Social Media Use: A Closer Look at the Real Meaning of Friends
September 3rd 2014People feel free to post comments on social media sites that they would never dare say to someone’s face. The cure, if only a partial one, is to get out of social media and to start living a real life. What is your opinion on this issue?
Treatment Before Tragedy: A Mother’s Plea
August 21st 2014A mother recalls seeing a donation box with a photo of a little boy with leukemia in a grocery store checkout line but never one of a child with serious mental illness. How can this be if twice as many children and young people die from suicide than those who die of all cancers combined? More in this commentary.
The Importance of Personal Experiences in Daily Psychiatric Practice
August 1st 2014In psychiatry, we do not complete physical exams; much of our diagnosis is born out of our observations, interviews, and conversations. Other medical fields, particularly surgery, require manual, technical, and motor skills. In this manner, psychiatry is unique. More in this commentary.
Humiliation and Its Impact On Our Patients and On Us
July 30th 2014To some extent, humiliation is part and parcel of the human experience. Some make the case that minor experiences can be psychologically beneficial. The important challenge for mental health professionals to help patients understand and reduce humiliation.
Will $650 Million in Genetic Studies Solve the Mystery of Mental Illness?
July 24th 2014Some doubt that even $650 million will go very far in speeding up the solution to the vast jigsaw puzzle known as neuroscience. According to this author, we have learned a great deal in basic science, but nothing at all that translates to better clinical care.