SPace's PsychoHealth Blog

Jaws is a classic horror film released in 1975.  It tells the story of a homicidal, Great White Shark, (a Carcharodon Carcharias if you please) who terrorizes Amity Island.  For the first half of the movie the shark was not seen, he was practically invisible.  If it wasn't for the music we wouldn't even know he was on the prowl.  The town council was in denial about the danger of this man-eater, it was a boating accident, a swimmer just got tired and drowned, whatever, they never had a problem with sharks in these waters...Chief Brody knew better, Hooper declared this was no boating accident, that it was, in fact, a shark, and it will continue to kill people unless the beaches are closed and they do something about this shark.   But Mayor Vaughn said Amity is a summer town and they need summer dollars. To further deflect the situation, he implored Brody to go after the vandal who painted a shark fin on their billboard, THAT was the real prob...

During a time of crisis, any crisis, but specifically one of such magnitude as the coronavirus, people need simple straightforward facts from experts, or those who understand the information presented by the experts. And we need them to tell us when they legitmately don't know the answer to the question but assure the public they will get an answer as soon as possible. We can accept those parameters. The general public is already experiencing unmatched fears and anxiety, with a lot of unknowns. While we need hope and optimism to get us through these challenging times, we do not need false hope, inaccurate information, or one's "feeling" about what certain outcomes will be, especially when they have no expertise or evidence to support it. When someone does give misinformation it is their responsibility to own it and correct it. Mistakes happen, but willful ignorance, selfishness, and ineptitude are inexcusable and indefensible. This is not about an individu...

Men:  Fatherhood and Family “My father used to play with my brother and me in the yard. Mother would come out and say, ‘You’re tearing up the grass.’ ‘We’re not raising grass,’ Dad would reply. ‘We’re raising boys.’” –Harmon Killebrew There is nothing that can provide men more of a true meaning of life then fatherhood.  Being a father is rewarding and challenging in ways that most of us probably did not anticipate (prior to having kids).  Our frame of reference was our own dads or father figures growing up.  While our genetics may be similar, our experiences and behaviors may not be.  There are some critical issues that men need to face in order to become responsible and committed dads.    The family of origin influences a father's knowledge, attitudes, values, and behavior about raising and caring for a child.  To gain better insight, fathers should be asked what he learned about being a father from his parents and extended famil...

Men and Anxiety Having anxiety is a normal part of everyday living.  You may have anxiety facing a problem at work or before taking a test in school.  This level of anxiety is temporary and usually situation specific.  The anxiety becomes a problem when it does not go away, gets worse over time, and interferes with daily activity such as job performance , school activities, and relationships. Our culture expects men to be strong at all times, so they are especially reluctant to seek treatment for anxiety.  Even if they acknowledge something is wrong, they will probably just label it as "stress" and try to manage their problems on their own, or look physical causes, such as heart problems.  The idea that men are too strong to experience anxiety can leave some feeling embarrassed and isolated.  With anxiety, too much time alone can often exacerbate emotions and make things worse,  Pride can also get in the way of asking for help. Another mistake...

Men & Depression Men and women both experience depression, but their symptoms may be different.  Men may display anger or aggressive behavior, instead of being sad and withdrawn.  Family, friends, and even medical professionals may not see these symptoms as depressive symptoms; and let’s be honest, even if they did and told the man so, most likely he would deny it and not seek treatment for it.  Men may attribute it to some external factor like problems at work or financial stress, therefore they won’t readily accept they need to talk with someone for depression.   What is depression? Depression is a common but serious mood disorder that affects the ability to feel, think, and handle daily activities.  Clinical or major depressive disorder must have symptoms present for 2 weeks to confirm the diagnosis.   Click the link below for more information about depression: https://www.spacecounseling.com/Depression.en.html As I mentioned ...

Men’s Issues: An Introduction (Part 1 of a series on behavioral health issues affecting men) "Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.”  -Marcus Aurelius Let me just start by saying  MEN HAVE ISSUES!   We do, we really do and most of us aren’t talking about it.  It’s not manly for guys to talk about their problems, it makes them look weak!  Right??  WRONG!!   Instilled from an early age, boys are told to stop crying, suck it up, “rub some dirt on it!”.  Basically they learn to suppress their feelings because society frowns on men who may not be able to control themselves or be productive members of society.  It is assumed that men will just work and provide for their families, and any problems will be “handled” or ignored. The “Strong Silent-Type” is an image that is admired and attractive.  Admired and attractive to who you ask? Well, other men and women of course!!  Is that what makes...

  Anxiety, Depression, Insomnia, and Pain:  The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse I thought this would be a good time to talk about some issues and problems that I know affect each and every one of us at one time or another.  I am willing to bet that 95% of you have had at least one of these four bad boys, anxiety , depression , insomnia , and/or pain .  The other 5% of you are either in denial or self-medicating with enough alcohol or drugs to notice!  In my practice I see people who have at LEAST one of these issues if not all of them and it isn't uncommon.  Often times it is the combination of these issues that results in overwhelming dysfunction in people's lives.  These four issues feed off each other to create a swirling vortex of negativity, sending the afflicted person to a dark place...and often times taking other people (especially significant others) with them.  This may lead to self-medication which could lead to addiction, whi...