PsychSense: Sensible Psychological Solutions

I am sorry to report that my experiences at my second placement in Kericho Kenya did not go well. There was lots of corruption in the newly formed program for HIV  education.  I decided to end my association with them.

Also, the people from this area were less exposed to those from different cultures and there was a lot of tension between tribes. This was a major issue in this part of Africa (Kericho in the Rift Valley) and a cause of much of the much post-election violence. 

Report from Africa.

Me and Alice from Rising Sun Orphanage

I apologize again for the scarcity of blogs. Not only is it a hassle getting to an internet café, but the connection is very slow and sometimes the computer goes down in the middle of a session. The electricity is often off here, so with all these issues I am usually able to blog once for every few times I try. Of course there is no air conditioning in the cafes and they are stifling.

One of the problems in psychiatry today from my perspective is the use of “buzz phrases” that are stated as facts. A good example is “Chemical Imbalance.” There is the joke referring to the overuse of this phrase about a kid who hits his sister, when his mother asks why, he shrugs his shoulders and says “my serotonin made me do it”. Chemical imbalance is a “buzz phrase” frequently used by patients and professionals alike to refer to one theory of the cause of mental illness. This theory states that an excess or depletion of certain neurochemicals (chemicals in the brain) is at least in part responsible for a variety of mental disorders.

Report from Africa.

I apologize for the delay in posting on my blog. Not only is it a hassle getting to an internet café, but the connection is very slow and the last two times I tried the computer went down in the middle of my session. Frustrating!

Question and Answer

Anne Writes

I am worried about my brother, he is depressed and refuses to consider going for counseling or medical care.  What Can I do to help him?

Answer from Dr. Duffy:

Sorry I couldn’t figure out how to deleate duplicate photos.

First hello to all and thanks to the many who donated to help me help African children. I raised over $1500.00 which enabled me to have $500 for  3 children’s programs and buy a few toys to go along with the suitcase full I brought from USA. I have already spent almost 500 on food and medicine for Children of the rising sun.  I am sorry I am unable to thank each of you personally. The kids thank you.

I have been sooo busy getting ready for my trip. I still feel like I have a hundred things to do. I will get them done and next Thursday will be steeling myself for a 16+ hours in a plane and I don’t know how many waiting in airports. Well maybe I can blog while I am waiting.

Question From A reader

 Dear Dr Duffy,

Where do I begin? First, a little background: I am a 23 year-old female. I have been married for 4 years to a man that is 20 years older than I. We have had two children age 3 and a newborn. We plan to have more children. They are a wonderful family.

For several years I have felt frustrated and disappointed with life, although I realize that I am extremely fortunate and very blessed. There is an emptiness inside that seems to echo louder with time and yet I cannot put a finger on what is eating away at me.

Why is Global Volunteering Important ?

When some one learned of my upcoming trip to Africa they asked me why I thought it was important to travel to other parts of the world to help others when there is such a great need at home. I had been thinking about this myself and here are some of those thoughts.

1.  To help us to recognize and decrease our own ethnocentricities and prejudices
2. To learn from others about things we have no idea we don’t know.
3. To foster acceptance and open our hearts to those we view as “different” from ourselves.

Hi All,

I am getting more excited as each day goes by. I have soooo much to do. Just figuring out what electronics I need and how to work them is an experience. I bought a Kindle ebook reader and haven’t opened up the box yet.  I had a friend set up my ipod, ( I know some of you techies are laughing at me) and am still struggling with all the features on my new phone. Whew, I never new I would give in to all this tech stuff and be so cool!!!