Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez exposes the problem of corporate money in politics

Editor's note:

Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez does a great job exposing the corruption of our federal government. It is very enlightening to see how easily the game is played with corporate money buying our government.

What are nine signs of burnout?

What are nine signs of burnout?

1. Skipping lunch.
2. Dreaming about work.
3. Playing the hero.
4. No time for friends.
5. Can't remember the last real vacation.
6. Poor sleep.
7. Negative attitude and irritability.
8. Never feel great.
9. Missing deadlines

For more click here.

Editor's note:

I often meet with people who have been diagnosed by their PCP with anxiety and depression and who have been given medications. When we discuss their situations, it becomes clear that they are suffering from burnout. Medications aren't going to help much until life style changes and work style changes are made.

What would you ask a philosopher?

If you could, what would you like to ask a philosopher?

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Editor's note:

There are five basic philosophical questions which we all struggle with throughtout our lives:

1. Why was I born?
2. What is the purpose of my life?
3. What happens when I die?
4. What is the good life?
5. What will make me happy?

Success stories - V.A. Wait Times Now Shorter Than for Private Doctors

From New York Times on 01/22/19

Wait times for an appointment at Veterans Affairs hospitals have decreased since 2014 and are now, on average, shorter than those in the private sector, a new study shows.

Researchers used V.A. data to calculate wait times for about 17 million appointments. The public sector data came from a survey conducted by a physicians’ search firm in nearly 2,000 medical offices in 30 major and midsize metropolitan areas.

The study, in JAMA Network Open, covered four specialties: primary care, cardiology, dermatology and orthopedics.

In 2014 the average wait time in V.A. hospitals was 22.5 days, compared with 18.7 in the private sector, a statistically insignificant difference. But by 2017, mean wait time at V.A. hospitals had gone down to 17.7 days, while rising to 29.8 for private practitioners.

Editors note:

There is a new tag being used on Markham's Behavioral Health "success stories." As Johnny Winter sings in his great blues song, Bad News, "Bad news travels like wild fire. Good news travels slow. That's why you hear that bad news every where you go. Talkin about bad news."

Here on MBH we also provide good news in the form of "success stories."

There is an organizational development model called "Appreciative Inquiry" which focuses on what is going right instead of what is going wrong. Also, Solution Focused BriefTherapy (SFBT) in psychotherapy focuses as much on what is working as well as the problems.

So look for the success stories and pass them along. They will provide satisfaction, hope, inspiration, and gratitude.

Media literacy - Can you believe your lyin eyes?

Editor's note: An area why this idea of misperception is especially egregious is in witness testimony in criminal trials where innocent people are falsely identified and purported to have done things they did not do. Witness testimonies are often inaccurate and unreliable. We tend to see what we think we should see rather than what is really there.

Media narrative about gun violence is not based on the facts

From Psychatric Services, December, 2018 by Jeffrey Swanson

Since 2000, more than 1.5 million people in the United States have been injured by a firearm, and a half-million have died. This total surpasses the combined U.S. military combat death toll of World Wars I and II. Of these gun deaths, 59% were suicides, and 37% were homicides (1). Mass shootings accounted for less than one-tenth of 1% (2). 

Still, the national conversation about gun violence tends to focus on senseless rampages by troubled young men while public officials pay lip service to an oversimplified, gun-ignoring solution: “fix mental health.” 

The mental-illness-and-mass-shooting narrative, as curated by the media, can perpetuate public misunderstanding and impede serious, broad-based efforts to both prevent gun deaths and improve mental health care.

For more click here.

Record number of firearms found by TSA at U.S. airports

From The Week on 02/08/19

Record 4,200 firearms found at airport checkpoints last year

A record 4,200 guns were confiscated at U.S. airport checkpoints nationwide last year, according to a government tally released Thursday. The figure marked a 7 percent increase over the previous year. The guns were found at 249 airports, according to the Transportation Security Administration. The most guns were found in states with loose gun laws in the Sun Belt, from Georgia to Arizona. Guns were found in carry-on bags at Dallas-Fort Worth airport 219 times in 2018. Asked about the rising numbers, TSA Administrator David Pekoske said they probably just reflected a broader trend. "I think more people are just simply carrying weapons in the country," he said. [CBS News]