Sounding a Glee-ful message against stigma

by Menninger Clinic May 6, 2011

Say what you want about Glee, but the show has tackled quite a few important, and messy, topics in its almost two seasons on the air. We’ve seen the show address bullying, homophobia and the pressures faced by gay teens, teen pregnancy, underage drinking, peer pressure from a variety of sources and tyrannical cheerleading coaches. […]

Read the full article →

Behind the wins and losses: Changing the way mental health is viewed in sports

by Menninger Clinic April 25, 2011

As avid sports fans, we easily get caught up in the spectacle of sports. We geek out about statistics. We get fanatical about our favorite teams. We glorify the most outlandish feats of athleticism. And like a number of the younger members of our generation are wont to do, we revere these figures, almost as if they were […]

Read the full article →

Applauding the media’s treatment of Catherine Zeta-Jones’ acknowledgement of bipolar disorder

by Menninger Clinic April 14, 2011

Some people will speculate about why actress Catherine Zeta-Jones released information yesterday about her decision to check into a mental health facility for a brief stay to treat her bipolar II disorder. Many of us don’t care about the reason; we just applaud the support and encouragement she is receiving from the media. On ABC’s […]

Read the full article →

Should we be sniffing oxytocin?

by Menninger Clinic April 8, 2011

It’s been nearly four decades since I traveled to the University of Illinois with my wife to visit her former biology professor, Lowell Getz. I was bemused by his interest in voles—small rodents resembling mice, of which there is a multitude of species. I remember watching them scurrying along the fence rows. Why anyone would […]

Read the full article →

Parenting and pistol whipping don’t mix

by Menninger Clinic April 1, 2011

Did you see the news stories about 17-year-old Rachel Hachero, the apparently Ivy League-bound Florida student who allegedly pistol whipped her mother and threatened to kill her if she didn’t buy her a car? Oh, she got her car. She also got arrested. What makes this situation even more disconcerting is the fact that the […]

Read the full article →

APA president-elect speaks out on psychotherapy and psychiatrists

by Menninger Clinic March 24, 2011

A recent article in the New York Times entitled “Talk doesn’t pay, so psychiatry turns instead to drug therapy” has created quite a stir among my psychiatric colleagues, rightly so in my opinion. Limited practice, limited help The Times reporter features a Pennsylvania psychiatrist, Donald Levin, MD, who contends that in order to sustain his […]

Read the full article →

Taking a stand: How I said “no” to stigma

by Menninger Clinic March 24, 2011

Imagine yourself sitting in a small auditorium at an international conference with healthcare executives. A leader in healthcare, seen as having authority and credibility, is presenting and uses the phrase “strategic schizophrenia” on his PowerPoint slide and in his speech. He is using this terminology to describe elements of healthcare reform. What would you do? […]

Read the full article →

What I’ve learned about using diagnostic labels

by Menninger Clinic March 18, 2011

Once I decided I was going to try to quit using diagnostic language. My head was swimming with diagnostic labels and, when I started working at Menninger, I came to find out that there were new labels to be learned! For example, I found out that one can be addicted to “love.” Who knew? I […]

Read the full article →

Charlie Sheen has something to teach us? Get serious!

by Menninger Clinic March 11, 2011

Let’s begin with a little humor. OK, here goes: A cancer patient, a rape victim, and a Holocaust survivor walk into a bar…. Are you amused yet? Probably not. In fact, I’m lucky you’re even still reading this. Why? Because the people in question all have suffered in some terrible way. We know that it’s […]

Read the full article →

Will clothing-optional therapy soon be all the rage in psychotherapy?

by Menninger Clinic March 3, 2011

We’ve had more than a few discussions on this blog about therapeutic techniques. Eminently-qualified, highly-regarded psychologists have written serious pieces about how they use BEER, POT and other treatments to help patients. With all the brainpower we’ve got at Menninger, you’d think someone would’ve clued in to what now seems like the obvious next step: […]

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →