A recent blog entry by Satoshi Kanazawa, an evolutionary psychologist, recently came across my desk that made the outrageous claim that one cannot chose one’s religion. If one’s family is a Muslim, you will be too, no matter what you actually practice — genetically speaking.

He relates this piece of news by suggesting that Obama cannot choose to be a Christian, because his family was a Muslim. He suggests that, genetically, Obama is a Muslim no matter what he practices.

If this doesn’t pass the basic logic smell test for you, then you’re not alone.

Like other world religions, Islam not only is a religion but also comprises largely endogamous ethnic groups. When a group of individuals remain largely or entirely endogamous (marry only other members of the group and not outsiders), forming what geneticists call a deme, they become genetically distinct over time.

This is a dubious claim at best that falls under the “red herring” logical fallacy. Here’s why.

I’ve had the clandestine identity writer since I first scribbled in crayon on the living room wall. But there was always one small problem: talent. So the first thing I needed to do was to go out there and get me some of that God-given talent that God hadn’t given me yet. Here are the lessons I’ve learned.

Lesson One: Getting some skill

I took a noncredit course at the New School in New York City called Finding Your Voice In Non-Fiction. It seemed perfect. For 10 weeks 20 of us sat around and critiqued each other’s essays. This confirmed something I had suspected: Some people were better writers than me. I could tell. Their writing had whole sentences and nifty words. They had nice little paragraphs and compelling stories about something that really happened to them.

I learned how to identify what made their writing enticing, which made my drivel more readable. This was a challenge, of course, but there was an even bigger realization helping me: There were people who were worse than me.

I often write about the latest research findings in mental health or psychology here, but most of the day-to-day work of helping people with a mental health issue falls onto people in one’s local community. Sure, psychologists, psychiatrists and other mental health professionals do the bulk of the work — individually or in small groups — but always in private and with little notice or recognition.

Beyond these front-line professionals, there are hundreds of small organizations, loosely-knit groups, and other advocates who expend constant effort to try and help people learn more about mental health concerns and reach others with their message.

At the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM), a group of students is being trained to help recognize the signs and symptoms of depression and other serious mental health concerns. Because who better to help a fellow student in need than another student or one of their friends?

There were 2 presentations at this year’s annual American Psychological Association convention which were important to psychotherapists in particular. With the ever-growing challenge to prove efficacy of each and every treatment, healthcare providers and consumers alike face some confusion as to how much information is enough, or too much. Does every therapist need to give a long presentation about the relative proven efficacy of low-dose medication combined with verbal therapy — and 2 hours gardening per week? (I made up the last part, but hiking and fresh air were a popular cure for quite a long time in 19th Century Europe.)

Physicians are acutely aware of the need to know the research, and most ethical codes demand informed consent. Both health and mental health professionals provide information to their patients about effectiveness, efficacy, and other treatment options which may be equivalent.

Here is what a panel of  distinguished psychologists and ethics experts had say, which for most present sounded both reasonable (i.e., not rigid to the point of possibly actually doing harm) and grounded in the true intent of ethics among most healers/therapists — to help.

I’m just back from the American Psychological Association’s 118th Convention in San Diego this year. It’s the annual gathering of the tribes, where the latest in psychological research, education, and practice is shared. As the saying goes, if it’s August, therapists cannot be found. But options for connecting to a source of support extend beyond the consultation room. There is a powerful role to be played by support groups, online as well as face-to-face, and numerous self-help tools now employ both online and offline components.

The presentation I attended the first day of the convention highlighted ongoing research and discussion ranging from support group participation to self-guided cognitive training in the Mood Gym, to positive psychology’s approach: “teaching happiness.”

The creative process is a mysterious one. I sit down at my computer twice a week not knowing how I will do it and what will come out when I type. Yet, if I come to my desk present, open-minded and trusting, somehow my fingers do the work for me.

That doesn’t mean that I don’t have days when the writing doesn’t flow and that I don’t feel stuck. On those days, I notice it’s one or all of the three f’s: fatigue, fear or feeling frazzled that pushes me over the edge. Then, it feels like I’m trying to run in water or force a piece into a puzzle that just doesn’t fit.

I tend to think of those times as moments when self-care is vital. I might be feeling anxious, overworked or my own negative thoughts could be sabotaging my efforts. Yet, when we’re in most need of it, why do we neglect caring for ourselves?

