Some physicians, not satisfied with the paperwork, intrusive regulations,and reimbursement delays and problems in the medical field, as well as salary limits, which they believe are not fair for the level of responsibility entailed in medicine, are opting out of the field and starting so-called concierge practices. In a concierge practice, a physician, usually an […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.The pathology of normalcy. Fromm, Erich. American Mental Health Foundation Books, 2010 152 p. $25.00 978-1-59056-184-3 At the beginning of the 1950s, German-born US psychologist and social theorist Fromm (1900-80) began investigating whether people were psychically healthy in industrial society, and developed a new social psychology approach that allowed the psychoanalysis of the normal, socially […]
By: Evander LomkeThe antics and dangerous deployment of an emergency jet chute by former Jet Blue Airlines employee Steven Slater captivated media attention a few months ago. The case his since been pleaded in court. Slater has come to represent to Americans disgruntled and disturbed employees of all kinds. Recently the American Psychological Association has showcased the […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.For many acne is the bane of growing up and for some acne continues through adulthood. Acne can elicit both teasing and sympathy from others, and like many things, perhaps it is only the sufferer of acne who realizes its true effect on the body and beyond. New research is looking at how acne affects […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.An article in a recent edition of “Counseling Today” (Published by the American Counseling Association) reported on the benefits of group therapy. “Strength in Numbers” is the title of the article, written by Lynn Shallcross, and its theme is that “the give and take of group work offers clients a nurturing environment for growth, change, […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.A recent article in the Huffington Post noted the following: WASHINGTON The government says 1 in 5 American adults suffered from mental illness during the past year. Most didn’t receive treatment. A survey being released Thursday by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration found that 45 million experienced some form of mental illness […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.Another recent article in the Huffington Post reports on mental-health problems suffered by children who are from military families. “The latest study on military children, published this month in the Journal Pediatrics, looked at more than a half million military children ages 3 to 8 whose parents were deployed. Researchers found that behavioral disorders, such […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.Happy Birthday today to long-time AMHF board member and Secretary, Mrs. Thea Lucas! We hope you have a perfect day and many more. Trained and certified as an attorney in Europe, in an era when few young women were, Mrs. Lucas has served AMHF tirelessly for many years. Her philosophical, keen, and common-sense assessments of […]
By: Evander LomkeAMHF mourns the death of David Castronovo. A steadfast supporter of AMHF, Dr. Castronovo was the author or editor of eleven books of literary criticism on subjects ranging from Edmund Wilson and Thornton Wilder to popular classics of the 1950s to “The American Gentleman” to “Blokes: The Bad Boys of British Literature.” Dr. Castronovo was […]
By: Evander LomkeBelow is from the New York Times of November 10, 2010: “The agencies that run prisons and mental health facilities also employ the largest number of state workers of any departments of government under direct control of the governor, part of a work force that Mr. Cuomo may be forced to trim, or demand significant […]
By: Evander LomkeI wonder what readers of our blog make of In Treatment, a drama on HBO.
By: Evander LomkeCongratulations to American Mental Health Books author Dr. Raymond B. Flannery Jr., for the stellar notice of his book The Violent Person in New England Psychologist. This review, by Dr. James K. Luiselli, in the November 2010 issue (volume 18, number 9), is reproduced in full on our Web site.
