by admin on February 19, 2011
The following article is from Psychology Today, written by psychologist Douglas LaBier PhD. As I read the article I realized that he is describing the type of psychiatrist who I would like to be, and the type of work that I hope to be doing with my patients.
I am sad that many psychiatrists choose to focus their attention only on medication, at the expense of trying to understand what people truly want and need from their psychiatrists. Even as more studies come to the fore showing little benefit from medication for ‘mild’ depression– i.e. the type of depression that the vast majority of people struggle with– psychiatrists continue to shorten their appointments, leaving the doctor/patient relationship outside the door! There are times when medications are important, and I provide the additional time for appointments so that in those cases, we get the right medications started the first time. But medications are always only part of the answer, and if you have never had the type of relationship with a psychiatrist where you have time to feel relaxed and understood, I encourage you to give my practice a try.
I cannot say that I am the psychiatrist described below all of the time, every appointment, and every day. I have my own bad days, just as everyone else does! But I can promise ALL of my patients present and future that I will always do my sincere best to understand whatever led you to seek help, and I will provide the time and energy to help you find answers, to get relief from turmoil, and to help you understand that I ‘have your back.’
Why Psychotherapists Fail To Help People Today
by admin on January 18, 2011
I receive updates from the American Psychiatric Association about new findings related to psychiatry and addiction. I thought that the following article about a connection between video games and psychiatric conditions, notably depression and anxiety, is worth sharing.
I find it interesting (and worrisome) that we tend to move forward with technology without ever a pause to consider the long-term impact of our inventions on our mental health, not to mention our physical health. We act as if every bit of progress is ‘good,’ just because it is more advanced, smaller, faster, and more interesting. I’m no technophobe; I love using my iphone, and appreciate being able to share my thoughts with whoever stumbles across my blog, regardless of the reader’s nationality. But it does not take a great deal of insight for those of us older folks to see what the younger generation has given up, in return for all of their amazing gadgets. I have certainly seen individual students and young adults who would benefit from fresh air. And I have worked with people whose marriages suffered and failed, in part because of the easy escape from engaging conversation to mind-numbing fantasy games.
The article, complete with links to more extensive information:
Bloomberg News (1/16, Lopatto) reported, “About nine percent of children play such long hours of video games that they are pathological gamers, increasing risks of anxiety, depression, bad grades and social phobia,” according to a study published online Jan. 17 in the journal Pediatrics. In a two-year study encompassing some 3,034 youngsters in third, fourth, seventh, and eighth grades, researchers found that “the compulsive gamers played for a weekly average of 31 hours compared with 19 for kids not deemed pathological.” For study purposes, “gamers are considered pathological when their playing interferes with everyday life, and their behavior is described as being similar to that of gambling addicts, according to background information in the paper.”
This is a preview of
Video Games May Worsen Depression and Anxiety
.
Read the full post (427 words, estimated 1:42 mins reading time)
by admin on December 12, 2010
One of the most common complaints that I hear from people in my practice is that they are not ‘happy.’ Today I cam across a quotation about happiness, and the written words rang true with my own observations about the pursuit of happiness. For example, happiness seems to be something that people remember, much more often than they actually experience. And there is clearly an inverse correlation between intelligence, memory, or ‘depth,’ and the state of happiness– a state of affairs that doesn’t quite sit right!
I enjoy reading quotations; they often contain a great deal of wisdom, and can be, at times, a very efficient means of obtaining insight. Some thoughts on happiness:
Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.
Abraham Lincoln (1809 – 1865)
Happiness is nothing more than good health and a bad memory.
Albert Schweitzer (1875 – 1965)
A person is never happy except at the price of some ignorance.
Anatole France (1844 – 1924)
Happiness is that state of consciousness which proceeds from the achievement of one’s values.
Ayn Rand (1905 – 1982)
Content makes poor men rich; discontentment makes rich men poor.
Benjamin Franklin (1706 – 1790)
The pursuit of happiness is a most ridiculous phrase; if you pursue happiness you’ll never find it.
C. P. Snow (1905 – 1980)
Happiness is always a by-product. It is probably a matter of temperament, and for anything I know it may be glandular. But it is not something that can be demanded from life, and if you are not happy you had better stop worrying about it and see what treasures you can pluck from your own brand of unhappiness.
Robertson Davies (1913 – 1995)
