
redbison65 said:🙄

I honestly haven't noticed anyone looking like Freud, but I suppose I should give a proper response to such a legendary assumption...

Sure, psychiatrists are totally clueless, and they probably spend endless years during their medical school training—especially those coming from neurology—and then more during their psychiatric residency, just trying to mimic Freud's vibe.

I bet they have his portrait hanging in every lecture hall, so they eventually start looking like him physically too. Of course, I’m strictly talking about the psychiatrists here.
As for female psychiatrists, they tend to channel Anna Freud, Nancy Chodorow, or Karen Horney instead; after all, it's a bit difficult for women to pull off that signature Freud beard, and most people swapped out those old-school glasses for soft contact lenses a long time ago...

Listen, don't make me send you a picture of myself!!!!! 😍 👍
(Mr. Social Psychology) if you were actually thinking about psychologists or others too
Alex Foster6 said:I actually think there's a silver lining to that... people who have navigated their own significant life hurdles often find it easier to truly empathize with a patient's struggles. For instance, someone who survived a particularly turbulent adolescence might be much better equipped to help teenagers later on. 🙂

A solid psychotherapist shouldn't "immerse" themselves in a patient's problems (and I don't mean empathy). If you do, you lose that necessary objectivity and become too subjective, which compromises the professional approach that serves as the very foundation of therapy.
Let's be real: being 100% objective is impossible. During certain stages of therapy, a specific therapist-patient bond is formed, which a skilled clinician then guides toward a different, healthier type of connection.
In practice, you’ll always have patients you naturally click with more than others—you might feel more empathy for one person over another—but that level of subjectivity doesn't ruin the professional process. However, if you start living through the patient's trauma, the therapy goes off the rails. It turns into a form of self-therapy where you're constantly thinking, "What would I do?" or making subjective comparisons to your own issues. Those thoughts are sometimes unavoidable, but you can't let them turn into "immersion."

-I've mentioned before that choosing this career as a way to heal oneself usually leads to becoming a poor therapist—mostly because they actually need the therapy themselves.
-The best therapists are often those who managed to resolve their own "diagnoses" long before they ever sat across from a patient.

I also agree that people with past life struggles can make excellent therapists, but only under one condition: they must have fully processed and mastered their own issues. There needs to be a period of complete "recovery," followed by several years of stability before they should work with patients. This applies to all demographics, including working with adolescents...😉
Olivia Carter25 said:I didn't catch the resemblance to Freud either, but I’ve definitely noticed a few other annoying habits. For instance, if you mention you've tried marijuana or something similar, there's usually this heavy, significant "aha" followed by them tapping away at their keyboard or scribbling something down... Like, "ahaaa," so you tried drugs, and that's clearly the root of all your problems while your family was just perfectly normal. 😁
And I totally agree with Alex Foster6 regarding how out of touch they are with current global trends in the field. It's wild who they actually let into the profession—sometimes it feels like the people treating patients are dealing with more severe psychological issues than the patients themselves.
On a lighter note, I really appreciated the sense of humor from one woman I saw back when I was dealing with some paranoia. She sent me to a room to take a test, and seeing my hesitant look, she just quipped, "Don't worry, we aren't going to lock you in here."

😁

For certain individuals, choosing their career or major is actually a form of self-therapy. Some people pick specific paths—like psychiatrists, psychologists, or even clergy—because of their own internal struggles. This is often how we spot the "bad therapists" or "bad priests"—those 🤣 "people who have more severe psychological issues than their patients."
They frequently come across as disinterested, untrained, or just bored. Their version of therapy usually boils down to a prescription and an occasional check-in where they mostly just say "aha!" or "yeah," counting down the minutes until the session ends so they can reschedule you much later. They're always at their most polite right as you're walking out the door, and quite often, they are on medication themselves, typically psychostabilizers. 😬

I don't have the exact statistics, but at the psychiatric hospital in Los Angeles, they see about 15 to 20 people a year—priests with long careers, theology students, and so on—who are dealing with actual mental illnesses rather than just general psychological difficulties. 🤣
Alex Foster6 said:I didn't even realize they were leaning so heavily on Freud... 😛
all because some child psychiatrist once had me draw my family along with another subject of my choice. Based on that drawing—and mind you, I can draw pretty well, but I struggled with hands so I just drew them tucked away behind my body—she concluded there was emotional castration
which is just nonsense 😁

Childhood drawings "reveal almost everything." It’s a form of therapy, but you can't work with kids the same way you work with adults.

