Maitlyn Walrich or Mae, who goes by @satangjuseyo on her Instagram with 57.6K followers, is a content creator and an artist with her releases on several music and streaming platforms, based in the US shared a story of how she was misdiagnosed when she noticed something was off with her period.

The video is titled "Weird Stuff", and the text on it reads "We're Still Learning About Female Anatomy". The video was shared on April 9, and has garnered over 169,700 views. She shares that six years ago, she thought her uterus fell out. She shares that she had been bleeding for 14 days, however, she noticed that there was a chunk of blood in her trousers. "I thought my uterus fell out"

Thinking that it is her uterus that fell out, she collected the blood chunk, put it in the Tupperware and refrigerated it.

When she went to see a doctor, the doctor had no idea about what actually happened with her. It was over the course of 6 years that she was finally told that it was decidual cast, which means that your entire period comes out all at once.

In her video, she also touches about the fact that there have been many times when doctors are unaware or dismiss patients' concerns. In fact, when she shared with another doctor about the excruciating pain she felt, the doctor told her to just take a hot bath. She also pointed out that every since she had issues with her period, she has learned so much about female anatomy, including that the uterus do not look like what we are taught in the diagrams.

What Is Decidual Cast?

As per Cleveland Clinic, a decidual cast is when the lining of your uterus or the endometrium sheds in one piece. This lining usually comes out of your vagina and gradually during your menstrual period.

However, with a decidual cast, the entire lining of your uterus sheds in one piece at one time. It often takes shape of your uterus, like an upside down pear or an upside down triangle. This is why Mae initially thought that it was her uterus that fell off.

What Happens In Such Cases?

Over the course of your cycle, your endometrium, which is the lining of your uterus, thickens up. This happens because your body is preparing your uterus for a potential pregnancy. If you do not get pregnant in that cycle, you get your period. This now thick lining sheds over several days. However, with decidual cast, the thick lining is expelled from your uterus in one large piece of tissue instead of happening gradually.

While decidual casts are rare, it is not always a sign of a serious problem or a medical emergency. It is most common in pregnancy women who experience ectopic pregnancy, which occurs outside your uterus.

It can also happen in people who are not pregnant, usually due to progesterone contraceptives.

What Are The Symptoms?

• Severe menstrual cramps
• Pelvic pain
• Vaginal bleeding or spotting
• Nausea
• Feeling dizzy or like you may faint

A decidual cast could be as big as the size of your palm, however it could be of the size of a walnut too. The size varies on person. While decidual cast usually comes out in one big piece, it could also come in pieces.

Menstruation is a normal biological process that many women go through. In simpler terms, menstrual cycle (period) occurs when the uterus sheds its inner lining of blood and tissues each month. A regular period cycle happens every 28-35 days. While many women go through this, their periods are different from each other. While some women have periods in regular intervals, others may experience irregular periods, meaning their periods could be much more apart in days than the usual time.

Usually, periods can start any time after the age of 8 and before 17 and it is the first sign of puberty. The Cleveland Clinic explains that first periods, that menarche, which symbolizes the fact that your body is mature enough to grow a fetus. There are many things that can influence menarche like hereditary, your genes could play a part in when you period starts, hormones, body composition, health etc. A new study published in the Human Reproduction journal showed that there is a possible connection between a child's diet and the timing of puberty.

What They Eat Can Affect Periods

Researchers found that for girls, eating more foods that can cause swelling inside the body might lead to their first period starting sooner. These kinds of foods are sometimes called "inflammatory." The study showed that girls who ate more of these foods had a 15% higher chance of getting their first period in the next month. This suggests that what girls eat could have a quick effect on when they reach this important milestone in their development. It highlights how diet might have a direct impact on the body's timing.

What Are Inflammatory Foods?

Inflammatory foods are types of food that can cause ongoing swelling throughout your body, known as chronic, systemic inflammation. These foods include things like red and processed meats, commercially baked goods, white bread and pasta, deep-fried foods, and items high in added sugar or sugar-sweetened drinks. Eating a lot of these foods might make inflammation worse, which has been linked to health problems like heart disease and diabetes. So, choosing to eat less of these could be better for your overall health.

