Tuesday's Psychology Tips: How to Find a Psychologist Who Cares About the Outcome Of Their Patients

Thought for the Day: Somehow, September has barely started and I am busier than ever. Perhaps people are saying goodbye to the summer and determined to get their lives back into order. On Tuesdays I have been sharing psychology tips. Often I look back on tips or answers I have given on HealthTap.com. Since I have been very busy, I have not answered any questions for a while and decided to pay a visit and contribute some answers. One of the questions saddened me. The 26 year old woman who asked this question may have had some bad experiences in therapy in the past. When there are only 400 characters allowed it is hard to say all that I would have liked to but here I can say a bit more. Here's the question:

A 26 year-old female asked:

How do I find a psychologist or psychiatrist that really cares about the outcome of their patients?

Here's what I answered with a bit more than 400 characters...

Tuesday's Psychology Tips: Simple Depression Busters

Thought for the Day: Yesterday, I got a note from HealthTap. The app told me I had saved a life and that the person I helped had sent a thank you note. I checked to see what question was to see why my answer was seen as a life saver. I decided to share it here. I tried to give some simple ways to overcome depression. I shared things that anyone could try in addition to psychotherapy and medication which are surely needed for severe depression. Hopefully, these tips will help others cope with depression until they can start psychotherapy.Here's the question and my answer...

Tuesday's Psychology Tips: If You Have Chronic Pain You Should Know This...

Thought for the Day: On Tuesdays I have been sharing Psychology Tips. Often the tips come from my 100 character Tip Taps on HealthTap with some additional advice related to the short tip. Recently, there I took part in a competition between HealthTap's over 62,000 doctors nationwide. In preparation for the launch of an expanded site with new features including primary care skype consults, all the doctors were asked to write additional Tips. The doctor who posted the most tips would be invited to a retreat in California. I decided to put my thinking cap on and wrote tips daily for the month of June. I'm proud to announce that I won the competition and will be going to California in September. I am looking forward to the opportunity to meet the doctors who have developed this cutting edge service that is helping millions of people every day. In addition, I am proud to have again placed as the Top Psychologist nationwide on HealthTap.

I wrote so many tips, that when I received a thank you note from a 49 year old woman who was helped by the tip, that I had forgotten writing it! I decided to share it here today, since many people may not know the benefits of hypnosis for pain management. The tip in the image above is:

"If you have chronic pain, you should know this.,,you can control it better with hypnosis."

Often, when someone is suffering from chronic pain, their doctors try all the procedures and medications they can, only to tell their clients that they need to learn to cope with the pain. Sometimes they refer them to clinics for chronic pain. Unfortunately, many physicians do not know that hypnosis can help. Here's a brief overview of how and why it can be worth pursuing...

Motivational Mondays: Why Motivation Is Grossly Overrated

Thought for the Day: As I began to think about today's post, I began to consider why people are often disappointed in their efforts to accomplish things in life. Discouraged when they fail to see results, they will say, "I have lost my motivation," and give up. With all the hype in our society surrounding motivation  it is not surprising that many people feel that all they need is to be motivated to achieve "success" in life. Do advertising slogans like, "Just Do It " and "Yes You Can," make people feel like failures when they have difficulty accomplishing their dreams in life. Bombarded by endless motivational quotes on posters and facebook pages and stories of young entrepreneurs who have sold start-up businesses for millions of dollars, it is not surprising that many people are feeling discouraged. Although I have been thinking and writing about motivation for many years as a psychologist and here on my blog, a recent experience led me to realize that motivation is grossly overrated. Read on to hear why and what you can do about it if it's not working for you.

Tuesday's Psychology Tips: There Are No Failures In Life, If...

Thought for the Day: It's Tuesday and time for me to share another psychology tip. I have been writing a lot of tips for HealthTap lately and this one was to help people improve self esteem. "There are no failures in life, if you learn from your mistakes." It is all too easy to let mistakes make us feel like failures.

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom: Does the Pursuit of Happiness Lead to Unhappiness?

