Search Results for: blog what not to say to people in distress 1

The Thoughtless Things People Say at Funerals (1)

Whether it is the death of a parent, a sibling, a spouse or a child, when the deceased is close to you, the pain is immense. Despite the obvious nature of this statement, many people fail to be able to adequately console the bereaved. In fact they make the situation much worse by saying the most tactless, thoughtless and sometimes just plain stupid things to people who are grieving. One of the most obvious cases is when the deceased is a newborn. Most deaths are occasions for sadness and mourning and the death of a baby is one of life’s … Continue reading →

Born-Again Christians a Potential Threat to Mental Health Sufferers (1)

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I’ve written about this topic before. Sadly I have to write about it again. While some born-again Christians are wonderful, caring people, many are not. And one of the areas where they do the greatest amount of damage is when they believe they can “cure” sufferers of depression and other mental illnesses by praying over them and casting out demons. Sadly, another case has come to light where a born-again Christian named Joyce took it upon herself to care for a distressed woman who had been sexually assaulted and now suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. This afflicted woman was also … Continue reading →

Can Hypnotherapy Help You Create a Healthy Lifestyle?

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A friend of mine hates answering the phone. She hates it so much that she ignores any calls from unknown numbers and never even checks her voicemail. As a small business owner, she fears that she’s losing lots of business — but even that won’t get her to listen to her messages. She mentioned wanting to try hypnotherapy to help get her past her phone problems. Personally, I think it’s a good idea. Hypnotherapy isn’t just the stage tricks we see at fairs and on television. Working with a trained, licensed hypnotherapist can help a person make huge life changes. … Continue reading →

Corrina, Corrina (1994)

“Corrina, Corrina” is a deeply touching film about a family who needs someone to step in and save them, but when someone does, they’re not sure how to take it. Ray Liotta stars as Manny Singer, a young father who has just lost his wife. He has one child, a daughter named Molly (Tina Majorino) who was very attached to her mother and doesn’t know how to deal with the death. In the days and weeks following her mother’s passing, Molly refuses to talk, won’t interact with anyone, and shows other signs of great emotional distress. Manny’s not doing well … Continue reading →

Does Your Doctor Not Understand Mental Illness?

I am often frustrated when one of my clients goes to see their doctor for a physical ailment and is basically dismissed, or at best, condescended to, simply because they have a record of mental illness, either past or present. It seems that once you have suffered from depression or anxiety, or worse still, one of the major mental illnesses, every little twinge, whether it be in your stomach or your big toe, is often put down to a symptom of mental illness. Yes, they will tell you that “It’s all in your mind, dear.” I once had a patient … Continue reading →

Poll Says Poor Parenting to Blame for Violent Behavior

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When kids turn to violence, often the parents are blamed. The recent violence in Virginia has many people pointing fingers. A recent poll by the Family Education Network shows that 32% of respondents blame “poor parenting and problems at home”, as the factor most responsible for school shootings. Other reasons were: 15% cited mental illness or copycatting 18% felt easy access to guns and/or violent media images was to blame 20% said that God is missing from the classroom 15% blamed trouble with teachers and classmates Being a parent is hard and it’s sad that some people blame the parent … Continue reading →

Planning Ahead For A Successful Transfer Of The Family Business

The heirlooms that pass from one generation to the next vary greatly between families. One family may cherish a clock, some china, and a set of silver while another may have an antique dining room set and some framed portraits that have been handed down over the years. Some families pass an even more complex legacy on to their children – a family business. Family businesses can be a wonderful asset to present and future generations. They can also be the source of much distress, if no one in the family seems interested in continuing the business or of there … Continue reading →

Military Dogs Developing PTSD

As all human American troops leave Iraq, one special group continues to deploy: K-9 units. These dogs have a special role in the country, as their noses have proven more effective at finding bombs than any technology employed. The New York Times profiles these military canines. Iraq doesn’t use sniffer dogs nearly as much as the United States, and so far they’re only used for bomb-sniffing, not to locate mines or cadavers or other common jobs for military/law enforcement dogs. Of the 310 American sniffer dogs now currently deployed in Iraq 8 are trained to find narcotics, but the rest … Continue reading →

San Francisco Circumcision Ban Removed from Ballot

Circumcision has come under fire lately. Actor Russell Crowe went on a Twitter rant last month about circumcision. Crowe started the tweet with “Circumcision is barbaric and stupid. Who are you to correct nature? Is it real that GOD requires a donation of foreskin? Babies are perfect.” It got even nastier as his second tweet, calling circumcision “Hygenic?” then said if people wanted to be hygienic they should sew up their…um, butts, only he didn’t put it quite as nicely. Crowe quickly issued a public apology, saying “wasn’t intending offense, certainly wasn’t intending to provide fodder for lazy journalists. I … Continue reading →

Mental Health and Young Black Men

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While working in the prison system in Florida as a therapist over 50% of my caseload were black men. We could spend days discussing the issues contributing to that number, but in the prison I was most concerned with why the person who was sitting in front of me needed my services. Historically, black men were not “allowed” to experience mental health issues. There have been books written about the social stigma of mental illness in the black community; even simple depression is something black men were encouraged to hide. So, I was surprised by what my clients were presenting … Continue reading →