By Dr. Neill Neill, Registered Psychologist
There have been some deeply personal things going on in my life that during the past few weeks have made me feel at times like my life is on hold.
My son is gravely ill.
My firstborn son, Richard, is gravely ill at age 41. He’s in the capable loving care of his wife, Tracey. He is receiving excellent daily palliative care from an outside support team. But he lives 3000 miles from where I live.
My wife Eileen and I visited him in early October when it appeared he had only days to live. He has rallied somewhat, and I’m planning another trip within the next two weeks. At this point he thinks he will make it until my next visit.
And that is why I have this feeling of being on hold.
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Search Tags: acceptance death denial grieving palliative care parenting staying positive wisdom
Ten Things you Should Know about Mental Illness
By Dr. Neill Neill, Registered Psychologist
Mental illness is not neatly categorized and explained, and that can be a bit scary. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders of the American Psychiatric Association (DSM-IV) gives descriptions of the many mental disorders affecting about 20 percent of the population.
The three mental disorders we most often hear about are schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder (clinical depression.)
I have been up close and personal with all three: family members, close friends, colleagues, pupils and clients. I even did internships in big mental hospitals, back in the days before they closed their doors.
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Search Tags: bipolar disorder clinical depression major depressive disorder mental illness schizophrenia trauma
Dr. Neill Neill
The idea of the good marriage is built into our psyches. We want it; we seek it; we enjoy life more and live longer when we are in a good marriage. We are hard-wired to seek communion with another human being.
Conversely, if you have ever been in a marriage that wasn’t working, you felt you were in the loneliest place on earth.
The young man the movie, "Into the Wild," sought happiness by venturing alone into the Alaskan wilderness. In the end he wrote, "Happiness isn’t real unless it’s shared." Perhaps he was right.
A good marriage is fulfilling for both parties on all levels: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. And it lasts through all the personal growth and change that each will go through in life…
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