It happened several years ago, when one of the immigrants of Mexican origin I frequently saw as a patient in the poorer counties of California came to see me and pulled a pen and a steno pad out of her purse. My Spanish was a bit more rudimentary than it is now. She was matronly, with mostly grayed hair in the classic bun. She asked me if I could spend a few extra minutes with her. I told her I would take all the time I could, and try to serve her needs. It wasn’t her, she said. It was her youngest daughter, aged 13. Read more on Delayed Gratification And Life…
Filed under News, Psychiatrists, Psychology, Research, weight by on Feb 5th, 2016. Comment. 
People often want to know something about their psychiatrist.
There is this thing called “transference” where their past relationship history can certainly color what they think and feel. I have no big secrets to hide from my patients, so I can usually be direct and take only an insignificant amount of time on these issues. Usually it just takes one of my stabs at humor.
For those to whom religion is an important facet of life, I am often asked about my beliefs. I often end up saying things like, “I am very sorry I am Jewish and not the Christian you would have preferred, but do you think Christ could work through a crazy old Jewish lady like me who would work really hard to help you feel better?” A “yes” and a laugh and we get straight into the meat of things with that one. Read more on Liberal or Conservative — Different Brains or Different Opinions?…
Filed under News, politics, Psychiatrists, Psychology, Religion and Politics by on Jan 27th, 2016. Comment.
For most of my life I have been more or less overweight. I figured my body was just something I used to carry my brain around.
Tentatives at presentation (clothes, makeup) were just not as serious as with my women-friends. I mean, it was just not as important to my identity as “smart” was.
Back then — only a few years ago — I actually had a mental health worker (therapist) who allegedly had a particular interest in eating disorders ask me how I got through life without being ashamed to go places because I was fat.
I shrugged my shoulders and told her I lived in a world where it simply did not matter. The only place it kept me from going was mixers — and as I had determined men were a waste of time and I actually believed I would never marry, what did it matter anyway? Read more on Act Like Wonder Woman And Become Wonder Woman…
Filed under Brain, Psychology, weight by on Nov 5th, 2014. Comment.
Narcissistic men have raised cortisol – or physiological stress — from being these bully-others sorts. But women do not? Hmmm.
A narcissist is somebody who puts their needs above yours in any relationship. I can count on one hand the times I have seen them in treatment. They are “bullies” and we usually see their victims.
Cortisol – commonly known as the “stress” hormone — can be accurately measured with a mouth swab. Because of this, people can do research — many of whom appear to be a great deal more open minded than doctors. Read more on Physiological Validation of Narcissism…
Filed under Diagnosis, medicine, Personality Disorders, Psychology by on Jun 7th, 2012. Comment.
I have gone with my beloved husband in the last couple of weeks to a few venues so clearly classified as “dive bars” that I have searched in vain for a depth gauge on the wall. The treasure we seek – karaoke. These establishments are not the province of the landed gentry, and we are generally as out-of-place as a fish in a cloud. The treasures we find unperformed songs in the depth of confused directories whose organization defies even an amateur cryptologist (me). Read more on Karaoke As A Mental Health Program…
Filed under Psychology by on Jun 21st, 2011. Comment.
Most people tend to eat what they have around. The marketing of food is a science — marketing anything is a science. You can bet that a lot of thought has gone into how and where you spend your dollars anytime and anyplace.
From dresses to movies, they know what we want and why we want it, probably more than we do. So the thing to do is to be aware of the wiles of the people who are — make no mistake about it — motivated by pulling the money out of our purses and NOT by getting anything nutritious into our bodies.
“Knowledge is the antidote to fear.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
But it could also be the antidote to buying food neither you nor your body needs, and endorsing a system that can be getting you to buy some expensive but nutritionally not-what-you-have-in-mind stuff.
Filed under Psychology by on Feb 28th, 2011. Comment.