Healthier Diets Associated with Later Onset

On the other hand, the study also found that eating a healthier diet seemed to push back the timing of a girl's first period. When girls ate more nutritious foods, the chances of them getting their first period in the next month went down by about 8%. This suggests that a good diet might help the body develop at a slightly slower pace when it comes to puberty.

The researchers studied data of over 7,500 kids between the ages of 9 and 14. They discovered that the link between diet and when girls got their first period was still there even when they considered the kids' body size. Body Mass Index (BMI) is a way to estimate body fat based on height and weight. The fact that the connection remained even after considering BMI suggests that it's not just about being bigger that causes earlier puberty; something else in an unhealthy diet might be playing a role.

Dietary Recommendations for Children

The access to healthy foods plays a really important role. They stressed that it's really important for all kids and teenagers to have access to healthy food. The researchers pointed out that the food served at schools for breakfast and lunch should follow good, science-backed guidelines. This would help make sure that all children have the chance to eat nutritious meals, which could have a positive impact on their health and development, including when they start puberty. Making healthy food available to everyone is a big step.

A new research published in JAMA Internal Medicine revealed a troubling rise in depressive symptoms among US adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study is led by Dr Kosuke Inoue from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. The researcher analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which covered a period from 2013 to 2023. The findings are based on responses from 23,040 adults aged 20 and above. The data was assessed using the widely recognized 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire, which is a standard tool used to screen for depression.

A rise In Depression Rates

As per the study, the prevalence of depressive symptoms have increased from 8.2% before the pandemic (2013 - 2020) to 12.3% during the pandemic (2021-2023). Even after adjusting for ongoing trends over the decade, the researchers found 3.5 percentage point increase in depression rates. This rise reflects the deep psychological impact the pandemic has had, as isolation, uncertainty, grief, and economic stress took a toll on mental health across the country.

Young Adults Experienced Depressive Symptoms

The increase was particularly stark among younger adults. For individuals aged 20 to 44 years, depressive symptoms rose by 6 percentage points, while those aged 65 and older saw only a 1.1 percentage point increase. This generational difference could be due to a range of factors—job instability, disrupted social lives, educational setbacks, and growing financial pressures—all of which disproportionately affected younger adults during the pandemic.

However, the study pointed out that there had been no significant variation in the rise of depressive symptoms based on sex, race, and ethnicity, or even income level. This also suggests that while certain age groups were more vulnerable, the mental health impact of the pandemic was widespread and crossed typical demographic boundaries.

A Call for Mental Health Reform

The authors emphasize the urgent need to expand access to mental health care in the United States. They highlight ongoing issues such as the shortage of mental health professionals and low participation of behavioral health practitioners in insurance plans. Without addressing these systemic problems, the growing mental health burden may remain unmet, especially as the long-term effects of the pandemic continue to unfold.

Why Such Studies Are Important?

This study paints a clear picture: depression is on the rise, and the pandemic has accelerated the trend. With younger adults showing a sharp increase in symptoms, and no significant demographic group untouched, there is an urgent need for policy-level changes to ensure mental health care is accessible, affordable, and adequately staffed in the years to come.

When was the last time you let yourself play truly, freely, without worrying about looking silly or being judged? From picking up a paintbrush, dancing like no one's watching, or scribbling with crayons like you did as a child. Feels a little strange, doesn’t it? But what if we told you that this very act of tapping into your inner child could be the key to unlocking emotional healing and building resilience in adulthood?

In this high-pressure, fast-paced world, we’re so consumed by adult responsibilities that we often forget one simple truth: healing doesn’t always happen through words or logic, it can also happen through play and art. Welcome to the world of expressive arts therapy, where your imagination leads the way to emotional release, self-discovery, and deep healing.

None of us are necessarily born with the wisdom, responsibility, and emotional intelligence of adulthood. We develop these roles over time, experience, and sometimes, hurt. But in between freedom of childhood and the boundaries of adulthood, many of us forget the essence of whom we used to be the spontaneous, curious, expressive inner child.