By: Evander LomkeOn this final day of the 86th year of The American Mental Health Foundation, October 31, 2010, the Board of Directors also wishes a Happy twenty-sixth birthday to Mr. William Van Ornum. William has been an inspiration and a tremendous help to AMHF as one of our guiding spirits over the past three years. Happy […]
By: Evander LomkeParents and those who work with children have long recognized the difficulty in gaining a bed for a child in a children’s psychiatric unit of a general hospital (these are rare), a large university or teaching hospital, or a specialized children’s psychiatric center. These kinds of placements are crucial when a child is psychotic, suicidal, […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.Two studies in Developmental Psychology were recently highlighted by the American Psychological Association. In the first, Melanie Mallers led a study of 912 men and women and discovered that men who reported a good relationship with their fathers were less affected by stressful events later in life. The reason? Rough-and-tumble play replicates real-life challenges and […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.Many of us will celebrate Mass with African priests who come to the United States from various countries in Africa. While these priests are helping us and bring us the Sacraments, at the same time many take advantage of educational opportunities in the United States with hopes to bring this knowledge back to their home […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.Headlines in New York newspapers this week have proclaimed Mentally Ill Son Kills Parents. Today’s New York Daily News reports “a fugitive suspected of stabbing his parents to death inside their Staten Island Home was captured in Israel while trying to buy a train ticket to China.” The newspaper accounts don’t yet give details of […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.This video makes my skin crawl. It shows one of the most pernicious forms of bullying. (The video almost makes me want to stop rooting for the Yankees, which I have been doing for more years than I can count. Fortunately, they have no part in this horror.) Homophobia and Sports Fans on YouTube
By: Evander LomkeThe Association for the Advancement of Psychology has endorsed Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) for U.S. Senate because of his stance on increasing reimbursement rates for psychologists under new Medicaid regulations. Not all psychologists in Oregon are happy with this endorsement in view of Wyden’s past efforts in voting for and blocking efforts to repeal Oregon’s Death […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.Forgiveness is a quality frequently preached about, talked about, and idealized: yet it may be very difficult to accomplish. The National Association of Social Workers has written about the value of forgiveness and how to bring this into one’s life. “Sometimes forgiveness is an important part of what a client wants to achieve in counseling. […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.For nearly the past 60 years, the psychiatric profession has published a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual describing different mental conditions that are treated by psychiatrists. The first manual was spiral bound and was made up of fewer than 80 pages. DSM IV has become a major reference work, with hundreds of pages and many auxiliary […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.Interstingly, some psychologists are weighing in on possible distrust toward the oil company BP and “government officials,” speculation that is not necessarily backed up by scientific evidence. What follows is from the website of the American Psychological Association The most visible damage from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill might be to the Gulf’s beaches […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.We have previously written how pack-rat tendencies in their extreme form can be a form of obsessive compulsive disorder. With this in mind, I think it’s fair to say that many keep old medications in the medicine cabinet for those just in case emergencies, unlikely as they may be. This tendency toward saving prescription drugs […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.Yesterday the United States Supreme Court refused to hear the last minute request by Teresa Lewis to vacate her death sentence. Her measured IQ is 72 and in the borderline range of functioning. Her attorneys have argued that her diminished mental capabilities and lack of leadership in the murders are grounds for further review. For […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.The New York Times weighs in on “the quantifying of consciousness” along with the possible benefits of successfully doing so: for example, to facilitate certain surgical procedures, making them less invasive, or to understand the nature of a class of brain malfunctions like seizures. It seems improbable that consciousness could be “digitized.” The very phenomenon […]
By: Evander LomkeThere’s a very provocative article in CNN.Health today. If you are depressed (or have some other mental-health condition), should you reveal this at work? And if you decide to make this revelation, to whom should you share? In 1972, Thomas Eagleton’s revelation of his history of depression cost him the nomination for the Vice Presidency. […]
By: William Van Ornum, Ph.D.Next to Normal is the bravest and one of the most talked-about Broadway musicals in years. It is recently the subject of an American Theatre Wing “Working in the Theatre” seminar. We highly recommend this landmark musical as a way, along with the efforts of AMHF, to raise public awareness about bipolar disorder and other […]
By: Evander LomkeThe New York Times weighs in with a thoughtful article on more than a child-rearing question: Are we doing right by the next generation when early signs of emotional distress are expressed? This is an issue of national concern. Even though AMHF is concentrating its efforts more toward “the other end” of the population spectrum, […]
By: Evander LomkeReaders of our blog know I draw inspiration from the
By: Evander Lomke
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