In therapy, drawing isn't about artistic talent; it's about what is being expressed, consciously or unconsciously. (Things like who is drawn largest in the family, who is standing on the sidelines, where people are placed on the paper, specific physical details, whether someone is missing an organ, if hands are open or hidden, colors used, and countless other tiny details that help a therapist grasp the family dynamic, the atmosphere, and various emotions... but none of this is enough to make a diagnosis!!!
You wouldn't believe how much data a good therapist can pull from just one single image containing two or three people.
However, two drawings alone—the family and one other—are definitely not enough to set a diagnosis; you need much more than that, including actual work and time spent with the child!

Usually, it's child psychologists who use art in therapy, but since the diagnosis was a classic Freudian one, we are talking about a psychiatrist here.👍 👎

"Emotional castration" would, very simplified, mean that during childhood you were jealous of the boys, or if you had a brother, you were envious of him because he could do things you couldn't—essentially the Oedipal complex.😍

Those diagnoses are completely outdated and haven't been used for years. If a diagnosis is handed out based on just two drawings and maybe two or three sessions of "what does this card remind you of"—where they show you a black-and-white sketch—then I have to say that therapist acted extremely unprofessionally.
Diagnoses aren't labels, and it takes much more extensive work with a child to actually establish one.

All she did was cause you harm by weighing you down with useless nonsense.

You don't just hand out a diagnosis after a month; diagnoses under ?, they crystallize over time—usually through at least three or four months of intensive therapy, active observation, and other therapeutic techniques that the patient might not even notice, which provide the therapist with necessary guidance.😉

A diagnosis never has to be 100% accurate (some scientists even argue it's impossible), as symptoms, circumstances, problems, and family or financial situations can all change... and consequently, the diagnosis, the therapy, and the medication might change too.

If you feel like it, please send me a private message letting me know how long the therapy lasted, how old you were, why you went to see the therapist, and who they were—their name and the year this happened.

I find it hard to believe that in this day and age, children are still given such obsolete diagnoses. This isn't about curiosity; it's just a totally misguided approach.🙂
Of course, all, if you decide to write to me, it stays strictly between us.👍
You could even draw something of your choosing along with your family, and I'll do my best to explain what might be going on—just keep in mind, this is definitely not a diagnosis!!!🙂 🙂
HR123 said:You’ve probably noticed that every other psychiatrist seems to be acting like they're straight out of a Freud textbook. In my opinion, more than 80% of them don't actually have a grasp on psychology; they just pose as if they're experts by leaning on Freud's legacy. You see it all the time—the specific look, the little beards, the glasses—and then they split themselves into these little cliques of Freudian followers versus Jungian types, completely ignoring everything modern psychology has achieved. They seem to operate under the assumption that whatever they learned thirty years ago is some kind of absolute truth that never changes, as if psychology were as rigid as mathematics. I honestly worry that people like that can do significant harm to patients coming in with emotional struggles. Instead of actually addressing the root of the problem, they'll likely just bury you under a mountain of pills that leave you sleeping for two days straight without ever resolving the actual issue.

Image ...especially Freudian schools of thought.People who have been in long-term psychotherapy or psychoanalysis from the very beginning all the way through to the present day—including every single significant and insignificant detail along the way—tend to be those specific individuals, particularly those in the later stages of their careers. Even when they reach an age where retirement becomes a real option, they have absolutely no intention of actually stepping away. Even if they are offered roles as consultants working just four hours a day, or positions as outside contractors once they officially retire, they aren't interested in stopping. They’ll take on any kind of freelance work just to stay in the game.🤣

Since they won't budge on anything—whether it’s getting access to psychotherapy, getting into the clinic, or even just dealing with the university paperwork—it feels like we're hitting a total brick wall. No. They publish scientific papers and articles. ( Honestly, they really ought to be mandating education on this by law; right now, there’s just zero guidance being provided. I suppose if we’re looking at what the law should actually mandate for an entire career, it would probably involve much more comprehensive coverage than what we currently see in the US labor system. It feels like there's a massive gap between what people actually need to sustain themselves through their working lives and the legal protections that are currently on the books.), I don't quite follow you there. Could you clarify what you mean? They’re keeping all of that under wraps.They also act like they look "smart and wise, which helps them build trust with their patients"—and that part in quotes is a direct quote from one of my colleagues, a psychiatrist-therapist. I’m coming at this from the perspective of a social psychologist and therapist.
I'm just testing things out.There are so many different kinds of experts out there who can help, not just psychiatrists!🤣

In the fields of psychology and psychiatry, wearing a white lab coat is pretty much mandatory. The concept of power.!!!😬

