What Makes a Psychopath?

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 before being discovered by health authorities. Realistically, we will never know what drove this man to do this, or indeed other psychopaths to do what they do. Their behavior, by definition, goes beyond the norm and therefore becomes difficult for us to understand. But thee are characteristics that many … Continue reading →

Effects of House Break-ins on Young Children

Have you had your house broken into? If the statistics are to be believed then there is a pretty good chance that you either have been or you will be. Although a robbery is a traumatic event for anyone to go through, the effect on young children is often longer term than that for adults. When your home is broken into there are several effects that the incident has on the homeowner. The most obvious one is when treasured or valuable objects are taken. Then there is the sheer inconvenience of having to deal with insurance companies (if you are … Continue reading →

Psychological Effects of Trying to Stay Young

The media is obsessed with the way stars look as they age and they delight in printing unflattering shots of a time-ravaged Madonna or a paunchy Harrison Ford caught unawares on a remote beach. As our society often looks to the stars, literally, as role models, many of us try to emulate their looks, including the stars increasing pursuit of youth. But how emotionally healthy is it for us to relentlessly chase the fountain of youth? The milestone age of 40 is a big one for most of us. It reminds us that we are no longer truly young, and … Continue reading →

Consumerism and Mental Health

Just about every female I know is exhausted at the moment. The reason? Christmas and its after affects. While nervous exhaustion can be brought on by having to deal with families over the holiday period, this physical exhaustion is associated with shopping for gifts, cooking extra meals and the sheer work involved in organizing that once-a-year present and food extravaganza that Christmas has become. Ask many people what Christmas means to then and the answer goes something like this: A constellation of frantic demented activities by parents (usually the mother) over what to buy their children for Christmas. Trying to … Continue reading →

Link Between Premature Babies and Mental Illness

Children born pre-term have been found to experience over twice the rate of mental illness as compared to full-term, normal weight-for-age babies. In a recent study at the University of Karolinska in Sweden, researchers noted in a long term study conducted over three decades that 5.5% of premature babies required admission to hospital for psychiatric related disorders compared to 2.9% of full-term babies. The study involved premature babies born in the period 1973 to 1979 and followed their psychiatric health in the intervening decades using medical records. In order to adjust for pre-existing precursors of mental illness, statistical adjustments were … Continue reading →

Girls to Women: All Too Soon?

A major British retailer is now selling Pole Dancing kits complete with an instructional DVD and garter. The catch: the market is aimed at 4 and 5-year olds. There is no end of toys and apparel targeted to very young girls that mimic the clothing of much older teenagers and women. While the latter may choose to wear these outfits based on their own minds, little girls of young school age do not have the informed mind of an adult even though they think they know want they want very well! Childhood lasts for a relatively short period in the … Continue reading →

I Need Things to Change So I Can Get Better!

This is a common catch-cry among clients I counsel; in fact we all say it to some extent. Clients often want a variety of things to change: their husbands to give them more attention, wives to be more understanding, children to be more appreciative, people to get well, finances to improve, even people to die! But the truth is we can’t change other people, we can really only change ourselves and our attitude to others or the situation we are in. And this is where a lot of people in therapy get stuck. They want other people to change. Sure, … Continue reading →

Psychological Implications of Obama Presidency

As a psychologist, I can’t help but look at the impact of having Barack Obama in the White House from a psychological point of view. And in particular, on the effect it will have on the black population of the US. “If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer,” said Mr. Obama, standing before a huge wooden lectern with a row of American … Continue reading →

The Power of the Mind: “Expensive” Isn’t Always Better

If you ever had any doubts about the way your beliefs shape your experience of life, well, doubt no more! The following study undertaken by the Californian Institute of Technology gives us an insight into just how powerful our beliefs really are. So powerful that they will contravene common sense, and cause us to act and feel in ways that do not reflect reality. Researchers presented subjects with five identical red wines and told them that the wines varied in price from a cheap $5 a bottle to a more expensive $90 a bottle. In reality, the wine was $35 … Continue reading →

Hugs and Mental Health

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 →