For some families, holidays are just another excuse to get together to eat good food and to have a good time. They’re not looking for articles like this one because they’ve somehow figured out the formula for successful family togetherness with minimum stress. If you have a challenging family, it’s only human to be a bit incredulous and then more than a bit jealous to see other folks living out the holiday fantasy when you’re just trying to live through it. Just because it’s always been that way doesn’t mean you’re doomed to a lifetime of Thanksgivings where you just grin and go to your happy place until, thank goodness, it’s over! You can make a difference. You may even be able to start to enjoy ...

The holidays are upon us once again, so I thought this would be an ideal time to review some of the common problems people experience during the holidays as well as some tips for coping with these problems. The main problems people experience are increased depression (or feeling blue), feeling overwhelmed by stress and pressure, and overeating. Holiday depression is common and perhaps up to 10% of the population suffers from it to some degree or another. Depression is associated with the holidays because this season brings back memories of a happier time in our lives. We may remember spending past holidays with a loved one who is no longer with us. Or we may get depressed by seeing so many others ...

I thought I'd write a few words about the holidays and the blues, because this is the time of the year people commonly experience feelings of depression, sadness, and loss when many others are enjoying and celebrating the holidays. Holiday depression is common and perhaps up to 10% of the population suffers from it to some degree or another. It is usually related to the holiday season because it brings back memories of a happier time in our lives. We may remember spending past holidays with a loved one who is no longer with us. Or we may get depressed by seeing so many others who have someone special in their lives -- whether it be their family, close friends, or a ...

How often has this happened to you: You enter a room and forget why you wanted to go into that room, or you cannot find your keys or your glasses? You may become frightened that you are losing your memory. But in fact, everyone -- in any age group -- has trouble remembering things from time to time. Memory is critical to our daily lives. Memory is the capacity to retain information about past events, and helps us plan future events. We should be aware of how our memories work, what changes occur in memory over time, and how we can improve our memories as we get older. Fortunately, most changes in memory are normal changes of the aging process, or may be caused by temporary ...

If you have recently received a diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome for one of your children, you may be asking yourself, "How could this be?" You are probably experiencing a lot of emotions right now, but your brain has also kicked into high gear as you search for an explanation. You want to know "Why?" Where did it come from? Isn’t Asperger Syndrome an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)? Is it genetic? Is it due to a poor diet or childhood immunizations? Could our toxic environment be a contributor? While there are many contributing factors (such as environmental toxins and dietary sensitivities) and scientists are still uncovering the mystery of ASDs, one often overlooked factor is that one or both parents ...

Talking about one's financial situation early in a relationship is as important as talking about safe sex. It's something that needs to be shared just as early and just as deeply. When deciding whether to pursue a relationship, both people deserve to know what they are getting into. They can then see if it's possible to handle what may be uncomfortably different financial status, differing values about money, or different assumptions about what is and what isn't each other's business. As challenging as the "money talk" may be, it is a crucial step in a developing relationship. As a relationship becomes more serious, the money conversation becomes more serious as well. Being open about money matters and negotiating who pays for what and what ...

Involuntary Emotional Expression Disorder, or IEED, is a condition in which a person experiences uncontrollable episodes of emotional expression. That is, they have episodes of crying, laughter, or anger that are not in line with their present mood. The condition is also known as labile affect, pseudobulbar affect, emotional lability, and pathological laughing and crying. It can have a severe impact on the lives of both patients and caregivers, as symptoms may leave sufferers feeling guilty, awkward, embarrassed and reluctant to take part in social interaction. IEED is seen most often following brain injury or in people with dementia, motor neuron disease, and multiple sclerosis. It can appear at any stage of the associated diseases. Its prevalence was estimated in 2007 by Walter Bradley, MD, of ...

Experts have challenged two basic assumptions behind food choices and the causes of obesity. Drs. Jeff Brunstrom and Peter Rogers of the University of Bristol, UK, investigated the theory that we eat larger amounts of tasty foods, and that these foods tend to be energy-dense. They explain that highly palatable food is more widely available than ever before. This is one aspect of the so-called "obesogenic environment," thought to contribute to rising levels of obesity. But they ask: does this necessarily lead to the selection of larger meals? To answer the question, they carried out a study to measure ideal portion sizes of several popular and well-liked foods. Crucially, they also measured "expected satiation," that is, to what degree each food would satisfy diners. In the experiment, ...

