Category: Blog Posts

Did you know that talk therapy has a biological impact on your brain? Talk therapy affects the brain. During talk therapy, an individual learns news ways to think which forms new connections in the brain. Developing new patterns of thinking, new behaviors, and resolving unconscious behaviors are just a few of the benefits of talk therapy.

While medication may be necessary, talk therapy can at times be a solo treatment or combined with meds. Sometimes individuals want a “quick fix” and want to only take medication and avoid seeking out therapy. However, the benefit to taking the time for therapy is that you will learn skills that can help you for the rest of your life. Opening up takes time, but the results are worth it. Healing your brain is a gift worth fighting for. (To read more about talk therapy, read the NYTimes.com article – Invitation to a Dialogue – Benefits of Talk Therapy)

As a psychologist, I offer a variety of Psychotherapy Options including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. CBT address the way people think. The techniques are designed to change faulty irrationally thinking into more constructive, solution-oriented thinking. Often people are stuck because they have an irrational belief from childhood that keeps them from living the way they wished they could. CBT is usually considered short-term therapy, perhaps 8-10 one-hour sessions. Click here to learn more about CBT.

Words are powerful. They can hurt and they can heal. The words we use can give us a peek into who we really are. Words should be chosen carefully.

Recent studies have shown that the words we use as a society have drastically changed in the last 50 years. Individualistic words such as “self,” “unique,” and “I come first” are more common than communal words such as “share,” “community,” and “united.” Other common words trends include a decline in moral terms, expressions of gratitude and humility, as well as compassion. (To learn about these specific studies, read the article – What Our Words Tell Us at NYTimes.com)

The theme is that the society is becoming more and more focused on self or self absorbed and more depressed. You might want to think about the words you choose and how they paint a portrait of who you really are. If you would like to become less focused on yourself and more aware of your relationship to others, speak to a mental health care professional. You may be in a negative mode that could be affecting the quality of your life and your relationship with others. Contact my office to set up an appointment.

Recommended Blogs:
Working Within Your Strengths – Practice Giving
Reasons Why You Should Cultivate a Grateful Attitude

Entrepreneurial life equals a busy life. Maintaining balance between the business and the family takes hard work and determination. When working with entrepreneurial couples, I encourage them to focus on five tools for accessing purposeful growth. These five areas are key to adapting to the ebb and flow of the entrepreneurial lifestyle. One of these tools is to get healthy.

Getting healthy is something we all know we should do, but can easily shove aside when the day gets busy. Why is taking care of our physical health so important? Science has proven that your eating and exercise habits profoundly affect your intellect and longevity. Isn’t that what we all want? Take some time to assess your physical health and then develop a routine to correct whatever needs to be adjusted.

Here are a few simple things that could make a big impact on your health: 

The new Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, DSM-5, is about to be released. There has been mixed response from the medical community about the revisions in the “Bible of mental disorders.” One expert, Dr. Thomas R. Insel, director of the National Institute of Mental Health, suggests that the DSM is the best out there at the moment, but would like to see some changes.

Dr. Insel believes that disorders should be categorized not only by symptoms, but by also looking at biology, genetics, and neuroscience. Chairman of the DSM revisions and professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh, Dr. David J. Kupfer commented on this problem. He said, “The problem that we’ve had in dealing with the data that we’ve had over the five to 10 years since we began the revision process of D.S.M.-5 is a failure of our neuroscience and biology to give us the level of diagnostic criteria, a level of sensitivity and specificity that we would be able to introduce into the diagnostic manual.”

Insel and other scientists are looking to establish a new way of looking at and diagnosing mental disorders. To learn more about this subject, read the New York Times Article – Psychiatry’s Guide is Out of Touch With Science, Experts Say.

Click here to read my blog – How Changes in New DSM-5 Impact Those With Asperger Syndrome.

In a recent blog, I discussed that depression, anxiety, and stress could be linked to sleep disorders like sleep apnea. Now new research shows that ADHD could be diagnosed instead of a sleep disorder diagnosis.

The New York Times article- Diagnosing the Wrong Deficit – takes a look at the rise in ADHD diagnoses, but is it really ADHD? ADHD is linked to hyperactivity and difficulty concentrating, but these could also be symptoms for sleep depravation. Sleep depravation is rising among adults and also children. We are sleeping less than we did in the past. Some possible culprits are technology and stress. Lack of sleep can cause a variety of physical and emotional health problems.

This is not to say that an ADHD diagnosis is wrong. It’s important if you feel that you or your child is experience symptoms that could be linked to ADHD, speak to your doctor. A specialist will ask questions such as:

• Do your behaviors and feelings show that you have problems with attention and hyperactivity? (Your doctor might ask you questions about your past, your life now and your relationships. You may write down answers on forms.)
• Have you had these problems for a long time, ever since you were a child?
• Do you have a hard time keeping your temper or staying in a good mood? Have you had these kinds of problems since you were a young child? Do these problems happen to you both at work and at home? Do family members and friends see that you have problems in these areas?
• Do you have any physical or mental health problems that might affect your behavior? Your doctor may give you a physical exam and tests to see if you have medical problems that are like ADHD.

For more information, visit my website – ADD & ADHD or contact my office to set up an appointment.

When you love and care for an adult with Asperger Syndrome, you need a safe place to share your story about the frustrating and isolating life that you experience. Asperger Syndrome: Partners and Family of Adults with ASD has proved to be a valuable resource and a safe environment to share intimate and delicate scenarios that only those who live that life can understand.

On May 18, 2013, we will be meeting to discuss the topic, “How to love an abusive person.” There is a reason why Dr. Simon Baron-Cohen published a book entitled, “The Science of Evil: On Empathy and the Origins of Cruelty.” While he believes that Aspies have good intentions, he attributes their socially clueless behavior to lack of empathy. When on the receiving end of this lack of empathy, many neuro-typicals (non Asperger’s) view these behaviors as unloving and even abusive. The question becomes, if the intention is not to cause harm, is it still abuse? Furthermore, how do you hold love in your heart for a person who consistently breaks your heart?

Please join us for an in depth look at this subject. If you will not be able to attend in person, please become a member of our online community. I look forward to hearing your stories.

My book, Life with a Partner or Spouse with Asperger Syndrome: Going Over the Edge is available for purchase. Click here to download a free sample chapter.