Articles from the Week of April 28, 2023

Interesting Quotes

My favorite new phrase of the week:

“Rapid unscheduled disassembly” is techspeak for “the rocket exploded.” It has already entered common parlance. One wife just had an accident with her SUV and texted her husband that her SUV had a “rapid unscheduled disassembly.”

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Women get in more bad relationships than men. Why? Because men see red flags and they bolt. Women see red flags and they say, “I can fix that.”

Gina Brillon

Happiness is not made by what we own. It is what we share.

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Circumstances don't make the man, they only reveal him to himself."

EPICTETUS

Fascinating Facts

The Grand Canyon is bigger than what state? (Answer at end of newsletter).

Counseling Articles

The 15 Most Corrosive ADHD Myths

This is an excellent article about 15 of the most common misconceptions about ADHD, with links to an accurate answer to each of those myths.

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ODD in Children: A Parent’s Behavior Management Guide

Oppositional Defiant Disorder occurs in about 50% of the children with ADHD, but it also occurs in some other children. It is so difficult to deal with that some parents give up. Other parents respond by becoming very punitive, and it can lead to conduct disorder. There are some treatments that this article gives summaries of, but progress is often slow. A worthwhile article if you have parents who are dealing with a child with ODD.

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What to Know about Setting Goals while Manic or Depressed

If a person with bipolar disorder sets goals while in a manic or hypomanic state, those goals are often unrealistic. During a depressed episode, which frequently follows a manic or hypomanic episode, they may feel powerless to follow through. Here is a description of those kinds of situations by a person who has experienced them, and also some practical suggestions they have developed they have developed for themselves and might help others.

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Bipolar & Stigma Through the Years

Here are several different points of view from various persons who have bipolar disorder, ranging from those who have experienced quite a diminution of stigma and are quite open about their diagnosis, to those who are more hesitant to share.

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Americans pulling back from values that once defined them

Although not a counseling article, this survey is important in understanding the clients we are counseling.

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DNA from Beethoven’s hair hints at what killed the composer

Not a counseling article, but a fascinating science article. Analyzing several strands of what is reputed to be the composer’s hair, it appears that he had genetic predispositions to several kinds of liver problems, and due to his alleged drinking habits, scientific historians are suggesting that he may have died of a potential liver infection at the age of 56.

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School Removal Over “Assassination Classroom”

There is a new comic book series called “Assassination Classroom” that a group here in Florida is attempting to get removed from classrooms. If you read the description of what is in the series, I think you will agree that this series doesn’t have to be in our grade school libraries.

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‘Time to Think: The Inside Story of the Collapse of the Tavistock’s Gender Service for Children’

Hannah Barnes has written a book about the history of Tavistock, Great Britain’s Gender Identity Clinic, the political, medical and financial pressures that led to its development and the court case that has lead to its closing down. The same confluence of pressures are coming to bear on the gender identity issues here in the United States, and it will be interesting to see if the same collapse will happen here.

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Kids being told to transition or die

This article says that physicians and school counselors are giving false information to children about gender dysphoria (e.g., that they can transition and have fully functioning organs of the opposite sex, and that children as young as eight years old are being told that their two options are either to transition or commit suicide).  This is such inaccurate information that it is hard to believe these reports are true, but this information is coming from a doctor whom I greatly respect (Quentin Van Metre), and from a group (Family Research Council) that is highly respected in the evangelical community.

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‘Profound Autism’ Accounts For More Than 1 In 4 Cases, CDC Finds

The CDC is proposing a new category of persons with autism (Profound Autism) for about 1 in 4 people with autism who often need 24-hour care. These children or adults are nonverbal, minimally verbal or have an intelligence quotient of less than 50. Unlike those with autism at the higher end of the spectrum, who often complete college degrees successfully, the CDC argues that this group needs to be recognized as having very different needs than those on the higher ends of the spectrum.

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The Viral Kids Are Not OK

A Breakpoint article that I think is worth reading and considering. If you were wondering what substack is, this article has a link to one writer on substack that can give you a good example of what is there.

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The Danger of Forcing Forgiveness

As Christian counselors, we sometimes work with clients who have been abused, encouraging them to ultimately work toward forgiveness. But that biblical concept has sometimes been used in an unbiblical manner by church leaders or family members. This author in this month’s Christianity Today talks about these issues and gives four suggestions for how to help people move toward healthy forgiveness.

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An Encouragement for Believers from Cameron Candace Bure

Not a lot of famous actors and actresses have been courageous enough to share their Christian faith with others. Cameron Candace Bure has been one of those exceptions. Here is a one-minute Instagram post that reminds us all of an important truth.

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How Serious Is the Security Threat of 'Juice-Jacking'?

The FBI and the Federal Communications Commission have both issued warnings about a security threat to all of us called “Juice Jacking.” Juice jacking is allegedly where scammers use public charging stations (as in airports and other public places). When people use those charging stations, malware is allegedly introduced into their devices that could steal information from those devices. Snopes wrote an article saying that neither the FBI or the FCC were able to provide any information about any person who had been a victim of such malware. I wonder if these two groups were the victims of an April Fool’s joke?

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Is Marathon Running Bad for the Hips and Knees?

Running marathons supposedly should produce more wear and tear on the hips or knees, and so many doctors caution patients about this hazard. But a large survey of more than 3,800 recreational runners who had been running marathons for an average of 15 years found they had no higher incidence of arthritis in either the hips or knees than the average person. So if you have the energy to run marathons, it sounds like you can do it without worrying that you will damage either of these joints.

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In Order to Learn, Children Must Believe They Are Able to Learn

Children with ADHD and learning disabilities often become demoralized when they face difficult learning tasks at school or elsewhere. Here are some really useful suggestions for counselors and parents.

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This Boy Geniuses’ Quest To Prove Stephen Hawking About God IS Absolutely…

This article has nothing to do with counseling, but when I read this story I came back several hours later and decided I wanted to share it with anyone who is interested because I found it so fascinating.

This 11-year-old boy is considered a genuine genius. He graduated from high school at the age of 9 and is now in college studying astrophysics. His goal is to prove that the late Stephen Hawking was wrong in his belief in atheism. If you read this short article you can hear his argument that the universe must have been created by God, and I think you’ll be amazed that he can come up with such a strong argument at the tender age of 11.

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Does Your Wife Have An Amazon Addiction? Know The Signs

This article, from the Babylon Bee, is totally satire, listing 10 signs of an Amazon addiction, but it’s great entertainment.

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9 Things to Know About Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder

This was a new disorder introduced in the DSM-5: in the DSM-4 it was listed as Eating Disorder NOS. Since it is not a common disorder, this article is a good review.

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Answer from Fascinating Facts: The Grand Canyon is bigger than the state of Rhode Island (Source: InterestingFacts.com).

Have a wonderful week or weekend!

Henry Virkler