Articles from the Week of February 28, 2025

Explanation: Although I scan the Internet primarily for counseling articles, in the process I run across quotes and interesting facts that I sometimes include in these first two sections. If you’re just interested in the counseling articles, you can skip these first two sections and go directly to the section called Counseling Articles. HV

Interesting Quotes

There is a thin line that separates laughter and pain, comedy and tragedy, humor and hurt."

Erma Bombeck

From our first babblings to our last word, we make but one statement, and that is our life.

Richard Paul Evans

I always get to where I am going by walking away from where I have been.

Winnie-the-Pooh

With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts.

Eleanor Roosevelt

Happiness and moral duty are inseparably connected."

George Washington

“Thankfulness is the tune of angels.”

Edmund Spenser

We spend precious hours fearing the inevitable. It would be wise to use that time adoring our families, cherishing our friends and living our lives.

Maya Angelou

Remember then: there is only one time that is important — Now! It is the most important time because it is the only time when we have any power.

Leo Tolstoy

Vulnerability always begets connection and intimacy. Stay vulnerable with each other.

Kristen Bell

You have to allow each other to evolve and grow; you need communication and curiosity. Stay interested in your partner, and make sure to really listen.

Rita Wilson

In every good marriage, it helps sometimes to be a little deaf.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Fascinating Facts

Crime Doesn’t Pay: Criminals Steal Wallet, Buy Lottery Ticket and Win Lottery, But Can’t Claim It or They Will Be Arrested

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Baby has world's smallest pacemaker implanted to treat dangerous heart condition

In a heart-warming story, a baby was born with a heart block (where the heartbeat signal is not moving from the upper chamber to the lower chamber correctly). There are pediatric pacemakers, but even they were too large for a newborn, so the doctors applied for a waiver to design an even smaller one. It was approved and rapidly designed, then implanted, and the baby is now at home and doing well.

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Unlearning the Right Brain/Left Brain Myth

You’ve probably heard of people being “left-brained” or “right-brained.” Here’s a one-minute video from Encyclopedia Britannica that explains why much of what you’ve heard is incorrect.

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Scientists Just Discovered a Black Hole That’s Eating the Universe

If you have a friend who loves to find things to be terrified of, then you might want to tell him or her about this article (or you may not). This supermassive black hole, as large as millions or billions of our sun, is swallowing surrounding matter about 40 times faster than believed to be theoretically possible. Fortunately, it’s a long way from us (the universe is really big), so I imagine the Lord will return before it swallows Earth.

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Counseling Articles

As a Hands-on Father, the Vice President is Leading by Example

Not specifically a counseling article, but sometimes we, and our clients, can benefit from personal models of behavior that are healthy for individuals and families. The model of our Vice-President as an involved, hands-on father is something that can benefit our nation.

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To Reverse the Adolescent Mental Health Crisis, Parental Authority Must Be Restored

It isn’t often that I agree with a psychoanalyst, but I think this psychoanalyst has some good ideas about parental authority and why it provides such an important foundation for children’s mental health.

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6 Things E.R. Doctors Wish You’d Avoid

Not a counseling article, but something relevant to us all. It’s based on a conversation with an E.R. doctor based on the number of people who come into his E. R. with injuries. Since this is a New York Times article, I’ll summarize its six points:

• 1.      Don’t wear crocs outside in winter (in states which have snow and ice)
• 2.      Don’t slice avocados in a hurry.
• 3.      Don’t trust a trampoline (“They’re broken-bone factories.”)
• 4.      Don’t pet strange dogs.
• 5.      Don’t ignore sudden symptoms.
• 6.      Don’t ride bikes, motorcycles or skateboards without a helmet.

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Feast of Eden

Not a counseling article, but this story is too amazing not to share! This impoverished town in Vietnam, where many people were addicted to opium, and the medical care was in the hands of shaman, had access to Christian radio, and over time almost the entire community has become Christians. Instead of raising opium they now raise orchids and have become a tourist destination. What a difference Christ can make in a community, even when the input is a single radio station!

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Is CBD Effective for Psychosis? New Study Aims to Find Out

Previous small studies on CBD (Cannabidiol) in treating psychosis have yielded mixed results, so this large study hopes to answer those questions more fully. The study results are expected to be available in late 2025.

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Trump Administration Review of Psychiatric Meds Raises Concerns

One of RFK’s first reviews is of pediatric psychiatric meds. Since RFK has been skeptical of medications in the past, this review raises concerns about whether these reviews results will be objective. This will definitely be a test for the objectivity of his department under the leadership of JFK.

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Antidepressants Effective for Generalized Anxiety Disorder

SSRIs and SNRIs have strong support for treating depression, but this research says that for some people, they may also help some people with generalized anxiety disorder. However, the dropout rate for those suffering anxiety treated by antidepressants was similar to the dropout rate in the placebo group, so apparently antidepressants did not work for everyone with anxiety.

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APA Updates Guidance on Borderline Personality Disorder

If you occasionally or regularly work with Borderline Personality Disorder clients I recommend that you read this article. To summarize some of its major points, it emphasizes the importance of thorough assessment followed by good psychotherapy. It recognizes that medication may play a secondary role, but the emphasis is on good assessment and counseling.

