Men are raised to display strength and to conceal their emotions.  Although these rigid stereotypes are starting to fade, with men being encouraged to be in touch with their feelings.

It is therapists’ interest in helping others that they are exposed to pain, suffering, cruelty and injustice.

As a therapist, I better know what to say or do when a person shares that he or she is suicidal. I have been professionally trained on how to respond. It is not at all unusual for me to learn that a person is actively considering suicide during a therapy session.

A lot of research has been done on depression and much progress has been made in successfully treating it, but depression remains a leading cause of suicide. Even if a depressed person does not complete suicide, he or she will have an unhappy and unfulfilled life if depression persists.

I have been treating more and more TRD in my counseling practice. The higher the acuity and frequency of severe major depressive disorder, the more I am noticing the phenomenon of TRD.

As a clinician who provides direct client care I can attest to the fact that our mental health delivery system is in crisis. Although I am an outpatient therapist, I am treating more and more clients who require a higher level of care than an hour a week outpatient treatment can reasonably accommodate.

It is tragic that so many people who seek mental health care services are unable to obtain help. If a person is in crisis, days and even minutes matter. Imagine the frustration of desperately needing help and being shunned due to lack of access

There are countless theories about why we dream, none of which fully explain exactly why it is that we dream. There is no concrete, evidence based data on why we dream.

I will never forget the patient who gave me the best description of depression I ever heard. She was a 17 year old highly intelligent and very articulate patient on a hospital crisis unit who had attempted suicide.

These are extraordinary times, but mostly for all the wrong reasons. Previously, I wrote about existential angst, which is a terrible feeling of dread about the future.