I hear some pretty sad stories in my work as a counselor, but the saddest ones are when the family and friends of an emotionally unwell person refuse to help or even try to understand. I know that the sufferer is not deserving of this treatment yet it is relatively common. Why? Because people are afraid of the unknown. The joke is that, if the friends and family were to educate themselves about their loved one’s plight, there would be little reason for fear. Even those people who will mock their family and friends for being “weak” have a modicum … Continue reading →

Remember those corny old cards, bookmarks and bumper stickers that proclaimed “Hugs Are Healing”? Well, no surprises for guessing that the authors were correct. Researchers at the UK’s Manchester Metropolitan University in England have concluded what we all suspected: hugs are healing. But scientists warn we are caught in an epidemic of a non-hugging culture where we are either too time-poor to hug, or political correctness gets in the way. This is a sad but true reflection of our times. Teachers are no longer permitted to touch, much less hug, their infant charges, who might benefit from having a hug … Continue reading →

Selective mutism is primarily an anxiety disorder and involves a conscious decision by the child to not speak. It is classified by a persistent failure to speak in very specific situations despite the ability to do so. There is always an underlying psychological reason for the development of the disorder. Mandy is such an example of this puzzling condition. Six years old, she was a happy, well-adjusted child until her parents started having marital difficulties over a protracted time frame. When the marriage finally dissolved, her mother quickly met another man and he moved into the family home. Mandy’s two … Continue reading →

Recently, Josef Fritzl, the Austrian father who imprisoned his daughter Elisabeth in an underground enclosure and fathered all seven of her children, was sentenced to life imprisonment himself. Ironically he was to receive the same sentence that he had hoped to give to his child and grandchildren for many more years. Thankfully he was discovered by health authorities due to an illness in one of his incest-created children. Realistically, we will never know what drove this man, or indeed other psychopaths, to do what they do. Their behavior, by definition, goes beyond the norm and therefore becomes difficult for us … Continue reading →

Most people over the age of 35 have some awareness of the changing atmosphere of suburban life over the last couple of decades. Leaving aside high rise inner city apartment blocks, most people a mere 20 years ago knew the names of most of their neighbors. Some even had barbeques and football nights together. Everyone kept a subtle eye on each others kids and, more importantly, kids knew their neighbors well enough to be able to call on them in an emergency. This is seldom the case these days. People can love in a suburban street for years and never … Continue reading →