Category: P
Pregnancy Calendar
Most women are anxious about their babys growth and development during pregnancy. A pregnancy calendar can inform you about the changes in your baby each week, and the important milestones of gestation. First Month. Your pregnancy begins when your partners sperm fuses with fertile egg in your ovary. The fertilized egg gets implanted in your uterus. [...]
Puberty
Puberty is a dynamic period of development characterized by maturation of the genital organs, rapid changes in body size, shape, and composition, and the emergence of secondary sex characteristics. It marks the first time that adolescents are capable of sexual reproduction. Pubertal development is influenced by a wide array of biological and environmental variables and [...]
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy can be defined as “the treatment of mental or emotional disorders, or of related bodily ills by psychological means.” Another source defines it as “the art of alleviating personal difficulties through the agency of words and a personal, professional relationship.” There are many different types of psychotherapy, each of which has its own premise [...]
Psychosomatic Disorder
The term psychosomatic disorder generally refers to a medical disorder that is caused by psychological factors. Although the term continues to be used extensively in the medical community, “psychosomatic disorders” largely has been replaced by the term “somatoform disorders,” and is referred to as such in the most recent version of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual [...]
Psychologists
Clinical psychologists perform multiple roles in the mental health care system. They work in hospitals, private offices, schools, and large outpatient mental health facilities. Psychologists receive advanced training in the assessment, diagnosis, and psychosocial treatment of mental health difficulties. To be a clinical psychologist, one must earn a PhD in clinical psychology or a related [...]
Psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis is an intensive treatment method based on the observation that people are usually unaware of the factors responsible for their symptoms, difficulties at work, relationships, moods, irrational fears, and a general inability to enjoy life and live up to their potential. Psychoanalysis is also a basic psychological theory of normal as well as pathological [...]
Promotoras
Promotoras (or peer health educators) are individuals from a specific community who serve as a link between the members of their community and the health care system. These individuals are trained to provide education on health issues of importance to the community as well as referrals to a variety of services, such as disease screening [...]
Probate
Probate stems from the Latin word probare meaning “to prove” and derives its usage from the practice in medieval England of heirs having to prove their right of inheritance of land to the king’s court. At that time in history, land conferred wealth and power upon its owner and its transfer was carefully controlled. The [...]
Prison Health
In 1998 more than 950,000 women were under correctional supervision, comprising about 7% of the overall imprisoned population in the United States. Women represent the fastest growing incarcerated population. The highest percentage has been convicted of property crimes such as check forgery and illegal credit card use. The next largest percentage has been convicted of [...]
Preventive Care
Prevention of disease and injury is a major part of routine health care. It is important to identify risk factors that predispose patients to a myriad of different illnesses. By identifying risky behaviors or abnormalities, such as high blood pressure, these problems can be modified or eliminated entirely, thus reducing the woman’s risk of future [...]
Prenuptial Agreement
A prenuptial agreement is an agreement made before a marriage that concerns arrangements for when the marriage ends by divorce or death of one of the parties. These agreements are also known as premarital agreements or antenuptial agreements. These agreements usually describe how the parties’ money and possessions will be divided, although some agreements cover [...]
Prenatal Care
A pregnancy is an exciting and wonderful event in a woman’s life, one which incorporates remarkable physical changes, intense emotions, and growth in important relationships. About 50% of pregnancies are unplanned, which may have consequences to the physical health of the mother and fetus, as well as emotional turmoil. Planning and preparing for a pregnancy [...]
Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder
Hippocrates first documented mood and bodily symptoms related to the menstrual cycle. In 1931 the term “premenstrual tension” was introduced. This related to a set of symptoms that appeared a week before menses and resolved with the start of menses. In the 1950s, Greene and Dalton coined the term “the premenstrual syndrome” (PMS), but PMS [...]
Pregnancy Testing
Early and accurate diagnosis of pregnancy is important in order to determine the estimated date of delivery and to allow the pregnant woman to make decisions regarding her reproductive care. There are several different ways to diagnose intrauterine pregnancy including increased blood or urine levels of the pregnancy hormone betahuman chorionic gonadotropin (beta-hCG), ultrasound visualization [...]
Pregnancy
Pregnancy is a time of great anticipation and immense physiologic change for a woman. A woman’s body goes through significant anatomic and hormonal changes during pregnancy in order to support the development of her growing baby. The estimated date of delivery or “due date” is generally 40 weeks after the first day of the last [...]
Preeclampsia
Preeclampsia, otherwise known as “toxemia,” is a disease unique to pregnancy that affects approximately 5-8% of all pregnant women. Preeclampsia is part of the spectrum of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, which accounts for approximately 18% of all maternal deaths in the United States. By definition, preeclampsia is unique to pregnancy and usually occurs after 20 [...]
Preconception Care
Preconception care is the promotion of the health and well-being of a woman and her partner before pregnancy. The optimal time to identify, manage, and treat many potential pregnancy conditions and complications is before pregnancy occurs. The goal of a preconception office visit with a primary care doctor is to identify and assess those medical [...]
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that follows exposure to a traumatic event. Research shows that 10.4% of women and 5.0% of men develop Posttraumatic stress disorder at some point in their lives. The precise reason for the twice greater prevalence of Posttraumatic stress disorder in women is not known, though a combination of biological [...]
Postpartum Period
The postpartum period, also known as the puerperium, lasts from the delivery of the infant until about 8 weeks after the delivery. Most of the anatomic and physiologic changes a woman experiences in pregnancy will have returned to the normal state by this 8-week time. The new mother will experience many changes during this postpartum [...]
Postpartum Disorders
Any psychiatric illness may occur during the postpartum period. However, the most common disorders having an onset, recurrence, or exacerbation in the postpartum period include mood disorders and anxiety disorders. Difficulty with adjustment and problems in the mother-infant relationship may also occur after childbirth. Women who experienced a psychiatric disorder prior to or during the [...]