According to the National Institute of Health, drinking -- the drug of choice among youth -- plays a major role in death from injuries, and injuries are the leading cause of death for kids under 21. Alcohol also significantly increases the likelihood of risky sexual behavior, including unprotected sex, multiple partners, and physical and sexual assault (NIAA, 2007). How do we set limits on our teenagers so that the limits are actually protective and not just a reaction to anger? It’s easy to take teens’ provocative behavior personally and ...

Ever wanted to go beyond the doors of a psychiatric hospital? To have a key to the locked units? To witness the day-to-day at a legendary institution mired in mystery and folklore? Weekends at Bellevue, a medical memoir by psychiatrist Julie Holland, gives readers this very opportunity, taking them inside the infamous New York City hospital. As the doctor in charge of Bellevue’s psychiatric emergency room (known as CPEP), Dr. Holland had a front row seat to the “madness” and mayhem from 1996 to 2005. Her job was to decide who was admitted — whether voluntarily or involuntarily — and who was released, which didn’t necessarily bring relief to everyone, especially those who came to Bellevue for a night’s sleep. Bellevue has a long, ...

When I was a new therapist, I thought the hardest thing for couples to talk about would be their sex life. Not so. As long as neither one is cheating, talking about sex is a walk in the park for many couples. It’s when I bring up the “m” word, money, that things get really, really tense. However mature and enlightened we may feel we are, the subject of money often is still related to the individuals' self-esteem issues and power in the relationship. If a couple has avoided dealing with their attitudes toward money and how it will be earned and spent, it becomes a danger zone in the relationship. The more apart they feel in their values about money, the ...

Researchers have found that older people who take aspirin or certain other drugs to prevent blood clots are at risk of "microbleeds" in the brain. Elderly people often experience damage to the small vessels in the brain, as shown on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Cerebral microbleeds can indicate that this type of damage has taken place. Microbleeds in lobar brain sites demonstrates a type of small vessel disease known as cerebral amyloid angiopathy, in which the buildup of amyloid--a protein linked to Alzheimer's disease--causes degeneration of smooth muscle cells and increases the chance of blood vessel ruptures and hemorrhages. Taking certain anticlotting drugs may lead to bleeding-prone brain vessels. So Dr. Meike Vernooij and colleagues at Erasmus MC University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands, investigated the link. They ...

Travis was 15. He’d always been a good kid – no trouble, unlike his brothers. His parents saw him as the perfect child. That’s why it was jolting and perplexing to his parents that this semester he started breaking rules, getting into trouble, and seeming downright provocative. Travis was recently caught drunk after being at friends’ houses and engaging in risky and dangerous activities. He recently remarked to his father, “I can’t wait to get my dirt bike. Then I’ll be able to go anywhere I want and go scary-wild!” Travis’ dad was shocked by this comment and angry that Travis seemed to be purposely and intentionally rebelling. What should his ...

My 20-year-old daughter tells me she thinks the reason so many young relationships fail is because of the “chick flicks.” You know: Those movies where the focus is entirely on the heady romance between a man and a woman for whom each other is the entire universe. She – and he – swoons over the other. Any blip in their relationship consumes their time and attention. He proves his love by doing anything to win her back. She proves her love by giving him another chance. Both are crazy in love. A wise teacher of mine once said that the crazier in love a couple is, the more inappropriate the partners. He said that to love someone who makes you crazy is temporary insanity! ...

I do not have any brothers or sisters. Yes, I am an only child. So what? It is okay with me that I don’t have brothers or sisters, so why is it often not okay with the rest of the world? Why do people often think they know everything there is to know about me simply because I do not have siblings? I don’t profess to know anything about anyone else because they are the oldest child, middle child, or youngest child of their family. Why should anyone profess to know anything about me based on one thing? Only children get a bad rap. We’re supposedly coddled, tantrum-prone, attention-hogging, and always have to have our own way. Hearing someone ...