Ask the Psychologist: Online Clinical Psychologist

Toxic Family is Master of Appearances

Dr George Simon, PhD — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:48:48 +0000

Q: I come from an extremely dysfunctional home. My father is 70 years old and has always been verbally, emotionally and physically abusive. My mother has always protected him. They have been married for 50 years. They are also masters of keeping up appearances. They are so good at looking good that any outsider looking [...]

Tags: abuse and trauma, character disturbance, parenting and children, relationships

A Bad Combination for Our Daughter: A Boy, Alcohol, and Prescription Drugs

Dr George Simon, PhD — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:41:21 +0000

Q: My daughter is a freshman at our local college and currently living in a student apartment. Up until last year she had never been in serious trouble of any kind, but she met a boy who was not in the same intellectual circle as she, and things went downhill from there. During her last year [...]

Tags: depression, drug abuse, medications, parenting and children, relationships, school and studies, therapy

Could Strattera Be the Magic Pill My Easily Stressed Wife Needs?

Dr George Simon, PhD — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:05:16 +0000

Q: I am a single dad with two children. It wasn’t always that way, but their mother simply can’t deal with them. She only has them 4 days per month but still seems to have difficulty handling them because they stress her out so much. I started seeing the children’s mother 12 years ago. We had [...]

Tags: ADHD, anxiety and stress, depression, medications, parenting and children, relationships, therapy

Narcissistic Personality Disorder Husband is Using Our Kids

Dr George Simon, PhD — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:04:14 +0000

Q: My husband has Narcissistic Personality Disorder, and I am currently divorcing him after a marriage of over 17 years of torment. My kids are now teenagers, and my husband has started “using” them to do things that strictly benefit him. He rewards them with a little money for doing these things, effectively manipulating them. As a [...]

Tags: divorce, parenting and children, personality disorders, relationships

Stressed By My Studies and the Loss of My Childhood

Dr George Simon, PhD — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:39:59 +0000

Q: I’m a 16-year-old student in the 11th grade. Since the age of 12, I’ve experienced occasional bouts of depression and have struggled with fears such as the fear of death and so on. Recently, my anxiety has increased, and I’m under a lot of stress because of my studies. On top of that, whenever [...]

Tags: depression, school and studies, self-esteem, therapy

Why Do I Push Every Guy Away?

Dr George Simon, PhD — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:15:08 +0000

Q: I’m 26 years old, and I was sexually abused when I was 10. My abuser was my brother’s best mate whom my mum had taken in. The day after it happened, he robbed our house, and we have never seen him again. Although I’ve never really told too many others what happened, I’ve lived with [...]

Tags: abuse and trauma, parenting and children, PTSD, relationships, therapy

How Do I Stop Hitting People Who Upset Me?

Dr George Simon, PhD — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:55:27 +0000

Q: The first time this happened was when I was younger. Somebody did something, and I just got so mad that I hit him. Since I’ve gotten older, I’ve done this a time or two. I don’t beat the crap out of anyone! But I do hurt and hit them. When I realize that I’ve [...]

Tags: aggression, anger, CBT, therapy

The Slot-Machine Syndrome

Dr George Simon, PhD — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:15:23 +0000

Q: I’m a 37-year-old father of two boys, age 3 and 4, and I am currently separated from my wife. We have been married for 8 years and together for 10. We have had some significant issues since the day we met. I’m a Christian, she’s not. I am very affectionate, she’s not. She has been [...]

Tags: affair, bipolar, depression, divorce, marriage, relationships

Sociopathy or Borderline Personality Disorder?

Dr George Simon, PhD — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:42:45 +0000

Q: I am seeking advice on how to deal with an emotionally abusive family member. My older sister displays all the symptoms of a borderline personality disorder or possibly even sociopathy. After dealing with the lies, guilt, manipulations, aggression, and financial dependency for as long as I can remember, I cut off contact with her 2 [...]

Tags: abuse and trauma, boundaries, character disturbance, parenting and children, personality disorders, responsibility, siblings

He’s Back in My Bed, But I Still Don’t Trust Him

Dr George Simon, PhD — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:34:53 +0000

Q: My husband and I married six weeks ago. About two weeks after we were married, I discovered an email he sent to an ex-girlfriend two weeks before our marriage. In the email he told her that she was the “one that got away,” and that if he was the one who caused the break [...]

Tags: boundaries, character disturbance, marriage, responsibility

Nonverbal Learning Disorders and Social Behavior

Dr George Simon, PhD — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:22:36 +0000

Q: I have a 31-year-old son who is going through a very rough time. I would like some strategies on how I can help him. It wasn’t until my son was 25 that we found out he has NVLD (i.e., nonverbal learning disability). In the last couple of months he managed to find a girlfriend and [...]

Tags: parenting and children, relationships, social skills

Will This Make Him Stop?

Dr George Simon, PhD — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:31:48 +0000

Q: I am in love with someone I believe is commitment phobic. I am not a psychologist nor am I in the medical field. But when my boyfriend flipped out on me for no apparent reason, I knew something must be wrong. My boyfriend also always wears sunglasses and has about ten pairs of them. [...]

Tags: boundaries, relationships

Am I Wrong to Want More from a Relationship?

Dr George Simon, PhD — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:15:53 +0000

Q: I hope you can help me. I think I am in a relationship with no future but am not sure and need an outside opinion. I have been with my partner for a little over a year, although we’ve known each other since I was a child. He’s 10 years older than I, and we [...]

Tags: boundaries, marriage, relationships, self awareness

Eating Disorder or Something Else?

Dr George Simon, PhD — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 08:54:35 +0000

Q: For the past three years, I’ve been experiencing what I assume to be an eating disorder. I’m 5′ 1.5″ and have weighed anywhere from 142 down to 105. So, I’ve never weighed enough to be obese and never low enough to be considered anorexic. I’ve mostly kept it to myself about my weight fluctuations, [...]

Tags: depression, diet exercise and weight, eating disorders, suicide, therapy

Family Member Thinks Others are Watching Her and Trying to Hurt Her

Dr George Simon, PhD — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:51:24 +0000

Q: I need help for my family member. She has begun thinking that people around her are trying to hurt her. She believes that a certain person that she knew and did not get along with in the past is keeping a watch on her and trying to destroy her life. The situation is starting [...]

Tags: delusions, paranoia, psychiatry, relationships

Getting it Right When it Comes to Personal Responsibility

Dr George Simon, PhD — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:26:22 +0000

Q: My girlfriend and I have been dating for three years. We have been living together for two of those years. Most of the first year of our relationship was spent long distance. Two years ago I became ill, and she moved to my area to take care of me. I have since gotten better [...]

Tags: relationships, responsibility, school and studies

Daughter Unmanageable Since Her Dad Left

Dr George Simon, PhD — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 09:57:27 +0000

Q: My 18-year-old daughter recently stormed out of our home after she was caught in yet another lie, and my relationship with her is strained at best. My daughter was beyond devastated when her dad moved out and began dating a boy who was verbally and emotionally abusive toward her; she began to lie habitually [...]

Tags: abuse and trauma, affair, boundaries, depression, marriage, parenting and children, therapy