Thought for the Day: Today's Words of Wisdom came from answering a question on HealthTap. The question was: Do any docs think the pursuit of happiness brings about unhappiness? For those of you new to my blog, on HealthTap responses to questions are limited to 400 characters. Given the broad nature of the question, this one was challenging, but it lead me to create the quote you see in the image above: 

"The pursuit of happiness does not lead to unhappiness. The pursuit of unrealistic expectations leads to unhappiness."

Here's how I put it in 400 characters...

Tuesday's Psychology Tips: A Natural Anti-depressant, Anti-anxiety and Addiction Medication Anyone Can Try

Interesting Fact: Exercise = a natural antidepressant. Side effects = increased joy, health and weight control. Dr. Barbara Lavi on HealthTap

Thought for the Day: Tuesdays are reserved for Psychology Tips. I have been sharing 140 character tips that I have created or 400 character answers to questions I have responded to HealthTap. If you have not visited their site, I would recommend that you do.  Specialists from around the country share their knowledge 24/7. If you or someone you know suffers from depression, anxiety or an addiction, you may want to share this psychology tip.

     Today's tip relates to the convergence of physical and mental health. Most people think of exercise as an essential ingredient of physical fitness. However, many people do not realize that exercise is equally important to our mental health and psychological well being. Read on to see why...

Tuesday's Psychology Tips: Is Love Better Than Valium for Anxiety/Neurosis?

Thought for the Day: It's time for Tuesday's psychology Tips. Today I'm sharing a Tip that I created  with a little more information than the 100 characters allowed on HealthTap. Is love bettern than Valium for Anxiety or Neurosis? Read on to hear what love can do for personality development and see how the tip appeared on HealthTap:

Tuesday's Psychology Tips: How to Be a Healthy Mom

Thought for the Day: Still celebrating Passover which has led to a very late posting today, but I wanted to post a Psychology Tip. Mothers often put everyone else's needs before their own. Many women have been taught that self care is equivalent to being selfish. However, it is important the take care of yourself so that you will have the energy to care for others.

Tuesday's Psychology Tips: Your Kids Are Watching You: Be the Best Role Model You Can Be & You Will See the Results

Thought for the Day: I've been sharing tips on Tuesdays that I wrote for HealthTap. This one is on parenting school aged kids. Yesterday, I also posted a comment on a great Parenting Forum on Our Parenting Spot. Since it is clearly related to the Tip below, I am sharing the question and my response from there as well. Be sure to check out the raffle at the end of this post for your chance to win a free copy of The Wake Up and Dream Challenge.

TipTap: School Age Kids Health

    

HAIKU

Your school aged kids are watching you Be the best role model you can be and you will see results.

Dr. Barbara Lavi

Clinical Psychology

However, be careful since the quote above, "Your school aged kids are watching you. Be the best role model you can be and you will see the results," is true for both positive and negative results. It works both ways. Positive role models produce healthy, supportive well behaved children. Negative role models will see results that that may not be as flattering. On Our Parenting Spot the question was raised: "Should a parent try to fight a child that has bullied their child?"  What do you think about parents intervening in their children's arguments?

Tuesday's Psychology Tips: Could You Have Had Undiagnosed Depression Since Childhood ?

Thought for the Day: On Tuesday's I have been sharing questions I have answered on HealthTap. Here's an interesting question that many people wonder about when they come for therapy as adults. They often question whether they have been depressed for most of their lives, even though they thought they had healthy childhoods. If any of the situations I describe ring true for you, know that you can work through depression, even if it has been undiagnosed for years. Feel free to ask me questions about this or other issues you may be wondering about.

Here's the brief answer I gave on HealthTap with a bit more elaboration.

Dr. Barbara Lavi answered:

Can you explain if it's possible for someone to have undiagnosed depression since childhood?

Tuesday's Psychology Tips: Do You Take Your Anxiety Out On Your Stomach, Head or Neck?

