Articles from the Week of April 5, 2024
Interesting Quotes
Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together.
Vincent van Gogh
It’s easier to take than to give. It’s nobler to give than to take. The thrill of taking lasts a day. The thrill of giving lasts a lifetime.
Joan Marques
The unselfish effort to bring cheer to others will be the beginning of a happier life for ourselves.
Helen Keller
No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of it to anyone else.
Charles Dickens
I define connection as the energy that exists between people when they feel seen, heard, and valued; when they can give and receive without judgment; and when they derive sustenance and strength from the relationship.
Brené Brown
There's a marked difference between acquaintances and friends. Most people really don't become friends. They become deep and serious acquaintances. But in a friendship you get to know the spirit of another person; and your values coincide.
Maya Angelou
There are always flowers for those who want to see them.
Henri Matisse
When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it"
Henry Ford
Fascinating Facts
“Andrew Jackson’s parrot was kicked out of his funeral for swearing.” (Source: HistoryFacts.com)
Victorian-era women ate arsenic as a beauty treatment.
“In the United States and Europe, a ghostly pallor was the height of fashion among Victorian-era women. Pale skin signaled high class, both because it meant that you never had to work in the sun and because wasting away from consumption, what we now know as tuberculosis, had become associated with beauty in certain affluent circles. In the late 18th century, wealthy women started romanticizing the extreme thinness, near-translucent skin, and rosy cheeks of those who suffered from the disease, an attitude that came to a peak in the mid-19th century. Tuberculosis, while devastating, brought out features that some already considered attractive, and beautiful women were, falsely, even thought to have been particularly vulnerable to the illness. Women chasing the fashion wore tight corsets and full skirts to show off their tiny waists and made their faces as pale as possible. And if they didn’t already have a ghostly complexion, they could get the look in other ways — such as through long-term arsenic exposure.” (Source: HistoryFacts.com)
Counseling Articles
10 Things Not to Say to Someone with Bipolar
The late Stephen Probst was a popular and highly respected columnist who lived with bipolar disorder all of his life. Here was one of his columns. It includes things not to say to someone with bipolar disorder, as well as his suggestions of some things to say to loved ones who have bipolar disorder.
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How I Described Bipolar Disorder to My Children
Here is how one mother described her Bipolar 1 to each of her three young children. I think she has some good suggestions that would be helpful to any parent who is wondering how to explain bipolar disorder to their young ones.
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Why You Need Good Sleep — and How to Get It — if You Have Bipolar Disorder
People with bipolar disorder frequently experience sleep problems, but getting adequate sleep is important for reducing relapses. Here is an article that discusses the issue and suggests some ways to respond.
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INTERMITTENT FASTING LINKED TO VASTLY INCREASED CHANCE OF HEART ATTACK AND STROKE
Intermittent fasting, where all of one’s calories are consumed within one eight-hour window, and one fasts for the other sixteen hours, has been promoted as a healthy alternative to our regular practice of eating at designated times. However, a study of 20,000 people who engaged in intermittent fasting found that those who engaged in the practice had a 91% higher chance of dying of heart disease, and also an increased risk of dying of a stroke.
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Hypochondriasis Linked to Earlier Death
If you have a client with hypochondriacal tendencies you might want to talk with them about some cognitive strategies to combat that type of thinking. Untreated, clients with hypochondriasis have a five-year shortened lifespan.
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A Food-Seeking Circuit in the Brain That Can Override Hunger or “Fullness” Signals May Shed Light on Eating Disorders
Some new research. Application of this research is probably a few years off but may be helpful to some clients in coming years.
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Our Brains Are Getting Bigger, MRIs Show
Some good news, hopefully.
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Treatments and Strategies for Weak Executive Functions
Children and adults with ADHD often have difficulty with executive functions, often called executive function disorder. This article summarizes the best treatments and strategies for strengthening executive functioning.
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This Could Be a Strong Weapon for Cancer Pain (or Any Pain)
This research study found that when people with chronic pain exercised 30 minutes per day on most days (whether their pain was caused by cancer or something else) they experienced less pain. Doctors aren’t sure why, but there are several theories. And exercise benefits the person in other ways as well. It may be hard to get started on an exercise plan, but it seems to be helpful to us in all sorts of ways.
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Emotional Support Animals: Cures or Crutches?
By now we know that animals may provide emotional support to all of us, but we have also seen instances when we saw what seemed like abuse of the concept. (There was a news article this week that talked about a person who bought an emotional support squirrel with her when she tried to fly in an airliner.) This article examines that issue further. While it doesn’t provide a final answer, hopefully as we look at this issue further we will eventually come to some satisfactory boundaries.
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“What I Want to Say to My Mom, Who ‘Drugged’ Me”
This is a heartwarming thank-you letter from a daughter whose mother took her ADHD symptoms seriously and got her treatment despite a father who refused to recognize or accept what his daughter was going through. If you have parents who are in conflict about accepting a child’s issues, this might be helpful to share with them.
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How to Make the Case against Abortion in Less Than a Minute
Some pro-abortion advocates dismiss those who disagree by arguing that people shouldn’t attempt to push their religious views on others. This is a short (less than five minutes) video that demonstrates how to make the case against abortion in less than a minute in a way that does not include any reference to religion.
