Columnists, Articles
Getting to know you
By Alan Bodnar Ph.D.
The woman glided into the room on tiptoes, trepidation and confidence contending for control of her gait, her tortured smile reflecting some inner struggle about which we knew almost nothing. She had just arrived at the hospital and was meeting the team of mental health professionals who would provide her care during her stay. She made for the nearest chair, the one next to me and extended her hand in greeting. “Pleased to meet you,” she said, “I’m mildly depressed.” This is not the way people usually introduce themselves and say hello, not even in a mental hospital. I asked [More]
In wake of suicides, anti-bullying bill passed
By Edward Stern J.D.
Bullying. The word itself conjures up images of uneven relationships and unfair advantages. The differentiation or inequality is primarily in size, power and strength. “Merriam-Webster” online defines “to bully” as “to treat abusively” and “to affect by means of force or coercion.” Based on this definition, you would think everyone would be against bullying. Two recent incidents have been in the news involving young people committing suicide. These suicides are thought to have been the result of bullying by schoolmates. Bullying in society appears to be on the rise. This belief and other theories regarding the causes of bullying are [More]
Re-thinking the right stuff
By Alan Bodnar Ph.D.
The last time I changed jobs I thought I had found the best way to sort, pack and move important stuff from my old workplace to the new office. That was a time of volatility in the job market for psychologists much like today and the likelihood of a short stay at the new institution made me reluctant to unpack. So, after moving the really important things, I drove around with enough heavy boxes in my trunk to rack up a hefty repair bill for new rear shock absorbers. The experience held a valuable lesson – since we carry the [More]
Recall woes hit psychologists
By Alan Bodnar Ph.D.
The big news over the past few months has been the recall of thousands of cars by the world’s largest auto manufacturer. First it was an accelerator problem, and then it was the brakes. Aren’t we psychologists fortunate that this couldn’t happen in our field? Or could it? Dateline: The Future: In an April 1st bulletin that rocked the world of professional psychology, the American Institute of Behavioral Torque (AIBT) announced the recall of some 30,000 individuals who received Behavioral Torque Therapy in the last five years. Behavioral Torque Therapy, or BTT as it is commonly known in the field, [More]
A tribute to my colleagues
By Alan Bodnar Ph.D.
For the past several months, I’ve been writing about the impact of the closing of Westborough State Hospital on the lives of patients and staff. It is much too early to know the effect of this event on the grand variables that measure the success or failure of our public policy, of individual discharge plans or of the men and women living with the challenges of mental illness. Yet, as the hospital closes around us, every day brings evidence of our collective human response to uncertainty, change, loss and opportunity. A recent retirement celebration for five staff social workers gave [More]
Wish you were here
By Alan Bodnar Ph.D.
When the hospital closes, sometimes the best we can do for a patient is to transfer him or her to another hospital where they will receive similar care until they are ready to return to the community. For most of these people, such a transfer is a disappointment but not a defeat. It means getting used to a new environment with new sights, sounds, smells, rules and routines. It means learning to relate to new peers and treatment providers and telling one’s life story over again in pursuit of that elusive yet all important feeling of being understood. Often, a [More]
Lawsuit pertains to definition of marriage
By Edward Stern J.D.
On July 9, 2009 the Commonwealth of Massachusetts filed a lawsuit against the federal government in the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts. The name of the case is Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Plantiff, v. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Kathleen Sebelius, in her capacity as the Secretary of Health and Human Services; U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs; Eric K. Shinseki, in his official capacity as the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs; and the United States of America, Defendants. [For a similar but different case see Gill v. Office of Personal Management. [No. 1:09-CV-10309-JLJ, (U.S.DIST.CT.,D.MASS)]]. The case [More]
The Luckiest Man in the World
By Alan Bodnar Ph.D.
I just met the luckiest man in the world or at least, that’s what he told me. It turns out I have known him for many years, but like so much that we are learning about one another in the last days of the hospital, his disclosure came as a surprise. You would not think that a person who has suffered from a particularly virulent form of schizophrenia for over 30 years could consider himself lucky. That kind of self-assessment would surely be the mark of delusional thinking that would seal the diagnosis, if there were ever any doubt in [More]