All Articles by Chadwick Royal, PhD, NCC, LPC, ACS
Dr. Royal is an Assistant Professor of Counselor Education at North Carolina Central University. He is a nationally certified counselor, a licensed professional counselor in North Carolina, and an approved clinical supervisor.
Anti-Aging – The Fountain of Youth – Part I
I am fascinated by stories of 104-year-old people who wake up every morning, eat a half-a-pound of pork, smoke a pack of unfiltered cigarettes, and drink a few fingers of vodka. I tend to feel a little better about the caloric-rich breakfast that I cook every Saturday morning for my family. On the other hand, I dislike to hear stories about 42-year-olds who run 3 miles a day and die from sudden and massive heart attacks. Or there are the athletes who suddenly collapse during a game. They have spent years training, exercising, and performing, but there is a hidden physical ailment that claims their life in the end. I'm frightened by the reality that anything is possible, and no one is invincible.
Therapy and Medication – Where’s the Breaking News?
The National Institute of Mental Health recently cited a study published in the December 2008 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. The study was cited as providing evidence that supports the idea that adolescents with major depressive disorder (i.e., depression) are less likely to relapse after treatment if they receive cognitive behavioral therapy in conjunction with psychotropic medication.I have to admit that this was not entirely shocking news to me, but I was slightly surprised to find the topic highlighted by NIMH as a "Science Update."
Work and Mental Health
“John” was referred to me for counseling services by his primary physician. John’s primary complaint: Panic attacks one to two times per day. I conducted a standard intake interview, asking him about all areas of his life. He had never experienced any panic attacks until one night a few months prior to his appointment with me. Like many people who experience their first panic attack, he spent an evening in the local emergency room being checked for a possible heart attack.
Suicide Rates Could Rise
"The sky is falling... the sky is falling!" Well, not exactly... but it certainly might feel like it given current economic circumstances. We are experiencing a financial period that has been likened only to the depression-era of the 1920s and 1930s -- but still, a time like no other in history.As a mental health practitioner, I’ve always been aware of the need to make some type of determination of whether or not clients might be a danger to themselves. There are various warning factors to consider -- also considered “red flags” (e.g., feelings of hopelessness, depressed mood, thoughts of suicide, and experience of recent losses, just to name a few).
Popular Posts
- The Love Drug
- Women After Sex
- Fatty Acids and Suicide Risk
- Mind Games - Science's Attempts at Thought Control
- Risks of Personalized Medicine
- Mental Health Disorders Prevalent Among Youth Worldwide
- Is Giftedness Nothing More than Good Genes?
- Behind the Masks - The Mysteries of Dissociative Identity Disorder
- The NeuroSocial Network
- Inside Your Brain on Holiday
Future Posts
- The Brain’s Buying Power
- Aging Intelligently
Latest Posts
- A Nicotine Patch a Day Keeps the Cognitive Impairment Away
- The Many Emerging Roles of Astrocytes
- Diabetes Impairs Cognition
- Media Violence Leads to Real Violence
- Intelligence – Are You Holding Back Your Brain?
- Childhood Aggression Predicts Health Care Use Later in Life
- The Brain’s Border Patrol – Blood Brain Barrier
- Risks of Personalized Medicine
- BED-head and Obesity – Food for Thought
- Salvia Divinorum – DEA Control over Magic in the Mint
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