Psychiatry. They actually graduated from medical school, after all, so where on earth is the government? Hierarchy. So, basically, Not everywhere.It’s funny, really—it feels like the younger generation of psychiatrists and therapists almost doesn't have a seat at the table. You rarely get asked for their input, which is a shame.👎 👍

Psychologists They’ve all graduated from philosophy programs, which gives them an entirely different perspective—they bring much more modern therapeutic approaches to the table.😉

The true goal of therapy isn't just to spend fifteen years sitting on a couch while popping handfuls of psychiatric meds; it’s about actually digging into the problems, uncovering the root causes, understanding the fallout, and finding a real way forward through psychology.
The goal is to achieve this using the shortest possible timeframe and the smallest dosage/duration of psychotropic medication. I should probably mention that there are certain diagnoses—regardless of whether you're looking at it from a psychiatric or psychological perspective—where, unfortunately, lifelong medication becomes a necessity. However, we are specifically talking about the much smaller group of cases where that isn't the case.😱

Psychologists generally recommend therapy—which is pretty much non-negotiable—alongside specific medications that help a patient manage their day-to-day responsibilities and work life. Of course, I should mention that for more severe diagnoses, the medication protocols can be significantly more intensive.

Psychiatry really does hold its own when you view it strictly as a medical specialty. He seems to have a real preference for medication.The therapist tends to schedule sessions at longer intervals.

I don't want to sound like I'm playing favorites here, but we have to keep in mind that a single practitioner often carries an enormous caseload. This is especially true for psychiatrists. A lot of people don't quite realize that psychologists and therapists also conduct sessions and can manage medication, so I feel the need to offer some perspective on why psychiatrists operate the way they do. It’s often much more practical for them to prescribe medication and schedule follow-up appointments further out, rather than trying to maintain a heavy weekly or bi-weekly therapy schedule like many psychologists do.😲

Jung
was such an advocate for alternative perspectives—he was completely open to the idea of synchronicity, believing that not everything follows a strict cause-and-effect pattern. He suggested that events often converge before they ever become direct causes of one another. He also explored archetypal ideas, those inherited, unconscious, collective experiences that manifest through the "collective unconscious." It was fascinating how he collaborated with physicists and researchers across various scientific disciplines and methodologies. He actually noted that physics and psychology are like twin sisters marching toward the unknown, where the laws of the psyche and the laws of the physical world touch and overlap. He was one of the rare thinkers who didn't dismiss or belittle things he couldn't immediately prove scientifically; instead, he threw himself into studying the unknown alongside other experts, diving deep into research and exploration. 👍
🙏
Weed smoking habits in Health ·
Given my professional background, I really shouldn't—and frankly can't—take sides on this issue by saying whether I'm "for or against" it.
I can only offer some personal observations. We hear it all the time: the idea that addiction starts with smoking marijuana.
My generation grew up during the "flower child" era, and we smoked weed, yet not a single person I knew became an addict (though there were certainly plenty of alcoholics around...).
To me, it feels like addiction actually begins at birth through upbringing. During those critical developmental stages when kids are searching for their identity, they try to prove themselves within their peer groups or among older crowds, rather than receiving guidance from a family that should have stepped in much earlier to teach them how to navigate hormones and the need for validation.

If alcohol is a constant presence in the home—meaning alcoholism is present—there is a high probability the child will follow suit with drinking (though that isn't a universal rule).
Between alcohol and marijuana, which one is actually more damaging to health and family stability? Does "occasional marijuana use" truly create a future addict?
I think most of us already know the answer, especially since it's well-documented that marijuana creates psychological rather than physical dependence. In several U.S. states, it's even used as an alternative to morphine for pain management (and it’s not just limited to the Netherlands).

None of this is meant to imply that I approve of using marijuana. In fact, I'll leave two different websites right here so you can compare them and make up your own minds:www.leafly.com and www.samhsa.gov (or just type "marijuana" into a search engine and let the results roll in).

On a final note, I should mention Plivadon-drug —an over-the-counter medication sold in 10-pill boxes designed to relieve mild to moderate pain. It contains propyphenazone, acetaminophen, 25mg of caffeine, and 10 mg of codeine.-
It falls under the category of analgesics and antipyretics.
It does affect psycho-physical abilities, and prolonged use leads to addiction due to the codeine content.

Codeine is an opioid analgesic and a mild antitussive (antitussives are related to opium and, when combined with other chemicals, are used to suppress coughing).

