Kellevision

When Childhood Bipolar Disorder - Isn't

I really have a problem with the recent surge in diagnosing children with Bipolar Disorder.  The children I see with this diagnosis are often the victims of serious issues at home, issues which may even include abuse.  Some struggle with PTSD and the mood swings which are inherent in a traumatized individual are attributed to "Bipolar Disorder" and medicated. 

Are We Thinking Beings Which Feel or Feeling Beings Which Think?

It seems most Americans like to think of themselves as thinking beings who happen to feel.  But research into the human brain shows that we are instead feeling beings who are able to think.  I believe our failure to recognize this causes untold frustration and the current epidemic of people being diagnosed with depression.

Relationship Patterns

If you find yourself making the same mistakes over and over you might want to look at your relationship patterns.

Why Healthy Boundaries are Important in Relationships

Therapists talk a lot about boundaries, but we're not always clear what we mean by "boundaries", why they are important to an individual's mental health, or why they are important for healthy relationships.  

Power Games

Claude Steiner, author of "Scripts People Live" describes power struggles and maintains that there are two reasons people attempt to use power against others and two kinds of power which can be utilized to bring others under one's control.

The "Problem Child", Scapegoating and the Family System

Another family brings by the "problem child" and drops them off for me to fix.  She* is the oldest child of five and has been exposed to severe domestic violence, physical abuse and substance abuse.  And she is responding to it as any teenager would - by acting it out. 

How to Leave an Abuser

You've finally come to your senses and realized he or she is not going to change and it's time to leave.  What now? 

The Drama Triangle: Victims, Rescuers and Persecutors

Sometimes called the Karpman Drama Triangle, this is a powerful script which some clients find themselves locked into.   The triangle has three roles: Victim, Rescuer and Persecutor.  These three roles work to form a cycle of blame and guilt which allows all three "players" to avoid taking responsibility for their own emotions, beliefs or behavior.

"The psychiatric establishment is about to experience an earthquake that will shake its intellectual foundations."

This statement was made by British psychologist Oliver James in a recent article by The Guardian. 

I hope James is right.  I fear he is not.

James is referring to new research which suggests major psychiatric disorders are not biological but situational - a response to a childhood trauma.  Why is this going to set the psychiatric community on its ear? 

Failure to Protect Mothers Who Are Trying to Protect Their Children

If you've been reading this blog, you know how incensed I become at mothers who choose their boyfriends or husbands over their children's safety.  Failure to Protect has been a sore spot for me for some time, but this week I saw a mother trying to protect her children and being thwarted by every system she turned to.  I was horrified!