NEUROPSYCHOLOGY: “All Kinds of Things Affected by the Brain” Simone Collymore, PhD, is a neuropsychologist in Kingston, New York, one of the few practitioners in the Hudson Valley of this specialty involving psychology and brain science. Whereas other specialists that study the brain by necessity use tools that may have less-than-helpful side effects, Collymore’s craft […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.
The profession of psychiatry is now in the fourth edition of the book that classifies mental disorders: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual IV. The revised version will be published in 2013, and there continues to be debate about what will and will not be included. The New York Times brings this and a spirited discussion in […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.There is a touching story in the news about Dr. Jeriyn Ross, a therapist who was especially helpful to those who had phobias, especially phobias involving the fear of heights. She was well known and esteemed for her compassionate accompaniment of persons with phobias as they faced their fears directly. This approach has now become […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.
Sandy Sheller, coordinator of the Salvation Army of Greater Philadelphia, tells of a client who wouldn’t go for treatment at a drug-treatment center. Her case worker simply labeled her as resistant and noncompliant, and closed the case. When Sheller worked with this client, she asked in s caring manner why it was that the client […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.
Sleep is essential according to the American Psychological Association. This professional group notes that “millions of people don’t get enough, resulting in such problems as daytime sleepiness, poor decision-making, interference with learning, and accidents.” One study, using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), suggested that CBT can do a better job of reducing anxiety than sleeping pills. […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.“The Violent Person is a masterpiece. It is must reading for anyone in risk management or hospital administration. Dr. Flannery is without question the leading authority on the violent patient. His insights and recommendations on the management of this increasing challenge in health care are not only welcomed, but essential as the face of American […]
By: Evander LomkeMany 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.
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.The Midwest Book Service gives a 5-Star review to The Violent Person the first book issued by the American Mental Health Foundation. See this review on amazon by clicking below. amazon
By: Evander LomkeThe author is a writer and student of Jungian psychology, who hopes one day to take up temporary residence in Zurich , and to become immersed and absorbed into the rich Jungian tradition, one still alive on the continent. Visit to the Psychoanalyst by Leah Jimenez Who are you? I am Death? Death? Yes, Death. […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.For half-a-century, Dr. Eugene Kennedy’s books have brought complex mental-health issues to the general public. His classic On Becoming A Counselor (now coauthored with his wife, Dr. Sara Charles) has sold 250,000 copies, has been continuously revised to reflect new findings, and is in print after nearly 35 years at this writing. This book teaches […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.There are some political topics and issues that one party or another seems to own. These concerns are part of the history and ideology of a particular political party and they present themselves, sometimes in slightly or radically different forms, as the years go by and the elections occur every two to four years. From […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.There is a nation-wide organization offering support and help to those with psychological problems and their families. In these days of funding changes, there is a section devoted to the legislative environment for those who want to become public advocates. The National Association of Mental Health website is a valuable resource for everyone: National Association […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.Many are accustomed to viewing therapy as a process that occurs in chunks of 30, 45, or 60 minutes. Yes, much healing occurs this way. Others remind us that therapy can occur in short intervals: the school psychologist briefly talking to a student, the psychologist stopping by at someone’s bedside in a hospital, the quick […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.The tragic violence at Fort Hood first kept a nation in suspense, then brought the nation to high levels of powerful emotions, and now has our country looking back to find answers. Why did this happen? What were telltale signs that might have been missed? Can we learn something from this mass shooting to prevent […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.When I was learning fly casting a number of years ago, I turned to a number of experts to teach me. Throughout small successes in getting the heavy and whiplike line to carry the tiny artificial fly toward the fish were many, many failures through which the line wrapped around me or became entangled in […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.
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.As Evander Lomke mentions on this blog and in the accompanying video, AMHF gave the first Stefan de Schill Award to Astor Services for Children last week. The generosity of the Gould Foundation meant that this presentation could occur in the financial district of New York City. Interestingly, the New York Stock Exchange stood solidly […]
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.Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a cross to bear for all who are within its range, including spouses, other immediate family, friends, and perhaps the sufferer of this condition most of all. Before 1980, this was not a recognized psychiatric term. But it was added in the Third Edition of The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.One of the goals of the American Mental Health Foundation is to encourage exploration between religion and mental health, particularly in finding religious practices that enhance mental health. We always hope to do so in a nondenominational way. Hagios comes from the Greek word meaning “sacred” or “holy.” Hagiophobia therefore means fear of God, saints, […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.By Dr. William Van Ornum When I was a psychology graduate student at Loyola University of Chicago, my introduction to autism involved observing and learning about a nine-year-old girl who constantly banged her head against hard objects, to the point of bleeding and perhaps even concussion. The saddest part was seeing that nothing seemed to […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.Summer is a great time to catch up on all of those novels, mysteries, and thrillers that have piled up over the year. Sometimes it can be a time to reacquaint oneself with favorite authors from the past, read long ago while in school, knowing that a rereading can bring out many more themes. One […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.Mention OCD and you bring up strong feelings in any person or family member that suffers from it. Strange and frightening thoughts that intrude and don’t go away, meaningless gestures and actions that someone is compelled to perform, over and over, fully aware that these behaviors are at best silly and at their worst thieves […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.The American Mental Health Foundation takes no official position on the SAT. We do, however, recognize the tremendous anxiety it engenders. As in many areas related to mental health, knowing something about the history gives us greater awareness of how current practices developed. You will see how this bit of history offers a lesson to […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.What or where are the boundaries of psychology and parapsychology? Are those that ridicule research into ESP, telepathy, precognition, and clairvoyance acting as responsible skeptics? Or are they closed-minded? When it comes to the human mind, it may be always be best to keep an open mind. In 1972, a slim book by Arthur Koestler […]
By: Evander LomkeThe New York Times recently reported on cutting-edge research with direct implications for mental health. Genetic researchers discovered a variety of gene mutations in the genes affecting the enzymes produced by the liver: chemicals that are the first step in changing psychiatric drugs into other chemicals that can then influence the brain. (The variety of […]
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 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.I have been reading a wonderful book, DRIVEN TO DISTRACTION: Recognizing and Coping with Attention Deficit Disorder from Childhood through Adulthood by Edward M. Hallowell, M.D., and John Ratey. M.D. This book brings to a general trade audience wisdom gained from peer-reviewed studies and research. Unlike some books on this topic, there is no ax […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.
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