Does Depression Discriminate?
According to a new study, elderly white Americans receive more diagnoses of depression than their minority counterparts. The study, which was a follow-up to a previous longitudinal study, was led by Ayse Akincigil of the Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research at Rutgers University. Akincigil used data gathered from the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey that included over 33,000 elderly individuals. Several studies conducted in the decade prior to this longitudinal study provided evidence that there were differences in depression diagnoses and treatments for older Americans.... Read More
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As humans, we are wired to be connected. We are an interdependent species, which means we cannot survive alone. This is why relationships are such an important part of our lives and crucial to our well-being. This is also why dysfunctional relationships can take a toll on our self-esteem and quality of life. When was the last time you really took the time to examine your relationships? To do so, ask yourself the following questions:
How important is this relationship in my life?
How much trust do I have in this person?
How much do I invest in this relationship?
How much does this person invest... 
Saturday April 28th was my 11th Ocha Birthday. That is to say it was the anniversary of my initiation as a Yoruba/Lucumi Priest of Obatala (April 28, 2001). To me, it’s as important a date as my natal birthday. Traditionally, to mark the anniversary, we purchase food and cook for the Orishas (the divinities we worship), read each Orisha we have with Obi (4 quarters of coconut), and generally strive to have a peaceful and meditative day. Sometimes, if possible, we open our homes to other Orisha Priests to come and salute our Orishas and to offer their blessings. Since I was in a somewhat isolated... 
Young people who have 
Been lied to lately? Our natural tendencies to deceive are deeply embedded throughout our social experiences. Most of our lies are not geared toward outright deception (that's a different topic) but toward subtly exaggerating truths and opinions in our own favor. For those of us seeking more truth in our relationships, we are confronted with the near impossibility of measuring the honesty we offer others or desire from them. Our portrayal of self to others is a constantly moving target. No sooner do we post a status update to friends, than we are tasked with somehow hiding those words from friends... 
This article is the second installment in a two-part series. To read the first article, please click 
Traumatic events teach you that severe dangers exist and that life is not always safe. However, we all need to feel a certain amount of safety in order to function within the wide world. So how does a survivor of trauma gain a sense of safety when she/he inherently knows that the world contains serious dangers? Well, one way is by creating rigid rules that are flawlessly followed.
These rules tend to have an all-or-nothing hue to them, for example: “All sadness must be avoided, otherwise I will cry, never stop, and drown in my pain,” or “All romantic partners will leave me so I must leave... 
Oxytocin is a nonapeptide that helps alleviate contractions during childbirth and stimulates milk production for breast-feeding. Oxytocin also affects key regions of the brain that influence social behaviors. Recent studies have shown that oxytocin increases certain types of eye movement and negative evaluation of emotions in people with 
In sex therapy and couples therapy, the importance of full disclosure is a very important one. Many people come to therapy with the notion that their problem is isolated from the rest of their lives, and so they sometimes omit the most important pieces of information. Even the most thorough of intake sessions by the most seasoned and discerning therapists cannot weather the fact that clients often hold back very important information during treatment.
I see this in sex therapy and couples therapy quite often. People will like to leave out very important details, such as their profession and/or... 
Couples seek therapy to achieve better 
Love is one of the most elemental of emotions—it is a building block to some of our deepest relationships and a component in many of our happiest days. Yet the ability to freely give and receive love is a fragile skill, which traumatic experiences can all too easily dent or damage. Learning how to be loved is a vital part of your healing, and here are a few tips on how to regain your ability to accept someone’s care, concern, and nurture.
The first set of tips have to do with the person who is expressing kindness, care, concern, nurture, attention, aka love to you. Because you have experienced... 
After having worked in a residential treatment facility for abused and neglected girls for 8 years, I observed that the phenomenon of learned helplessness had become an all-to-common denominator for these children. It was very rare that an abused child was placed with us for a single incident of abuse. By the time these children reached our facility, many of them had already been physically or sexually abused numerous times throughout their childhood and adolescence.
Many times these children had been abused not by a single perpetrator but by several different people, including members of their... 
What would you do? An important romantic figure from your past finds you on an internet social media site. Perhaps this was your first love. This renewed connection brings to mind the passion and enthusiasm of youth—before children, financial problems, and middle age. In your mind, you travel back to a time before career worries, mortgage problems, and thinning hair to a time of anticipation, optimism, and more energy. What would you do? Is it a wrong choice to maintain contact on-line? Is it wrong to have a texting relationship? Where do you draw the line? What is the line that would determine... 
It is not a surprise that we have heard much stirring in the last several years about the importance of empathy and its role in everything from attachment, to neural development, to world positivity. There is an empathy shortage in the world, and we are seeing the far-reaching effects. Bullying. Violence. Insensitivity. Selfishness. In practice, we often see the damage done with children who are traumatized because of early life experiences characterized by a lack of empathy. Abuse, neglect, emotional bankruptcy, painful attachments and a violation of trust all contribute to a child’s ability... 
