Some people dislike dissension and approve of conformity. And the psychiatric profession has been known to get into the act. A few examples: In his 2010 book The Protest Psychosis: How Schizophrenia Became a Black Disease, psychiatrist Jonathan Metzl explored … Continue reading
The Washington Post [9-2-14] ran an interesting article recently on “helicopter parents.” Helicopter parents are parents of young adult children (usually college age) who rush to solve problems for kids without first checking if the kids are able and willing … Continue reading
A reader wrote me with some interesting comments about the phenomenon of the nude “selfie,” i.e. taking a nude photograph of oneself with a cell phone and sending to others. He writes, “For my perspective, especially in the light of … Continue reading
It’s surprising to note that, according to the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC) — a massive government study of 43,000 Americans’ lifetime alcohol and drug use, about 75 percent of people who recover from alcohol dependence … Continue reading
Have you ever heard of the term, “affluenza”? At the rate we’re going, it may soon be a new diagnostic category espoused by the American Psychiatric Association. Read on … It is not entirely clear who invented the term Affluenza. … Continue reading
Canadian, British and other Western European nations have a problem. Muslims and others are joining the newest militant Muslim organization, ISIS (Islamic State) now taking over in the Middle East and threatening to bomb and otherwise attack the rest of … Continue reading
A new study asks: How can we stop our country from raising a generation of quitters? The study [reported at psychologytoday.com as well as The Learning Habit] cites this evidence: In the United States, at least 36% of school-aged children … Continue reading
“I Waited Until My Wedding Night To Lose My Virginity And I Wish I Hadn’t.” So reads the title of an interesting article published recently at thoughtcatalog.com, by Samantha Pugsley. The article details the hazards, at least for this woman, … Continue reading
In my twenty-five years as a psychotherapist, I have probably had more conversations and thoughts about suicide, this week, than any other one-week period of my career. Robin Williams’ death by suicide no doubt brought up quite a lot of … Continue reading
When you learn of the suicide of a talented person, the typical reaction is, “How could this happen?” Underlying the question is the idea, “Someone with all this talent, success, wealth and accomplishment could not have done this.” If the … Continue reading
We generally assume that holding people accountable for their actions—even when they are accountable—is harsh and tough. Many of us call it “tough love.” Some use the term favorably, and many do not. It’s considered bleak, “Calvinistic” (I’ve heard this … Continue reading
No one loves the man whom he fears. — Aristotle Dictators don’t get it. They motivate by fear, force and terror; and then wonder why still nobody loves them, and their dictatorships never survive. Family tyrants don’t get it. They … Continue reading