Analysis of Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Offspring of Mothers With Eating Disorders in Sweden

Sweden has had one of the best systems of following health issues over the years. In this study they followed women who had active eating disorders during pregnancy and compared the frequency of neuropsychiatric disorders in their children when compared with children born to mothers who did not have eating disorders.

They found that women who had active eating disorders during pregnancy had children with increased incidence of ADHD or autism spectrum disorder. Click here to read full article.

Maternal and Neonatal Morbidity and Mortality Among Pregnant Women With and Without COVID-19 Infection: The INTERCOVID Multinational Cohort Study

This was a study of more than 2100 women in 18 countries. It found that women who contracted COVID during pregnancy had a greater mortality rate their unborn children did as well. Click here to read full article.

The Do's and Don'ts of Self-Disclosure: Avoiding Ethical Pitfalls

Ethics courses often warn beginning therapists against self-disclosure. However, this experienced therapist, who has written several books and more than 70 articles, says: “When I've asked people who've gone to therapy what was most helpful, again and again they've described times when their therapists shared something about their own personal struggles.” And she goes on to say: “Refusing to disclose can be detrimental to training and therapy. When I ask workshop participants who've been clients to reflect on how therapists' refusal to reveal personal details affected treatment, they respond with comments like: "I thought my therapist was arrogant" and "I shut down myself."

This is a good discussion of how self-disclosure can be helpful and how it can backfire from the Psychotherapy Networker. I encourage you to take the time to read it. Click here to read full article.

I’m Over COVID Symptoms, but Still Testing Positive. Am I Infectious?

The leader of the CDC has the unenviable task of communicating information about COVID while new evidence is constantly being discovered, Recently she said that people only need to quarantine for five days, but new evidence suggests that, especially with Omicron, people may still be contagious after that five-day period, and especially if they are testing positive on a rapid antigen test. See article for fuller explanation. Click here to read full article.

10 Learning Strategies for People with ADD/ADHD

This concise article from the Amen Clinic suggests 10 good ideas to help those with ADHD learn new material. Click here to read full article.

7 Strategies to Manage Chronic COVID-19 Symptoms

Another worthwhile article from the Amen Clinic on how to manage chronic COVID symptoms. The article mentions several basic good-health habits, but unfortunately if you’re already doing those things, there isn’t much research on specific effective techniques for combatting chronic COVID symptoms. Click here to read full article.

Can Patients Just Say 'No' to Treatment?

This psychiatrist talks about the general issue of sometimes having to consult about whether a specific patient has the decisional capacity to make decisions about whether to receive a certain treatment. But then he goes on to talk about the specific situation where a patient refuses a COVID treatment because of misinformation. He suggests that psychiatrists should have no role in deciding on those cases. See what you think of his reasoning. Click here to read full article.

“Inattentive ADHD, according to a 12-Year-Old Boy”

We’ve all read the DSM-5’s description of ADHD: Inattentive Type, but sometimes it helps to hear a description of what it’s like from someone who has it. Here’s such a description, with comments from a mother who also had it as she was growing up. Click here to read full article.

Why the ADHD Brain Chooses the Less Important Task — and How CBT Improves Prioritization Skills

People with ADHD frequently engage in something called “procrastivity” –a word that’s a combination of procrastination and activity, where people are engaged in activity, but its not the most important activity they could be doing. Here’s an insightful article about what causes it, and some practical ways to help clients choose to do the most important tasks first. Click here to read full article.

True feminism: An unpopular opinion

I enjoyed hearing this woman’s description of what it means to be a feminist (very different from the world’s definition), and I thought some of you might also. Click here to read full article.

Brady Goodwin renounced his faith. Here is my response.

Brady Goodwin, the founder of a Christian music group and a proclaimer of the Christian faith for 30 years, recently announced that he was renouncing his Christian faith. We certainly can pray for him and hope he will return to his faith. This response by another believer I think has some helpful thoughts for all of us to consider and could be of help to anyone who is struggling with some questions about the Christian faith that he can’t resolve at the moment. Click here to read full article.

A Conservatism Without Marriage & Family Is No Conservatism At All

“If we lose belief in marriage and the family as the foundation of a flourishing society, there won't be much left for “conservatives” to conserve.”

A recent poll found that only 29% of Americans thought that it was “very important” for couples to be married in order to have children together.

This Breakpoint article highlights the changes in attitude towards marriage that Americans believe today—something that we as counselors need to be aware of. Click here to read full article.

Driving Performance and Cannabis Users’ Perception of Safety: A Randomized Clinical Trial

In this study, participants smoked either cannabis or a placebo and then drove in simulators, not in actual traffic. The results showed decrements in driving skill. After 90 minutes, most users believed they could safely drive, but the simulators showed that most participants could not safely drive for 4.5 hours after ending their cannabis intake. This research should be considered by legislators before they approve legislation allowing for recreational use of cannabis. Click here to read full article.

Ask Ana Marie Cox (Almost) Every Question You’ve Ever Had About Sobriety

Here is an interesting column from a well-known journalist with a strong substance abuse history that almost killed her. It might be helpful to those who are wondering about quitting or are early in their journey of sobriety. Click here to read full article. 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Henry Virkler