When taken over a long period, codeine has a sedative effect and is classified among mild drugs if misused.
And I'll say it again: Plivadon-drug is available without a prescription
!
I had a deeply personal experience dealing with a loved one who passed away from cancer:
- The lead oncologist handling the treatment was at a major metropolitan hospital (where bribery in blue envelopes is just standard practice—those days of polite gift-giving are gone; they’ll look you right in the eye and tell you they expect cash)
- We would take the exact same test results, but because we insisted on seeing more than one doctor, we'd ask for second and third opinions. Every single time, the diagnoses were completely different, despite looking at the same bone scans, X-rays, mammograms, or ultrasounds...
My personal takeaway? Aside from surgeons who actually perform "tangible" procedures, everyone else—from GPs to specialists—seems incapable of saying, "I don't know." Instead, it's always, "It could be..."
- It was ALWAYS, ALWAYS the case that they openly asked for money. Everyone, except for the local family practitioner, from the big hospitals all the way down to the surgeons, was looking for a payout.
How do I stop racing thoughts? in Psychology ·
athma said:Arni, whether a glass is half-full or half-empty is really just semantics, isn't it? It’s just two different ways to describe the exact same thing. Because of that, I don't think you can use that example to distinguish between a true optimist and someone who's just an "experienced optimist."

And honestly, everything else you mentioned—the idea that we can fundamentally rewire our brain chemistry through nothing more than positive thinking—is pretty scientifically unfounded. If changing our mindset was actually that easy and produced such radical results, I’m certain all those people struggling with severe mental health issues or social deviations would have vanished from the face of the earth by now, leaving psychologists to celebrate a total victory over the human condition.

Just look at someone battling anorexia. Do you honestly believe they could simply wish their way back to a healthy relationship with food, feeling completely satisfied and guilt-free, just by using some magical words? No, they can't.

Things are much more complicated than they seem on the surface. Our behavior is the cumulative result of years of experiences and habits baked into us; most experts agree that those formative years during childhood play the biggest role in shaping who we become later in life. As the saying goes, it's much easier to raise a child right than it is to re-educate an adult.

Also, consider this: what comes first, the body or the consciousness—simple or complex matter? Based on what modern science tells us, physical matter definitely comes first, meaning our biological makeup dictates our consciousness rather than the other way around. You could even apply this logic to social structures; culture, history, and economics largely dictate the mindsets of the people living within them. Now, I’m not suggesting the reverse connection—consciousness affecting the body, or what Marxists might call ideology driving material social relations—isn't real, but that influence is significantly weaker than the biological driver.

For instance, how much can we actually change the prognosis of a lung cancer patient just by telling them to stay positive? Sure, it might make them feel a little better emotionally, but it’s not going to cure the disease, right? Or take politics: how much can current policy truly impact social welfare, environmental health, or individual responsibility when the whole system is built on capitalist, private interests? It probably helps a little, but not enough, because capital and power are concentrated in the hands of individuals who aren't necessarily looking out for the common good. I see no reason why the same wouldn't apply to mental disorders, where every thought we have is ultimately driven by our brain chemistry.

As someone who leans more toward the hard sciences, I’d suggest Stacy focus on her lifestyle habits instead. She should spend more time outdoors, tweak her diet (maybe regular meals and cutting back on meat), and perhaps cut back on certain habits to maintain the nutrients needed for mental clarity and vitality. Finding a hobby would help too. She also needs to step away from the computer—it seems she's a bit hooked—and maybe scale back on caffeine or cigarettes if she uses them. She doesn't need to force herself to be social if she's feeling lonely; most social circles can be quite draining anyway. She'd probably be better off just getting lost in a good novel.

In the medical field, we recognize "psychosomatic illnesses"—physical ailments triggered by psychological factors, or put simply, "negative attitudes and negative thinking."
That said, positive thoughts can certainly influence a patient's overall state of being.😈
Honestly, I’ve always felt that optimistic people tend to stay physically healthier, mostly because they don't waste precious energy obsessing over things that might never even happen. It's like they just refuse to burn themselves out on constant worry about an uncertain future. 🙂
From what the data shows, optimists actually suffer from fewer illnesses and generally find more success in life compared to their pessimistic counterparts. 😎
So, it really isn't just about that old cliché of whether a glass is half-full or half-empty! 😉
How do I stop racing thoughts? in Psychology ·
dersu said:Listen, kid,

suicide actually hurts!
It isn't just some "close your eyes and it's over" thing.
And who can honestly guarantee that you won't exist in some other way after life ends?
Who knows where your soul goes? For all we know, whatever comes after death could be even more agonizing than what you're dealing with right now...

There’s absolutely no promise that death offers anything better than living.

