Description: What is Seasonal Affective Disorder? What causes it and how can it be managed or treated? The further north we live the less light we have in winter and as well, the further north we live the colder and snowier our winters are. So, is it that case that some people experience a drop… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Clinical Neuropsychology
Should Misophonia be a Disorder?
Description: Are there particular sounds that bother you? Some sounds CAN be unpleasant or annoying like the hum or rattle of a neighbor’s air conditioner when we are trying to relax on our balcony or in our backyard and some sounds can be truly awful. For example even thinking about the sound of fingernails on… Read more »
Helpful Psychological Disorder Symptoms?
Description: In “the old days” ( a couple of hundred years ago) the general understanding of fever (an above average body temperature) was a problem in and of itself. The fever was seen as the disease. Efforts were made to reduce the fever (cold compresses etc.) and sometimes it went away and the person got… Read more »
Royal Psychedelics?
Description: It is fascinating to see how some ideas, theories and research pop up in the popular press as opposed to in peer review research journals that are not generally read recreationally. Perhaps you have run across articles and related references recently to the potential efficacy of psychedelics in the treatment of depression and other… Read more »
Where Do ADHD Meds Act in the Brain?
Description: I am certain that you know that the most prescribed medication for those with ADHD is a version of methylphenidate which is a stimulant. A common question which arises when people encounter this fact is to ask how an individual with hyperactivity (the H in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) could possibly be helped by… Read more »
Sorting SAD and Winter Blues
Description: Even if you like winter (I do not) and you can manage the cold and have winter things you like to do, like skating or skiing, you may find that you have less energy in winter or you may notice other symptoms. For those of us who live at northern latitudes one thing we… Read more »
SuperAgers: Born or Made?
Description: Do you have an aging relative who is still remarkably sharp mentally, who can remember details of many things, is quick to respond to comments with humour and insight and who, from a mental point of view seems much younger than their years? Well, if so, there is a name for that sort of… Read more »
Treating Depression: Beyond SSRI’s?
Description: Over the more than a few years that I have taught introductory psychology classes I think one area where I have consistently struggled involves the neuroscience of brain functioning and its place and role in our understanding of human psychological functioning. This is partly due to my not having had a lot in the… Read more »
Covid and Depression: Correlation and/or Causation?
Description: I know it would not surprise you to hear that there is a correlation between Covid-19 and depression. I mean, the financial, social and physical disruptions associated with the pandemic impacted everyone’s mood and wellbeing even if they did not contract the virus. All of that would be even more true for those who… Read more »
Standing, Status and Validity of E.M.D.R.
Description: Have you heard of E.M.D.R. therapy? It stands for eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy. This is an unfair oversimplification, but it involves a patient thinking of a past traumatic event while guided by a therapist to engage in some form of bilateral stimulation such as following the therapist’s finger moving from side to… Read more »