Dr. Payton

I am writing this a day after an 18 year old killed 19 fourth grade children and 2 teachers. He had recently [after turning 18] purchased two AR-15 [assault] rifles and carried one into the elementary school. These rifles that the NRA calls “America’s rifle”can rapidly fire 40 bullets and are easy to reload. They…

“I just listened.” That is what a woman told me about her response when she was with someone who had just had a family member die suddenly. This woman was convinced that she had not been helpful and felt inadequate because of her listening and not talking. I asked what the person who had experienced…

Earlier, I wrote about the impact of being bullied and being a bully, ten years later. One study showed that children who were bullied were at significantly inreased risk for anxiety and depressive disorders while males were also more likely to be suicidal and girls to have agoraphobia [fear of public spaces and crowds]. The…

The title is a well known phrase and yet I believe that it contains an important message to all of us. The message has to do with the definition of neighbor. I am reminded of Fred Rogers [Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood] who clearly promoted the belief that we are all neighbors. If this is true then we are…

C. Joinson, Ph.D. et al, report in the June 2013 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry on their longitudinal study of the impact of early menarche and the development of depressive symptoms. They found that early menarche was correlated with increased depressive symptoms in 13 and 14 year…

Many of my patients tell me that they have to worry a lot so that they are “prepared.” If I am quiet after they tell me that they feel they need to be prepared, often they will say that they don’t know what they are preparing for. However, they still feel that they need to…

Recently I was listening to a cd on “mindfulness practice” from the “Teaching Company” and the lecturer said that when he is frustrated or upset with anyone he tells himself “just like me.” He then is more able to stop being stressed by the person or situation. I started to try this and it was…

Recently, I was listening to a “Great Courses” cd on the history of our understanding of evil. There was a discussion of the repeated experience that people who had participated in doing evil things were often convinced that they were doing their duty and what they should be doing. They were not acting like they…

Chrisitian religions speak about faith and living in faith. That seems like you are supposed to not worry about the future and instead be confident and then see what happens in our lives. So, instead of stressing ourselves by worrying and by predicting the future, we are invited to be open to what happens and…

Almost two years ago I decided to not accept the limitations that insurance companies place on what I charge. Insurance companies reimburse psychiatrists for a brief “medication check.” This often translates into a 10 minute session during which there is discussion of how the person is doing in general, an evaluation of current symptoms and…