Acting appeals to most of us-something about taking on a different persona, exploring unfamiliar motives and gestures is alluring. With roots in *psychodrama, role-playing in individual and family psychotherapy offers an exceptional tool for patients struggling with a variety of issues.

Should we be allowing children and teens to play video games until all the evidence is in?

The National Alliance On Mental Illness has a brand new survey for those living with mental illness. The survey is on how popular culture and other factors affect how individuals living with mental illness see themselves.

The most important part of living with mental illness is living — with as much joy, love, compassion and dignity as possible.

Oddly enough, despite the intense focus on self, writing in a therapy journal can actually help you become less self-centered. By putting your deepest feelings and thoughts down on paper, you may leave room in your psyche to relate to the feelings and thoughts of others, and that will help you develop better relationships.

How do people continue to live after they’ve experienced some of the worst that life can throw at them?

Have you ever heard of anyone sitting down to a lingering, intimate dinner at Mocko Taco? Or an important business meeting at Burgerz Fer Kidz? They are in a fast food restaurant because they like the taste of (and the cost of) fast food.

When I ask patients to begin writing or tape-recording their own viewpoints on their problems, for many it is the first time they have faced their problems head-on, rather than sidling up and taking quick peeks at them. The most important perspective recorded in the initial PPP is how you think your problems are affecting your life. For

If the news really triggers such negative feelings…why pay such close attention to it?

Even the most stalwart can find themselves feeling a little chagrined at the latest news. Does the news make you blue?