In an article by Joel Young, M.D. Why Now? Factors that Delay ADHD Diagnosis in Adults, discussed many relevant issues related to adult diagnosis of ADHD. The article reported that in the past decade adults have sought evaluations for ADHD symptoms at a higher rate. Oftentimes, adults seek evaluation after learning that their child has …Read More
My Stroke of Insight by Jill Bolte Taylor, Ph.D. (YouTube video recommendation)
Dec 30, 2009
Technology, Entertainment, Design (TED) Convention In this inspiring TED presentation, Dr. Taylor, who is a Harvard-trained neuroanatomist, describes her experience of having a stroke in 1996. I cannot due her presentation justice in this description, but basically Dr. Taylor’s left hemisphere of the brain was silenced during this stroke and throughout some of her recovery …Read More
What Works in the Treatment of ADHD in Children
Dec 29, 2009
Given that ADHD is the most prevalent psychiatric diagnosis in childhood, it seems important for researchers to understand what interventions are most effective for children with ADHD. The MTA study is one of the first large scale, NIMH funded projects to compare the effectiveness of several different intervention approaches. The MTA study consisted of a …Read More
What We Can Learn From Spaghetti Sauce – Malcolm Gladwell (YouTube video recommendation)
Dec 29, 2009
From the Technology, Entertainment, Design (TED) Convention Malcolm Gladwell is a writer for the New Yorker and the author of bestsellers Blink, The Tipping Point, and Outliers. He is quite an engaging storyteller…whether in writing or speech. I highly recommend all three of his books for some captivating and illuminating reading. In this very entertaining …Read More
Why Are We Happy? Why Aren’t We Happy by Daniel Gilbert, Ph.D. (YouTube video recommendation)
Dec 28, 2009
Lecture from the 2004 Technology, Entertainment, Design (TED) Convention Harvard social psychology professor, Dr. Dan Gilbert gives a fascinating and entertaining talk about some of the errors that we tend to make in choosing actions that we think will make us happy. In the lecture, he discusses how the evolution of our frontal lobes has …Read More
Authentic Happiness – Martin Seligman, Ph.D. (book recommendation)
Dec 27, 2009
Dr. Martin Seligman is one of the co-founders of the Positive Psychology movement. Positive psychology is the focus on strengths, virtues, and happiness rather than on pathology and “what is wrong” with us. In this book, Dr. Seligman goes through some of the major findings from the research on happiness and how we can use …Read More
My New Year Resolution: A “to do” list that may actually make life a little less stressful.
Dec 27, 2009
Like most people, I often write long to do lists with numerous items I know will never get done. Sometimes, I question whether my to do list is actually helpful, as I often feel overwhelmed when I look at the seemingly infinite number of items that need to get taken care of and the relatively …Read More
The How of Happiness – Sonja Lyubomirsky, Ph.D. (book recommendation)
Dec 26, 2009
I listened to the (unabridged) audiobook entitled The How of Happiness, which was read by the author, Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky. She is a professor of psychology at The University of California at Irving who has conducted research on happiness for close to 20 years. The material contained in the book is quite fascinating, although I …Read More
How We Decide – by Jonah Lehrer (book recommendation)
Dec 24, 2009
I listened to this (unabridged) audiobook and thoroughly enjoyed it (the reader did an excellent job). I’d have to put this on the short-list of one of the most fascinating books that I’ve ever read (ahem, listened to). Lehrer takes us on a journey into the psychological and neurological underpinnings of the decision-making process. He …Read More
The Way of Zen – by Alan Watts (book recommendation)
Dec 23, 2009
I have almost completed The Way of Zen by Alan Watts for the second time (in audiobook format – I’m a big fan of them). Alan Watts was a British philosopher, writer, and speaker. He was an expert on comparative religions and was perhaps most famous for making Eastern religions and philosophies (e.g., Hinduism, Buddhism, …Read More