If you believe that you need to vent or react to a situation that has befallen you, by all means write that letter, place the phone call or confront the situation in-person, face-to-face. But if you forego exercising any of these options, your only viable recourse is to shelve it and move on. Otherwise, you’ll feel like a human pin cushion – perpetually pricked with no interlude.
Think of reactive depression as a maladaptive response to a specific external event or events. More formally from a DSM perspective, this is an Adjustment Disorder with Depressed Mood. Typical examples are difficulty adjusting to a recent divorce, being downsized from a job or the loss of a cherished loved one. Also, there are no measurably significant changes in physical functioning such as sleep patterns or appetite and energy levels with this depression type. […]
As I was watching the men’s figure skating finals at the winter Olympics, it became apparent to me that we weren’t in for a night of stellar performances. None of the finalists skated “clean,” there were no flawless performances; instead it appeared to be a contest of who would fail less. It’s impossible to compare one pressure-packed situation to another, but these athletes get a crack at winning an Olympic medal only every 4 years. There’s no next day, week, [...]
We are all a bit anxious from time to time. The mere stresses of everyday life present with situations that we find perplexing and worrisome, igniting the classic fight-or-flight phenomenon. This is consistent with living life on its terms and not ours, that is, none of us really knows what’s in store for us on any given day. We can organize ourselves physically and emotionally; we can record a to-do agenda in our physical calendar; we can anticipate potential roadblocks, [...]
The ballots have been tabulated, and the leading cause of ongoing stress is... uncertainty, AND the belief that you have no control over it regardless of the circumstances. In this scenario, everyday life is like spinning the wheel at a gaming table - you're at the mercy of where the ball lands, and have no influence over the process. Yes, you may win from time to time, but the odds are that if you keep playing, you're eventually going to [...]
Panic attacks are sudden, intense, physical and emotional spikes of Adrenalin that typically last 10 minutes or so. They rise to disorder proportions when someone hands over control to the panic by worrying excessively about when the next attack will occur and making life changes to avoid them. When treating someone with a history of panic, I never suggest or initiate treatment from the perspective of their not panicking again. In fact, I tell them to plan on having it [...]
Get depressed clients thinking and behaving is such a way that they are better able to thrive. Encourage them to stop talking “overwhelm,” “the world’s out to get them” or “it’s somebody else’s fault.” That’s all negative nonsense which serves as a vehicle for self-sabotage, keeping them in the “doom loop.” Get them in the “success loop” by encouraging them to socially isolate less, improve their attitude and better understand the unrealistic aspects of their fears. All of these demons [...]
After a dearth of new antidepressant entries to the U.S. drug market, the FDA approved Brintellix (vortioxetine) for the treatment of depression in September, 2013. This approval comes on the heels of the FDA’s approval of Fetzima® in July, 2013 – which I’ve written about in a previous blog. So what is Brintellix, how does it work and does it provide any clear-cut advantages over currently available agents? Well, like SSRIs, it’s a serotonin reuptake inhibitor. It’s also an “agonist” [...]
At the risk of assaulting a few egos, improving your client’s presenting condition – the only thing that counts in the business of psychotherapy and counseling – will not result from how much you know or think you know, how many workshops you’ve attended, how many letters you string behind your name or how many certifications you’ve earned. What matters most is your ability and capacity to develop rapport. And the only way to do this is to be fully [...]
For far too many folks, it’s acceptable to not get what they want rather than be disappointed. Down here in south Louisiana, we have a term for reneging on something or dancing around an announcement of what we want – “crawfishing.” Crawfishing statements are never really clear – “I’ll see what I can do about losing 10 pounds this year;” “I’m considering stopping by a few fitness centers and checking out what they have to offer;” “I’m wondering if now [...]
