Hi everyone, Salut tous le monde, I know I don’t write very often but I wanted to publicize an important event. I was contacted by a couple who lost their son to suicide in 2017. They are involved in this initiative that started in Ireland. Je sais que je n’écris pas souvent mais je voulais [...]
Category Archives: Depression
I just don’t know how to be happy
I JUST DON’T KNOW HOW TO BE HAPPY (SVP, voir plus bas pour la version Française) Why are some people more prone to depression than others? The answer is far from straightforward. Many people are sad because their lives aren’t going well. Failed relationships and employment problems account for many of these. But plenty of [...]
Do I need to take a pill?
(SVP, voir plus bas pour une version Française) An article in the paper two weeks ago quoted a researcher who claimed that 98% of anti-depressants and other psychiatric medication prescriptions could be stopped with no ill effects. As much as I agree that they can sometimes be over-prescribed, I certainly don’t think his statement makes [...]
Suck it up and move on: PTSD and what not to do
We were all saddened by the recent apparent suicide of Master Corporal Sylvain Lelièvre of the Canadian Forces. It was the fourth reported suicide this past week alone. Every suicide is complex and we can never know exactly which factors go into one person’s decision. Mood is affected by our temperament, our biological makeup, and [...]
Pig depression
Here is what I published in today’s Metro column: Pig Depression (Source: Dépression porcine: Journal Métro, November 05, 2013) Voir plus bas pour la version Française. Do animals feel the same things we do? Well, I suppose that if emotions evolved in humans in order to increase their chance of survival, the same must be [...]
My brain chemicals are out of whack!
I don’t know about you but I’ve never understood what is meant by the phrase “chemical imbalance.” Pharmaceutical companies use the term as a means of describing depression. It gives the condition a medical-sounding cause, which of course requires a medical-sounding treatment (such as the pill they happen to sell). Before I go any further, [...]
I have a feeling about my feelings
This week’s article is about our tendency to add problems to our problems: I have a feeling about my feelings (Source: Je ressens quelque chose à propos de mes sentiments. Journal Métro, July 02, 2013) Voir plus bas pour la version Française. A funny thing about people is that we have feelings and then we [...]
The genius and the idiot
The genius and the idiot (Source: Le génie et l’idiot. Journal Métro, February 26, 2013). Voir plus bas pour la version Française. We all wear filtered glasses that distort what we see. They are known as biases or prejudices to most people but psychologists call them core beliefs and schemas. We normally think of bias [...]
Aiming high and the pursuit of goals
Some people just don’t seem to care much about things while others seem to make an issue of everything. Our standards determine much of human achievement…and happiness. Except happiness doesn’t always seem to correlate with achievement. In today’s column in Métro, I tell a story of two salesmen, each of whom have very high standards. [...]
Vidéos sur la gestion des émotions / Video on the managing emotions
Re-bonjour! Voici les vidéos de mes présentations de l’École Mini-Psy (édition 2011). Prenez des méga-doses de caffeine et bon visionnement! Hi again, Here are the videos of my two-part presentation in our last edition of Mini-Psych School – 2011 edition (In French). Take some caffeine pills and enjoy! Du coeur au cerveau – Des émotions nécessaires [...]
