For many of us the resolutions we make on New Year’s Day become a thing of the past by January 15. There are a few simple steps we can take to keep our resolution(s) alive. 1. Be Specific Too often we resolve to develop a grand, amorphous plan—like “spend more time with my kid” or “get in shape.” The [...]
Anxiety is the second most common mental health disorder, next to depression. In many cases, depressed persons also struggle with anxiety and many anxious people feel depressed. An estimated 20 million individuals in the US regularly deal with anxiety. Anxiety is described as a feeling of tension and/or fear. Some say anxiety is like “an impending sense of doom.” [...]
By Larry F. Waldman, Ph.D., ABPP The divorce rate in the U.S. continues to hover around 50 percent and the dissolution incidence when one or both of the parties have been previously married is about 65 percent. This is a national travesty. The amount of emotional angst and money spent, not to mention the extent of trauma brought to [...]
By: Larry F. Waldman, Ph.D., ABPP Psychologist The reasons for the current opioid epidemic are due to the following, largely unspoken, reasons: Physicians don’t have the time (and training) to effectively deal with their patients’ pain. Insurance companies prefer the quick, simpler treatment through medication over other longer, more complex non-medical interventions. Our nation’s health insurance and drug companies [...]
When we enter a grocery store or our primary care physician’s office we generally know what kind of service we will receive. For most of us this is not the case when we begin treatment with a mental health provider. Over my 45-+ year career I met many frustrated clients who complained that their previous mental health practitioner failed [...]
By: Larry F. Waldman, Ph.D., ABPP Psychologist/Senior Fitness Specialist/Yoga Instructor Weight Training Weight training, also referred to as resistance training, strength training, or weight lifting, is important because it builds muscle and increases bone density. Weight lifting is critical for seniors because it retards and even reverses the typical progressive loss of muscle mass (and corresponding strength) with age, [...]
Recently, I overheard an adolescent tell her friend, “I was so depressed yesterday but I’m fine today.” Her friend replied, “Yeah, I understand; I get depressed sometimes, too.” This conversation reflects the very common misuse of the term “depression.” Most individuals mistakenly refer to depression when, in fact, they are simply sad or unhappy. We all occasionally “get down,” [...]
By Larry F. Waldman, PhD, ABPP A parent tells their young child to brush their teeth. The child responds, “I don’t want to; I don’t feel like it.” It is perfectly normal for children to believe that they must be in a certain mood state (feel like it) to do something. Most parents, though, tell their child that they are sorry they don’t [...]
By: Larry F. Waldman, PhD, ABPP Prior to retiring in 2018 I worked in the family law arena for two decades. There I saw too many unfortunate children stuck in their parents’ ugly divorce. It was sad but common for these angry parents to use the child/ren as tools to hurt their ex. At times, a parent would even [...]
By: Larry F. Waldman, PhD, ABPP During my tenure in family law for over two decades I often encountered the heart-wrenching spectacle of children entangled in their parents' bitter divorce. Parents wielding their offspring as pawns in their battles with their ex was distressing and tragically common. These children suddenly found their world turned upside down. The cherished image [...]
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