Dear Dr. Hurd,My husband and I have been married for 10 years. Recently, I’ve become close to an old high school buddy who moved back to our home town. This friend happens to be gay, so there’s no reason for … Continue reading →

A long-time ‘Life’s a Beach’ reader emails: ‘I have friends who are in relationships and have no qualms about cheating. If I even had a partner, I’d be respectful of him and would never lie. It just doesn’t seem right … Continue reading →

Dear Dr. Hurd,My family has been encouraging my brother to seek psychotherapy for some problems we feel that he has, and his doctor agrees with us. My brother is resistant to that, and we can’t understand why he doesn’t see … Continue reading →

More than just another media catch phrase, ‘Road Rage’ now describes one of the more recent ‘diseases’ to be foisted upon us by some members of the mental health profession. To make it a little more official, they’ve named our … Continue reading →

A reader of this column writes, ‘I’m frustrated with my teenage son. Is it unfair for me to remind him that, while independence is great and that I encourage it, I am still paying for everything, and that he’s obligated … Continue reading →

Dear Dr. Hurd, I’ve been down and depressed for a while now. My doctor wrote me a prescription for some pills, and says my depression is a disease. But I feel that the problem is more emotional than medical. I … Continue reading →

So much of what people talk to me about in my office ends up being about coping: just making it through life, day-to-day. Things can get pretty scary out there (have you watched the news lately?) and sometimes people can … Continue reading →

I received an email regarding my recent article about the overweight woman who continued to overeat even though she had lost her physical ability to taste. In the article I suggested that the motivation to overeat could be traced, at … Continue reading →

  1. Speak reasonably; don’t command. For example, instead of saying ‘Just say no to drugs,’ say ‘If you use drugs, you can harm your body and mind. You might get addicted, make less money and have to depend on … Continue reading →

We all tell lies at one time or another. Most likely they’re ‘little white lies’ to spare somebody’s feelings, or to get out of some commitment that we probably should never have made in the first place. The majority of … Continue reading →

A reader emailed about an incident involving her long-time boyfriend. Apparently they have been dating for several years and getting along quite well. As their relationship progressed, they began to discuss the possibility of moving-in together and maybe even getting … Continue reading →

TV sitcoms and movies are full of amusing portrayals of controlling mothers. Interestingly, most of the people who ask me serious questions on this subject are, in fact, mothers themselves, and they’re usually referring to experiences with their own mothers. … Continue reading →