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Normality Does Not Equal Mental Health: The Need to Look Elsewhere for Standards of Good Psychological Health
by Steven James BartlettHow do you define good mental health? This controversial, counterintuitive, and altogether fascinating book argues that "psychological normality" is neither a desirable nor an acceptable standard.Normality Does Not Equal Mental Health: The Need to Look Elsewhere for Standards of Good Psychological Health is a groundbreaking work, the first book-length study to question the equation of psychological normality and mental health. Its author, Dr. Steven James Bartlett, musters compelling evidence and careful analysis to challenge the paradigm accepted by mental health theorists and practitioners, a paradigm that is not only wrong, but can be damaging to those to whom it is applied—and to society as a whole.In this bold, multidisciplinary work, Bartlett critiques the presumed standard of normality that permeates contemporary consciousness. Showing that the current concept of mental illness is fundamentally unacceptable because it is scientifically unfounded and the result of flawed thinking, he argues that adherence to the gold standard of psychological normality leads to nothing less than cultural impoverishment.
Suicide by Security Blanket, and Other Stories from the Child Psychiatry Emergency Service: What Happens to Children with Acute Mental Illness (The Praeger Series on Contemporary Health and Living)
by Laura M. M.D. Abigail Louise M.D.This book offers a unique glimpse into the startlingly complex world of acute children's psychiatry through 12 chapters, each inspired by the actual visit of a child in psychiatric crisis to one of the most well-known psychiatric emergency rooms in the nation.Suicide by Security Blanket, and Other Stories from the Child Psychiatry Emergency Service: What Happens to Children with Acute Mental Illness takes the reader inside the child psychiatry emergency room at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston. Each chapter highlights both the child's dilemma and the doctors' thought processes, and stresses the elements of rapid assessment. The real-life patient stories also offer myriad teaching points about child development and the warning signs of illness, and provide compelling lessons regarding types of interactions with school systems, health care systems, and family systems. Each individual story presents the breadth and depth of the child psychiatric emergency evaluation at MGH, from initial assessment to disposition, presenting a genuine glimpse into the children's psychiatric emergency room at one of the nation's most famous psychiatric departments. This book demonstrates vividly how even the best-intentioned communities can fail to offer services to their neediest families. Each story presents a fascinating glimpse into the complex and sometimes tragic world of child psychiatry on the front lines.
The Praeger Handbook of Community Mental Health Practice [3 volumes]: [3 volumes]
This expansive, three-volume set addresses the complexities of interconnectivity, therapeutic capacity, and the competencies needed in order to provide sophisticated and integrated community mental health care—both in the United States and within a global community.The Praeger Handbook of Community Mental Health Practice provides an essential framework that will serve university educators, students, new practitioners, and experienced therapists alike as they adapt to new approaches to community mental health and respond to changing laws governing mental health provision across state, national, and global levels.Volume one considers the structures, challenges, and expectations of community mental health, familiarizing readers with key issues such as service delivery, funding, and key models of intervention and care. Volume two provides an in-depth exploration of the specific issues of working with populations that participate in and benefit from community mental health services, including addiction, school-based services, juvenile and adult justice, and veteran's services. In Volume three, the contributors address specific needs, considerations, and concerns relevant to working in the global community, including disaster services, trauma, working with children, and providing training in international settings.
The Self-Esteem Trap: Raising Confident and Compassionate Kids in an Age of Self-Importance
by Polly Young-EisendrathKids today are depressed and anxious. They also seem to feel entitled to every advantage and unwilling to make the leap into adulthood. As Polly Young-Eisendrath makes clear in this brilliant account of where a generation has gone astray, parents trying to make their children feel special are unwittingly interfering with their kids' ability to accept themselves and cope with life. Clarifying an enormous cultural change, The Self-Esteem Trap shows why so many young people have trouble with empathy and compassion, struggle with moral values, and are stymied in the face of adversity. Young-Eisendrath offers prescriptive advice on how adults can help kids -- through the teen and young adult years -- develop self-worth, setting them on the right track to productive, balanced, and happy lives.
The Dream Book: Dream Spells, Nighttime Potions and Rituals, and Other Magical Sleep Formulas
by Gillian KempFrom the author of the popular Fortune-Telling Book comes a beautifully illustrated primer that opens the secret world of dreams and imparts her magic to dreamers everywhere. Full color.
