Therapy Matters

Reflections of a young clinician

by Tyger Latham, Psy.D.

The Case for Same-Sex Marriage

Yesterday President Obama took a political risk in publicly supporting gay marriage. While the issue is being framed as a political one, in fact, there are larger social implications to legalizing gay marriage. Empirical research suggests that extending the rights of marriage to single-sex couples is likely to lead to stronger and more psychologically healthy families. Read More

Does Porn Contribute to ED?

As men spend more time looking at pornography on the Internet, many are starting to report increase difficulty in being turned on by their actual sexual partners. A growing body of evidence suggests a detrimental feedback loop can emerge between the brain and the penis when men rely too heavily on pornographic images to masturbate. Read More

Response to Jonathan Alpert

A recent op-ed piece appearing in the Sunday New York Times has touched a nerve with quite a number of therapists. The author of the piece argues that long-term therapy is often “ineffective” and those who practice it are little more than passive head-nodders, who simply answer questions with more questions. Read More

National Coming Out Day

Today across American college campuses, LGBT students will be celebrating National Coming Out Day. While the LGBT community has much to celebrate this year, today's festivities will be tempered as we mourn those young men and women who take their lives each year because their sexual orientation causes them to be the target of peer bullying. Read More

School’s Back in Session

College can be an exciting time for students as they embark on their college careers. However, even the most well-adjusted student can experience periods of uncertainty and disillusionment in the course of their college career. Sure, being away from home for the first time can be liberating, but it can also be anxiety provoking. Read More

The Political Brain

We are in the midst of world's largest debt crisis, in no small part because of ideological differences between Republicans and Democrats. Why is it our leaders are unable (or perhaps unwilling) to put aside partisanship in order to lead? The answer may have more to do with human psychology than actual politics. Read More

Can You Really Become Addicted to the Internet?

According to a recent study, many college students are exhibiting symptoms associated with addiction including withdrawal, cravings, and elevated anxiety. Read More

The Case for Same-Sex Marriage

Yesterday, hundreds of gay and lesbian couples across New York state wedded, marking a milestone for advocates for same-sex marriage. New York becomes the sixth and largest state to legalize gay marriage. Read More

The Google Effect

When was the last time you forgot something and didn't turn to Google, or some similar search engine, to find the answer? Chances are you've already visited Google at least once today. But is your reliance on Google affecting how you acquire and retain information? Read More

In Bed with Big Pharma

The pharmaceutical industry has been successful at convincing us that illnesses such as depression and anxiety--not to mention normal human emotions such as sadness, shyness, and stress--can be alleviated with a pill. New studies are asking important questions about the effectiveness of psychoactive drugs and the conclusions drawn may surprise you. Read More

Anti-Social Networking

Do social networking sites like Facebook impede our ability to form and maintain genuine relationships with one another? According to one report commissioned by the Jed Foundation, the effects of being constantly online may be actually negatively impacting colleges students. Click here to... Read More

The Often Forgotten “T” in LGBT

Transgender people are one of the least protected and most persecuted groups in this country. Much of this stems from ignorance and fear. What people should know about the transgender community... Read More

Why Therapy Is Important for Therapists

Most therapists will go into their own therapy at some point in their career. The experience of being "on the couch" can be every bit, if not more, valuable than any psychotherapy textbook or graduate class. Here's why... Read More

The Closeted Client

Is it possible to be happy and remain in the closet? Most therapists would probably say, "no." Not all therapists agree. Read More

Psychotherapy 2.0

These days the Internet offers therapists unlimited amounts of information on their patients. But is it okay for therapists to google their patients? Such ethical questions are becoming more common as psychologists embrace the "Brave New World" of social media. Read More

When Bad Science Kills

Tonight on CNN, Anderson Cooper examines an "experimental therapy" designed to make feminine boys more masculine. His report reveals the deadly consequences of what can happen when science is abused. Read More

Reel Therapy

Therapists are often lampooned by Hollywood writers. Thankfully, HBO's "In Treatment" offers a more accurate and nuanced portrayal of a modern day therapist. Read More

Why Are Cell Phones So Annoying?

Annoyance is an universal emotion but one that is often misunderstood. Why is listening to another person's cell phone conversation so annoying to us? Read More

Are Millennials Really that Narcissistic?

Are millennials really as narcissistic as the media makes them out to be? Or, is one kid's narcissism just another kid's resiliency? Read More

Memorial Day is a Time of Remembrance

This Memorial Day, let's remember those who sacrificed their lives for our country, as well as those who continue to battle PTSD. Read More

"It Gets Better" But For Some Youth Not Soon Enough

There has been growing media attention devoted to the recent wave of suicides among LGBT youth. It's about time. But it's going to take more than media campaigns to stop the epidemic. Read More

Why Is It So Hard to Find a Male Therapist?

The New York Times reported yesterday that male therapist are a dying breed. Why is the "feminization" of psychotherapy a bad thing for everyone? Read More

Mental Illness on the Rise in the U.S.

May is National Mental Health Month. So, what is the status of mental health in the US? Answer: not good. A recent government study indicates 1 in 5 American adults suffer from some form of mental illness, and many are going untreated. Read More

An Open Letter to the Editors at Psychology Today

Satoshi Kanazawa's recent post on female beauty has caused a firestorm of controversy on the Internet. Psychology Today has yet to issue a public statement. In remaining silent, the magazine is missing an important opportunity to take a stand against racism and the poor science created to perpetuate it. Read More

Why Kafka Still Matters

Franz Kafka's contribution to society may not be strictly literary. According to recent research, those who read Kafka were shown to have a greater capacity to perform novel tasks. Such findings may have important implications for how we derive meaning in a world that often appears meaningless. Read More

Why Medication Should be Left to Psychiatrists

For psychologists who want prescription authority,  what’s wrong with going to medical school? Read More

The New But Not Necessarily Improved DSM-V

Proposed changes to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual could do more harm than good. Read More

Good Enough Fathers

I realize Mother's Day is this weekend but I wanted to bring attention to the important role fathers also play in raising children. More and more American fathers are taking an active role in their children's lives. Raised in a post-feminist era, many of today's fathers are stepping up and assuming parental responsibilities that would have been unheard of in generations past. Read More

The Depressed Lawyer

Researchers have consistently found that lawyers lead the nation with the highest incidence of depression. Why is it exactly that so many lawyers are so depressed? Read More