by Teralyn Sell, PhD | Sep 28, 2026 | Human Behavior, parenting, Question of the week
“You’re so smart.” It rolls off the tongue when a child brings home a great test score, finishes a tricky puzzle, or says something unexpectedly clever. It sounds like the safest kind of encouragement. Who wouldn’t want a child to feel capable? But I wondered about...
by Teralyn Sell, PhD | Sep 28, 2026 | Deprescribing, Informed Consent, Question of the week
Someone reduces or stops an antidepressant. A few days later, they feel dizzy, agitated, sleepless, emotionally raw, or suddenly unlike themselves. What happened? That sounds like a straightforward question until you notice how much rides on the answer. If it is...
by Teralyn Sell, PhD | Sep 28, 2026 | BRAIN HEALTH, Question of the week, Social Connection
We tend to talk about loneliness as if it belongs in the same category as a bad mood. You feel lonely. You call a friend. You join something. Problem solved. But I wondered whether that framing misses something bigger. If loneliness persists, does it merely make life...
by Teralyn Sell, PhD | Sep 28, 2026 | BRAIN HEALTH, Question of the week, Sleep
Most of us know the arrangement. The week gets busy. Bedtime moves later. The alarm still goes off. Then Saturday arrives, and we sleep until our bodies decide they’re done. That extra sleep feels like repayment. Maybe it is. But I wondered whether “catching up” means...
by Teralyn Sell, PhD | Sep 28, 2026 | Informed Consent, Mental Health, Question of the week
There’s a particular kind of relief that can come with finally having a name for something. Maybe years of scattered experiences begin to make sense. Maybe there’s language for a struggle that had felt private, confusing, or somehow like a personal failure. A...
by Teralyn Sell, PhD | Sep 28, 2026 | Human Behavior, Question of the week
There’s a familiar idea floating around adult life: a drink makes sex better. It loosens people up. It quiets self-consciousness. It turns an awkward date into a more relaxed one. And sometimes, people describe alcohol as the thing that helped them get out of their...
