Articles from the Week of October 20, 2023
Interesting Quotes
"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face."
ELEANOR ROOSEVELT
I definitely have body issues, but everybody does. When you come to the realization that everybody does — even the people that I consider flawless — then you can start to live with the way you are.
Taylor Swift
When we can talk about our feelings, they become less overwhelming, less upsetting, and less scary. The people we trust with that important talk can help us know that we’re not alone.
Fred Rogers
As every therapist will tell you, healing involves discomfort — but so does refusing to heal. And, over time, refusing to heal is always more painful.
Resmaa Menakem
Let gratitude be the pillow upon which you kneel to say your nightly prayer.
Maya Angelou
Good relationships keep us happier and healthier. Period.
Robert Waldinger
"They're only truly great who are truly good."
GEORGE CHAPMAN
Never throughout history has a man who lived a life of ease left a name worth remembering.”
Theodore Roosevelt
Fun Statements from Calvin and Hobbes
You know, there are times when it’s a source of personal pride to not be human.
Hobbes
They say winning isn’t everything, and I’ve decided to take their word for it.
Calvin
Our class voted Calvin the “most likely to be seen on the news some day.”
Susie
Some days even my lucky rocketship underpants don't help.
Calvin
Getting an inch of snow is like winning 10 cents in the lottery.
Calvin
Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us.
Calvin
The way Calvin's brain is wired, you can almost hear the fuses blowing.
Susie
End of Fun Statements from Calvin and Hobbs
Fascinating Facts (from InterestingFacts.com unless otherwise noted)
What are most power outages caused by?
“Squirrels cause the most power outages in the United States. This is due to a combination of climbing on power lines and their love for chewing on wires. Squirrels are estimated to have caused approximately 10-20% of all power outages, according to the Washington Post. In one particularly dense period, squirrels were found to have caused over 50 power outages in 24 states between Memorial Day and August 31st in 2013.” Quoted material from NeedtoKnowFacts.com
Both George Washington and Mark Twain were redheads. You may be particularly surprised that George Washington was a redhead because most pictures of him have white hair. It was the common practice in the 18th century for elder statesmen to have powdered white hair.
However, although Lucille Ball is usually pictured with strikingly red hair she was not a natural redhead, she was actually a natural brunette.
Counseling Articles
Schools urge parents to remove TikTok from kids’ phones to avoid seeing Hamas’ hostage videos
Parents have an additional reason for removing TikTok from their children’s phones if they have not already done so. Reportedly Hamas has been broadcasting videos of hostages on there.
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How Dopamine Rollercoasters Dismantle Our Health and Lives
This article makes some thoughtful points. I encourage you to read it, and you might find it helpful to share with some of your clients. I think we all (and our clients) have the potential to be sucked in by “dopamine rollercoasters” if we’re unaware of how they work.
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Christian parents sue California over charter school ban on religious instruction
Christian parents have often sent their children to Christian schools or even home-schooled them because they wanted their children to have an education that nurtured rather than attacked or ignored their Christian faith. Now California is trying to ban even this. While this may not be happening in your state now, I think we as Christians need to be prepared to stand up for our rights should some of these trends start to occur in our state.
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How the DSM-5 Fails People with ADHD — and a Better Way to Diagnose
This article criticizes the DSM-5, and presents what the editors, along with Russell Barklay, who wrote the article, believe is a better way to conceptualize the diagnosis. In a brief summary, they believe the DSM overemphasizes attention symptoms and doesn’t focus enough on executive functioning and self-regulation impairments. See full article for complete discussion.
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ADHD in Adults Looks Different. Most Diagnostic Criteria Ignores This Fact.
Another article authored by Russell Barklay, who is considered one of the world’s most foremost authorities on ADHD. The contents of this article are too complex to summarize, but if you work with any adults, whether or not they have been diagnosed with ADHD, I recommend you read it.
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Adult ADHD Is Real — and Still Heavily Stigmatized
A recent opinion piece in the Psychiatric Times disparaged the idea that Adult ADHD is real, asserting that it was a creation of pharmaceutical companies. This article reviewed the evidence given in the article which they claimed supported their assertions. It seems that most psychiatrists do believe that ADHD persists in many individuals into adulthood, although as these two previous articles point out, the DSM-5 criteria do need to be clarified.
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“My ADHD Family Tree: Three Generations of Neurodivergence Revealed”
Here is a remarkable story about a therapist who had undiagnosed ADHD even though she had a clinical degree and she had worked several years as a therapist. Reading a magazine article about ADHD, her mother called her and asked whether she, (the mother) might have ADHD, and they eventually came to realize that the mother, the therapist, and her daughter all have it. This recognition produced significant changes in their relationships and medication has helped each one become more effective in their lives.
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What Causes Bipolar Disorder? New Research Explores This and More
The Prechter Bipolar Research Program has been following 1,400 people with bipolar disorder for the last 18 years. Read this article for a summary of what they have found. They have also discovered some data that will be helpful if you provide therapy to clients with bipolar disorder.
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The Top Memory Exercises for Seniors
Almost all seniors complain that their memories are declining. Here is an article about seven activities that can help seniors keep their memories sharper. I encourage you to save this article to your computer. I am sure you’ll have an opportunity to share it several times in the coming years.
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Adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and the Risk of Dementia
A study from Israel found that those with Adult ADHD had almost three times greater likelihood of developing dementia than those who did not have ADHD. If you work with adults with ADHD it might be wise to help them make sure they have adequate planning for later life. You can reassure them that many people with ADHD do not develop dementia, just that the likelihood is higher for them than for people without ADHD.
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Confirmed: Intermittent Use of Benzodiazepines Is the Safest Option
You may have older clients who take benzodiazepines daily, usually for anxiety or insomnia. A large study compared those who took this medication daily versus using it intermittently. The researchers found that intermittent users had fewer falls, fewer fractures and lower mortality than those who took these medications each day. So you may want to encourage your older clients who take benzodiazepines to talk with their doctors about possibly going to an intermittent schedule. Some clients may find it impossible to use these medications intermittently so that would be something for them to decide with their doctor.
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Fighting Spirit
An inspiring story of how a husband has cared for his wife after her stroke. A model for us all.
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A Problem with Energy-Producing Mitochondria May Increase Risk for Schizophrenia
New research may be getting us closer to understanding what causes some people to develop schizophrenia. A deletion on the third chromosome, called the 3q29 deletion, seems to cause problems with the energy-producing mitochondria in the brain, and increases the likelihood of developing schizophrenia by about 40-fold.
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Snoring Could Be Harming Your Brain Health
If you or someone else in your family snores loudly please contact a physician for help. Research has shown that this can have serious consequences for brain health.
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Sleep Deprivation, Sleep Disorders, and Chronic Disease
This collection of articles demonstrates that not only snoring but anything that prevents people from getting restful sleep can increase the likelihood of mental struggles and chronic physical diseases.
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What Is Bed Rotting and Is It Actually a Problem?
Since it’s important that we all stay up with modern slang, especially if you counsel with young people, you probably should know what “bed rotting” refers to. It’s actually not as unpleasant as it sounds.
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Have a wonderful week or weekend!
Henry Virkler