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Reevaluating Antidepressant Boxed Warnings

The “black box” warnings on antidepressants warn that antidepressant use could lead to increased risk of suicide. Many have questioned the wisdom of putting these warnings on antidepressants because they have led to decreased diagnoses of depression and use of antidepressants but have also been followed by an increasing level of suicides. So here is a renewed call regarding whether these warnings should be modified or removed.

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Internet Use May Boost Mental Health in Later Life

A large study across 23 countries found that internet usage in later life reduced depressive symptoms, improved overall health, and higher life satisfaction compared with those who were non-users.

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Beyond One-Size-Fits-All: Precision Psychiatry Is Here

For many years doctors and psychiatrists have had to try one antidepressant after another before they found the one that was most effective for a given client. Now researchers have found eight different biotypes of depression related to six different brain systems, so the hope is that eventually with this kind of information doctors will be able to identify and prescribe the antidepressant that will be most effective for a given patient.

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'People see Jesus': Doctor shares what she's witnessed from patients on the brink of death

The person who is the focus of this article is a medical doctor who has been with many people as they entered eternity, and because of those experiences has written a book called Anticipating Heaven: Spiritual Comfort and Practical Wisdom for Life’s Final Chapters.

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Living in Their Reality: Lessons From 5 Years of Caring for Loved Ones with Dementia

Here are some practical suggestions from those who have spent years caring for loved ones with dementia. Some were suggestions I had never heard before but ones that would undoubtedly be helpful if you are counseling someone who is about to begin the journey of caring for a loved one with dementia. I recommend you save this article for a time when you can use it.

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 The most miserable people on the planet are born-again people who do this

As you might guess, the answer to this is born-again Christians who engage in deliberate sin.

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Pastoring : Most difficult thing isn't what you think

This is the view of one pastor of what, in his experience is the most difficult thing in pastoring.

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The Family Way

Paul Peterson, a professor at Harvard University, citing research from both sides of the Atlantic, and studies looking at families from all socio-economic and educational levels, found an astounding insight that supports the biblical view of families. He found that “Of all the things that help students achieve success and economic mobility, the two-parent family is the most powerful.” His article was published by the Hoover Institute of Stanford University.

The fact that he, as a professor at Harvard University, had the courage to affirm the value of the two-parent family in the face of all the secularism on modern campuses is commendable. But I think this research can be an encouragement to all young Christian couples, that the environment they are creating, even though challenging at times, is the very best foundation they can provide for their children.

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Human Therapists Prepare for Battle Against A.I. Pretenders

This is from the New York Times, so you won’t be able to read it without a subscription. I’ll summarize some key points. Some AI chatbots, sometimes called generative chatbots, have been programmed to mimic therapists, and sometimes vulnerable clients have been harmed by their responses. Chatbots have been programmed to reinforce, rather than to challenge, a user’s thinking, even when that thinking becomes dangerous or violent.

Although some of the earlier chatbots were programmed to interact much like therapists, even instructing in things like CBT. But more recent chatbots are more unpredictable in how they respond, and the technology has progressed to a point where it is often difficult to discern whether one is talking to a real person or not. Indeed, a research study published in PLOS with 830 participants compared responses by chatbots and human therapists and rated the responses by chatbots as more “empathic,” “connecting”, and “culturally competent.”

The American Psychological Association has started two lawsuits against chatbots impersonating therapists (and their creators), but this is clearly an issue of future concern.

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Sleeping Too Much With Bipolar? Here’s Why It Happens and What Helps

People with bipolar disorder often experience insomnia and hypersomnia. Insomnia refers to difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep. Hypersomnia refers to sleeping normal or longer times, but still feeling tired, even when waking up. Primary hypersomnia occurs in some other medical disorders: when hypersomnia occurs because of some other disorder, as in bipolar disorder, it is technically called “secondary hypersomnia.” Some people with bipolar disorder experience both insomnia and hypersomnia. Hypersomnia may be underreported: some experts say that between 25 and 75% of people with bipolar disorder experience hypersomnia. It is important because sleep disruptions can trigger another bipolar episode. Besides discussing the issue, this article gives readers some suggestions for dealing with hypersomnia.

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An Agnostic’s Journey to Faith

Not a counseling article, but one that might be helpful if you have a client who is an agnostic and wrestling with questions about God. It’s encouraging to hear stories about very intelligent people who start out agnostic, and after examining all the facts, end up concluding that believing in God makes the most sense.

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A Possible Prayer Request

Probably you have heard of Rupert Murdoch, who owns Fox News, the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Post. Although you may not agree with everything you hear or read from these media sources, these three sources regularly give the news from an informed conservative perspective. You may be aware that Murdoch is 92 years old and has had some health challenges in the last year. His empire is about to be passed on to his four children, three of whom are reportedly more liberal than he is. Many of us believe that in a democracy it is important to have access to both liberal and conservative perspectives so that people can make informed decisions about issues. If you share this concern, would you pray that God would direct the decisions of this family so that U.S. citizens can continue to have exposure to a variety of perspectives?

I hope you have a wonderful week or weekend!

Henry Virkler