#FF 10/19/14 Wonderful Weekend Review: #Psychology, ##Songs 4 the Soul and #Comics

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Thought for the Day: This weekend's review includes some interesting articles on #mentalhealth and gun control; how to have fun, a wonderful new movie, "Skeleton Twins," that deals with the difficult topic of suicide in a sensitive;  thought provoking way, #Inspirational #Music from +Carrie Underwood   and a creative, colorful video with music from +The Rolling Stones . Then there's lots of #comics and #quotes for your enjoyment on this beautiful fall weekend.

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom: Depression and Hope Don't Mix

Thought for the Day: Although the weather this summer has been delightful, here in the northeast, the news lately has been very depressing. War has plagued the Middle East. The murder of American journalists covering the battles has brought the horror of the conflict graphically into Americans' lives. The Ebola epidemic in Africa threatens the world. Suicide of yet another great actor, Robin Williams, shocked and saddened people around the world. As a clinical psychologist, I have helped people overcome adversity for many years. I know that depression and hope don't mix. In fact, hope may be the secret weapon in fighting depression. When hope dies, depression wins. This fact lead me to today's words of wisdom:

"If life's challenges seem insurmountable, a daily dose of hope can help you cope." 

Find something to be hopeful for every day. Instead of a spoon full of sugar, a spoon full of hope may be the best medicine. You do not have to become a Pollyanna, but research has shown that finding something or doing something that gives you hope can help reduce feelings of despair and depression. Support a research project to find a cure for Ebola. Read about or join a program that is working towards peaceful solutions to political strife. Learn about or support an organization that helps prevent suicide. Teach your children things they can do to make the world a better place and hope that they will find better solutions in the future. Take time every day to find ways to feel more hopeful, it can help.

#FF 8/15/2014 Wonderful Weekend Review: Robin Williams, Depression,Michael Brown, Songs for the Soul, and Sunday's Comics

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Thought for the Day: It has been a very difficult week beginning with the tragic death of Robin Williams bringing mental illness, suicide and then Parkinson's Disease to the forefront of the news. I have chosen a few articles which look at this difficult psychological issue with sensitivity and compassion. Jimmy Fallon fought off tears and then used humor and shared Williams first appearance on the Tonight Show. His daughter touching words as she faces this enormous loss is also a testimony to his caring parenting. An article in the Huffington Post by Katie Hurley, psychotherapist and a survivor of a father's suicide, makes it clear how little most people understand about suicide which she says "Suicide Is not a Selfish Act." She makes suggestions of how to help people when they are struggling with the suicide of a loved one.

I also shared some wonderful music that I was able to hear last week as part of Saturday's Songs for the Soul from Lincoln Center Out Of Doors. I hope you enjoy Rosanne Cash, Buddy Miller, Jim Lauderdale, and the Lone Bellow and The Campbell Brothers.

Finally there are Sunday's Comics. Have a great weekend!

Thursday's Food for Thought: Clay Hunt: A Veteran's Life & Death

Thought for the Day: This week I have been writing about Veterans & how we honor & care for them. The statistics on veterans suffering from PTSD, TBI, depression, & alcoholism are staggering. The numbers of attempted suicides & deaths due to suicide are also discouraging. Are we doing enough to help veterans on their return from duty? This CBS 60 Minutes clip is the story of one veteran, Clay Hunt. We must do everything in our power to prevent these losses. Two programs described in the video attempt, like Higher Ground to rehabilitate veterans. Even with participation in a program where vets volunteer using their military skills to help following natural disasters & a biking program, Clay did not conquer his inner demons. As a nation, we must be creative & persistent to make sure that adequate mental health & rehabilitations programs are available to our veterans. If you know of a program, feel free to share it here. (Click to donate 1/2 of the profits from The Wake Up And Dream Challenge to Higher Ground.)

Thursday's Psychology Trivia Answer: Do Two Cupsof Coffee A Day Keeps Depression Away?

Thought for the Day: Today I said goodbye to 2 of my summer interns, Adam  Sierzputowski and Claire Freeman. Their work on the blog, newsletter & the Kindle free download promotion helped make my book a number on best seller in two categories on Amazon. Claire's great organizational skills & team building initiatives helped make this a great Dream Team of interns. Their help this summer was greatly appreciated & they will be missed. I feel sure they will make strides towards their dreams this year and in the years to come! It's time for the answer to Tuesday's Psychology Trivia Question:          

         True of False: Drinking coffee reduces the likelihood that someone will commit suicide.

The answer is: True .

Marge Dwyer, Harvard School of Public Health Communications at The Harvard Gazette reports that a study from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) found 50% lower risk of suicide for adults who drank between 2-4 cups of coffee each day when compared with adults who drank decaffeinated coffee, very little or no coffee.

In case you think you should simply start drinking massive doses of caffeine, hold your horses. The results were not conclusive regarding people who drink more than 2 - 4 cups of coffee a day. In fact, in a previous study from HSPH analyzing how coffee was related to depression a heightened depression effect occurred in those who drank 4 or more cups per day.

The researchers believe that in addition to stimulating the central nervous system, "caffeine acts as a mild anti-depressant by boosting the production of particular neurotransmitters in the brain...including noradrenaline, dopamine, and serotonin." This may explain the results of studies that have linked the consumption of coffee to a lower risk of depression. What should you do? Drinking 2 - 4 cups of coffee a day may be wise. There are down sides to caffeine, so the takeaway is if you can keep it at 2 cups or so a day, it probably will do not harm and might work as an antidepressant.