Exercise seems to increase the production of naturally occurring brain chemical with antidepressant effects in mice, according to new research.
Newsletter Articles
This category contains all articles that have been sent out in our monthly Newsletter.
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Bullying
There was a time, it seems, when bullying was considered a relatively harmless occurrence that happened to most children at some point during their lives. Today, however, bullying is recognized as a serious problem and, thanks to tech-savvy kids, cyberbullying and other forms of electronic harassment are now commonplace – even in elementary schools. According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, up to half of all children are bullied at some point during their school years.
What If and So What?
Recently, a client in my psychotherapy practice was reflecting on her experience in therapy after what she described as three productive years of treatment. Laura was originally referred by her family physician when no medical cause could be identified to explain her various physical complaints and disrupted sleep, among other difficulties. She struggled with depression, was frequently anxious, and described herself as a chronic worrier who saw the world, essentially, through a bleak lens. She reported general unease with matters of daily living and appeared to have a hard time finding joy and satisfaction in her personal life or in her professional life as a museum curator.
How About That?
Having the television on in the background while preschoolers play with their toys disrupts their efforts to sustain attention, even when they don't pay much attention to it, and may harm their development, researchers report in the current issue of the Journal of Child Development…
Road and Sideline Rage
We've all seen them (or maybe some of us have been one of them). The driver on the highway who cuts us off or denies us entry into his or her lane when it seems like such a reasonable, even necessary thing to do. Or, the driver who makes various hand gestures at us when they – rightly or wrongly – believe that we have acted provocatively toward them while driving. What happens to so many of us that leads us to rant and rage on the road, thus behaving in ways that we normally condemn as unacceptable and inappropriate adult behavior? And, is this any different than the behavior of the parent who becomes angry and aggressive at his or her child's soccer game?<
Resilience
If you accept the notion that resilience is a quality that can be cultivated, as opposed to seeing it only as a genetically determined quality, you might be inspired to strengthen your ability to become more resilient. People often have considerable capacity to build strength and better coping skills, although they often are not sufficiently aware of this.
Personal Decision-Making
In a recent treatment session, Kelli (not her real name, of course) wanted my help in deciding whether or not she ought to continue dating Greg, the new man she met through an on-line dating website. At first, this seemed like a perfectly reasonable and appropriate issue to raise in therapy and invite my input. I listened intently as Kelli reported the conversations she had already had with many family members, friends, and colleagues about what she should do about her 'problem.' Not surprisingly, Kelli had become quite confused and more doubtful when she discovered that her respondents were about evenly divided regarding whether and how she should proceed with Greg.
Latest Research
One of the purposes of my web site is to present interesting and, hopefully, useful information about mental health and related topics to my readers. Periodically, as part of the monthly newsletter, and beginning with this issue, research information will be offered.
Too Little Sleep
Whenever I conduct an initial interview, I ask several questions about a client's general health, lifestyle choices and habits, and overall physical well being. These questions are asked also of clients with whom I have an ongoing relationship. This inquiry includes questions about smoking, drinking, drug use, eating behaviors and sleep. With regard to the last of these, I am interested to know whether there is too much (a common sign of possible depression), too little, and what a person's attitude is about sleep. Also, I want to know whether there are sleep-related difficulties (e.g. difficulties falling asleep, staying asleep, and waking up) that might need attention.
Locus of Control
There is a concept in the psychological literature known as locus of control that is unfamiliar to most people, even though, once defined, is probably commonly understood. Locus of control is an individual's belief system regarding the causes of his or her experiences and the factors to which that person attributes success or failure.