Adult attention deficit disorder or AADD is characterized as a condition causing inattentiveness, organization problems, procrastination and difficulty completing work. It is believed that adults can see an onset of AADD later in life maybe as a carryover from childhood, but in order to receive a diagnosis... Read more →

Executive function has big implications for the design of domestic violence programs. It is important to know the subtypes of batterers because different subtypes have different needs for treatment, and different levels of intervention that are necessary to ensure safety. I’ll refer to some very... Read more →

A study published in Psychological Science evaluated the link between happiness and personality traits in 973 twins. The authors found that happiness was heritable, and that it showed genetic linkage to certain personality traits. Those who were extroverted, open, agreeable and conscientious were more... Read more →

There’s something undiscriminating about change. Regardless of age, social status, education, or upbringing, most people’s first reaction to change is usually one of resistance. It doesn’t seem to matter if the change is positive or even if the change is backed up by substantial evidence,... Read more →

Don’t you think empathy is the ideal cure for war and domestic violence? Wouldn’t it be nice if you could teach empathy to the whole world today, right now? Well, here’s a step in that direction. A set of seven studies explored ways that we can feel more empathic and less vengeful by... Read more →

We’ve examined the common reasons people stop taking anti-depressants. That’s part of this puzzle. We’ve looked at the difficulty of proving the type of depression an individual has. Now, let’s answer the big question: why does the “cause” of depression really matter?... Read more →

It’s not unusual for people to stop taking their anti-depressants. And while this can be confusing and frustrating to others, a careful consideration of the reasons behind this common occurrence can help end this cycle. Called non-compliance, researchers have concluded that people stop taking medication... Read more →

Recently I read an AP article entitled Experts: Troubled patients may go off meds. This article used the recent college shootings by Steven Kazmierczak as an example of someone who stopped taking a psychiatric drug and then “lost it.” In a nutshell, the article goes on to explain reasons... Read more →

Scientists at Leeds University, England believe that they have found the answer to how a lot of our unconscious actions are generated — by simply following our herd of brethren! A new study demonstrates that it only takes about 5% of people to have a decisive influence on the direction that a crowd... Read more →

I am maintaining a list of the top ten “secrets” in the mental health field. Here is Part II, items five up to the big number one (items six to ten are can be found in Part I): 1. Cognitive problems Cognitive disabilities can have a tremendous effect on people who appear to be fairly high... Read more →

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has a bad reputation, due in part to the graphic media portrayals we see in films like One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and A Beautiful Mind, and probably also in part to an innate distaste for the idea of receiving electrical shocks to the brain. Despite the popular... Read more →