Mental Health Week in Review: August 24-31

by Beth McHugh | More from this Blogger

05 Sep 2008 07:12 PM

Men have a bad reputation for being commitment phobic, but is it really always them who are at fault? In Is Your Man Really Commitment Phobic? (1) we looked at the possibility whereby women who continually date men who " won't commit", actually have a problem with commitment themselves. You can read about the story of Melissa and her problems with commitment phobic men in the above link, and how she faced the reality of her own commitment problem in Is Your Man Really Commitment Phobic? (2).

We also had a five part series on the Empty Nest Syndrome. This common problem occurs either when the oldest child leaves home, or when the last child flies the nest. There can be a sense of emptiness and even depression in the parents who are left behind. Although this phenomenon is most common in mothers, particularly stay-at- home mothers who have devoted their lives to their children, it also occurs in fathers. You can read about what the empty nest syndrome is all about in The Empty Nest Syndrome (1) and how best to avoid it in articles 2 through 5. The links for all articles on the empty nest syndrome are listed at the end of this article.

In There Is No Time Limit to Grieving we looked at the pressures that society places on people to "get over" sadness and grief in their lives. In particular, we looked at how even the empty nest syndrome is regarded as a problem to solve rather than a process to work through. I also spoke about websites on the empty nest syndrome that recommend medical intervention should a parent still be feeling sad and upset over their child more than a week after the departure. There was even a suggestion of using antidepressants to cope with the empty nest syndrome. You can read my thoughts on the use of antidepressants for what is a normal and natural occurrence, that is, your child leaving home, by clicking on the above link.

Finally, we looked at a question that I am often asked in therapy. In Should You Confront a Narcissist about their Narcissism? I discussed the pros and cons of actually confronting your parent or spouse with the reality of their narcissistic personality disorder. You can read about what you can expect from such a confrontation by clicking on the link above.

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Related articles:

Is Your Man Really Commitment Phobic? (1)

Is Your Man Really Commitment Phobic? (2)

The Empty Nest Syndrome (1)

The Empty Nest Syndrome (2)

The Empty Nest Syndrome (3)

The Empty Nest Syndrome (4)

The Empty Nest Syndrome (5)

There Is No Time Limit for Grieving

Should You Confront a Narcissist about their Narcissism?

Learn more about Beth McHugh

Beth McHugh began her career as a geologist and worked both in industry and as a university researcher.

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