Along with the phenomenon of cell phones and smart phones is another way of communicating called texting. Texting, for those of you who aren’t aware, is usually a brief typed text message that is sent to another cell phone and appears on the receiving party’s screen. Texting is a veryContinue Reading
Shopping Addiction or Internet Shopping Disorder can be defined as compulsive, episodic purchasing of goods. Like many other problem behaviors, Shopping Addiction can easily be amplified and escalated online. Not long ago, compulsive shopping was more under control and more easily self-regulated due to time-limiting store hours and the shearContinue Reading
If you are anything like the vast majority of today’s population, you have a serious, undiagnosed addiction that you aren’t even aware of. Or worse, you are afraid to acknowledge it. Should you immediately join a 12-step program? Consult a counselor? We will come back to this answer of whatContinue Reading
The average person fiddles with their smartphones over two thousand times per day. This is a truly astounding number. Actually, the number is two thousand six hundred seventeen (2,617) times a day. We can’t think of any other object that even comes close, not even a baby. This fact comesContinue Reading
We eat of course because we’re hungry. But what makes us feel hungry? Our physiological state, body chemistry and hypothalamic activity are the drivers behind our eagerness to eat. Yet there is more to hunger than just the need to eat. A Tale of Two Amnesiacs Researchers tested two patientsContinue Reading
Eating Disorders have become such an alarming psychological problem that left untreated may actually become worse over time, leading to suicidal thoughts or suicidal behavior. Anorexia Nervosa This disorder almost always begins as a weight-loss diet. People with Anorexia Nervosa are significantly below normal weight. Typically by 15 percent orContinue Reading
Our body automatically regulates our caloric intake to prevent energy deficits and to maintain a stable body weight. Does our body somehow keep tabs on its available resources? The answer is yes. To a point. Who Controls Hunger? One such resource is blood glucose. Small increases in the hormone calledContinue Reading
How we feel about ourselves is very important. And its importance in psychology dates back over 125 years. The father of psychology William James (1842-1910), devoted more than 100 pages to the toipic of self in his book “Principles of Psychology” (1890). Today, the self is one of western psychology’sContinue Reading
Alexithymia, from the Greek meaning “lacking,” is the term for an individual who lacks having or even identifying emotions. While Alexithymia is not a mental disorder it may be the result of masking or co-occurring with other underlying mental health conditions such as depression and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Continue Reading
Dieting is almost always followed by rapid weight gains. If you really want to lose weight, you must overhaul your eating habits. This approach is called behavior dieting. Here are some very helpful behavior dieting techniques: 1. Become committed to weight loss. Involve your friends and family members in yourContinue Reading