Articles from the Week of November 18, 2022
Interesting Quotes
I believe in one thing—that only a life lived for others is a life worth living.
Albert Einstein
"He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else."
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
"If you see ten troubles coming down the road, you can be sure that nine will run into the ditch before they reach you."
CALVIN COOLIDGE
Many who seem to be struggling with adversity are happy; many, amid great affluence, are utterly miserable.
Tacitus
“Reflect upon your blessings, of which everyone has plenty, not on your past misfortunes, of which everyone has some.”
CHARLES DICKENS
Interesting Facts and Trivia (compiled from InterestingFacts.com and a variety of other sources)
We usually think of a computer bug as a sequence of poorly written code. But the name actually became popular in 1947 when an actual bug (a moth) was attracted to the heat generated by an early computer (the 25-ton Mark II computer).
This was not the first time the word “bug” was used. Statisticians had been using that term for 50 years before that time. The famous scientist and inventor Nikola Tesla is considered the first to coin the engineering term “bug.”
It’s sometimes hard to understand the meaning of modern art. A museum in New York was recently forced to apologize when it found that it had been displaying a piece of modern art upside down for the last 70 years.
Ferrucio Lamborghini was a mechanic who began by making tractors. His tractor business became successful, and because he was spectacularly unimpressed with a Ferrari he had purchased, he decided to try his hand at making cars. In case you’re interested, you can still buy one of his cars or tractors.
Need a Suggestion for a Christmas Gift?
Years pass so quickly, and sometimes we get too busy to notice one year ending and another one beginning. With that in mind, Dr. Julie Hamilton and her husband Tyler have designed a product to help commemorate the passage of time and to make the New Year's season more meaningful. "What a Year!" is a box of 35 conversation cards that have questions about the past year and the upcoming year. "What a Year!" creates an opportunity to pause during the New Year's season, reflect on the past year, look ahead to the upcoming year, and connect more deeply with others. These cards can be used any time during the New Year's season at family gatherings, dinner parties, date nights, or small groups. The Hamilton’s also have bulk rates available for anyone who would like to buy them in bulk to use as Christmas presents or for re-selling in their place of business. People can contact them directly if they are interested in the bulk rate. To order this product, click here.
My daughter with ADHD often needs to ‘info dump.’ How do we manage?
“Info dumping” was a new term to me, but it sounds like counselors should be aware of it, so they can use this information in their counseling. I’ll just include a short quote from the article, and encourage counselors to read the whole article. It’s worthwhile and has good information. “’ “Info dumping,’” or talking about an interest or passion, usually in detail and at length, is frequent in both ADHD and autism. In ADHD, the impulsivity plus passion equals a “spilling” kind of feeling, and the motor behind it can feel as if it’s whirring. It may feel the same in autism, but folks with autism report that it feels more passionate and important rather than impulsive.” Click here to read the full article.
What Does Hoarding Disorder Look Like?
We all have an idea what hoarding disorder looks like based on the DSM-5. This is a very thorough article about it, along with some practical ideas to treat it if you ever have a client who has it. Click here to read the full article.
Clinical Trial Compared Different Forms of Exposure and Drug Therapy in Combat Veterans with PTSD
If you work with exposure therapy to help clients overcome PTSD, this could be a useful study to read. Click here to read the full article.
Stroke Risk Rises With Years of Drinking in Young Adults
Reducing Alcohol Intake May Reduce Cancer Risk
Two more articles that hopefully will provide motivation for clients who engage in moderate to heavy drinking to reduce or stop their drinking. These two studies show that the longer young adults continue moderate to heavy drinking the greater their risk of having a stroke, and that reducing their alcohol intake reduces their chances of developing cancer. Click here to read about stroke risk. Click here to read about cancer risk.
They Paused Puberty, but Is There a Cost?
This is a New York Times article, so you probably won’t be able to read it without a subscription. However, the significance is that the New York Times, a very liberal-leaning paper, was willing to publish this article, which is very in-depth but also quite balanced, that weighs both sides of the issue fairly. I think this is starting to show that there are some questions about the movement to allow every child who is uncomfortable with their body to begin the gender transition process at early ages. Click here to read the full article.
Recommended book for teens and young men with unwanted same-sex attractions
Normally I don’t recommend a book unless I’ve read it myself. However, I trust Dr. Julie Hamilton’s judgment in this area of counseling so much that I’m going to make an exception this time. Here is what she said:
“I wanted to tell you about a new book that I just read that is a workbook for young men with unwanted SSA [Same Sex Attractions]. It could be a useful tool for therapists who are working with this population….. It is written by a Christian therapist, who, himself had unwanted SSA (he grew up Mormon, but is an evangelical Christian now). The book is not overtly Christian, but it might be a good supplemental tool to Christian therapy. I read it, and it seems like a great resource. Click here to buy this book.
