Author Archives: Beth McHugh

Postpartum Depression: Angie’s Story (1)

Looking back at her life, Angie could see that she typified the perfect candidate for postpartum depression. In the months prior to becoming pregnant, and she had been promoted in her job, but her boss had also taken leave and she was expected to take on a large part of his workload. In addition, her parents were having marital problems. When she was three months pregnant she received a hysterical phone call from her mother demanding that she come immediately to the family home as her father was threatening to leave and had also hidden his heart medication tablets in … Continue reading →

Want to Be Respected When You Get Old?

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How do you picture yourself when you are old? A shriveled up old character, shuffling along slowly and ignored by passers-by? Or a wise, active, well respected person who commands the respect of both your peers and your juniors? Which would you rather be? I recently read an article about 20 year olds using Botox. Fortunately some plastic surgeons refuse to use Botox and assorted dermal fillers on women in their 20s. But that does not stop the phenomenon happening. Apparently it’s all about “prevention”, but what is it that these women are really trying to prevent? It’s not about … Continue reading →

Taboo Subjects: Pornography and Suicide

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Over the last couple of years I have introduced two new subjects into the Mental Health blogs. One is the phenomenon of suicide, an increasing problem in the Western world, particularly among young males. Even children are not immune. The other topic is teenagers and pornography. I know I’ve hit a nerve when I start to get less than polite responses to these topics. I have to wonder why these issues are so upsetting to some members of the public that they feel the need to deal with it by denigrating what I write. Perhaps I have the benefit, as … Continue reading →

The Office Bully: It Doesn’t Stop in the Classroom

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Although the term “bully” immediately sets off an image of a kid in the school playground holding court with his or her power, bullying actually continues well into life and surprisingly even exists in the nursing home environment. It seems, once a bully, always a bully. Although much is written on bullying in the playground, the office environment is a haven for bullies. As just as everyone knows in the playground who the bully is and who the victim or victims are and are afraid to speak out, this phenomenon also occurs in the office. Let’s look at the case … Continue reading →

For Good Mental Health: Love

I’m always interested in the thoughts of great thinkers as they give us invaluable insights that we may think about ourselves and put our own slant on it. That is not to say that we cannot think of great thoughts ourselves, but why not use the resources of others as you move along your own personable path of life. So, as I do, I have found yet another valuable saying, this time by Frank A. Clark. He stated: “A baby is born with a need to be loved – and it never outgrows it.” What a great concept. Obvious, but … Continue reading →

Volunteering is Good for Your Mental Health

Everyone seems to be so busy these days. But being too busy means that you miss out on a lot of things – things that actually enrich your life and improve both physical and mental health. Volunteering is one such activity. Unfortunately many people are too busy watching TV, playing computer games, overeating in coffee shops, and tweeting pointless comments about the minutiae of their lives to do anything that is actually productive in a genuinely meaningful way. . But volunteering actually brings more benefits to the volunteer than the person who needs help. The latter will hopefully get the … Continue reading →

Women’s Tears Turn Men’s Heads the Wrong Way

Ever wondered why, after the initial infatuation part of a relationship between a man and a woman, the effect of a woman’s tears on men declines? It’s enough to make you go pick up the phone to call a female friend and that is exactly what most women do. It’s long been known that tears contain stress hormones that are released when a person – male or female –cries. Humans are designed to cry. This is why crying is to be encouraged. Despite what we might be taught by our parents and by our culture, tears are psychologically healthy for … Continue reading →

Happy Christmas and New Year to All Mental Health Readers (2)

In my last article, I decided that rather than writing about mental illness in general, I would write about the personal experience of the recent death of my mother. I have written many articles on dealing with grief and you can find links to them at the end of this article. As in the first article in this latest series, I have decided to write about my own feelings on the death of a parent and how I coped and am still coping with this major milestone in my life. Losing a parent can be difficult, and the degree of … Continue reading →

Happy Christmas and New Year to All Mental Health Readers (1)

I am one of the few remaining original bloggers at Families.com and have been writing the Mental Health blog for five years and boy have those years gone by! I have really enjoyed the interaction between myself and you, the readers, through the vehicle of my articles. But most of all I have enjoyed the opportunity to help those who needed knowledge, reassurance and just a place to come and vent their pain. A place to just talk to see that they are not alone in dealing with mental health problems, whether that health has affected them or a family … Continue reading →

Children’s Parties and Future Mental Health

Ever noticed that the amount of time and money that is spent on a child’s 18th birthday party is starting to look like the amount parents might have spent on their children’s wedding in the not too distant past? Ever noticed that school graduations are going the same way? Worse, elementary school graduation ceremonies have turned from a simple right-of-passage to a pre-adolescent fanfare that is starting to mimic the end of high school graduation parties. And it gets even more serious. For some time, parties for pre-schoolers have turned into social events of the year and parents are spending … Continue reading →