Thought for the Day: Today, I chose a question that I answered on HealthTap from someone wondering whether their depression and anxiety could be "residing" in their stomach. I could have inserted multiple other questions about almost every body part you could think of from head, back, heart to chest. The answer would be the same simply inserting different body parts. Although the psychosomatic or influence of our emotional health on our physical health has been proven in multiple studies, it is always necessary to have a physician check to be sure that there is nothing medically wrong with the body part before assuming that it is purely a psychological issue. However, psychotherapy can help. Even if there is a medical problem for which you are being treated, like migraine headaches, reducing the emotional issues may help by reducing the stress you put on that part of your body. Here's my answer with a bit more elaboration than allowed on HealthTap:

Dr. Barbara Lavi answered:

Severe depression/anxiety, not on medication, & would like to know why I get this awful feeling in my gut as if my depression is residing in my stomach?

Different people

take out their anxiety on different parts of their bodies. Common figures of speech reflect this tendency, I.e., "it's a pains in the neck," "I need this like a hole in the head," "It gives me heartache." In your case, "It makes my stomach turn."

Tuesday's Mental Health Tips: Overcoming Addictions

Thought for the Day: On Tuesday's, I have been sharing some of the questions and answers I have given on HealthTap on various Mental Health issues. This week, I chose one about drug addiction. I have given a more detailed response than I can provide on HealthTap, but you can see the original post and follow my other answers on my HealthTap virtual practice by clicking on my name below.
Today's question was:

Who should I see for my anxiety from extreme drug cravings? Addiction counselor? Therapist? Drug detox? CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy)? I can't get rid my substance abuse mindset.

Tuesday"s Psychology Tips: Positive Parenting When Depression Runs in the Family

Thought for the Day: On Tuesdays I have been sharing Psychology Tips that I have written in response to questions on HealthTap.  Recently, I received a National Grand Champion Special Recognition Award for helping 1, 800,380 people during 2013. It is a wonderful resource that is available 24/7 for all your medical and mental health questions. Today, I'd like to share not only my answer to an important question but some of the answers of my colleagues on HealthTap. Since each response is limited to 400 characters, reading a few doctors responses rounds out the picture and offers an even more comprehensive answer. You can follow me and other physicians on HealthTap by clicking on our names below. It is always challenging when we know that a serious illness runs in our family that has a strong hereditary factor. Here's how I and three colleagues responded to this mother's difficult question. 

Tuesday's Therapy Tips: What To Do If You're in a Bad Mood Sometimes?

Thought for the Day: I answered a question a while back on Health Tap and think it is an important one to share here, with a little more detail than the 400 characters that health tap allows. It was asked by a 59 year old man, but it could have come from anyone, since men and women of all ages experience moodiness from time to time. He simply said:

I'm in a bad mood some time?

Here's my answer:

We all have bad moods

from time to time. If it happens every once in a while, that's normal. If it occurs frequently, you may want to consider speaking with a therapist to determine why you are feeling down so often. Talking about our negative feelings doesn't increase them, it actually relieves the tension and makes room for more positive moods.

To elaborate a bit more, we all could benefit from taking an inventory of how we are feeling. It could help to assess whether it's time for a mental health check up with a professional. Take some time, ask yourself how have you felt on a scale of 1 to 10, where 10, is joyful, and 1, is depressed, over the last week? Be honest and write it down for every day. If your numbers are leaning towards the negative end of the scale more often than the positive side, try keeping tabs for a few more days. Perhaps you will see a pattern. For instance, if every Monday when you need to return to work you feel depressed, problems at work may need to be addressed. 

Once you begin to see that your "bad moods" are taking up too much space in your life, go ahead and call a psychologist to talk about what is bothering you. Psychotherapy will help you figure it out. You don't have to spend your life feeling down. Over time it will not only hurt you, but may impact on your family and work life as well.

If you would like to get answers like these and connect with me on my Virtual Practice on @HealthTap, click on the link & join me and experts from around the nation 24/7.  

