In many communities across the nation August means children returning to school. This is what may have provoked David Brooks, columnist for the New York Times, to write his Op.Ed. commentary in the Tuesday, July 29, 2008 edition of the newspaper titled "The Biggest Issue.(page A19).In the article Brooks discusses America's declining educational achievement over the past 40 years. He states that the reason why this nation's productivity has moved from first in 1950 has a lot to do wi

A very troubling finding was reported by researchers at the Yale School of Medicine in the International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health. The report summarized findings from 13 nations. According to the findings there may be a link between bullying and suicidal ideation in children and adolescents.While there are limitations to the study, as, for example, that it is not yet know whether there is a link between bullying and actual suicide among children and teens, future studies are und

In case you think that life is without stress you will think again after you read some of these vignettes as told to me by ordinary people trying to lead ordinary lives.Vignettes:1. My wife is involved in a voluntary (unpaid) program at the public library summer program called "Paws to Read." Certified dog owners and certified and approved dogs, such as my wife has, lie on the library floor while small children from ages 3 to 8 years old, lie on the floor and read to the dog. The dogs

A study conducted by the Center for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto, Canada, compared groups of people, one in Canada and the others in Asia, as to how they handled depression. The findings revealed what many in the mental health community already guessed was true. Chinese subjects in the study talked about physical symptoms, such as tiredness, low energy and headaches while the Canadians talked about feeling sad, guilty and worthless.The reason for the differences is that in

Most Americans are now aware of the heated controversy over a political cartoon that appeared on the cover of New Yorker Magazine that appeared this week (April 14, 2008). My concern about the issue raised by New Yorker Magazine is not about politics or whether or not the magazine was correct in placing the cartoon on the front cover but on the question of thinking deeply, also known as "reading between the lines," or thinking abstractly or Critical Thinking.On the fact of it this

An interesting piece of research was published in the Journal of Consumer Research about the connection between watching crime scene investigation shows on television or viewing images of death and the problem of over-eating. It seems that people who watch these types of programs or think about their own deaths want to escape these unpleasant types of thoughts and do so by eating lots of sweets. Those who suffer from low self esteem are particularly vulnerable to over eating when confronted with

How many of you have twin children or even triplets and more? How many of you are having fun raising twins, or quads or more? The answer to both questions is that some of you have multiple birth families and, among those, some of you are having fun but some are not.I read an article recently, published by the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology, stating that many fathers and mothers of multiple birth deliveries experience more mental problems than parents of singletons. Interes

Are you someone who fears going to the dentist and avoids going even if you have a painful toothache? Your are not alone. There are millions of Americans who avoid visits to the dentist's office out of deadly fear. This is an extremely serious problem because neglect of oral health can lead to things such as: gum disease, cavities, infections, loss of teeth, high blood pressure, heart disease and death. Yes, oral neglect can be deadly and oral care is much more than a cosmetic issue.Why do s

Diabetes is a chronic and serious illness that, if left untreated, can lead to a slow and horrible death. Type 1 and Type 2 are the two varieties of this disease. In Diabetes insulin, which is a hormone, is produced by the Pancreas. The importance of insulin is that it pushes glucose into the cells comprising our bodies. Without glucose, the cells would die and we would perish. Glucose comes from the food that we eat. Our digestive system breaks down sugars and starches into glucose. When the pa

I read about an incident occurred the other day in the city of Denver, Colorado. July 1st, Mayor John Hickenlooper was scheduled to read the State of the City Message, an event that includes a public ceremony. He asked a popular local Jazz singer, Renee Marie, to sing the National Anthem prior to his reading of the State of the City Message. Unbeknownst to him, the singer proceeded to with a completely different song, one thought of as the Black National Anthem. The background tune was the Natio

Interestingly a study just released reports that teenagers between the ages of 12 and twenty one years old are drinking and have access to alcohol from adults at home. This should not be surprising news.The fact that many underage adolescents are drinking should be a matter of concern to parents across the nation because of the death rate among young people as a result of alcohol intoxication. Whether it's from driving under the influence of alcohol, using bad judgement and engaging in risky

One woman writes to Mental Help Net:I have heard so many comments about the woman having no sex drive, but what if it's the man? My husband's sex drive has considerably lowered in the past two years or so, and talking about it has made it worse. He used to work away from home and told me multiple times he sometimes masturbated as many as three times a day. Now, living back at home daily, he no longer masturbates, yet, we rarely have sex. I feel constantly rejected but, while I do not wan

I have am once again reminded of the importance of the above question because my wife and I are planning to relocate from Colorado to Florida. In planning the move we find ourselves faced with the daunting question of what items we want to take with us, sell or discard.Have you ever noticed that it can be difficult to get rid of stuff? For purposes of this posting I define "stuff" as any type of possession, from money to houses, papers, frying pans, newspapers, magazines, old

There was a time, quite recently, when the question was raised as to whether fathers were necessary in the rearing of children. I believe that research and common sense have put the question to rest. Discarding the research and focusing on those raised without the presence of a father, it is clear that many of them would have been better off if a father had been present.In my opinion, based on both my life and professional experiences, human beings need the presence of both mother and father to

Two recent studies came to the same conclusion: as we age, socializing helps keep our minds sharp and, perhaps, even prevents dementia. Study 1:The first study was conducted by Dr. Karen Ertel, a post doctoral fellow at the Department of Society, Human Development and Health at the Harvard School of Public Health. Her team found that those people who were socially integrated (socially active) had less than half the memory decline of those who were socially isolated.Dr. Ertel's team collected

Is it possible that in our daily lives of "quiet desperation" we over look daily miracles because we take so much for granted? I am asking this question not as a religious person because I am not religious. In fact, I am not even asking this question as a spiritual person and I do not believe that I am particularly spiritual. Instead, I am asking this question as simply and only, a living person who, along with everyone else, is trying to understand life and the difficulties we human b

In the previous posting we discussed the invisible disorder, PTSD. The discussion included a variety of reasons why Iraq and Afghani veterans have difficulty getting the help they need if, among other things, they suffer from PTSD. One of the greatest obstacles these veterans face is their own resistance to admitting they need help. The physical injuries suffered by these veterans are caused by combat, are visible and are both explainable and, in certain ways are acceptable. However, because PTS

I have the privilege of working with some very special people thanks to my wife and her involvement with an organization called Puppies Behind Bars and the Psychiatric Service Dogs that she provides to Iraq and Afghani war veterans with PTSD. Puppies Behind Bars does the primary training and my wife, through her organization, Golden Kimba Service Dogs, finishes the training for and with the veterans. These special people are the veterans who have served their this nation in Iraq and Afghanistan

Have you ever reached the point where you just cannot listen to another person's comments anymore? Have you ever reached the point where the sound of the television feels like it's over whelming noise? Have you ever reached the point where you do not want to go out to see or talk to anyone because your day has been filled with too much? Have you ever reached the point in a day where, if you have to deal with one more problem you will either shout or cry?Frequently, I hear the term "

It remains experimental. All the facts and information is not in as yet. The possibilities are wonderful and exciting. It's called DBS and that stands for Deep Brain Stimulation. In effect, what DBS really means is that Brain Pacemakers might be used to cure people of the most intractable and resistant types of depression.During the many years of my experience in mental health I came across patients for whom all the newest and oldest types of treatment for depression were unsuccessful. For t