Voices in the Family

A new study finds that people who are cheerful and content, what psychologists call "positive affect," are less likely to experience memory decline as they age.

Being rejected hurts, not being accepted into a group, being turned down for a date, or being ditched by a friend.

A lot of people feel overwhelmed by the news lately. The pandemic continues, the political landscape is polarized, wildfires rage on the West Coast. This kind of upsetting information can leave people feeling conflicted if they are otherwise having a good day. In their weekly conversation, WHYY’s Maiken Scott and psychologist Dan Gottlieb discuss these feelings, and how we can handle them.

The beginning of the school year is coming into very sharp focus for many families - and it's a time of high anxiety that can be tough to navigate.

Healthcare workers have witnessed so much suffering and tragedy, worked long hours, dealt with PPE shortages, and feared for their own safety.

Do you remember that old Turtles song that goes “you and me, and me and you”?? That sounds great when you’re newly in love, but during a pandemic all this togetherness can become very difficult to manage! Especially when you add all of this stress. How is this impacting relationships? In their weekly conversation, WHYY’s Maiken Scott and psychologist Dan Gottlieb discuss.

A recent editorial in the New York Times urges families to have “the talk” – that is, the end of life talk. If you were critically ill, what would you want, what are your wishes? It’s a conversation that makes us uncomfortable, and we tend to avoid it. In their weekly conversation, WHYY’s Maiken Scott and psychologist Dan Gottlieb discuss how families can get started.

Remember when social distancing and staying at home was going to last for about two weeks? Weeks later, with little change, some aspects of this new life are becoming a bit more routine. Is that helping or hurting our mental health? In their weekly conversation, WHYY’s Maiken Scott and psychologist Dan Gottlieb discuss.

We’re well into 2020, how are you doing with your New Year’s resolutions? Still going strong? Or, already back to your old habits? If so, is that a bad thing? In their weekly conversation, WHYY’s Maiken Scott and psychologist Dan Gottlieb discuss what to do when our goals to do better get derailed.

Many people say we live in a “cancel culture” – where we banish those who express unpopular opinions or behave in seemingly offensive ways. We cancel and delete each other on social media in a flash of anger. But this also happens in real life, where political opinions often get in the way of friendships and relationships. What does does this do to our mental health? In their weekly conversation, WHYY’s Maiken Scott and Dan Gottlieb discuss.

Working around pets and animals sounds like it should be fun and enjoyable. But new research finds that veterinarians and people who volunteer at animal shelters face particular stressors that can place them at risk for mental health problems. In their weekly conversation, WHYY’s Maiken Scott and Dan Gottlieb discuss the findings.

Are your friends suddenly looking a LOT older – at least on social media? Lots of people had fun with an app that allows you to dramatically age yourself in a picture. In their weekly conversation, WHYY’s Maiken Scott and Dan Gottlieb discuss this sudden obsession with looking older.

Caring for a loved one with dementia can be physically and emotionally exhausting – and cause serious health issues like depression and anxiety. A new British study evaluates a therapy intervention for caregivers, that helps them cope with the everyday challenges. The intervention was developed by University College London, and is called “The START” which stands for “strategies for relatives.” In their weekly conversation, WHYY’s Maiken Scott and psychologist Dan Gottlieb discuss the...

Grieving for a close friend affects people more deeply than mental health professionals previously thought. A new study analyzed surveys of 9,500 Australians who had experienced the death of at least one close friend. Researchers found that people grieving a close friend suffered a significant decline in physical health, mental health, emotional stability and social life. In their weekly conversation, Dan Gottlieb and Maiken Scott discuss the findings.

Psychologist Dan Gottlieb has been a therapist for fifty years – he saw his first client in May of 1969. She was an older woman who had schizophrenia, and she told him he was useless after their first session. He agreed, and listened, and learned. They eventually became friends. He reflects on what he’s learned about his field, and about helping people, in his weekly conversation with WHYY’s Maiken Scott.

The recent college admissions bribery scandal is an extreme example of how far some parents will go to pave their kids’ career path, to ensure their future success. Psychologist Dan Gottlieb says it speaks to something else, something much more common: parental anxiety, and the desire to prevent kids from failing. He discusses this in his weekly conversation with WHYY’s Maiken Scott.

Illness can make people feel hopeless – which can in turn affect their prognosis. Psychologist Dan Gottlieb knows this first hand. He recently went through a period of serious, prolonged illness, and reflects on the emotion of despair in this conversation with WHYY’s Maiken Scott.

Mental illness affects people at all economic and social levels, yet it is still the source of stigma, rejection and isolation. In this Voices in the Family special, Mental Illness From the Inside / Out, Dr. Dan Gottlieb speaks with people who live with mental illness and the families and care givers who support and care for them.

We’re two weeks into January, into 2019 – how are you doing, keeping up with your New Year’s resolutions? In his weekly conversation with Maiken Scott, psychologist Dan Gottlieb says even if you’re already off your diet and sleeping instead of going to the gym – it’s fine!

Americans are deeply divided on so many issues these days; gun control, climate change, and immigration, just to name a few. But in his new book, Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska argues that it’s not politics that’s dividing Americans and making them angry and even violent toward each other, it’s loneliness. The book is called “Them: Why We Hate Each Other–and How to Heal.” In their weekly conversation, WHYY’s Maiken Scott and psychologist Dan Gottlieb discuss his premise.