Foreign Accent Syndrome
People who suddenly speak with what sounds like a foreign accent often have a brain injury due to a stroke or other trauma. Experts discuss the syndrome and chances of recovery.
Medical Notes: Week of April 5, 2020
Experts say most people infected with Covid-19 under age 60 will have symptoms much like a cold or the flu, and it’s no reason to panic. Then, we’ve heard the advice a thousand times to wash your hands, use hand sanitizer and stop touching your face... That last point may be the hardest. Then, a study shows that being “a real man” builds “toxic masculinity” …
A Moral Question: Dementia, Spouses, and “Close Friends”
Spouses of Alzheimer’s disease patients often struggle with depression while caregiving and are desperate for support. Some have started new relationships while their loved one is still alive but no longer recognizes them. Acceptance of such infidelity is highly individual. Experts and a woman involved in such a relationship discuss how it can benefit even …
Loneliness in the Elderly
Loneliness is increasing across all ages, but it’s especially noteworthy among seniors, and it can dramatically affect health. An expert geriatrician who has studied the effects of loneliness and the leader of an organization that provides friendly visitors to the isolated elderly discuss causes of increasing loneliness, its impact, and the effectiveness of …
Invisible Girls: Victims of Incest
Experts say incest is the most common of all sexual abuse, but the least discussed openly. A noted expert on sexual abuse discusses how incest makes girls feel particularly responsible and unable to come forward, and a non-profit organization that seeks to help them.
Homesickness
What we now call “homesickness” used to be a medical diagnosis called “nostalgia,” and it was considered life-threatening. Today many people consider homesickness to be a childish emotion, but an expert says it’s nothing to be ashamed of. We all suffer from it sometime and need to know how to cope.
Lonely College Students
Studies show that college students are America’s loneliest people—even more so than the elderly—even though they’re surrounded by people and activities. The role of technology is discussed in isolating students, and the role of changing culture toward children and adolescents having a constantly structured schedule with few breaks for downtime or …
Coping with the Empty Nest (2018)
Parents who have spent 18 years or more raising children often feel lost when the last child leaves home for college or their own place. A psychotherapist discusses common reactions and strategies for renewing purpose living in the empty nest.
Medical Notes: Week of February 11, 2018
When should kids get their first smartphone?, the effect of loneliness on health, and a story that will make you think twice about stifling a sneeze.
Social Anxiety in Children
An expert whose daughter was afflicted discusses social anxiety warning signs in children and how the disorder can be treated.
The Health Effects of Loneliness
Studies are showing that loneliness and social isolation have profound effects on our physical health, and increase the risk of death substantially.
