Mountain View, CA

The cover story of Psychology Today this month, “Diagnosed In Adulthood,” made me think back to the timing of my own diagnoses. They all came in adulthood, in my late twenties: anorexia, major depressive disorder (with the modifier of with psychotic features added later), and borderline personality disorder.

Borderline Personality Diagnosis: Two Things That Matter

Death anxiety is associated with a variety of mental health disorders. People with physical diseases and disorders can also suffer from extreme death anxiety. At the same time, fear of death can motivate you to achieve your life's goals. Debilitating death anxiety can be treated with therapy and medication. One...

Do You Suffer From Death Anxiety?

We’ve all been there—waking up in a cold sweat, with your heart pounding after a nightmare so vivid, that it’s hard to remember what’s real. Whether it’s frantically running from a faceless pursuer, falling from a great height, or being trapped in a room with no escape, these unsettling dreams can linger long after we’ve woken up.

2 Common Nightmares and Their Hidden Meanings

Events leading to hospitalization vary from person to person. Psychostimulant use is often a contributing factor. The context is important for understanding the illness. My intention in writing this blog is to share the experiences that I went through with my son, starting with the first manifestation of his illness and our journey through numerous subsequent episodes. Also, my purpose is to provide commentary as a parent and psychiatrist on issues that these experiences bring up, such as how the diagnostic process works in mental health, and how to work with treatment providers and medication issues. My hope is that reading this may be helpful for people with mental health issues and also their families and friends.

Events That Lead to a Mental-Illness ER Visit

Vaccinations prevent severe disease, disability, and death. Certain vaccines also seem to have brain benefits. Those who receive the flu and shingles vaccination have a significantly lower incidence of cognitive decline. Have you gotten the shingles vaccination? What about the flu vax? If so, I have good news and more...

The Surprising "Side-Effect" of Some Vaccinations

Psychology research shows that clothes shape first impressions and first impressions linger. The clothes you wear in court will influence the judge and jury's impression of you. The goal is to look trustworthy rather than attractive. You are involved in a legal case and the big day is near. Use...

How Should I Dress for Court?

Criticism is damaging because it shifts focus from the issue at hand to the perceived flaws of one's partner. Persistent use of defensiveness only delays addressing problems within the relationship. Contempt conveys to your partner that you consider yourself superior and think very little of them. In 1992, renowned clinical...

The 4 Strongest Predictors of Divorce

We need to work consciously to counter the shame around aging that we have internalized. While we certainly suffer many painful losses as we age, we also can gain notable gifts. To age with dignity, we need to come to accept our past, present, and future. by Bret Lyon. We...

We Don't Have to Be Ashamed of Aging

A good-enough marriage greatly depends upon letting go of the idealized partner and the perfect relationship. Identify what each spouse desires, accompanied by agreements of support. Allow clarity about desires and needs to support expressions of love. There are at least three reasons why a marriage will be experienced as...

What's a Good-Enough Marriage?

Navigating your child’s struggles while maintaining your own well-being can be incredibly challenging. Positive psychology offers valuable strategies that can help you stay connected and grounded. Here are five approaches you might find useful during hard times. I recently spoke with my friend Karen about navigating some of the...

Don't Go Into the Tunnel: The Practice of Loving Detachment

The preference for human doctors over AI is strong, especially for visits involving psychiatry and therapy. People are less likely to trust AI with personal clinical information, especially regarding mental health. The presence of AI as "the artificial third" impacts the patient-doctor and client-therapist relationship. New research suggests that, for...

Do People Prefer Human Doctors and Psychiatrists or AI?

Salem, OH

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Northern Kentucky Tribune

Every day, 8-year-old Emma sits in a small garden outside her grandmother’s home in Salem, Ohio, writing letters to her mom and sometimes singing songs her mother used to sing to her.

Thousands of parents die of overdoses; advocates say their kids need more help

Minimizing your feelings or your partner's actions is a lie that can wreak havoc on a relationship. The belief that you can change your partner is a dangerous lie that sets both of you up for disappointment. "We don’t need to talk about that" is one of the most destructive...

The 4 Biggest Lies That Destroy Love

Traditional definitions of childhood trauma often miss nuanced relational dynamics that can lead to trauma. The definition of relational trauma can encompass trauma from power-imbalanced, dysfunctional relationships. Vignettes depicting examples of relational trauma can show how subtle and indirect actions cause trauma. In my last post, I shared six reasons...

Relational Trauma: Is This You?

The unmarked burial site in Oldham contains 145 stillborn babies, 128 babies and children and 29 adults.

Babies and children among 300 bodies in mass grave

Grit can be learned. Parents and those working with children can teach it. Grit entails working strenuously toward challenges, maintaining effort and interest over time despite failure. Grit may be as important as innate talent for high-level accomplishment. Does your child give up on something after only one try? Does...

11 Commonsense Ways to Raise Gritty Children

Apache Junction, AZ

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Suzy Jacobson Cherry

When I studied Anthropology in college, I learned that teeth have been indicators of economic status just about forever. Archaeologists look at the teeth in ancient skeletons and know who the rich were based on their tooth decay. During the Renaissance period, it became fashionable for women to blacken their teeth to look like they were better off than they were, because the royals and aristocrats, who could afford sugar and sweets, had more rotten and missing teeth than the poor.

Opinion: Stop Stereotyping Bad Teeth as a Sign of Drug Addiction

Methadone maintenance therapy is proven safe and effective long-term treatment for opioid addiction. Studies show that taking methadone reduces the likelihood of an opioid overdose death. Many addiction medicine physicians support liberalization and improved methadone access. Methadone, a proven detoxification medication, as part of methadone maintenance therapy (MMT), is an...

Why Can't U.S. Doctors Prescribe Methadone for Opioid Use Disorder?

Mental health disorders have become epidemic in recent decades. One of the factors in lack of mental health is the continuous focus on the external world. People must focus on and cultivate their inner world for optimal mental health. Mental health has become a prominent topic in recent years and...

Cultivating Good Mental Health

Start with small, easy tasks if you can, or simply prioritize the most urgent ones. Keep yourself motivated by celebrating every tiny step forward and every tiny bit of success. Listen to what your body and mind are telling you—and give them the replenishment they need. September is here,...

How to Reduce Back-to-Work Stress

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Borderpolar: A Diagnostic Whiplash

Overlapping symptoms of Bipolar and Borderline include mood swings, impulsivity, and instability. Borderpolar is hard to diagnose due to overlapping symptoms with other disorders. Effective Borderpolar...

Borderpolar: A Diagnostic Whiplash

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