I have always said that the best time of year is the short space between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I enjoy it most because of the music, which reminds me of the great gift of salvation that God gave us through His Son, Jesus. Listening to the music of Christmas gives me hope for a world that is struggling in so many ways. As I serve with the staff at Vision of Hope (VOH), we see these struggles firsthand. Continue Reading →
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In the past two months, a really interesting study has been published by a group of researchers in the United Kingdom, including Joanna Moncrieff of the Division of Psychiatry at the University College London.[1] The article was the product of research that examined a large number of studies dealing with the chemical imbalance theory of depression. Specifically, the article discussed whether or not a lack of serotonin can be demonstrated to be the cause of depression. Continue Reading →
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It has been a difficult two years for most of us as we have dealt with “two weeks to flatten the curve” of Covid illness, hospitalization, and death. And, I suspect we all have been hoping that with the coming of spring, the decline in cases and hospitalizations, the pandemic will soon be behind us. For some of our population, the improvement was not enough. This past week an article appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association discussing research into “deaths of despair.” Continue Reading →
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By the time this blog is published, we should be two days past Christmas, and another aspect of the season will be with us. Despite the reason for celebration, some of us do not view these days with joyful anticipation. Instead, for many reasons, Christmas can be a source of sadness. As a physician for over 40 years now, I have noticed a general uptick in visits for depression in the weeks following December the 25th. Continue Reading →
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One of the hardest things to learn in medicine, counseling, and life is the value of humility. When Benjamin Franklin was challenged about its absence in his original list of virtues, he added it. Later in life, he said of humility, that he could not boast of much success being humble but had a good deal of success with looking like it. Scripture commends humility to us. As James tells us, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble…Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.” So, as we consider a few important aspects of helping individuals who struggle with sadness and depression, it will be beneficial to bring humility along. Continue Reading →
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