Healing & Recovery - Perspective for Young Men with Sexualized Attachments Paperback – June 2, 2022 - amazon.com
Healing & Recovery - Perspective for Young Men with Sexualized Attachments [Godfrey, Floyd] on Amazon.com.
Meditation Equal to First-Line Medication for Anxiety
Mindfulness based stress reduction was equal in effectiveness for reducing anxiety than a first-line medication (Escitalopram—an antidepressant that also treats anxiety). So if you haven’t learned how to teach MBSR yet, you may want to consider learning and then tell your anxious clients about this option. Click here to read the full article.
Selena Gomez honored for mental health advocacy work
Pop star Selena Gomez has been open with the world about her mental health struggles with anxiety, panic attacks and depression since she’s been diagnosed with MS. A group has now chosen to honor her for her openness and advocacy for those with mental health struggles. Click here to read the full article.
A Recipe for Hope
If you sometimes work with immigrants you are probably aware of the struggles they experience as they attempt to assimilate, in addition to all the normal life stresses that everyone experiences. You are probably aware that some ethnicities are very ashamed of mental illnesses and of anyone who needs to take medication. This article talks very clearly about these issues, and also highlights how helpful it is when a celebrity (e.g., Selena Gomez above) is open about their mental health issues. Click here to read the full article.
Bipolar Disorder Psychosis: Sneaky, Sneaky Hallucinations!
This article is one of the few that discusses hallucinations that occur in bipolar disorder. Although hallucinations supposedly do not occur in bipolar 2 disorder, here is a person who has bipolar 2 and does believe she experiences hallucinations. Her symptoms seem a bit unusual, but the author is Julie Fast, a writer I’ve come to respect over the years. [The DSM-5 says that if a person experiences hallucinations that automatically warrants a diagnosis of Bipolar 1.] If you work with any clients with bipolar disorder, I think its wise to be aware of the unusual symptoms these clients occasionally experience. Her story illustrates another problem that people with bipolar disorder, especially bipolar 2, often experience: they often go for several years before they receive an accurate diagnosis. Click here to read the full article.
Exercise Tied to Delayed Damage in Gene-Driven Young-Onset Dementia
Early onset dementia is genetically driven and comes in one of two forms. What this research shows is that being moderately physically active slows the progression of these two types of early-onset dementia. Click here to read the full article.
The ACLU Says California's Ban on COVID-19 'Misinformation' From Doctors Is Gratuitous and Unconstitutional
I rarely agree with the ACLU, but with regard to the law recently passed in California, which says that medical doctors who distribute “misinformation” about COVID could lose their licenses, I do agree that it violates the First Amendment on free speech. As I mentioned a few weeks ago, many of the early pronouncements by Dr. Fauci and the CDC about COVID were inaccurate, but any doctors in California who had the temerity to voice a different opinion could, under this new law, have lost their licenses. There was a reason the framers of our Constitution made free speech their first amendment. In a democratic society it is important for that society to allow differences of opinion, and then let others decide whether they will accept that opinion based on either research or the logic that supports it. Click here to read the full article.
Are Some Bipolar I Disorder Patients Mistakenly Getting an MDD Diagnosis?
This research study says that when people come to a doctor during a depressive episode, they sometimes are given a diagnosis of MDD. The authors recommend something that is a good reminder to all of us: when someone comes to us with a strong depression it’s always good to ask whether they’ve ever had symptoms of mania or hypomania since they may have either Bipolar 1 or 2. [Personal note: I still provide some volunteer counseling for college students who attend an extension college at my church. I had been working with a woman in her sixties who had experienced what was diagnosed as chronic MDD since her childhood. Although she had been on a number of antidepressants none of them had relieved her depression. After reading this article I asked her if she had ever experienced hypomania or mania (describing those episodes in layman’s terms). She said she had several times. I encouraged her to talk with the neurologist or psychiatrist she was working with about the possibility that her diagnosis was either Bipolar 1 or 2.] Click here to read the full article.
Bipolar’s Obsessive Thinking & Its Impact on My Marriage
Many people with Bipolar 1 become promiscuous when they are in a manic phase. Here is a fascinating story of a person with bipolar disorder who, instead of becoming overtly promiscuous, struggled with obsessive thoughts about romantic relationships with men other than her husband. The one relationship where she overtly acted out (contacting him by phone but never going further than that) threatened to end their marriage, but she and her husband have instead worked to rebuild their marriage. So obsessive thinking (not necessarily about sex, but sometimes in other areas) does seem to occur in some people who have Bipolar 1 or 2 disorder. Click here to read the full article.
Have a happy Thanksgiving!
Henry Virkler
