Pathologizing Normal Behavior
There is an old joke among mental health professionals (old; not necessarily funny): if a patient is early for his appointment, he’s anxious; if he’s late, he’s passive-aggressive; and if the patient is precisely on time… he’s obsessive compulsive. Early, late, or on time doesn’t matter. What matters if that we can pathologize just about [...]
Pharmaceutical Reps
We have a psychiatrist who sublets office space from our Institute. At least, I think he still does. At one time he was in the office a half-day, five days per week. That gradually slowed down to one afternoon a week; now I only see him once or twice each month. The busier he is [...]
Holiday Sanity
I’m often asked about Holiday Stress: is my counseling practice busier? Do I see more depression or marital problems? What about all the reports of increased suicides from Thanksgiving to New Years? The truth is my practice slows down over the holidays. I think it’s simply a factor of economics. If you had to make [...]
Cohabitation and Child Abuse
“This is the dark underbelly of cohabitation,” said Brad Wilcox, a sociology professor at the University of Virginia. “Cohabitation has become quite common, and most people think, ‘What’s the harm?’ The harm is we’re increasing a pattern of relationships that’s not good for children.” -Brad Wilcox, University of Virginia From the Washington Post: Children living [...]
A Salty Piece of Land
My secret’s been out for a few months now: I’m a parrothead. I am the target audience for Jimmy Buffett’s A Salty Piece of Land. In order for someone like me to NOT like this book, it would have to have been ghost written by a third grader. The publisher’s review at Amazon sums up [...]
Give Thanks
Thanksgiving Day comes, by statute, once a year; to the honest man it comes as frequently as the heart of gratitude will allow. ~Edward Sandford Martin
Holiday Blues: 2
So I did the radio show this morning… and it was a lot of fun. Gwen and Seth put me at ease and the hour passed quickly. Of course, I didn’t really get a chance to touch my notes; call-in shows kind of take on a life of their own. Instead of talking about this: [...]
Holiday Blues
I will be on the radio tomorrow morning to be interviewed about Holiday Blues. If you can, tune into KFAQ (1170 am in Tulsa) around 7:30 on the 21st. If you can’t (or just flat don’t want to), here are the notes I’ll be taking with me into the studio: Strategies to Minimize Holiday Blues [...]
Marriage Quotes
He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord. Proverbs 18:22 (ESV)