Well, this week of top posts are all about getting the help you need whether its dealing with self-sabotaging beliefs about our abilities, dealing with postpartum depression or our negative body image. It’s important to recognize when we need help and to find the resources necessary to get us through those difficult days.

If you haven’t heard of Henry David Thoreau, you might be forgiven for thinking he has nothing to teach us from his time on this planet 150 years ago. I think that perhaps the 5 scientists who thought they might learn something about the brain and attention by taking a little camping trip could have figured this out by revisiting Thoreau’s writings:

I come home to my solitary woodland walk as the homesick go home. I thus dispose of the superfluous and see things as they are, grand and beautiful. I have told many that I walk every day about half the daylight, but I think they do not believe it. I wish to get the Concord, the Massachusetts, the America, out of my head and be sane a part of every day.
- Henry David Thoreau, Journal

Even 150 years ago, Thoreau was writing about the benefits of communing with nature, along with all of the transcendentalists of the mid-19th century. It’s neither a particularly new nor interesting idea, yet this connection isn’t even mentioned within the article. Applying the sheen of “brain science” to the benefits of taking a break from life (and life’s technologies) seems to be just the latest way of spinning some very old, well-worn ideas.

For all of the negative attention that technology sometimes gets — especially when it comes to teens — it was nice to come across this news article a few weeks ago.

A researcher running a small pilot study at the Columbus, Ohio Nationwide Children’s Hospital found that treatment adherence rates shot up amongst teen diabetic patients after they received personalized text message reminders on their cell phones. Which really is not all that surprising, since previous research has demonstrated similar increases in adherence to treatment with text messaging. But a demonstration of the power and utility of our interconnected world — how things like cell phones and iPhones can be used for good too.

Jennifer Dyer, MD, MPH conducted the study, but the way it was conducted suggests we still have a long way to go before this could become commonplace.

Have you ever noticed that when something bad happens to you or to someone close to you in your life (like a son or daughter, or a parent), some friends might offer help, while others disappear? This seemingly becomes more the case as we get older.

I was reading this interesting essay in The New York Times today and stumbled upon an explanation for this behavior — the guy quoted in the article called it “stiff arming” or “pseudo-care.” A friend offers help to you in your time of need, but then disappears.

Why do people do this? Are they afraid bad luck is “catching”?

The author of this essay describes how both her daughters suffered serious health problems in the same year — one from a rare disease, and the other from anorexia. Then she noticed that some of her long-time friends seemingly disappeared for nearly the entire year, coinciding with her daughters’ health problems.

I was touched by a Facebook fan’s message today. Mostly because a seemingly benign update affected her in such a way that it in turn had an impact on me. It made me appreciate all the different stages of life that we’re in. Some of you are going through heartbreak while others are celebrating personal victories. I hope that we can all meet somewhere in the middle and provide support, empathy and compassion for one another no matter what stage we’re in.

I don’t know about you, but it’s a reminder to not just be compassionate to others, but to myself. When push comes to shove, we often neglect the most important person-ourselves. We forget how much we’ve gone through and how far we’ve come. Grieving over our loved ones, dealing with a broken heart, forgiving ourselves and our partners for not being exactly where we want to be. These are all things that we need to learn how to do and I hope this week’s post will help you get there.

Speaking of which, this week it’s all about getting a more positive body image and how to appreciate life. Yes, it’s a mishmash as always, but its also always written with you in mind. Hope you have a great weekend and enjoy!

Neverready: When to Stop Planning or Procrastinating and Start Doing

(The Therapist Within) – You’ve read, researched, planned and prepared. What’s next? The doing part. But what if you feel like you’re in a permanent state of preparation and never feel ready to start doing? Go to this post. At least you can say you started doing something.

A particular kind of hormone treatment therapy to treat a rare birth defect is getting unwanted attention for one of its possible side effects — reducing the likelihood that the baby will be homosexual. The treatment is used to prevent genital abnormalities in the baby.

Normally, of course, such treatment would be unremarkable and nobody would much care. But some gay and lesbian groups seem to be outraged by this treatment, and want to turn a medical decision and medical issue into a political one.

Should such medical therapies be regulated by the government? Or should they be left to the judgment of the patient and the doctor?

I’m pleased to introduce Guideposts to Happiness, our new blog about helping you find tidbits of wisdom and happiness in your life, with Will …