I personally know someone who jumped from a seventh-floor apartment; they survived, but ended up with lifelong disabilities, completely unable to function without constant help from others!😱
How do I stop racing thoughts? in Psychology ·
athma said:Sljiva: We really don't have enough hard evidence to make any definitive claims. If anything, modern physics suggests the entire universe expanded from a single point and will eventually fade away (thanks to black holes). But then again, you look at thermodynamics, which argues that nothing is truly created or destroyed—that total energy remains constant, following Einstein's principle where energy equals mass times the speed of light squared, regardless of the chaos happening around us. It all feels pretty contradictory, at least based on my own limited understanding of it.

I find myself leaning toward chaos theory!👍
How do I stop racing thoughts? in Psychology ·
Stana said:This has been weighing on me for years... thoughts of suicide and all that... BUT lately, it’s just constant. Every time I think about it, I hit a wall because I can't bear the thought of what it would do to my family. It makes things hard for them, so I back off for a moment, but before long, I'm right back in that dark hole again. Is this depression or what the hell is happening? Just now, I was looking at old photos of my dad from back when he was still healthy, before that hellish war broke out, and looking at him now... it just makes me want to end it all because I can't face any of this. What is even left of a person after all that? I feel like I'll just lash out in anger at anything or anyone that gets in my way. I don't know... if this gets me locked or banned, then so be it.

And to those of you who want to say "go ahead and do it," please, tell me exactly how you'd suggest I go about it.

It seems like only the most difficult "cases" reject therapy or medication, but reaching out on a forum like this—whether you realize it or not—is a genuine cry for help.
Nowadays, people aren't just thrown into an asylum for having suicidal thoughts; instead, there are various types of psychotherapy (psychologists, psychiatrists) and medications that, unlike the old stuff, are much more effective and won't turn you into a "walking zombie." 👍
So, your best path forward is psychotherapy. You might also want to look into non-profit organizations that specialize in psychological help and support (just search online).
One recommendation from me; it's a short, clear, and incredibly fascinating book. It's written in a simple, easy-to-understand way, even though the author is an expert neurologist and psychiatrist who practiced "logotherapy."
The book is "Man's Search for Meaning" by Viktor E. Frankl🙏
Just a quick observation here:
In this day and age, when seeing a gynecologist should be a routine part of life once or twice a year, and we have access to so many different forms of birth control, it’s honestly irresponsible not to use what’s available.

A child isn't a toy or a pet that you can just get rid of when you grow tired of them.

A child represents love, immense responsibility, 24/7 care, and everything else that comes with it.
It’s up to the parents to raise and nurture their children, not just grandparents or other relatives.
Daycare and preschool are essential options to help with socialization and managing work obligations.
That’s why I believe parents should be the ones to explain the realities of sexual intimacy—both the good and the bad—to their kids. When they eventually decide to become active, they need to be as informed as possible.

There are already enough unwanted, abandoned, unloved, or abused children in the world, so I am truly appealing to the sense of responsibility held by parents, young adults, and schools alike regarding education (without all that outdated nonsense about "shame" or corporal punishment).

It really irritates me whenever I hear someone make a joke about "missing a period," whether they mean it as a gag or not. In my opinion, that’s one topic where there just isn't room for joking around.
I might sound like a complete idiot right now, but the statistics are pretty devastating.

One more important point: a family isn't strictly defined as just a mom, a dad, and their children. There are so many different types of families out there, and every single one of those variations is equally valid!
Peter Diaz22 said:I was expecting my period around the 22nd or 23rd, but it’s already the 25th and I'm still waiting. Usually, my breasts get sore a few days before it starts, but nothing this time. I'm also feeling incredibly bloated, yet no sign of anything. We were both careful, so I honestly don't understand how I could be pregnant. I've been urinating more frequently over the last 5 or 6 days and I can feel some pressure in my lower abdomen. I'll wait another two or three days and then take a test. I'm praying to Quincy that I'm not pregnant... What do you guys think the chances are?!

😕

"WE WERE BOTH CAREFUL"!!! Nowadays, people are careful about their kids, their pets, even crossing the street...
Go grab a test at the pharmacy, and if it comes back negative, start using protection (ranging from condoms to oral contraceptives).
Being "careful" doesn't just mean "he didn't finish inside," because there is sperm present right from the very beginning of intercourse, in what laypeople call "pre-cum."
Responsibility!!! It belongs to both of you!!!
Instead of blaming, try being realistic and taking responsibility for your actions, all of it, 🙂 including sex.🙂 🙂 🙂