Tuesday's Psychology Tips: The Physical, Psychological, and Social Benefits of Dancing

Thought for the Day: Here's another Psychology Tip which I wrote for HealthTap.  The tip below was limited to 100 characters on HealthTap, but here, I can say more. I have loved to dance all my life. I don't need any health benefits to justify dancing. When I hear music, it makes me feel like dancing. 

     Just the exercise involved in dancing is a natural antidepressant. It's hard to dance and feel down at the same time. What many people do not know is that dancing also exercises your brain. It can help improve your memory. Other activities, like word games, can improve memory but they lack the physical health benefits that dancing gives. 

     If you are self conscious, even dancing alone can enhance your mood and memory, but when you dance with others the benefits are multiplied. Dancing helps people feel more connected with others and, therefore, improves one's mental health. If you don't know how to dance, take some lessons. With just a few lessons, you will be less self conscious and able to join in the fun! Or just turn on some music and move to the beat! Have a great week.

     Here's the Tip as I shared it on HealthTap. It's a great site where you can ask any and all health realted questions and get answers from experts from around the nation 24/7.

   INTERESTING FACT

 Dr. Barbara Lavi

Dancing exercises your body, brain, and memory. So keep on dancing to stay young and healthy!

 

    

 

Tuesday's Psychology Tip: How 2 Reduce Stress While Trying to Conceive

Thought for Today: It can be stressful when things don't happen quickly when trying to conceive. Here's a tip from my HealthTap TipTaps that may help.
TipTap: Trying to conceive

    

 

LIVING WITH

If trying to conceive, focus on having fun with your partner. Avoid worrying about getting pregnant  

Dr. Barbara Lavi, HealthTap Scholar

Click here: If you'd like to see more Tip Taps from Dr. Lavi on HealthTap

Tuesday's Psychology Tips: Simple Ways to Cope With Depression

Photo from MorgueFiles

Thought for the Day: Here's an answer I gave to a question on HealthTap. I tried to offer some additional ways beyond medication and psychotherapy that can help someone struggling with depression. If you have not visited HealthTap yet, I would recommend that you try it. Specialists from around the country will explain all types of medical questions 24/7. If you would like to follow me on HealthTap, click on the link at the bottom of this post.

Dr. Barbara Lavi's Virtual PracticeHealthTap

A 33 year-old asked:

Is there a way to help my major depression?

Dr. Barbara Lavi answered:

There are some tips

Exercise is a natural antidepressant. Even when you feel like staying in bed, get up and exercise. It will improve your mood. Laughter is also a natural antidepressant. See a funny movie. Laugh out loud. Speak with a friend. Go to a mall, it may help you get your mind off your troubles. Listen to music it may also help improve your mood. Therapy is also a huge help so why not take advantage of it?

0/400

ANTIDEPRESSANTS BRAIN DEPRESSION EXERCISE LAUGHTERMAJOR DEPRESSION MOOD

If you would like to follow me on HealthTap here's how:

Dr. Barbara Lavi's Virtual PracticeHealthTap

Tuesday's Psychology Tips: How to Stop a Cyberbully

Dr. Barbara Lavi answered:

Need docs help! I am bullied and cyberbullied everyday ! I'm very sad . :( please help me , I need solutions !?

Bullies tend to take advantage of people when they see it is working. If they are cyberbullying you, stop reacting  to them, don't give them ammunition. Report their behavior to the Internet provider, block their comments and/or change your email, login name or leave the platform so they cannot keep contacting you. If the bullying is in the real world, not cyberspace, join new groups avoid places where the person confronts you for a while. Speak with a therapist  to build your confidence.

(This is a real question that I answered on HealthTap with minor editing.)

Reproduced from HealthTap.com This is one of many questions I have answered on HealthTap a wonderful online site where you can askk all medical questions and get answers from doctors 24/7. You can follow me or other experts on their site.

The Christmas Countdown Sale benefitting The Blind Judo Foundation is still going on. Grab a copy for yourself and/or gift it to family and friends, It can also help you build self esteem which will reduce the chances of becoming a target for bullies. You do not need a Kindle to download the e-book to your computer, phone or ipad.