Category: Blog Posts

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. 

 

Great news! My book – Entrepreneurial Couples Making it Work at Work and at Home is now available on as a Kindle edition on Amazon.com.

Entrepreneurial Couples Making it Work at Work and at Home examines the traps entrepreneurial couples can fall into and offers practical advice for dealing with them. For example, entrepreneurial couples with a full family life have greater potential for breakdown in communication than do other couples. They often fail to confront issues head-on, instead relying on compromise and other avoidance techniques to ward off conflict.

How does a couple balance intimacy with family life and meaningful work? You’ll read how to assess strengths and weaknesses in each area of your life, improve communication with your partner, develop flexibility, and reexamine priorities, offering a new way to design and live a more balanced, integrated, and meaningful entrepreneurial life.

“This book is a must read for any couples who are in business together.” W. Gibb Dyer Jr., Ph.D. Marriot School of Management, Brigham Young University

“We wish we had this information thirty years ago when we started our business.” Tom and Linda Denchel, Co-Owners, Tom Denchel Ford Country

Download your Kindle edition today!

Each and every individual is endowed with strengths and weaknesses. In order to find success and joy in life, you must learn to work with those strengths and weaknesses. How is this possible?
 

The New York Times published an interesting article about a man who has mastered the art of working with his strengths and overcoming his weaknesses. His name is Adam Grant. He is a professor at Wharton and an organizational psychologist. Organization psychology takes the principles of psychology and apply them to the workplace. He works with companies to help them care for and motivate their employees and also works with the employees to get the most out of their work. Grant is approachable, helpful, and dedicated. He believes that the biggest source of motivation should be found in helping others. His book, “Give and Take” centers around this idea that satisfaction and productivity are linked to extreme giving. 

 

What struck me about Grant was reading about his childhood and adolescence. He was shy, socially awkward, and had a fear of public speaking. Grant challenged himself to overcome his social weaknesses and in the process learned that giving enabled him to do that. He learned to work within his strengths and weakness and now has joy and success. What a win-win situation! I recommend reading his story in the article – Is Giving the Secret to Getting Ahead? 

To learn more about finding success and working with your strengths and weakness, visit Personal Growth. 

Have people ever called you “too intense” or perhaps “too driven”? Or maybe people have said “Why don’t you slow down?” or “Can’t you do just one thing?” Do you have a habit of starting a new book to read before you have finished the old one? Is there only one person in a hundred who understands your jokes? Have you always felt like you just didn’t fit in?
 
If you can answer yes to these questions, you might just be a gifted adult. A gifted person according to the National Association of Gifted Children is, “someone who shows, or has the potential for showing, an exceptional level of performance in one or more areas of expression.”

One major characteristic of gifted adults is that they seldom realize that they are gifted. They may know they are smart, if they did well in school, but many gifted adults performed average in school.  And even if you know that you are smart, the term “gifted” seems extreme. Often times, gifted adults grew up with very little social reinforcement for who they are. When you think differently and act differently than most everyone else you associate with, most people come to doubt their perceptions and thus doubt themselves.

After years of rejection and misunderstanding, the gifted adult has much misinformation about his or herself that may even be described as a “false self.” Through psychotherapy and education about giftedness, the gifted adult can reclaim their true self and find the meaning in life that they have a hidden longing for. 

If you are a gifted adult or believe you have a gifted child, contact my office to set up an appointment. Let’s unleash that gift together! For more information, visit Personal Growth – Gifted Adults  and Parenting Effectively – Guiding a Gifted Child.