Vamik D. Volkan recounts the story of Judy, a woman attempting to solve her early life deprivations through non-chemical addiction. He provides an understanding of the psychology behind such an addiction and also illustrates pertinent therapeutic concepts and issues which arose in Judy's case. These include built-in transference, twinning, interpretation, dreams, hoarding, acting out, and therapeutic play. By paying attention to such things, it is possible to gain a greater understanding of the internal worlds of patients with preoedipal deprivations, conflicts, and fixations. For this case, Dr Volkan undertook the role of supervisor to an analyst in training. The topics of the psychoanalytic supervisor-supervisee relationship and the supervisor's emotional reactions toward the patient, whom the supervisor never meets, are rather ignored in the psychoanalytic literature. This book gives an open and frank overview of the relationship, reporting not only what was said but also what lay behind the words. Written in Dr Volkan's characteristically accessible style, this book will be enjoyed equally by those under supervision as those providing it, and provides an excellent overview of work with addiction.

Understanding addiction is no longer just about understanding neurons or genes, broken brain functioning, learning or faulty choices. Oliver J. Morgan provides a fresh take on addiction and recovery by presenting a more inclusive framework than traditional understanding. Cutting- edge work in attachment, interpersonal neurobiology and trauma is integrated with ecological-systems thinking to provide a consilient and comprehensive picture of addiction. Humans are born into connection and require nourishing relationships for healthy living. Adversities, however, bring fragmentation and create the conditions for ill health. They create vulnerabilities. In order to cope, individuals can turn to alternatives, "substitute relationships" that ease the pain of disconnection. These can become addictions. Addiction, Attachment, Trauma, and Recovery presents a model, a method and a mandate. This new focus calls for change in the established ways we think and behave about addiction and recovery. It reorients understanding and clinical practice for mental health and addiction counsellors, psychologists and social workers, as well as for addicts and those who love them.

Do you feel trapped by alcohol?
Do you find yourself thinking about drinking too often?
Do you put alcohol ahead of the most important things in your life?

If so - here's some good news. You can quit drinking, and it's not as difficult as you think.

Simon Chapple is a Certified Alcohol Coach who has helped thousands of people change the way that alcohol features in their lives. In How to Quit Drinking in 50 Days he'll give you a structured way to find complete freedom from alcohol - for now, or forever.

This 50-day journey to freedom is split into two parts. Days 1-25 will ask you to take an honest look at the impact alcohol has had on your life, to examine the reasons for your drinking, and will arm you with the best strategy for quitting alcohol successfully. Days 26-50 will ask you to make the commitment to taking a break from alcohol - taking each step with one chapter a day, and answering the questions that come up.

There are strategies for dealing with challenges and setbacks, and a wealth of resources for finding support and inspiration. Above all, there is a genuine passion for the sober adventure, and the huge rewards of an alcohol-free life - a life of freedom that's waiting for you.

In the years since its publication in the 1980s, Jim Orford's book has remained a key text in the field of addictions. This eagerly awaited new edition is a complete and comprehensive revision, which provides an up-to-date and authoritative account of core knowledge in the field, for students, academics, professionals and trainees in psychology, psychiatry, social work and related health disciplines.
All those seeking an understanding of the nature and study of addictions will appreciate this outstanding book for its

• comprehensive coverage, from the origins and processes of addiction right through to the ways in which people overcome addictions, and the implications for interventions
• accounts of the different forms of addiction, including alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, gambling, eating and sex, enlightened by a common conceptual framework
• critical, authoritative and comprehensive review of the research literature, with a massive reference base (the large majority new to this edition)
• powerful psychological model of addictions, which challenges former models that are incomplete or inadequate

