Our blogs highlight different topics and concerns in mental health and psychology, bringing fresh perspectives, ideas and news updates in small, digestable nuggets. Below, you'll find an index of the most recent entries from our blogs.
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Want To Feel Happier? Enjoying Childish Pleasures
My children make me happy for many reasons, of course. But it strikes me that one reason that they make me happy is that they encourage me to engage more deeply with the physical world. Left to my own instincts, I’d drift absent-mindedly through the apartment, reading, writing, and eating...
Best of Our Blogs: January 27, 2012
It’s very easy to fall down what I like to call the, “Woe is me rabbit hole.” It can start innocently enough. Maybe you’re having a particularly difficult day or you’re feeling tired, fed-up or emotionally exhausted. It’s during these times that the question you’ve been ruminating on such as,...
Faking ADHD for Special Treatment
You might ask, “Why would anyone want to fake attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)?” Many years ago, when ADHD was first proposed as a diagnosis, you would’ve been right — few people would’ve bothered faking the diagnosis because it brought you little reward to do so. But as ADHD diagnoses...
4 On-the-Spot Energy Boosters
It’s hard to get anything done when you’re dragging your feet. You might have a tough time concentrating on work or even play. Even participating in your favorite activity may not raise your energy. Many factors can explain your sluggish system. Worrying excessively or feeling overwhelmed, unhappy or angry can...
Johnson & Johnson Settles 3rd Risperdal Lawsuit for $158M
If companies are people, my friend, like Mitt Romney famously described in Iowa in August 2011, then we’re feeling a little bad for our fellow person called Janssen Pharmaceuticals, a division of health care giant Johnson & Johnson. They just got dinged with a $158 million settlement in a Medicaid...
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5 Amazing Facts About Our Bodies  While we’re preoccupied with how our bodies look and spend valuable time bashing their inability to lose weight, their cellulite or stretch marks, we forget their true magnificence. We forget not only what our bodies do for us, but what they are and the fantastic functions they perform...
Weekend Reading: Get To Know The DBSA Celebrity Authors  Earlier this week, I introduced you to the new DBSA Celebrity Honorary Advisory Board. Several of the board members are award-winning authors, and while I haven’t had the chance to check out any of their books yet, fellow Psych Central blogger Margarita Tartakovsky of Weightless has read Kay Redfield Jamison’s and Marya Hornbacher’s memoirs and ...
Take an Optimistic Perspective on Your Pessimism! No doubt you’ve encountered or even read numerous blogs, articles, and/or books that extoll the virtues of optimism. Some research has shown that optimists tend to have better relationships, happier lives, and greater accomplishments. Some authors suggest that you can never be too optimistic and that, by implication, you should worry if you tend toward the pessimistic side of...
The Power of Middle Age  Being in your 40′s or 50′s isn’t usually associated with a lot of positive vibes in our culture. It’s the age where mental and physical powers are palpably declining, when lofty goals have long given way to harsh realities. It’s the time when men are supposedly falling...
Emotional Abuse and Your Partner With BPD  If you have a partner with borderline personality disorder (BPD), it’s likely that you have experienced times when your partner has said things that were extremely hurtful, maybe even cruel. A person does not have to have BPD (or any other mental disorder, for that matter) to know just how to push their...
A Day In The Life: Meet Body-Centered Therapist Ashley Eder, LPC  Ashley Eder, LPC & Angel Meet Ashley Eder, LPC and her therapy dog “Angel.” While I know therapists who’ve brought their dog into the therapy office occasionally (it wasn’t necessarily “therapeutic” for colleagues or clients) Ashley is the first therapist I’ve met who uses a ... |
Bipolar is a Family Thing, But That’s Not All Bad  One of the hardest things about someone in the family having bipolar disorder is that it’s not an illness that can be managed just by popping a pill. It requires lifestyle changes, and for the person who has bipolar disorder to be successful in their treatment, everyone else in the family needs to adopt those lifestyle changes also....
How Do You Know If You Still Need Meds?  In my last post, I asked what it means for your “illness identity” when you take a medication that manages your psychiatric problems so that they go away or are no longer problematic. “Does a formerly “severe” mental illness become “mild” or “moderate”?” I asked “Does it disappear entirely?” It’s often said that these disorders can’t...
Fighting Fire with Fire: Rack up as Much Anxiety as You Can!  Most people, who have more anxiety than they want, work hard to rid themselves of their anxiety. They try relaxation training, meditation, medication, and more, all in a desperate attempt to conquer uncomfortable, distressing feelings. And who can blame them? After all, isn’t that the goal of therapy—to rid yourself of anxiety, uncertainty, doubts,...
How Is Your Personality Impacting Your Happiness?  A great starting place to increase our level of happiness is to develop self-awareness, and a great place to develop self-awareness is to understand our personality. There are many different interpretations and theories of personality, along with different tools to measure personality type. Personality is thought to be a set of generally stable and consistent traits or tendencies we possess. These are...
