Psychiatry Is Like Retail
Psychiatry, like retail, has busy seasons. Unlike retail, psychiatry’s hectic periods occur secondary to fluctuations in seasonal light exposure, rather than during major holidays. For years, I treated patients for worsening, or new onset depression, around Halloween, October 31. Some of this was Seasonal Affective Disorder, some simply the effects of diminishing light exposure on pre-existing…
The Marriage Counseling Workbook: 8 Steps to a Strong and Lasting Relationship
Although my book was published almost exactly one year ago, I’ve been surprisingly reluctant to publicize it since. The overlap of writing the book with my postpartum months after the birth of my second child amazes me. Ethan was born in June, I finished writing in December, and the book was in print by the…
We Are What We Eat: Stay Slim the Japanese Way
I often heard the expression “We are what we eat,” which turned me immediately off from certain foods. Who would like to be a cow? Chicken? Pig? Should I be a turnip or donut? An apple or brownie? There is some truth in this statement, however, I secretly agreed. Studies on obesity have shed some…
Mentoring Matters
“Show me a successful individual and I’ll show you someone who had real positive influences in his or her life. I don’t care what you do for a living—if you do it well I’m sure there was someone cheering you on or showing you the way. A mentor.” Denzel Washington A mentor can be defined…
I Don’t Have Answers About Life and Death and Neither Do You, But Let’s Live Our Life Better.
This morning I went to the funeral of a little boy I delivered two and a half years ago. I have taken care of his mother for quite a few years as I also delivered his older sister. He died after a brave and ferocious battle against rhabdomyosarcoma, the most common soft tissue sarcoma in…
So, how’s that New Year’s resolution to lose weight going?
So, how’s that New Year’s resolution to lose weight going? As a physician specializing in weight management, you would think I would be a big fan of New Year’s resolutions to lose weight. I’m not. Call me cynical, but I find New Year’s resolutions to be well-intentioned, but short lived, attempts to change ourselves dramatically…
Social Connections as The Secret of Happiness
Are you alone at this time of the year, or do you plan to spend time with your family and friends? Do you know of the loners in your neighborhood or your work places? If you have, like me, many holiday gatherings to go to, count yourself very lucky. You might complain how you do…
A Thanksgiving Message from an Interfaith Service at Saint Francis Episcopal Church in Potomac
I love Thanksgiving as it marks the beginning of the holiday season. It also reminds me of all the important relationships I have in my life. It’s a “home coming” kind of holiday and one of kindness, where many of us look out for those who don’t have too many social ties, who yearn to…
Three Letters From Sarajevo
On Sunday evening, my husband and I attended a music event at Strathmore, a concert meant to broaden our horizons. Three Letters from Sarajevo, by Goran Bregović, a diversely talented Serbian-Croatian musician. For much of the evening, I found my thoughts drifting to the horrific shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue and the lives senselessly ended. Each…
Nevertheless, We Persist…
Two years ago, one of my 18 year old patients almost killed herself. Her mom told me how she came home abruptly from college and showed signs of severe depression. An emergency appointment with a therapist revealed how she recently was raped on her college campus by a male student she knew. Her college administrators…