Early on, most children realize something about death. Often it’s the passing of a grandparent or a family pet. But pretty soon children figure out their parents could die. And then there is a flash that they too could die. This death anxiety usually goes underground because it is just too much to handle. And […]

This week’s letter raises an issue we can all relate to: critical self-judgment. Tomorrow’s Web chat will be about how to deal with it. My guest will be Michael Baime, an internist and director of the Penn Program for Stress Management. Dear Dan, I wish I could talk to you about some things that have […]

So many of us boomers and beyond struggle with our relationships with our adult children. The issues range from dealing with in-laws to our children’s marital discord to our distress about their child-rearing practices. On my noon chat tomorrow, I will be joined by psychologist Janet Berson, a family therapist in South Jersey, and by […]

The following e-mail came from Penn neurologist Leo McCluskey, medical director of the ALS Center at the Penn Comprehensive Neuroscience Center at Pennsylvania Hospital. McCluskey, an expert in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, will be joining us for our live Web chat tomorrow at noon. Dear Dan, I am interested in pursuing a […]

Seven years ago a driver fell asleep and struck an unsuspecting man named Rick. The accident left him a respirator-dependent quadriplegic, paralyzed from the shoulders down. His wife, Trish, defied doctors’ advice to put him in a nursing home and took him home. With his income eliminated, Trish went back to work full time, leaving […]

Eating disorders affect 10 million women, and the numbers increase each decade. But when someone with an eating disorder wrestles for control, other family members often feel out of control. In my Web chat tomorrow, we will be joined by Beth Weinstock, a psychologist in Narberth who specializes in treatment of trauma and eating disorders. […]

The following letter shows how depression affects every generation in the family. In our noon Web chat tomorrow, I’ll be joined by the letter writer below and one more person with a history of depression. We will talk about the difference between depression and sadness and how to deal with both. We will also talk […]

Dear Dan, My concern is for the family of my grandson, who let their lives revolve around “the him” and have little or no life outside of caring for “the him,” managing his therapy sessions, and researching the Internet. He whines and screams until he gets attention, then stops. When he is not the center […]

Sometimes a letter strikes a chord, reminding me of my work, my life – and my future. Such was the case with an e-mail from a woman who thought she had a handle on her lupus after more than 10 years but recently learned that the numbness she had been experiencing in both arms and […]

Research published last year found that when parents are distressed, their children report a poorer quality of life. Obese children are less likely to lose weight. I’ve reported before that most children over 13 complain of stress in their lives, and this study, in the journal Obesity, confirmed what I hear every time I speak […]