Light Up Your Child's Mind: Finding a Unique Pathway to Happiness and Success
by Joseph S. Renzulli Sally M. ReisBased on the renowned Renzulli Method, which has been adopted in schools all over the country, Light Up Your Child's Mind presents a practical program to help children fire up a love of learning to last a lifetime. World-renowned experts Drs. Renzulli and Reis illustrate the crucial role parents can play in their children's development and address how they can work with teachers to enhance their children's education. They uncover the hidden potential of daydreamers, rebels, and one-track minds, arguing that gifted behavior -- basic smarts, high levels of task commitment, and creativity -- can be fostered in bright children, even unmotivated ones. Step by step, Light Up Your Child's Mind will show parents how to set their kids on the path to a rewarding future.
Aging Well: Surprising Guideposts to a Happier Life from the Landmark Study of Adult Development
by George E. VaillantIn an unprecedented series of studies, Harvard Medical School has followed 824 subjects -- men and women, some rich, some poor -- from their teens to old age. Harvard's George Vaillant now uses these studies -- the most complete ever done anywhere in the world -- and the subjects' individual histories to illustrate the factors involved in reaching a happy, healthy old age. He explains precisely why some people turn out to be more resilient than others, the complicated effects of marriage and divorce, negative personality changes, and how to live a more fulfilling, satisfying and rewarding life in the later years. He shows why a person's background has less to do with their eventual happiness than the specific lifestyle choices they make. And he offers step-by-step advice about how each of us can change our lifestyles and age successfully. Sure to be debated on talk shows and in living rooms, Vaillant's definitive and inspiring book is the new classic account of how we live and how we can live better. It will receive massive media attention, and with good reason: we have never seen anything like it, and what it has to tell us will make all the difference in the world.
If Men Could Talk: Translating the Secret Language of Men
by Alon GratchThis in-depth look into the seven attributes that can be used to help decode and interpret male behavior and explains the underpinnings of their outer behavioral patterns is presented. It also includes practical insights and useful tips on how women and men can learn how to talk, and to change men's non-verbal, action-oriented communications into the language of emotional dialogue.
Exiting Nirvana: A Daughter's Life with Autism
by Clara Claiborne ParkExiting Nirvana details Clara Claiborne Park's continuing efforts to have her daughter Jessy 'exit Nirvana,' develop as an artist, and connect with our world.
Exiting Nirvana: A Daughter's Life with Autism
by Clara Claiborne ParkExiting Nirvana details Clara Claiborne Park's continuing efforts to have her daughter Jessy 'exit Nirvana,' develop as an artist, and connect with our world.
Out of the Darkened Room: When a Parent Is Depressed: Protecting the Children and Strengthening the Family
by William R. BeardsleeDepression spreads like a contagion through families, affecting everyone's lives, especially children's. The spouses of people with depression are several times more likely to become depressed themselves; their children are four to six times more likely. Drawing from a comprehensive, long-term study of resilient children from depressed families, Out of the Darkened Room outlines a wide array of prevention strategies, from the family meeting to open and sustained communication on the subject of mental illness. Dr. Beardslee weaves together his own personal and clinical experiences with the emerging scientific research, the key theoretical concepts, and the steps families need to take in order to make sense of the illness. This is the first book to look at depression as an illness that affects the entire family, not just the individual. Just as The Unexpected Legacy of Divorce tracked the impact of divorce on children, Out of the Darkened Room examines the long-term effects of parental depression. Major depression is one and a half to three times more common among immediate family members than among the general population. Beardslee's 20-year longitudinal study has established the accepted protocol for treating families struggling with a parent who is depressed.
Spent: Memoirs of a Shopping Addict
by Avis CardellaAs a child, Avis Cardella devoured the glamorous images in her mother's fashion magazines. She grew up to be one of the people in them, living a life that seemed to be filled with labels and luxury. But shopping had become a dangerous addiction. She forwent food for Prada. Credit card debt blossomed like the ever-increasing pile of unworn shoes and clothing in the back of her closet. She defined herself by the things she owned and also lost herself in the mad hunt for the perfect pair of pants or purse that might make her feel whole. Spent is Avis Cardella's timely, deeply personal, and shockingly dramatic exploration of our cultural need to spend, and of what happens when someone is consumed by the desire to consume.
