My friend Anne called recently to tell me she was thinking of leaving her job to work independently. A successful professional, she loves what she does, but realized that the pressure of working at a book publisher was affecting the quality of her life. She didn’t want to overburden her coworkers or be judged harshly […]
On Healing 1/8/2007: A seriously ill son, and an agonizing father
Dear Dr. Gottlieb, I am writing to you because I am in so much pain. I was a student in Philadelphia in 1998, and now I am living back in my native Egypt with my wife and two wonderful boys, Sileem and Mostafa. Sileem is 14 and Mostafa is 9. Five months ago, Mostafa became […]
On Healing 9/4/2006: Grateful for an infection? In a way, yes
I knew there was no cure for my paralysis. Nor was there any hope for my baldness. But this was an infectious-disease doctor on the other end of the line, and he was calling me about my urinary tract infection. We had always cured them in the past, and even though this one seemed much […]
On Healing 7/10/2006: Treat the whole life, not the symptoms
Road rage is not really road rage. Of course, anyone who has seen that frightening and dangerous behavior might argue with that. But according to a recent study in the archives of General Psychiatry, it’s something called Intermittent Explosive Disorder, and it affects nearly 16 million Americans, more than schizophrenia and bipolar disorder combined. This […]
On Healing 5/29/2006: How to cope when driven to distraction
Dr. Gottlieb: I have noticed over the past 10 years that I have become increasingly distracted and distractible, more irritable and anxious and less productive and creative. I joke about whether I have “adult onset ADD” because I can’t concentrate. I am starting to feel stupid. It’s too hard to concentrate long enough to read […]
On Healing 5/15/2006: To deal with child’s anger and profanity, listen
Dr. Gottlieb, Our family is very upset about the profanity our 12-year-old daughter is using. Recently, when I was checking on her online conversations, with her present as I always do, I saw that she had typed that she “f-king hated her parents.” Not only was it disturbing to see it spelled out in print, […]
On Healing 2/20/2006: A hug and a kick taught him toughness
Dear Sam, The last time we met, you told me all about your new adventures in wrestling. This is the first I’ve heard of a wrestling league for 5-year-olds, but it’s a good sport and a promising way to learn about yourself. But then you told me you were having a problem. You said another […]
On Healing 10/31/2005: Guilt may result from feeling helpless
Dear Dr. Dan: For many years I have been struggling with my mother, who makes me feel guilty. As long as she was married, she was fine. But now that she does not have a husband, it seems as if she expects my husband and me to take his place. She also will not ask […]
On Healing 2/7/2005: Shock jock restigmatizes depression
Shock jocks are not paid to think; they are paid to shock. Craig Carton of New Jersey 101.5 was doing his job when he made some thoughtless comments about Mary Jo Codey, wife of acting Gov. Richard Codey. Mary Jo Codey has a history of severe postpartum depression. She and her husband have been open […]
On Healing 6/7/2004: Cancer became a personal issue
A health insurance v.p. becomes a patient. Over the years, this column has frequently been critical of health insurance companies. I have described insurance companies as insensitive and profit-seeking. But the industry does have some leaders who care. Lorina Marshall-Blake, vice president of government relations for Independence Blue Cross, is one of them. In addition […]
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