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 In mid-May I completed a two-year yoga certification program at age 77. I was super fit. Also around that time, I began to experience problems with my prostate—urinary frequency and leakage—as is common in senior men. I saw a urologist who prescribed medication and ordered some testing. In June the urologist reviewed the [...]
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 [...]
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 Psychologist You’re walking down the street and someone confronts you, demands your wallet or purse or face physical harm—or, as you are about to get into your car, you are carjacked. Both of these experiences are scary, frightening, traumatic and terribly inconvenient. On the other hand, your identity is stolen electronically and your [...]
By Larry F. Waldman, Ph.D., Phoenix-based psychologist Depression and anxiety are, by far, the most common mental health problems. Nearly 20% of the U.S. population struggles with or will struggle with one or both of these problems. The most common treatment today for these issues is medication — typically prescribed by the primary care physician (not a psychiatrist). This [...]
Larry F. Waldman, PhD, ABPP Clinical, Forensic Psychologist When I began counseling parents in the early 70’s, then as a school psychologist, it was often necessary to warn of the harmful effects of spanking and/or paddling as a common discipline method. Today, the pendulum has swung to the other extreme, as parents are not effectively addressing their children’s inappropriate [...]
By Larry F. Waldman, PhD, ABPP Psychologist, Trainer Resistance training (weight lifting) is far more popular than yoga. It is rare, especially among men, to find people who do both. Having spent thousands of hours in the gym for the past 50 years and a hundred hours on a yoga mat this past decade, it is unfortunately clear [...]
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