Wrong: Why experts* keep failing us--and how to know when not to trust them *Scientists, finance wizards, doctors, relationship gurus, celebrity CEOs, high-powered consultants, health officials and more
by David H. FreedmanOur investments are devastated, obesity is epidemic, test scores are in decline, blue-chip companies circle the drain, and popular medications turn out to be ineffective and even dangerous. What happened? Didn't we listen to the scientists, economists and other experts who promised us that if we followed their advice all would be well? Actually, those experts are a big reason we're in this mess. And, according to acclaimed business and science writer David H. Freedman, such expert counsel usually turns out to be wrong -- often wildly so. Wrong reveals the dangerously distorted ways experts come up with their advice, and why the most heavily flawed conclusions end up getting the most attention-all the more so in the online era. But there's hope: Wrong spells out the means by which every individual and organization can do a better job of unearthing the crucial bits of right within a vast avalanche of misleading pronouncements.
Children of Crisis
by Robert ColesIn the 1950s Robert Coles began studying, living among, and, above all, listening to American children. The results of his efforts -- revealed in five volumes published between 1967 and 1977 -- constitute one of the most searching and vigorous social studies ever undertaken by one person in the United States. Here, heard often in their own voices, are America's "children of crisis": African American children caught in the throes of the South's racial integration; The children of impoverished migrant workers in Appalachia; Children whose families were transformed by the migration from South to North, from rural to urban communities; Latino, Native American, and Eskimo children in the poorest communities of the American West; The children of America's wealthiest families confronting the burden of their own privilege. This volume restores to print a masterwork of psychological and sociological inquiry -- a book that, in its focus on how children learn and develop in the face of rapid change and social upheaval, speaks directly and pointedly to our own times.
Nerve: Poise Under Pressure, Serenity Under Stress, and the Brave New Science of Fear and Cool
by Taylor ClarkNerves make us bomb job interviews, first dates, and SATs. With a presentation looming at work, fear robs us of sleep for days. It paralyzes seasoned concert musicians and freezes rookie cops in tight situations. And yet not everyone cracks. Soldiers keep their heads in combat; firemen rush into burning buildings; unflappable trauma doctors juggle patient after patient. It's not that these people feel no fear; often, in fact, they're riddled with it. In Nerve, Taylor Clark draws upon cutting-edge science and painstaking reporting to explore the very heart of panic and poise. Using a wide range of case studies, Clark overturns the popular myths about anxiety and fear to explain why some people thrive under pressure, while others falter-and how we can go forward with steadier nerves and increased confidence.
The Neighborhood Project: Using Evolution to Improve My City, One Block at a Time
by David Sloan WilsonAfter decades studying creatures great and small, evolutionary biologist David Sloan Wilson had an epiphany: Darwin's theory won't fully prove itself until it improves the quality of human life in a practical sense. And what better place to begin than his hometown of Binghamton, New York? Making a difference in his own city would provide a model for cities everywhere, which have become the habitat for over half of the people on earth. Inspired to become an agent of change, Wilson descended on Binghamton with a scientist's eye and looked at its toughest questions, such as how to empower neighborhoods and how best to teach our children. He combined the latest research methods from experimental economics with studies of holiday decorations and garage sales. Drawing upon examples from nature as diverse as water striders, wasps, and crows, Wilson's scientific odyssey took him around the world, from a cave in southern Africa that preserved the dawn of human culture to the Vatican in Rome. Along the way, he spoke with dozens of fellow scientists, whose stories he relates along with his own. Wilson's remarkable findings help us to understand how we must become wise managers of evolutionary processes to accomplish positive change at all scales, from effective therapies for individuals, to empowering neighborhoods, to regulating the worldwide economy. With an ambitious scope that spans biology, sociology, religion, and economics, The Neighborhood Project is a memoir, a practical handbook for improving the quality of life, and an exploration of the big questions long pondered by religious sages, philosophers, and storytellers. Approaching the same questions from an evolutionary perspective shows, as never before, how places define us.
Girl Land
by Caitlin FlanaganThe physical, emotional, and social milestones of every girl's life: what we've lost and gained in the 21st century. The physical, emotional, and social milestones of every girl's life: what we've lost and gained in the 21st century. Caitlin Flanagan's essays about marriage, sex, and families have sparked national debates. Now she turns her attention to girls: the biological and cultural milestones for girls today, and how they shape a girl's sense of herself. The transition from girl to woman is an experience that has changed radically over the generations: everything from how a girl learns about her period to how she expects to be treated by boys and men. Girls today observe these passages very differently, and yet the landmarks themselves have remained remarkably constant-proof, Flanagan believes, of their significance. In a world where protections of girls' privacy and personal freedom seem to disappear every day, the ultimate challenge modern parents face is finding a way to defend both.
