Calling in depressed: A look at the limitations of mental illness in the workplace

by Menninger Clinic June 1, 2012

  In my previous job as a vocational rehabilitation counselor, I helped individuals with psychiatric disabilities transition back into the workforce and witnessed firsthand the difficulties faced by those re-entering the work place after a significant mental health setback. In my current position as a clinical interviewer, which involves conducting diagnostic assessments with hospitalized patients […]

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Why wounded healers are important leaders in the fight against stigma

by Menninger Clinic May 25, 2012

  Last month, Marsha Linehan, PhD, spoke at Baylor College of Medicine, where she was honored for her significant contributions to the mental health field. Her lecture, “Dialectical Behavior Therapy: Where it started. Where it went. Where it may be now. Where we are going,” could have also been the title of her personal narrative. […]

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Helping patients, and ourselves, cope with stress

by Menninger Clinic May 16, 2012

  The Menninger Clinic family of staff and patients recently experienced one of life’s stressful events: moving. Even though we all love our wonderful new facility, the process of preparing for the move, making the move and settling in have created stress that is challenging for us all. During Mental Health Awareness Month, one of the […]

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The NFL and suicide: Preventing future tragedies

by Menninger Clinic May 9, 2012

  When the news of Junior Seau’s death broke on May 2, my mind immediately flashed back to Dave Duerson. I wondered if Seau was the victim of some heartless act or if he had done this to himself. However, as more details began to emerge — he was found in his home alone, dead […]

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Why social work matters

by Menninger Clinic March 28, 2012

March is Professional Social Work Month. It’s designed to acknowledge that our nation would be less successful without the contributions of America’s 640,000+ social workers. The primary mission of social work is to enhance human well-being and help meet the basic needs of all people, especially the most vulnerable. Given this mission, it is fitting […]

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What? Me stubborn? You bet!

by Menninger Clinic March 16, 2012

As a research/diagnostic interviewer, it’s my job to determine if a patient’s symptoms are severe enough to be labeled “clinically significant” and thus to warrant a psychiatric diagnosis. This is much easier said than done.  Diagnosing clinical syndromes, such as depression or anxiety, is much more straightforward than diagnosing personality disorders. To meet criteria for […]

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Narcissism works for me

by Menninger Clinic March 2, 2012

In my work conducting the structured clinical interview for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (SCID) at The Menninger Clinic, I have the distinct privilege of discussing with patients, among others things, personality traits. This aspect of my job is particularly enthralling not only because I enjoy listening to and learning about our […]

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Eating disorders: We all know someone who has one

by Menninger Clinic February 28, 2012

We have all known someone who is struggling with or has suffered from an eating disorder.  Some are dealing primarily with anorexia, restricting their intake of food and fluids to the point that basic body functions are threatened, even life itself. Others find themselves driven to bulimia, bingeing on foods to excess only to purge […]

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Reflections on death wishes: Did Whitney Houston want to die?

by Menninger Clinic February 17, 2012

My treasured colleague, Tom Ellis, wrote an impassioned post protesting simple-minded thinking about Whitney Houston’s death. I, too, am irked by glib media interpretations of the behavior of stars. I find it challenging to fathom the complexity of individual patients who courageously confide their inner life in psychotherapy; I am loath to pretend to understand […]

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Did Whitney Houston want to die?

by Menninger Clinic February 15, 2012

Fox TV personality Bill O’Reilly has encountered a firestorm of protest in defense of Whitney Houston following his provocative remarks about her death. However, he may have done all of us a favor by opening a door to discussing something on all of our minds. Here’s what he said (as part of a general statement […]

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