Dr. Payton

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…

How do you know what is the right dose of medication? I’ve already talked about the fact that doses are often established based on statistical averages. This means that a percentage of people [32%] are more than one standard deviation above and below the mean. These people will need doses that may not fit the…

The above was recommended in a children’s book ; Wonder, by R.J. Palacio, that I read recently. The book is about a boy with a severe craniofacial anomoly. In other words, his face is very distorted, startlingly so. The boy is teased and the book portrays how he and his family, friends and classmates deal…

Recently I heard a poem entitled “let go.” This poem by an unknown author repeatedly talks about why it is important to let go. What is it that we are supposed to be letting go? The poem states that it is not about stopping caring but the recognition that we can’t do it for others.…

Reverence is a feeling of profound awe and respect. Albert Schweitzer felt that having a reverence for all life was ethical and moral, while anythng that destroys, harms or hinders life is wrong. Schweitzer believed that alll life was sacred. He spoke out against war and nuclear weapons as well as speaking out against our…

It is difficult to assess the risk of suicide and suicide attempts in children and adolescents although it is possible to identify risk factors. One risk factor that seems to be important involves how a parent talks to their child or adolescent. If statements are mostly negative that are directed to the child or adolescent,…

A woman who comes to me mentioned that every month she has intense emotions and irritability during the 5-7 days before the onset of her period representing symptoms of a premenstrual sydrome [PMS].  This person also has post traumatic stress disorder [PTSD] and I wondered if there is a connection between her PMS symptoms and…

Almost all research involves larger numbers of people and this allows the results to be discussed as the probability that the changes in symptoms was related to the treatment. This does not tell any individual if the treatment will work for them except that it can be said that there is a probability [% liklihood]…