Today I have the privilege of interviewing Dr. Norman Rosenthal, the noted research psychiatrist about his new book, “The Gift of Adversity,” that explores how life’s disappointments and difficulties provide us with the lessons we need to become better, bigger, and more resilient human beings. As a world-class psychiatrist, what have you found to be...

Knowing when to commit yourself or a loved one to the hospital to be treated for severe depression can be a very gray matter. I wish there was a set of directions much like those when you are in labor: if contractions come within five minutes of each other and last a minute long, pack...

According to Dr. Cliff Arnalls, a British psychologist with Cardiff University, a number of factors coincide to make January 24th the most depressing day of the year: It’s dark. Not as dark as December 21st, the shortest day of the year, but dark enough to make our heads and bodies crave sunlight. Christmas bills come...

The Paradoxical Commandments were written by Kent Keith in 1968 as part of a booklet for student leaders. Since then they have made their way to lot of refrigerator doors, speeches, and articles. Mother Teresa hung them on the wall of her children’s home in Calcutta. Here are a few: People are unreasonable, illogical, and...

The self-defeating thoughts that accompany depression are among the most painful elements of the illness. When I’m in the thick of the darkness, I can’t see anything remotely positive about myself. I concentrate solely on my weaknesses. The other day I wrote down some affirmations to say when I’m in this place, to remind myself...