How NOT To React To Cyber Bullies: Lessons From Nickelback  I think I’m one of three people I know who does not actively hate Nickelback. (Yes, I carefully chose each word in that sentence.) For whatever reason, people loathe Nickelback. Really, it doesn’t make any sense to me. The band manages to rack up tons of award nominations and wins (the guys have even won “World’s Best...
Mindfulness, Children and Parenting: An Interview with Amy Saltzman, MD  The theory and practice of mindfulness as a way for children to calm their busy minds, self regulate, become more hopeful and happy has been an area of increasing interest. The potential impact on our culture is great as it affects future generations. It’s my pleasure to bring you this interview with ...
The Three Components of Self-Compassion  Self-Compassion is a form of acceptance, one of the four options you have no matter what the problem you face (see previous post, No Matter What the Problem, There Are Only Four Things You Can Do). Kristin Neff in her book Self-Compassion: Stop Beating Yourself Up and... |
ADHD or Not, I’m Having A Good Day!  Good Days! I’m tired today. Actually I was pretty tired yesterday, too. Exhausted is probably the right word. I didn’t sleep well the night before last, and I woke up early again this morning. My brain feels numb. It’s crawling through thoughts like they’re thick porridge, and it crosses my mind, not for...
Filmmaker So Yong Kim on Facing Her Unlikeable Parts When Writing  So Yong Kim is a director, producer and writer. Her latest movie is “For Ellen,” starring Paul Dano and Jena Malone. In an interview, she talks about a number of aspects of developing her script and shooting the film – aspects of creative expression that impact other artists as well. Like many creative and talented...
Understanding Adult Bullies  One type of emotional bully is the person who attempts to use anger as a way of protecting themselves, controlling others or as a form of connection. Anger is often a hurtful emotion for those on the receiving end. For emotionally sensitive people having someone angry at them can be devastating and result...
5 Reasons Addicts Leave Treatment Early – And How to Prevent It  Getting an addict into drug rehab isn’t always an easy task. Getting them to stay there can be even harder. Here are five of the most common reasons people leave drug rehab against medical advice, along with suggestions to help the addict stay committed...
5 Reasons Addicts Leave Treatment Early – And How to Prevent It Getting an addict into drug rehab isn’t always an easy task. Getting them to stay there can be even harder. Here are five of the most common reasons people leave drug rehab against medical advice, along with suggestions to help the addict stay committed...
Do You Belong To The Creative 2 Percent? Fun Video Tests  Are you creative and different from most others? Take these fun video tests. (We’re not claiming these tests are scientifically accurate, or psychologically useful, or represent the opinions of anyone except the video makers). My score is next to the links below—what are yours? Video Test A (I’m a 98% clone). Video...
More On Nutrition, Body Peace & Yoga: Part 2 With Julie Norman  {via pinterest} Yesterday, Julie Norman, a registered dietician, yoga instructor and Health At Every Size Supporter, talked about how women can heal their body image and food issues. Today, in part two of our interview, Norman offers insight into the biggest nutrition myths, how to eat mindfully...
The Transformative Power of Waiting  If you look in the mirror and see this face, then now is a great time to wait. Years ago, my mentor, Lynn, told me, “if you are feeling anger, then it is not the right time to act.” Lynn is still my mentor today, and she still tells me this from...
Can Mindfulness Help Breast Cancer Survivors?  Depression can be a factor in the treatment of an array of different health problems. It has an impact on the treatment of heart disease, diabetes and stroke. Depression may not be the cause of these diseases, but it often co-occurs with them and can influence whether patients follow through on treatment recommendations. Mindfulness...
Why Stacy and Clinton May Be Right  I love me some What Not To Wear —or any makeover show, for that matter. I get a kick out of watching Stacy and Clinton take frumpy dumpies and zazz them up into snazzy sassies. I don’t always agree with the styling (what is this obsession with flat irons?), but usually, the afters are lots better...
Equine Therapy in the Medical World?  Malcolm Gladwell was the first to uncover the real truth about why patients sue their doctors. Opposite of what one may think, it has nothing to do with whether of not the doctor actually did something wrong. Instead, it has everything to do with whether or not the patient felt as thought the doctor...
What Do You Mean “NO SEX” for 30 Days!?!! The Therapeutic Use of Abstinence in Relationship and Sexual Addiction Recovery Try telling a sex addict to stop pursuing and having sex for a month or more and you may quickly find yourself pushed aside for a more enabling (and less directive) therapist, sponsor or friend. Inform a profoundly love addicted (attachment disordered or trauma survivor) woman – the one who lives to seduce – that she can’t...
What’s a Peer Support Group? (Video) Inspiration Through Empathy: Peer Support A short documentary by a student filmmaker about a peer support group in Kelowna, BC, Canada. A group of mental health consumers meets weekly, views a presentation on a... |
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Site last updated: 27 Jan 2012
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