Sometimes A Path Less Taken Is The Right Path For You

At the mid-year mark for 12th graders, a common question is . . . “what are you going to do next year”. Here in modestly affluent suburbia . . . the unspoken expectation is college. So that question might as well be “what college do you want to go to?” Which is a fine question . . . → Read More: Sometimes A Path Less Taken Is The Right Path For You

Fine Tuning The Antenna–Small Adjustments In ADHD Medicine Can Bring A Clear Picture

As we head into the last stretches of the school year, some kids are clearly having more difficulty with focus/concentration and impulse control. Work habits are degrading and homework completion is increasingly difficult. Teachers are having to reconnect some kids to the task at hand more frequently. Others are having more impulsive behaviors toward peers . . . → Read More: Fine Tuning The Antenna–Small Adjustments In ADHD Medicine Can Bring A Clear Picture

Getting Better: Choosing a Greater Happiness

The last few mornings I have been reading and meditating on the following passage from a book entitled The Still Point Dhammapada:

“By giving up a lesser happiness one may gain a much greater one. Let the wise give up the lesser to attain the greater.”

As I sat, repeating that passage to myself . . . . → Read More: Getting Better: Choosing a Greater Happiness

Tenex–A Tonic To Treat Terrible Tantrums

One of the frequent issues I help parents deal with is a child who is profoundly angry . . . the “too mad too fast over dumb stuff” syndrome. It is a frequent accompaniment to both ADHD-spectrum issues and mood disorders, and is typically more difficult to deal with than the other presenting aspects of . . . → Read More: Tenex–A Tonic To Treat Terrible Tantrums

The Cost Of Ignoring ADHD

I interviewed a young man this past week who had recently had to take a second medical withdrawal from a prestigious (and expensive) university because of debilitating symptoms of depression. It struck him in the spring semester last year (his Freshman year) and then again this fall. Over the summer, he had seemed to get . . . → Read More: The Cost Of Ignoring ADHD

Toxic Effects of Chronic Stress–Bad for Adults, Even Worse For Kids

I came across an article in the September/October 2012 issue of Scientific American MIND concerning the effect that stress can have on children and their capacity to learn. The researcher summarized years of work and ongoing studies showing the effect of stress hormones on the developing neural connections in the prefrontal cortex (the part of . . . → Read More: Toxic Effects of Chronic Stress–Bad for Adults, Even Worse For Kids

The Quick Rush To Medicate

I came across a journal article lately that highlights an area of great concern for me and for others in the mental health world. A research paper published in the August edition of the Archives of General Psychiatry (a dense and difficult to read tome), identified a massive increase in the use of antipsychotic mood . . . → Read More: The Quick Rush To Medicate

Living With Bipolar Disorder . . . Picking A Partner–Lessons Learned From My Patients, Part II

I was going to write on another subject today, but was struck by the tone of this letter I received from the UK. I couldn’t help but respond. My original subject will wait a few days . . .

i have recently been diagnosed with bipolar. my fiance has turned really mean, puts me down . . . → Read More: Living With Bipolar Disorder . . . Picking A Partner–Lessons Learned From My Patients, Part II

“So What Does It Mean To Be Emotionally Well?”

I was working a health fair last weekend. Standing there at my table with my big ol’ sign behind me announcing myself as a “Partner in the Pursuit of Emotional Wellness” was interesting to say the least. Being a shrink is an odd job. I am more used to talking to people about their deepest . . . → Read More: “So What Does It Mean To Be Emotionally Well?”

The Shortage Of Adderall . . . and the scramble for solutions

As most of you ADHD kids/moms/dads know by now, there is a shortage of Adderall products in the United States. It has simmered all summer . . . only to hit the big time now that school is in full swing (great timing, big pharma!!). It has created havoc across the area and quadrupled the calls to the already full in-box on my voice mail. Everybody is blaming everyone else . . . . . . → Read More: The Shortage Of Adderall . . . and the scramble for solutions