September 2008

Religion: why do people believe in God?

In todays Telegraph  article: As scientists prove that faith can relieve pain, distinguished psychologist Dorothy Rowe examines the case for and against religion

When I went to work in psychiatric hospitals, I realised that criticising religion was not enough.
I needed to understand why religion becomes an integral part of a person’s life – and doesn’t cease to be so when such beliefs cause the person much pain and guilt, or lead him to commit murder, even to the point of genocide.

Although they had not recognised it, my depressed or psychotic patients were struggling with the questions that theologians and philosophers had struggled with for thousands of years. “What will happen to me when I die?” “How can I be a good person?” “Why do bad things happen to good people?”

Link to read article

Source: Telegraph

 

 

Courtesy Nationwide Children's Hospital  For years teenager Kyle Brust suffered painful stomach aches. He had a condition known as functional abdominal pain. Today, Kyle is pain-free.

Courtesy Nationwide Children. For years teenager Kyle Brust suffered painful stomach aches. He had a condition known as functional abdominal pain. Today, Kyle is pain-free.

As students settle back into their desks for another school year, parents, school nurses and pediatricians respond to increased complaints of stomach pain. Many of these seasonal belly-aches are dismissed as nothing more than a case of the back-to-school blues. However, in many instances the pain kids feel is the result of a complicated and often misdiagnosed medical condition that researchers at Nationwide Children’s Hospital now believe could be helped with the use of medications typically used to treat depression. [continue reading…]

Nearly one out of five delinquent youths suffer from traumatic brain injury, which can contribute to wide ranging mental illnesses, a new University of Michigan study shows.

These troubled teens had a significantly earlier onset of criminal and substance-using behaviors, more lifetime substance abuse problems and suicidal tendencies than youths without traumatic brain injury (TBI), said Brian Perron, assistant professor in the U-M School of Social Work. [continue reading…]

The power of saying thank-you

In this deceptively simple 3-minute talk, Dr. Laura Trice muses on the power of the magic words “thank you” — to deepen a friendship, to repair a bond, to make sure another person knows what they mean to you. Try it.

Source: TED