Health

Suicide is the second leading cause of death in the world for those aged 15 to 24. “Beneath the Surface: A Teen’s Guide to Reaching Out When You or a Friend Is in Crisis,” by Kristi Hugstad, offers a prescriptive for averting teen suicide. After her husband completed suicide, Hugstad wanted to find effective ways to help others on the same path. While the highest suicide…

Unionville High School has partnered with Chester County Health Department to serve as one of their Flu Vaccine Clinics this year. All families and members of the community are encouraged to attend and receive a flu vaccine from the Health Department. No appointment is needed. Vaccine consent forms will be available onsite the day of the clinic. Consent forms can be completed ahead of time…

Every hero and heroine in every fairy tale is beset with obstacles. In meeting challenges with persistence, the protagonist of the story achieves a happy end. And so it is with real life people too. A recent study published in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology describes how goal persistence “and a positive approach to challenges was … associated with lower rates of disorders” such as…

Ever get on a subway? Or any mode of public transit, especially in a city? Recently, I rode the T, the subway system of Boston and wondered about how we conjure up the “fear of others.” Encapsulated in a tunneled tube, people mostly are respectful of this anonymous intimacy of bodies without intrusion into another’s tiny piece of personal space. Jostled next to one another,…

There is no topic that hasn’t a psychological component. The recent issue of the American Psychological Association Monitor is full of reports that attest to this fact. Recently, the Monitor notes, the APA publicly debunked the physical discipline of children citing the solid longitudinal research that finds that such discipline does not improve behavior and, in fact, exacerbates emotional, behavioral, and academic problems. “Hitting children does not…

One of the major things someone caring for a dementia patient has to learn is to take care of themselves first. It’s not unlike an aircraft flight attendant telling passengers to put on their own oxygen mask first before helping to put one on a child or passenger having difficulty. That from Kelly McCarthy, the director of Memory Care and Engagement for LCB Senior Living,…

For more than 10 years, I served as a psychologist consultant at a retirement community. In all those years, I never met anyone who had “come out” as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender—LGBT. It certainly isn’t because LGBT is new, but it might be because the LGBT community avoids residing in such places for fear of discrimination or because when someone from the LGBT community…

Tom Bunn, the author of “Panic Free,” started out as a pilot. In that capacity, he tried for years to help people who feared flying. Then, eureka — a solution — which, he says, not only quells the fear of flying, but also manages panic states encountered on the ground as well. After years of study, he learned that the real issue of panic is…

Go take a hike! We talk about “human nature” a lot, but it turns out humans themselves need nature. Researchers are finding that, all across the life span, being outside in natural settings, walking, playing, just sitting, helps both brain and body functions. The response by some to these findings may be “Well, duh!” It may be common sense and intuitive to know that humans…