I listened to a Podcast from “OnBeing” guided by Krista Tippet as she interviewed Vivek Murthy who is the Surgeon General of the United States. The focus of the podcast was on how to “Be A Healer.” It was very moving as Dr. Murthy’s compassion and love for others came through as he discussed healing…

It took me awhile to learn what TMI meant even though I work with a lot of people who seem to be burdened by knowing too much about others. I have come to see that their feeling burdened is related to their feeling and acting responsible for others. This “responsibility” is a burden because even…

Suicide is a leading cause of death for adolescents. A recent article in JAMA Psychiatry by Nock, Ph.D.,et. al. decribes research investigating what factors lead to suicidal behavior in adolescents. Lifetime rates of: suicidal thoughts = 12%; suicidal plan = 4%; suicidal attempts = 4%. Importantly, 60% of adolescents who are suicidal with a plan,…

A number of behaviors that are frequently found associated with people who have ADHD, seem to be coping strategies. Thus these behaviors help to reduce stress associated with ADHD even though they may appear to be symptoms of the disorder and a part of the problem. One behavior is procrastination. Deadline pressure seems to help…

There are a number of reasons that any person might have difficulty concentrating or focusing. I have had young adults in their 20’s come to me convinced that they have Alzheimer’s [Dementia] because they can’t remember to do things even after a short amount of time. Inevitably, they are experiencing stress and their brains automatically…

I have prescribed amphetamines [Adderall, Vyvanse, Dexedrine, Ritalin, Concerta, Focalin, Evekeo and others] for thousands of people of all ages that I have diagnosed with ADHD. To diagnose ADHD I require that current symptoms meet the current DSM criteria for ADHD as they are self-reported using a scale that has been shown to be reliable…

A number of different medications have been prescribed for PTSD. These mostly include antidepressants. At times this can be helpful as chronic stress associated with PTSD can lead to depression that can be relieved, at least in part, by medication. I say in part because if the stress connected to PTSD is ongoing then depressive…

Irritability is frequently seen along with problems focusing and concentration in people with ADHD. The irritability may reflect the stress associated with having to force concentration using energy in parts of the brain that is supposed to be reserved for emergencies or novel learning experiences or the irritability could be a way that the brain…

What now?! I suspect that most of us are tired of hearing about new dangers that we face. However, now that the Taliban is apparently not as much of a threat, maybe we can learn about something that is actually more of a threat to our health than the Taliban. What is this? They are…

Breathing is essential for life and seems fairly automatic. However, when we are stressed we often will hold our breath [briefly] and then have shallow and more rapid breaths. Our brains are preparing us for action to avoid some danger. Often, there is no real danger, just our anxious or feaful reaction to something that…