Headlines everywhere proclaim sad news: *In 2009 alone more than 330 active servicemen and women have committed suicide *Shocking new figures show the number of soldiers who commit suicide in January could top the number of soldiers killed in Iraq *Tough old soldier battles new enemy: suicide *Every day, five US soldiers try to kill […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.
Too many US soldiers are attempting or carrying out suicide attempts; many succeed. One reason for this is the tremendous ambivalence over current military actions. This is not like World War II, a so-called good war, although this phrase also causes many to wince. Viktor Frankl, concentration-camp survivor, wrote in Man’s Search for Meaning that […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.
Winter, early winter, is especially dark. People become particularly isolated in Central Wisconsin during these months. Those who cope well, like my 87-year-old aunt, keep productively busy with a range of activities from walks, tending animals, baking, sewing, quilting, visiting, sending photos and messages to members of the family in far-flung places. Altruism abounds. My […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.Many therapies focus on identifying and resolving feelings and conflicts. Empathy–truly understanding another’s life situation–is a common characteristic of all successful therapists. Beginning in the 1970s, Albert Ellis and Aaron Beck developed Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) which emphasizes identifying dysfunctional thoughts, changing them to transform negative feelings such as depression and anxiety into positive mental […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.Today’s lingering economic recession affects citizens in a number of ways as anxiety is heaped on anxiety, especially at this pressure-packed time of year. One might call this phenomenon “The Depression of Depression.” New York Times
By: Evander Lomke
The National Institute of Mental Health offers a rich Web site for consumers, researchers, and program administrators. Not only is there detailed and highly credible information about major mental-health conditions, the procedures for obtaining research and program grants are detailed. A section of the Web site, “Science News,” provides interesting feature stories about conditions and […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.I had the distinct honor to receive an invitation to the Fall Harvest Festival presented by Suicide Prevention International. Suicide is now recognized by the World Health Organization and the United States government as a global health problem. Suicide Prevention International has developed four distinctive projects: – Youth Suicide Prevention – Recognition of an Individual […]
By: Evander Lomke
In today’s New York Times, Gordon Marino raises tantalizing and taboo questions in his essay “Kierkegaard on the Couch”: Kierkegaard on the Couch Many of us mental health professionals are quick to see any despair that is made up of themes related to spiritual sadness as indicators of depression, small or major. Freud of course […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.I am recently back from attending the annual American Psychological Association, the major organization of practicing and research psychologists in North America. With 150,000 members, the venerable APA convened for the 117th time in Toronto. Over 10,000 members, representing major universities and clinical programs, attended, as well as many psychologists who are in private practice. […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.Journalist Daphne Merkin, who has written on Kabbalah and other subjects, recently contributed a brilliant article to The New York Times Magazine. The article can be accessed below. It is an article for anyone who, in the words of the long-time director of the American Mental Health Foundation, Dr. Stefan de Schill, “feels exiled from […]
By: Evander LomkeBoth AMHF and the World Health Organization (WHO) recognize the crippling effect of mental illness. In their report “The Global Burden of Disease,” C. J. L. Murray and A. D. Lopez emphasize that 8 of the 10 leading causes of disability in the developed countries are mental illness. These include: (1) Major Depressive Disorders (2) […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.Lately in the media there has been great attention toward physicians who do research and also have a financial interest in a drug company or receive benefits from a drug company. At least one profession cautions against such “dual roles.” The primary and over-riding loyalty of mental health clinicians is to their clients. although there […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.On this Thanksgiving Holiday it’s great to know that mental health professionals are more and more emphasizing GRATITUDE in their therapies and publications. Just one example is Martin Seligman’s book on POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY. While insight about the past can be helpful for some, an attitude of appreciation for life in the here-and-now is a good […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.Under the auspices of LanternMedia, the American Mental Health Foundation has produced a short video about its history and program. You may watch it below:
By: Evander LomkeA wonderful movie was made in 1942. The critics at the time considered it a standard “weepie.” Yet, the film Now, Voyager, has stood the test of time. Why? The title is taken from a short and obscure lyric by Walt Whitman, a two-liner almost of a type out of the still-to-be-developed Imagist School, on […]
By: Evander LomkeThe American Psychological Association, a group of over 100,000 psychologists in the U.S.A., offers helpful information for professionals as well as the public on its website: click here for APA link
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.An outstanding article appeared in The New York Times Magazine on September 14, 2008: click here for bipolar children article Reading this will provide anyone with a greater understanding of bipolar children and the problems that they and their families face. There is hope for the future, as advances in psychopharmacology, genetic tests for liver […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.We are very lucky that so many talented young people are choosing to devote their careers to helping other people in the mental health field. Here are some ideas on “depression” from a young woman who is studying to be a New York State Certified School Psychologist: Depression is a disorder that affects all types […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.
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