That inner child, though, never really goes away. For others, it's buried under years of trauma, societal norms, and emotional repression. The mental health world is now waking up to the value of getting back in touch with this inner child — and one of the most powerful, affordable, and fun ways is through playful art.

What Is Inner Child Work?

Inner child work is a therapeutic approach rooted in the understanding that childhood experiences shape adult behavior. It’s a process of identifying past emotional wounds, acknowledging unmet needs, and “reparenting” oneself with compassion and understanding.

Imagine this: You are five, you trip during recess, and people laugh. You might not recall the event itself, but the hurt of humiliation and the commitment to never again risk embarrassment may affect your adult life in ways you're not even aware of. You might shun public speaking, avoid being vulnerable, or stay away from leadership — all because of an old unresolved memory.

This is where inner child healing becomes useful. It enables you to recognize such emotional imprints and greet your younger self with compassion, rather than criticism.

As Pablo Picasso famously said, "Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life." For a lot of expressive arts therapists, this statement isn't merely symbolic — it's a guiding reality.

"Art helps unpack traumas that words can't always access," says Gunjan Adya, a Certified Expressive Arts Therapist. "Adults don't get to play much. They're trapped in a loop of duties and routines, and they're often detached from their feelings. Art provides an arena in which to feel, to convey, and above all, to heal."

Art is a secure, non-verbal means by which we can re-encounter lost aspects of ourselves. Making — whether drawing, painting, dancing, sculpting, or writing poetry — provides an expression for repressed feelings and a way to understanding ourselves.

Why Adults Need to Make Time for Child-Play?

As we grow older, play becomes secondary to productivity. Schedules, careers, and family responsibilities leave little time for imagination. But this privation has a cost — chronic stress, burnout, and emotional disconnection.

Gunjan adds, "Creating something, even imperfectly, makes us happy. Humans are born nurturers. The process of making — be it a piece of clay sculpture or a doodle — is a process of nurturing ourselves. It's meditative, emotionally calming, and deeply therapeutic."

Science substantiates this. Art therapy reduces cortisol levels, enhances mood, and increases cognitive flexibility, found studies. Unlike verbal-based therapies, expressive art therapy also has open arms to those who would find it challenging to put thoughts into words.

Which Art Forms Work Best?

Gunjan says there's no one-size-fits-all solution. "For some, painting with color on canvas is therapeutic. Others might find it through dance or sculpture. Through art, individuals have an opportunity to express themselves for what they feel inside — many times not even realizing that until later.

Dance releases emotion through the body. Sculpting invites patience and being present. Poetry writing orders and understands feelings. All modalities provide a unique quality of access to the self. Perfection isn't the objective, but discovery of emotion.

When adults permit themselves to do the same without censorship, they relink with the spontaneous, risk-taking essence of their youth — the same essence that long ago showed them how to find joy, venture, and dream.

How Art Helps Do Self-Repair?

While art is often viewed as a hobby, in the context of mental health, it becomes a transformative tool. Adults facing grief, burnout, anxiety, or past trauma can benefit immensely from incorporating art into their routine — even in small doses.

Tips for starting your inner child healing through art:

• Choose an art form that resonates — it could be painting, collage, dancing, or even adult coloring books.
• Carve out non-negotiable time for creation, without expectations or productivity targets.
• Let your art be guided by intuition. What colors attract you? What shapes feel comfortable? What movement feels liberating?
• Look at what you created — not to critique, but to see the emotions behind it.

You don't need to be an artist. You just need to be open.

Getting back in touch with your inner child isn't regression, it's integration. It's a strong, research-supported journey to healing adult hurts by giving yourself what you might have lacked as a child: freedom, creativity, and unconditional self-acceptance.

As Gunjan so eloquently says, "Art speaks to emotions we've silenced. When adults give themselves permission to play, they begin to truly heal."

Gunjan Adya is a Certified Expressive Arts Therapist and Founder at Tula Journey in India