The major cause of maternal mortality in the US are behavioral health conditions accounting for almost 23% of all perinatal deaths.
Mental health care for pregnant women can be life saving. It also seems the SSRI antidepressant medications are safe in general and the benefits outweigh any risks.
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Question: Have you experienced/observed age discrimination in our field? In what ways? I am giving a CE training on the topic and would love to hear more about people's lived experiences with this!
Answer: Interestingly in my 56 year career as a Psychiatric Social Worker I have never experienced what I would consider "age" discrimination, but I have encountered often what could be called "experience" discrimination especially when I was over 50 looking for higher level positions when the people interviewing me had less experience, competence, and skills that I did. They were usually courteous and somewhat dismissive and I knew they were never going to hire me because I could easily do their jobs. It is very interesting how many mediocre people are threatened by competence.
Further answer:
Another factor even less talked about than experience is the level of differentiation in a hierarchical emotional system. Using Bowen's concept of differentiation of self (DOS) as applied to emotional systems having a subordinate more differentiated than a superordinate in an emotional system is toxic ground for all kinds of dysfunction.
Summary of Object Lessons
The novel centers on the Scanlan family, dominated by the wealthy and imposing patriarch, John Scanlan. Maggie is particularly close to her grandfather, who attempts to impart "object lessons" – life lessons – to her. However, Maggie's world is in flux. Her family dynamic is strained by her Italian-American mother, Connie, who feels like an outsider within the Irish clan and struggles with isolation and a distant relationship with her husband, Tommy (John Scanlan's son).
As the summer progresses, several events challenge Maggie's perception of her seemingly stable world. Her powerful grandfather suffers a stroke, leading to his eventual death, which deeply impacts the family's hierarchy and emotional landscape. Maggie witnesses her parents' struggles, discovers uncomfortable truths about her own conception, and grapples with the unraveling of her friendship with her best friend, Debbie, as they drift into different social circles and confront challenging adolescent experiences, including peer pressure and even a brush with delinquency. Through these experiences, Maggie begins to shed her childhood innocence and gain a more complex understanding of family, identity, and the adult world.
Therapeutic Benefits of Reading Object Lessons
Reading Object Lessons can offer several therapeutic benefits, particularly for those reflecting on their own coming-of-age or family dynamics:
Validation of Adolescent Experiences: The novel realistically portrays the often confusing and emotionally charged period of adolescence. Readers, especially those who experienced similar transitions, can find validation in Maggie's struggles with identity, shifting friendships, and the growing awareness of adult complexities. This can foster a sense of "I am not alone," which, as Anna Quindlen herself has noted, is a significant benefit of reading.
Exploration of Family Dynamics: Quindlen's keen observation of family relationships, particularly the complexities of a multi-generational, somewhat dysfunctional family, can be cathartic. Readers might recognize echoes of their own family challenges, power struggles, and unspoken tensions. This can lead to greater understanding and empathy for their own family members and their past.
Processing Change and Loss: A central theme is the impact of change and loss, particularly with the grandfather's illness and death. The novel demonstrates how individuals and families cope with grief, shifts in power, and the redefinition of relationships. This can be beneficial for readers who are experiencing or have experienced similar losses, offering a fictional space to process these emotions.
Understanding Intergenerational Conflict and Cultural Differences: The novel subtly explores the tensions between Irish and Italian cultural backgrounds, particularly through Connie's experience as an outsider. This can provide insight into the challenges of navigating different cultural expectations within a family and the impact of prejudice, even within seemingly homogenous communities.
Empathy and Perspective-Taking: By immersing themselves in Maggie's perspective, readers develop empathy for the characters and their struggles. Seeing events through a young girl's eyes, while simultaneously understanding the adult world around her, can broaden one's perspective on human behavior and motivations.
"I think the evidence is very clear that social media use is linked with depression, anxiety, loneliness, self-harm, suicidal ideation, eating disorders, all sorts of terrible mental health conditions," says Democratic state Rep. Zack Stephenson, the main sponsor of the law. "You'll see a message telling you that prolonged use of social media can lead to those outcomes."
Stephenson says the labels, while not yet written, will be like warnings for tobacco products or alcohol, and it's up to the Minnesota Department of Health to decide what they say.
"If you had expected big tobacco to make cigarettes less addictive in the '50s and '60s, you would have been sorely mistaken," Stephenson says. "Addiction was their business model. And the same thing is true for big tech."
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While the primary concern is the negative impact of social media on youth, it also has negative impacts on adults as well. The primary impact on adults is the scamming that occurs with lonely adult males who get sweet talked out of their money by posers who promise love and affection. I have seen this occur numerous times in my psychotherapy practice.
