It amazes me how people act like smart consumers in some situations, and like helpless pawns in others. Consider the way most of us handle the news — especially television news. I don’t care which news station you watch; they … Continue reading
A reader tells me that she has successfully reduced her cigarette intake from 22 to only 6 a day. Now she’s stuck, and asks for advice on how to end the habit altogether. Your mistake, dear Reader, was that you … Continue reading
A reader sent me a comment about one of my columns where I suggested that the biggest mistake people make is to try to change others. She agrees that the choice of what to think and do will always be … Continue reading
A website visitor writes that a longtime acquaintance of hers recently passed away. The upshot is that most people didn’t like the woman who died. She was obnoxious and spread bad rumors about everyone. The reader writes that those who … Continue reading
A reader emails: “Dear Dr. Hurd, my brother is 32. He doesn’t work. He, his wife and daughter live with our mother. They scrape by on disability, food stamps and our Mom’s generosity. I believe that his disrespect and mooching … Continue reading
A Delaware Coast Press reader emails, “Dear Dr. Hurd, I am afraid of blood pressure measurements. It started three years ago when I had a panic attack. My blood pressure was high, and the emergency medical team mistook it for … Continue reading
A few years ago I wrote an article entitled “I’m So Sorry!” The two celebrities who inspired my commentary back then were none other than Lindsay Lohan (actress turned professional addict) and Levi Johnston (former on-again/off-again fiancée of Sarah Palin’s … Continue reading
The subject of addiction has been perpetually bogged down in inane political correctness and “feel-good” labels. But no matter how you label it, America is an addictive society. My definition of addiction has grown out of almost 35 years of … Continue reading
A Delaware Wave reader tells me that she’s frustrated with her teenage son. She wants to remind him that he should at least listen to her suggestions and opinions since she’s still paying for everything. Well, dear Reader, the first … Continue reading
It’s sad but true, and it happens all the time: A couple gets divorced. There are no kids, and it’s not about money. The problem is that their friends take sides: They shun one of the partners with no explanation. … Continue reading
Rarely does a social occasion go by that somebody doesn’t ask me what a psychotherapist does. I resist the urge to mumble something about secret handshakes, decoder rings and electric shocks, then I try to answer the question truthfully: One … Continue reading
Marriage and commitment are often at the top of the list when I talk to people in my office. And for good reason! Research shows that in the U.S., about half of first marriages fail, as do two-thirds of second … Continue reading