Premise 1: It is wrong to intentionally kill an innocent human being.
Premise 2: Abortion intentionally kills an innocent human being.
Conclusion: Therefore abortion is wrong.
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Humor: The Difference Between Men’s and Women’s Brains
Contributed by my wife, who has had to tolerate the difference between our brains for more than half a century.
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A Victory for Religious Freedom in Virginia
Christian organizations are constantly under threat that they will be forced by DEI regulations to either hire people who do not agree with our theological stances or to offer services that are inconsistent with our faith practices. This article shares an example of how the Alliance Defending Freedom has protected Christian organizations from being forced to compromise their religious beliefs. If your Christian organization faced such a threat, ADF is a good organization to contact for legal help.
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Hallucinations: Why AI Makes Stuff Up, and What’s Being Done About It
Not a counseling article, but important information. This is a good article that explains why AI sometimes “hallucinates,” i.e., makes up statements that are untrue, versus when AI models provide helpful, correct information. Anyone who uses AI should be aware that AI is still an imperfect tool, and sometimes provides seriously incorrect information to questions. This article helps users to know how to reduce the chance that AI will “hallucinate” in answer to a question they ask it.
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Look Beyond Mood Swings to Distinguish Borderline Personality from Bipolar Disorder
A new preprint can help in differential diagnosis of borderline personality disorder versus bipolar disorder. Treating one of these two disorders as the opposite disorder can lead to serious medical complications. Although the preprint is available, this article alone can help you make a differential diagnosis.
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60 Minutes Discussion of Havana Syndrome
A couple weeks ago I included an article from a psychiatric journal whose authors concluded that there was no observable long-term brain damage in those who had complained a few years ago of having experienced Havana-syndrome symptoms. The 60 Minutes investigation, in conjunction with Der Spiegel and The Insider broadcast a segment that aired March 31, 2024 that included some details not found in that journal article. Reportedly there is a group called “29155” within the Russian government. Operatives in this group are allegedly trained to assassinate individuals though poisoning, electrocution, gunshots and other ways and are also trained in methods to inflict non-lethal pain and injuries on enemies of Russia. The 60 Minutes report said that the first report of “Havana Syndrome” symptoms was in Ukraine in 2014 after a government leader supported by Putin was deposed. Four CIA agents experienced symptoms and were eventually reassigned to posts in other countries. The people who have been targeted over the years have been a very select group of people--the top 5% to 10% of American defense department officials who had been openly critical of Russia in some way. The Havana Syndrome was next identified in Cuba back in 2016 and included symptoms such as sudden headaches, vertigo, ringing in the ears, nausea, and in some cases blindness or hearing loss, which the U.S. government called “anomalous health incidents.” The U.S. government officially denies that a foreign actor was behind the incidents despite the fact that the man who headed up the investigation for the Pentagon for several years says otherwise. The 60 Minutes program alleged that the U.S. government had been engaged in an attempt to cover up the situation, and a lawyer representing those who have lasting injuries say that they include at least two dozen cases where symptoms have not resolved. So be aware that the report from a psychiatric journal that there is no lasting observable brain damage from the 1,000 or so persons who complained of the “Havana Syndrome” is controversial and is probably not the complete story.
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Rates of Suicide Attempts Doubled After Gender-Reassignment Surgery: Study
Many assert that gender-affirming surgery will benefit those who believe they are transgender. Gender-changing surgery is available. For women who wish to become men a technique called phalloplasty, where a penis is formed from vaginal tissue, and for men who wish to become women, vaginoplasty, where an artificial vagina is formed from penile tissue is available. Do such surgeries produce the mental health benefits that transgender advocates claim? One study found that the suicide rate is 19 times higher for those who have these surgeries than for the general population. See article for further details.
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Non-binary patient who wants a vagina and a penis sues health chiefs
You probably won’t be able to download this article unless you have a subscription to the Telegraph, so I’ll give you the gist: a man in Canada who believes himself to be binary wants his insurance to pay for surgery to construct a vagina in addition to the penis he already has. His insurance company turned down his initial request because there is no hospital in Canada that provides that surgery, but he has appealed that ruling because he’s found a hospital in Texas that will provide the surgery he is desiring. He also said that surgery had been paid for when a women wanted to have a penis constructed in addition to the vagina she already has.
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Most Believe in Jesus Christ’s Resurrection, New Poll Finds
In what may surprise many of us, supposedly nearly 70% of 1,000 registered voters in the U.S. believe that Jesus literally rose from the dead. So some of your clients who express little interest in spiritual things may have some Christian beliefs that they rarely talk about or consider for their lives.
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How Can a Christian Perfectionist Find Rest?
A thoughtful discussion of perfectionism by a committed Christian found in the most recent edition of Christianity Today.
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This Could Be Key to Motivating Older Patients to Exercise
Probably most of us know that exercising more (or at all) would be healthy for us, but some never get started. This study looked at what seemed to be the best motivator for older people to begin an exercise regimen.
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The Remarkable Story of Katharina von Bora, wife to Martin Luther
This is indeed a remarkable and fascinating story of the challenges this unusual couple faced. In addition to the challenges she faced, she also had to live with Martin’s OCD, which was called “scruples” at the time.
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I hope you have a wonderful weekend or week!
Henry Virkler
