What is START? It is a model of short-term psycho-dynamic psychotherapy that was developed at the McGill Mental Health Service in the years 1995 to 2006 for the treatment of emotional distress in students. It us specifically oriented towards an adolescent or young adult population, though it is effective in any age group. It was […]
Evan Tran and the Sad State of University Services
The news of Evan Tran’s tragic death should give us all a pause to think. Here is another talented, well liked young man who decided to take his own life. There will undoubtedly be numerous articles written about the hardship of “mental illness” and the difficulty faced by university student services in providing help to […]
McGill Mental Health Service Intent on Labelling and Medicating Students
A student waits two month for an appointment at the McGill Mental Health Service. When eventually seen, he is given a diagnosis of “bipolar 2” after just six minutes and then handed a prescription for an antipsychotic. When seen outside of McGill fro a proper assessment, it is clear that both the diagnosis and […]
The Law of Averages
In most professions in life, average implies not too bad. One isn’t getting the best, but hopefully one isn’t getting badly treated. The average car mechanic will be perfectly good at doing an oil change or general repairs. The average family doctor will be able to handle most common ailments, like high blood pressure, sore […]
Why Cognitive Behaviour Therapy is a Fraud
A recent study (Johnsen, Tom J.; Friborg, Oddgei 2015) titled The Effects of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy as an Anti-Depressive Treatment is Falling: A Meta-Analysis indicating that over the years studies on CBT for depression are showing progressively poorer results should come as no surprise to anyone who actively works with real people. The findings should […]
The Need to Stigmatize (the overuse of the term) Mental Illness
There is a stain spreading across North America that is causing untold hardship to people with emotional distress. It is clear from the growing number of people seeking mental health services that many people in our society are suffering due to a variety of social conditions including family disruption, economic hardship, and alterations in […]
The Problem With Research Models of Psychotherapy
There has been extensive promotion of research models of psychotherapy, largely due to the demand from certain industries for evidence based practice. The problem with psychotherapy research is not necessarily in the research itself but in the superficial application of whatever evidence one can glean from the research. There is now a growing concern […]
The Use and Misuse of Diagnosis in Student Mental Health
There have been significant changes over the past twenty years in the manner in which our society responds to labeling in the mental health field. Using psychiatric diagnoses to “label” individuals used to be thought of as “bad”. Today, it seems that everyone, including health professionals, students, parents and administrators, is pushing for individuals […]
Depression in Adolescents and Young Adults
Diagnosing and treating depression in the late adolescent/early adult period can be complicated and confusing. Research models provide some important data, but the research has to be interpreted through proper clinical acumen. The DSM system has given us guidelines to diagnosis, but in this age group, as in others, many patients don’t fit cleanly […]
What is “clinical depression”
The term “clinical depression” is commonly used these days to indicate a more serious depressive state. It is a phrase that is not well defined and that may be used with various meanings. It is therefore important to understand what this term may mean and what are the possible ramifications of its common […]