Recent posts

Give Your Child the Tools to Recognize Sexual Abuse

By drwong
August 8, 2019

The New York Times By Shani Zoldan- Verschleiser July 22, 2019 It seems that every day we open our newspapers, go on social media or watch the news, there’s a horrific new story of child exploitation and abuse. In my role as a counselor and educator who focuses on prevention of child sexual abuse, people often...   read more


Marijuana Damages Young Brains

By drwong
June 18, 2019

The New York Times By Kenneth L. Davis and Mary Jeanne Kreek June 16, 2019 States that legalize it should set a minimum age of 25 or older  Recent efforts to legalize marijuana in New York and New Jersey have been stalled — but not killed — by disputes over how exactly to divvy up...   read more


More Pregnant Women Using Cannabis, Possibly Raising Risk of Preterm Birth, Research Shows

By drwong
June 18, 2019

American Psychiatric Association Jun 18, 2019         It’s becoming more common for pregnant women in the United States to use cannabis: Between 2002 and 2017, the prevalence of past-month cannabis use increased from 3.4% to 7.0% among pregnant women overall and from 5.7% to 12.1% during the first trimester, according to a report...   read more


APA, Medical Partners Protest Proposed Rule That Could Deny Care to Transgender, Women Patients

By drwong
June 16, 2019

American Psychiatric Association Tues May 28, 2019 APA and five other medical specialty organizations issued a statement today protesting a proposed ruleby the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that would weaken nondiscrimination protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) individuals under Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act. Section 1557 prohibits discrimination in health...   read more


How the restaurant industry is tackling its substance abuse problem

By drwong
June 16, 2019

The Los Angeles Times By Amy Scattergood Jun 06, 2019           On a recent Tuesday morning, about two dozen people gathered around a long table in the old brick building that houses the Jacobsen Salt Co. in Portland, Ore. All were somehow connected to the restaurant industry: chefs, line cooks, servers,...   read more


Health insurance deductibles soar, leaving Americans with unaffordable bills

By drwong
May 17, 2019

Los Angeles Times By Noam N. Levey May 02, 2019   Soaring deductibles and medical bills are pushing millions of American families to the breaking point, fueling an affordability crisis that is pulling in middle-class households with health insurance as well as the poor and uninsured. In the last 12 years, annual deductibles in job-based...   read more


What to Say (and Not to Say) to Someone Grieving a Suicide

By drwong
May 13, 2019

The New York Times By Gayle Brandeis May 8, 2019   Suicide can leave the survivors with anger, confusion and guilt, and even well-intentioned words can cause pain.           It can be hard to know what to say to a person in the thicket of grief; when someone is grieving a...   read more


APA Protests New Policy Against Transgender Military Service Members

By drwong
April 10, 2019

American Psychiatric Association Wed Apr 10, 2019   APA is protesting the implementation of a ban that goes into effect on Friday, April 12, on transgender individuals serving in the military. As of that day, the Department of Defense (DoD) is requiring transgender service members to follow the standards of their biological sex or be removed...   read more


Skimpy health plans touted by Trump bring back familiar woes for consumers

By drwong
April 5, 2019

Los Angeles Times By Noam N. Levey Apr 2, 2019               There used to be a lot of health insurance horror stories like Charley Butler’s. After the Montana truck driver was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2016, his insurer balked at paying tens of thousands of dollars in medical...   read more


Suicides highlight the toll of school shootings and the role of 'Complicated grief'

By drwong
March 31, 2019

Los Angeles Times By Melissa Healy Mar 27, 2019             After three suicides in 10 days involving people directly affected by school shootings, there’s renewed interest in a condition that psychologists call “complicated grief.” Long after a mass-casualty event, roughly 10% of people experience the enduring or chronic depression and...   read more