Go Wild: Free Your Body and Mind from the Afflictions of Civilization
by John J. Ratey Richard ManningThe scientific evidence behind why maintaining a lifestyle more like that of our ancestors will restore our health and well-being. In Go Wild, Harvard Medical School Professor John Ratey, MD, and journalist Richard Manning reveal that although civilization has rapidly evolved, our bodies have not kept pace. This mismatch affects every area of our lives, from our general physical health to our emotional wellbeing. Investigating the power of living according to our genes in the areas of diet, exercise, sleep, nature, mindfulness and more, Go Wild examines how tapping into our core DNA combats modern disease and psychological afflictions, from Autism and Depression to Diabetes and Heart Disease. By focusing on the ways of the past, it is possible to secure a healthier and happier future, and Go Wild will show you how.
Do What You Are: Discover The Perfect Career For You Through The Secrets Of Personality Type
by Paul D. TiegerFinding a career path that you’re passionate about can be difficult—but it doesn't have to be! With this bestselling guide, learn how to find a fulfilling career that fits your personality. Do What You Are—the bestselling classic that has helped more than a million people find truly satisfying work—is now updated for the modern workforce. With the global economy's ups and downs, the advent of astonishing new technology, the migration to online work and study, and the ascendancy of mobile communication, so much has changed in the American workplace since this book's fifth edition was published in 2014. What hasn't changed is the power of Personality Type to help people achieve job satisfaction. This updated edition, featuring 30% new material, is especially useful for millennials and baby boomers who are experiencing midlife career switches, and even those looking for fulfillment in retirement. This book will lead you through the step-by-step process of determining and verifying your Personality Type. Then you'll learn which occupations are popular with each Type, discover helpful case studies, and get a full rundown of your Type's work-related strengths and weaknesses. Focusing on each Type's strengths, Do What You Are uses workbook exercises to help you customize your job search, get the most out of your current career, obtain leadership positions, and ensure that you achieve the best results in the shortest period of time.
Infectious Madness: The Surprising Science of How We "Catch" Mental Illness
by Harriet A. WashingtonA groundbreaking look at the connection between germs and mental illness, and how we can protect ourselves. Is it possible to catch autism or OCD the same way we catch the flu? Can a child's contact with cat litter lead to schizophrenia? In her eye-opening new book, National Book Critics Circle Award-winning author Harriet Washington reveals that we can in fact "catch" mental illness. In Infectious Madness, Washington presents the new germ theory, which posits not only that many instances of Alzheimer's, OCD, and schizophrenia are caused by viruses, prions, and bacteria, but also that with antibiotics, vaccinations, and other strategies, these cases can be easily prevented or treated. Packed with cutting-edge research and tantalizing mysteries, Infectious Madness is rich in science, characters, and practical advice on how to protect yourself and your children from exposure to infectious threats that could sabotage your mental and physical health.
Created for Connection: The "Hold Me Tight" Guide for Christian Couples
by Kenneth Sanderfer Dr. Sue Johnson"Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." -- 1 John 4:8 Are you looking to enrich a healthy relationship, revitalize a tired one, or rescue one gone awry? Do you yearn to grow closer to God, and to further incorporate Him and His teachings into your marriage? We all want a lifetime of love, support, and faith. But sometimes we need a little help. Enter Dr. Sue Johnson, developer of Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and "the best couple therapist in the world," according to bestselling relationship expert Dr. John Gottman. In Created For Connection, Dr. Johnson and Kenneth Sanderfer, a leading EFT practitioner in the Christian community, share Johnson's groundbreaking and remarkably successful program for creating stronger, more secure relationships not only between partners, but between us and God. The message of Created For Connection is simple: Forget about learning how to argue better, analyzing your early childhood, or making grand romantic gestures. Instead, get to the emotional underpinnings of your relationship by recognizing that you are attached to and dependent on your partner in much the same way that a child is on a parent, and we are on the Heavenly Father, for nurturing, soothing, and protection. The way to enhance or save our relationships with each other and with God is to be open, attuned, responsive, and to reestablish safe emotional connection. Filled with Bible verses, inspiring real-life stories, and guidance, Created For Connection will ensure a lifetime of love.
