Veteran suicides, drug overdoses and other causes of early death: epidemic or not?

by B. Christopher Frueh, PhD, and Jeffrey A. Smith, PhD February 12, 2013

How are Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans dying? Is there an epidemic of premature deaths, relative to their civilian counterparts, among the still relatively young men and women who saw combat deployment over the past decade? In an era of big headlines and the twenty-four hour news cycle, the average American citizen might justifiably presume that suicide [...]

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We need our prefrontal cortex to work

by Jon G. Allen, PhD February 7, 2013

I am fortunate to have a challenging job that requires flexibility and creativity, but it’s often difficult and sometimes downright exhausting. One time I complained about this effortful experience to our former chief of staff, Richard Munich, and he responded, “That’s why they call it work!” I find Dick’s matter-of-fact attitude toward the difficulty of [...]

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POT: What’s new in plain old therapy?

by Jon G. Allen, PhD February 7, 2013

More than two years ago, I wrote a post on this blog entitled, “Is psychotherapy going to POT?” Tongue in cheek, I was protesting the proliferation of brand-name, evidence-based therapies with all their acronyms: CBT, DBT, ERP, EMDR and the like. There’s no way any therapist can learn to practice 150+ brands, and a half-century of [...]

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Where is Providence in the midst of tragedy?

by Rev. Salvadore Delmundo, Jr. December 22, 2012

Providence—the belief that God sees all things, reigns over all things and is concerned for all things, to bring about the ultimate divine purposes of creation—is always at the forefront of discourse and reflection whenever tragedy strikes. The issue of providence for people today, in light of the Sandy Hook school shooting, arises out of the incongruity [...]

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Shifting Sandy Hook information landscape means understanding will have to wait

by John Oldham, MD, MS December 21, 2012

The nature of the devastating tragedy in Sandy Hook, Connecticut, is virtually unimaginable, and the outpouring of grief from our nation has been understandably strong and sustained. A torrent of information has assailed us from every news outlet with almost hypnotic magnetism; we all want to know how to understand how this could have happened. [...]

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Was the Sandy Hook mass shooting “evil?”

by Jon G. Allen, PhD December 21, 2012

We naturally strive to understand actions that are out of the ordinary—we can’t help it. If we see a woman suddenly slap a man in a restaurant, we will speculate about her state of mind, her reasons and their relationship. Perhaps he said something rude and she felt insulted. Perhaps tension had been building in [...]

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Responding to the Sandy Hook tragedy: What of the soul?

by Thomas Ellis, PsyD, ABPP December 20, 2012

In our impotence to undo the travesty that took place at Sandy Hook Elementary, we console ourselves with conversation – and arguments – about what to do to prevent similar tragedies in the future. As we do so, we ask what we might learn from science to guide us. Analyzing the numbers For example, what [...]

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Washington and the fiscal cliff: leaders or lemmings?

by Thomas Ellis, PsyD, ABPP December 7, 2012

Perhaps the commonest observation about the 2012 election was that it painted a picture of “a nation divided,” red in the middle and blue around the edges. But there’s at least one sentiment that unites us all: relief that it’s over. One more attack ad might have been just too much to bear. That’s the [...]

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Pot can blow your mind, permanently

by Michele Arnold November 21, 2012

Mexican heads macheted off at the neck and dopers lying around stoned out of their minds. What’s the connection? If you’re an American and smoke dope, you’re contributing to the current violence in Mexico. You’re the demand, they’re the supply and legalizing pot won’t change that. The cartels will always come up with an attractive [...]

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Losing faith in times of suffering

by Heather Kranz, MEd, CRC November 2, 2012

Grief, loss and suffering are unavoidable components of life; in fact, they’re such common experiences that numerous books, treatment programs and theories have been developed to help people cope during these tough times. When misfortune affects others, we express condolences, offer encouragement, perhaps even quote from sacred texts. However, when the tragedy is our own, [...]

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