I was supposed to be living out a boyhood dream attending the Phillies’ spring training in Clearwater, Fla. I was supposed to be soaking up rays and watching new players. Instead, I was looking at a doctor who was looking at me sternly and saying: “I want you in the hospital now. What you have […]

This column originally appeared on Feb. 17, but is being republished at the request of readers. Many missed the original because a heavy snowstorm canceled or delayed delivery of the newspaper. An open letter to adolescents: Last time, I talked about some of the stresses you are living with – specifically, the relentless pressure to […]

In preparing for war, President Bush has made it clear that he appreciates the awesome nature of this decision. I trust he has considered the economic and political costs. No doubt he has taken into account that many people will be killed, and that the long-term effects can never be foreseen. But has he considered […]

Dear Dr. Dan: Last May, my divorced son married a divorced woman with two children, a boy of 17 and a girl of 11. Her children join his three boys, ages 12, 8 and 6. He and his new wife are very well-suited, and we feel they will have a good life together. However, as […]

An open letter to adolescents: Last time, I talked about some of the stresses you are living with; specifically, the relentless pressure to achieve. Many of you have told me the pressure you feel is constant, and in the process of trying to be better than you are, you feel alone and isolated. I am […]

Despite the recent spate of adolescent suicides in Cherry Hill, the incidence of teenage suicide is actually down over the last decade. According to Dr. Howard Sudak, past president of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, we have made remarkable progress in recognizing and treating the clinical depression that underlies nearly 90 percent of all […]

Alan Turin has the kind of life many people wish for. He has a successful career, a happy marriage, and two grown daughters who were recently married. So when he reached his mid-50s he realized that it was time to give something back. On the other hand, Angela Frazier has a life that very few […]

When I first became a quadriplegic, one of the greatest gifts someone gave me was coming into my hospital room and saying: “I have no idea what you are going through. Please tell me.” I thought about that story when I read the following two letters. Dear Dr. Gottlieb: I am writing about my aging […]

Dear Dr. Dan, My wife and I cannot seem to resolve a parenting issue that we have debated about for many years. In short, I believe we should establish a firm bedtime for our young children. My wife has never supported this idea (we have argued frequently about it) and has always used the phrase […]

Dan, My husband and I have raised four children. Three children are loving and respectful, educated, and hard working. The fourth child has a “dream.” In his 30s, he went a thousand miles away to fulfill this dream. Although he has never missed a chance to tell us what failures we are as parents, we […]