U Thrive: How to Succeed in College (and Life)
by Alan Schlechter Dan LernerFrom the professors who teach NYU's most popular elective class, "Science of Happiness," a fun, comprehensive guide to surviving and thriving in college and beyond. Every year, almost 4,000,000 students begin their freshman year at colleges and universities nationwide. Most of them will sleep less and stress out a whole lot more. By the end of the year, 30% of those freshmen will have dropped out. For many, the unforeseen demands of college life are so overwhelming that "the best four years of your life" can start to feel like the worst. Enter Daniel Lerner and Dr. Alan Schlechter, ready to teach students how to not only survive college, but flourish in it. Filled with fascinating science, real-life stories, and tips for building positive lifelong habits, U Thrive addresses the opportunities and challenges every undergrad will face -- from finding a passion to dealing with nightmarish roommates and surviving finals week. Engaging and hilarious, U Thrive will help students grow into the happy, successful alums they all deserve to be.
No One Cares About Crazy People: The Chaos and Heartbreak of Mental Health in America
by Ron Powers* Finalist for the PEN/E. O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award * Washington Post Notable Book of the Year * People Magazine Best Book of the Year * Shelf Awareness Best Book of the Year *"Extraordinary and courageous . . . No doubt if everyone were to read this book, the world would change."---New York Times Book ReviewNew York Times-bestselling author Ron Powers offers a searching, richly researched narrative of the social history of mental illness in America paired with the deeply personal story of his two sons' battles with schizophrenia.From the centuries of torture of "lunatiks" at Bedlam Asylum to the infamous eugenics era to the follies of the anti-psychiatry movement to the current landscape in which too many families struggle alone to manage afflicted love ones, Powers limns our fears and myths about mental illness and the fractured public policies that have resulted. Braided with that history is the moving story of Powers's beloved son Kevin--spirited, endearing, and gifted--who triumphed even while suffering from schizophrenia until finally he did not, and the story of his courageous surviving son Dean, who is also schizophrenic. A blend of history, biography, memoir, and current affairs ending with a consideration of where we might go from here, this is a thought-provoking look at a dreaded illness that has long been misunderstood.
The Dead House: A Companion Novella
by Dawn KurtagichA digital short story from The Dead House author Dawn Kurtagich There is a box. A box that should never have been discovered. And a warning beneath the lid. This was for Kaitlyn. It was a mistake. Forget this box and leave the Isle. Don't look any further. I'm begging you. N.C.D. 2006After the inferno that swept through Elmbride High, claiming the lives of three teenagers and causing one student, Carly Johnson, to disappear, Naida Chounan-Dupre was locked away for the good of society.But that wasn't the end of the story. Because you can't play with the devil and not pay the price.The chilling, psychological horror of The Dead House returns with never-before-seen footage of the Naida tapes.
Opium: How an Ancient Flower Shaped and Poisoned Our World
by John H. Halpern David BlisteinFrom a psychiatrist on the frontlines of addiction medicine and an expert on the history of drug use comes the "authoritative, engaging, and accessible" history of the flower that helped to build (Booklist) -- and now threatens -- modern society.Opioid addiction is fast becoming the most deadly crisis in American history. In 2018, it claimed nearly fifty thousand lives -- more than gunshots and car crashes combined, and almost as many Americans as were killed in the entire Vietnam War. But even as the overdose crisis ravages our nation -- straining our prison system, dividing families, and defying virtually every legislative solution to treat it -- few understand how it came to be. Opium tells the "fascinating" (Lit Hub) and at times harrowing tale of how we arrived at today's crisis, "mak[ing] timely and startling connections among painkillers, politics, finance, and society" (Laurence Bergreen). The story begins with the discovery of poppy artifacts in ancient Mesopotamia, and goes on to explore how Greek physicians and obscure chemists discovered opium's effects and refined its power, how colonial empires marketed it around the world, and eventually how international drug companies developed a range of powerful synthetic opioids that led to an epidemic of addiction.Throughout, Dr. John Halpern and David Blistein reveal the fascinating role that opium has played in building our modern world, from trade networks to medical protocols to drug enforcement policies. Most importantly, they disentangle how crucial misjudgments, patterns of greed, and racial stereotypes served to transform one of nature's most effective painkillers into a source of unspeakable pain -- and how, using the insights of history, state-of-the-art science, and a compassionate approach to the illness of addiction, we can overcome today's overdose epidemic.This urgent and masterfully woven narrative tells an epic story of how one beautiful flower became the fascination of leaders, tycoons, and nations through the centuries and in their hands exposed the fragility of our civilization.An NPR Best Book of the Year"A landmark project." -- Dr. Andrew Weil"Engrossing and highly readable." -- Sam Quinones"An astonishing journey through time and space." -- Julie Holland, MD"The most important, provocative, and challenging book I've read in a long time." -- Laurence Bergreen