Speaking of idiots

What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.
- William Shakespeare (Romeo and Juliet)

The same goes for words used to describe mental illness, does it not? The meaning of a word depends on what it represents not on the word itself. In my column from two weeks age, I discuss the history of the word ‘idiot’ and its evolution over the decades. Language evolves with usage making some words taboo over time.

While some people feel strongly that the language we use shapes attitudes, I would argue that this is far less important than the attitudes behind...

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Posted on 25 Mar 2013
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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 as something that affects how we see others. In fact it can also affect how we see ourselves.

Two accountants
 Let’s suppose there are two equally qualified accountants in two well-run companies. One of them sees himself as a genius while the other feels like an impostor....

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Posted on 14 Mar 2013
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Prepping for the latest nightmare

Following the shootings at Newtown, I was called by a journalist who wanted to know what I thought of the fact certain schools were planning to practice lockdown drills. I wasn’t free to film a segment for his report but I decided to address the topic in my column of February 12, 2013.

There are two main issues in my mind. The first concerns the issue of relative risk. When we focus on something that grabs our attention, we may end up focussing on a tiny risk while ignoring much bigger ones as a result. Making a decision while emotional rarely makes sense. A guy should probably not tattoo...

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Posted on 25 Feb 2013
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The empty coffee pot and Joe’s retirement

Here is something I published two weeks ago. It discusses Agreeableness, one of the five dimensions of personality from the five-factor theory.

The Empty Coffee Pot and Joe’s Retirement
(Source: La cafetière vide. Journal Métro, January 29, 2013)
Voir plus bas pour la version Française.

There is always some guy at the office ready to make coffee when the pot is empty. It is probably the same guy who takes up a collection for Joe’s retirement gift.

One of the main dimensions of personality identified by researchers is called agreeableness. Individuals at one extreme are very concerned with...

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Posted on 11 Feb 2013
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The memory and the moment

Here is a column I published in today’s Métro. It was written for Alzheimer’s awareness month in Canada (Voir plus bas pour la version Française).

The memory and the moment
(Source: Les souvenirs et le moment. Journal Métro, January 15, 2013)

Marie-Andrée and Jacques met at Place des Arts during a Montreal Symphony Orchestra performance. Their shared love of classical music was one of the reasons they fell in love and eventually married.

In recent years Jacques began showing signs of Alzheimer’s disease, a slow progressive illness that has robbed him of his past memories as well as the...

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Posted on 15 Jan 2013
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A guide to Christmas stress

Hey, it’s the morning of the 21st and I’m still alive! OMG!

Wait, was the world supposed to end at the start of the day or the end? I don’t know! But what if there is no apocalypse? What then? This implies something even worse than the death of our planet and all life.

That’s right…it means I only have three days to do my Christmas shopping!

Last year I wrote a handy guide to Christmas stress that I never published. Because I was so preoccupied finding bacon this week I had no time to write anything new for the Métro column. Here it is:

Voir plus bas pour la version Française.

A guide to...

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Posted on 21 Dec 2012
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Countdown to Armageddon


http://istockphoto.com/DNY59

What do you mean the world will end on December 21st? I’m barely getting started. I was still paying off debt but as soon as I had finished I was planning to get to my bucket list.

OK, let’s calm down and try to think rationally. Let’s see, what did I write down anyway. Hmm…sailing Ha Long bay…that’s out. Damn! Cycling across Canada…ixnay on that one too. How about seeing the Matterhorn, playing golf at Pebble Beach, an Alaskan cruise, or riding (or at least driving) up l’Alpe d’Huez? That would be a negatory on all those as well I’m afraid. There is just no...

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Posted on 16 Dec 2012
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Guy Turcotte

Since Guy Turcotte was given his release yesterday, I thought it might be appropriate to post something I wrote when his trial ended but never published. In it I examine some of the clinical and societal implications of this and similar decisions.

Needless to say, these opinions are my own and do not reflect the position of the Douglas Institute.

My brain made me do it 

Why do we do the things we do? This question can apply to simple behaviours such as why I eat more than I should or why a smoker smokes, as it does to far more serious actions such as why a seemingly loving father would...

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Posted on 13 Dec 2012
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This is not a garbage can!

A few years ago, as  I was walking into a shopping center, I noticed a large sign on a door. The sign was a large green neon sign with an arrow thick enough to hide a loaf of rye bread. Underneath this

arrow, in 100+ point font, were the words: Porte Brisé (Door broken). To make matters more clear, there was a pile of chairs from floor to ceiling stacked up on the other side of the clear glass door.

Get the picture? Let me add that the day-glo green neon sign with the rye loaf-sized arrow and 100+ font words would be easily visible from the International Space Station!

Just ahead of me...

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Posted on 07 Dec 2012
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Fat squirrels and fat people


Photo by WorshipDwight

It always amazes me to see how fat squirrels get in the fall. They stuff themselves in preparation for the coming harshness and deprivation of winter. But what would happen if somehow we were able to halt the advance of the seasons and prolong autumn indefinitely? Would the squirrels, that are simply acting on instinct, continue to eat as much as possible?

Isn’t that what we’ve done with humans? In the natural environment, fat animals are rare. The evolutionary process has ensured a balance between energy intake and energy expended. Our ancestors gorged during...

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Posted on 20 Nov 2012
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