Bei Kindern und Jugendlichen bewähren sich psychotherapeutische Präventionsprogramme definitiv – die einjährige Studie „Saving and Empowering Young Lives in Europe (SEYLE): Gesundheitsförderung durch Prävention von riskanten und selbstschädigenden Verhaltensweisen“, die in Deutschland an der Universitätsklinik für Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie Heidelberg durchgeführt wurde, zeigt vielversprechende Ergebnisse und wies eine Reduktion psychischer Probleme bei den teilnehmenden Schülern […]

Thomas, recovering in the hospital with a femoral neck fracture, is still a happy person. His best friend lives in the tropics and no longer needs to work – but is always grumpy. Several good friends have suggested to Jane that she seek therapeutic help, but she says that ‘it isn’t that bad!’. Her neighbor […]

When I first came to Thailand, I wondered: given the healthy Thai cuisine, why are so many people – especially expats – overweight? Take a look on any street: at least one in three expats is obese. This is a high percentage, comparable only with the ‘fattest’ States in the USA, and  is responsible for […]

When they hear the word ‘depression’, many people think of sad or hopeless individuals who can’t cope with a life event, who are living withdrawn and are often crying their existence. But in fact this is only rarely the case. In a U.S. study published in 1996, for example, only a third of the patients […]

Bipolar Disorder: Caught between depression and excitement John always felt that his wife was ‘changeful’ – but it took both of them years to find out that she was in fact suffering from so-called ‘bipolar disorder’. People with what was formerly called ‘manic depressive disorder’ cycle between unusually intense emotional states that occur in distinct […]

How can we become happier in our lives, and what do we need to stay happy? Researchers have put a lot of effort into answering these questions and came up with some interesting facts that define the scientific basis of the so-called ‘positive psychology’. Today we know that about 50% of one’s happiness depends on […]

In den letzten 30 Jahren gab es einen Rückgang der Zahl der Suizide in Deutschland von 18.000 auf ca. 9.400, mit dem stärksten Rückgang in den neuen Bundesländern nach der Wiedervereinigung. Einer der wichtigsten Gründe für diesen sensationellen Rückgang dürfte die bessere Versorgung depressiv Erkrankter sowie eine bessere Früherkennung des Krankheitsbildes sein. Aber trotz dieser […]

Psychosomatic medicine is rooted in the idea of a mind-body connection, which recognizes that what a person experiences emotionally and mentally can affect his or her body. The medical community now fully recognizes the value of psychotherapy: today it is state of the art in Western clinics to offer patients complementary counseling or psychotherapy if […]

Der Begriff “präsuizidales Syndrom” stammt vom Wiener Psychiater Dr. Erwin Ringel, der die Gemeinsamkeiten im seelischen Erleben von Überlebenden untersuchte. Er spricht von drei Punkten: Einengung Gehemmte und gegen die eigene Person gerichtete Aggression Selbsttötungsphantasien Durch das Zusammenspiel dieser drei “Bausteine” kommt es nahezu unvermeidbar zu einem Teufelskreis, in dem sich diese gegenseitig verstärken. Einengung […]

You have plenty of time, but can’t get things done? Busy with many little things, but way too often find yourself postponing the really important tasks? Then you might be one of the many people suffering from procrastination. Procrastination often looks like self sabotage, since it can result in missing important business opportunities, offending others […]