Dr. Henry Paul, MD

Psychiatrist, Author and Educator

MEDICATION ALONE IS NEVER WISE

January 15th, 2014

For the treatment of depression, or in fact any psychiatric condition, to be successful it must include some form of the many psycho-therapies available, be it individual, family, and/or group. It can be plain old psychodynamic talk therapy or cognitive-behavioral therapy, social support, self-help groups, supportive counseling, life counseling, or social skills aid. Many studies going back years have shown that treatment for depression combining therapy with medication leads to the best outcome.

Our society more and more looks to quick and painless remedies for nearly all ills. Rapid weight loss, instant body-building and even a magic pill to reverse years of suffering from a psychiatric disorder. In today’s world, especially with limited numbers of child/adolescent psychiatrists and mental health professionals, and with much of the prescribing being done by non-psychiatric physicians, many children are just being given a pill. I implore parents to seek help from a health care provider who uses or recommends verbal therapy to accompany the use of medication.

The gold standard of help in psychiatry still remains, at least to a degree, a human relationship with a professional skilled in the art and practice of some form of talk therapy.

DISCLAIMER
Information contained in this blog is intended for educational purposes only. It is not intended as medical or psychiatric advice for individual conditions or treatment and does not substitute for a medical or psychiatric examination. A psychiatrist must make a determination about any treatment or prescription. Dr. Paul does not assume any responsibility or risk for the use of any information contained within this blog.

EXAGGERATED PRAISE OF YOUR CHILD AND HOW IT EFFECTS SELF-ESTEEM

January 14th, 2014

A recent NBC News story, “Parents sinking some kids with their puffed-up praise, study finds”, raises some very interesting questions about parents who “bathe kids in exaggerated flattery to boost self-esteem.”

The article hits upon a very important topic: raising children with a good sense of self-esteem. We can most help our child develop decent self-esteem if we, in fact, teach him that his efforts are good and how he approaches something counts more than a result. In other words, we regard the process and show curiosity in the how and why of what he chose to do rather than congratulating a product only. For example, let’s say Susie comes home with a picture she drew. An ideal response would be to ask about why she chose to draw something, how she picked the colors she did, and why she included the particular background that is there.  Many parents just praise the product:  “Oh how beautiful the horse is!” and this can lead a child to focus on production to the absence of enjoyment and interest in the process. 

In a society that puts so much emphasis on products, wealth measures and possessions, without as much on enjoying life we can see that such trends can often begin in childhood.  Additionally, when we really value what a child does for us self-esteem also rises. For example, chores, which are really useful, make a child feel useful and necessary and important to his parents. Rewarding these chores with payoff does not feed into self-esteem.

Finally, we should remember we cannot really fool anyone in the long run, especially our children. False or inflated compliments will be perceived as such, and will not only lead to less risk taking as the article points out, but worse it can lead to a distrust of parents’ input — a much worse result.

DISCLAIMER
Information contained in this blog is intended for educational purposes only. It is not intended as medical or psychiatric advice for individual conditions or treatment and does not substitute for a medical or psychiatric examination. A psychiatrist must make a determination about any treatment or prescription. Dr. Paul does not assume any responsibility or risk for the use of any information contained within this blog.