Tips for working parents
May 15, 2013 / 5:00 am
It feels cliché to say it - but times have changed for families over the past few decades. Today there is no foregone conclusion when it comes to the work/family balance as there once was. Of course it used to be assumed that women would stay home with their children and take care of...
Depression as a public health problem
May 8, 2013 / 5:00 am
By now, this shouldn’t come as news - depression is the leading cause of disability around the world. The World Health Organization and many other health agencies have presented data about this and I have talked about it in several past columns. A study of more than 250,000 people...
Antisocial behaviour
May 1, 2013 / 5:00 am
Antisocial behaviour ranging from lying, stealing and manipulating to physical violence, torture or killing is an aspect of mental health I am frequently asked about. Of course, behaviours such as these can really range from mild to severe and cause varying levels of dysfunction or danger to...
Depressive thinking
Apr 24, 2013 / 5:00 am
Everyone knows depression involves feelings of sadness and a low mood that last longer than a normal bout of the blues and persists regardless of life circumstances. In addition to the low mood there are many other physical and psychological symptoms associated with depression, which I have...
Low sexual desire: a common problem
Apr 17, 2013 / 5:00 am
Phrases like “I have a headache” or “I’m too tired” are so common they are a cultural cliché. Most of us chuckle when these are re-hashed over coffee with friends or when they come up as humorous interludes in movies or television programs. We all know...
Quality of life in bipolar disorder
Apr 10, 2013 / 5:00 am
When treating a mental illness, the goal is typically to eliminate all or most symptoms – allowing the individual to resume normal daily functioning and to feel better. Bipolar disorder is no exception. In treatment, the goal is to stabilize mood and stop the person from shifting...
Overdoses and chronic illness
Apr 3, 2013 / 5:00 am
It won’t come as a surprise to anyone to learn homelessness is a big problem in our province. Not only is it often visible as is the case in our own downtown core and other infamous locations such as East Vancouver, but these examples serve as the tip of a much larger iceberg with...
Childhood TV - how much is too much?
Mar 27, 2013 / 5:00 am
Today more than ever our children are bombarded with options for their amusement and entertainment. (Photo: Flickr user - cmetroblogger) Of course there are the classic toys, books, puzzles and children’s music that have been around forever and now there are newer...
Mental health and an aging population
Mar 20, 2013 / 5:00 am
As the baby boom generation sneaks into retirement age, medical knowledge advances and population growth slows in many countries, it isn’t too surprising to hear the world is getting older. Today there are almost 500 million people in the world who are over the age of 65 and by 2050...
Childhood adversity & negative effects
Mar 13, 2013 / 5:00 am
Many studies on the lasting effects of childhood adversity have been published in recent years. All evidence shows that early negative experiences have a lifelong impact on our mental and physical health that is more complex and pervasive than we sometimes imagine. One collaborative study...
Medical risk assessment and you
Mar 6, 2013 / 5:00 am
Every time you encounter a medical or psychological problem, some risk assessment is involved. Regardless of whether or not you’re aware of it, you have to assess the risk involved in any action you take. For any treatment you may seek, you have to accept possible benefits and risks...
Shortage of mental health treatment
Feb 27, 2013 / 5:00 am
In Canada the area of mental health is often referred to as the orphan of our health care system. It is widely known that mental health care receives less attention and funding than other major areas of health even though mental illness affects roughly one in five Canadians, causes...
Attitude colours perception
Feb 20, 2013 / 5:00 am
Have you ever expected negative treatment from someone and then been pleasantly surprised? Hopefully most of us have experienced this at some point. Unfortunately, we have probably all gone into situations dealing with people where we expected negative treatment and received exactly...
Death rates increasing for least educated
Feb 13, 2013 / 5:00 am
Staying in school just got a little more appealing. In case you needed another good reason to hit the books, at least one study published by the American Cancer Society in the Public Library of Science, found higher education is linked with lower death rates. Death rates from all causes...
Parenting affects aggression
Feb 6, 2013 / 5:00 am
It may or may not surprise you – but the way we parent our children does have an effect on how they turn out. Studies indicate that parenting style is linked with youth aggression, delinquency and criminal behaviour. According to one study, punitive parenting was associated with...
Night eating syndrome
Jan 30, 2013 / 5:00 am
Snacking after supper is something most of us do at least sometimes. There is something so appealing about a mid-evening bowl of popcorn or ice cream as we unwind and relax before bed. Most of us also know these extra calories at the end of the day are not all that helpful if we’re...
The amazing brain
Jan 23, 2013 / 5:00 am
I have spent my career studying illnesses affecting the human brain and trying to help people get back to normal life functioning in spite of these conditions. During all of this time I have never stopped being amazed by this incredible organ about which we still have so much to...
Obesity
Jan 16, 2013 / 5:00 am
By now, pretty much everyone is very aware of the growing obesity epidemic in most Western countries. Although obesity rates among our American neighbours get the majority of the media attention, the percentage of obese people in Canada has also increased dramatically in the past 20...
Stress response
Jan 9, 2013 / 5:00 am
Have you ever wondered why people react so differently to traumatic events? Thousands of people could be involved in the same traumatic situation - such as a natural disaster or war – yet some will experience long term effects like post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and others will...
Mental health and the holidays
Dec 19, 2012 / 5:00 am
Photo: Contributed - (Photo: Flickr user - scottfeldstein) The hustle and bustle of the season is upon us. Bells are jingling, Christmas trees are flying out of the lots, the malls are packed and there’s nary a parking spot to be found. It’s time to take a step...
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