"Presents a consistent way of looking at excessive appetitive behaviour . . . Orford exhibits a wide range of scholarship and his book is a compendium of important research and ideas in the field of addictions." - Social Science and Medicine
"As one would expect of someone with Orford's knowledge of the subject, the coverage of the various excessive behaviours is soundly based . . . presents a lucid and highly informative account of the major issues in the addictions. It can be highly recommended" - British Journal of Addictions
"There is no question in my mind that this book deserves to be widely read and taken seriously both by clinicians and by those with a more theoretical interest." - Behaviour Research and Therapy
"I like this book immensely, I would strongly recommend CPN teams to have a copy . . . I would recommend it to all course tutors, and especially field work supervisors. The book clearly has a wide appeal and should be on our bookshelves." - Community Psychiatric Nursing Journal.
Orford's Excessive Appetites is in a class of its own . . . .
.A direct challenge to both disease models of addiction and to simplistic social reaction models ...bound to become a classic." - New Society
"This really is a splendid book containing challenging and original ideas, argued cogently and authoritatively from data carefully assembled. It will surely be keenly sought by readers from a wide variety of disciplines." - British Book News

Opioid addiction is fast becoming the most deadly crisis in American history. In 2018, it claimed nearly fifty thousand lives -- more than gunshots and car crashes combined, and almost as many Americans as were killed in the entire Vietnam War. But even as the overdose crisis ravages our nation -- straining our prison system, dividing families, and defying virtually every legislative solution to treat it -- few understand how it came to be. Opium tells the "fascinating" (Lit Hub) and at times harrowing tale of how we arrived at today's crisis, "mak[ing] timely and startling connections among painkillers, politics, finance, and society" (Laurence Bergreen). The story begins with the discovery of poppy artefacts in ancient Mesopotamia, and goes on to explore how Greek physicians and obscure chemists discovered opium's effects and refined its power, how colonial empires marketed it around the world, and eventually how international drug companies developed a range of powerful synthetic opioids that led to an epidemic of addiction. Throughout, Dr. John Halpern and David Blistein reveal the fascinating role that opium has played in building our modern world, from trade networks to medical protocols to drug enforcement policies. Most importantly, they disentangle how crucial misjudgements, patterns of greed, and racial stereotypes served to transform one of nature's most effective painkillers into a source of unspeakable pain -- and how, using the insights of history, state-of-the-art science, and a compassionate approach to the illness of addiction, we can overcome today's overdose epidemic. This urgent and masterfully woven narrative tells an epic story of how one beautiful flower became the fascination of leaders, tycoons, and nations through the centuries and in their hands exposed the fragility of our civilisation.

Neural Mechanisms of Addiction is the only book available that synthesizes the latest research in the field into a single, accessible resource covering all aspects of how addiction develops and persists in the brain. The book summarizes our most recent understanding on the neural mechanisms underlying addiction. It also examines numerous biobehavioral aspects of addiction disorders, such as reinforcement learning, reward, cognitive dysfunction, stress, and sleep and circadian rhythms that are not covered in any other publication. Readers with find the most up-to-date information on which to build a foundation for their future research in this expanding field. Combining chapters from leading researchers and thought leaders, this book is an indispensable guide for students and investigators engaged in addiction research.

Dr Robert Lefever is one of the leading international specialists on addictions. He established the very first addiction rehabilitation centre in the UK offering treatment to patients with eating disorders, alcohol or drug problems. He was also the first to treat compulsive gambling, nicotine addiction and workaholism. He identified "Compulsive Helping", when people do too much for others and too little for themselves, as an addictive behaviour and has pioneered its treatment. Dr Lefever has worked with over 5,000 addicts and their families in the last 25 years and, until recently, ran a busy private medical practice in South Kensington (PROMIS Recovery Centre). He now uses his considerable experience to provide intensive private one-to-one care for individuals and their families. Everyone KNOWS what addiction is and what should be done for it. But as this book shows, individual experience cannot apply universally. The psychology of denial - telling addicts that they aren't addicted - is the most devastating feature of addiction. This book offers much practical guidance, with reference to entirely anonymised individual experiences. It also explains the key terminology used in the field. The entire emphasis of the book is on what works. It also explains why some approaches do not work. The author shows that treatment will always have to be in 3 phases (in reverse order): abstinence, emotional - not intellectual - therapy and daily relapse prevention by working the Twelve Step Programme first formulated by Alcoholics Anonymous. Dr Lefever explains specific addictions. These come in 3 clusters: hedonistic, nurturant and relationship. Some addicts have just 1 of these clusters, some two, some all. He shows how patients and their families can take actions to unblock delay. He considers known intervention techniques and family work in tackling compulsive helping, where pain is the great teacher. This practical book offers important guidance on life in recovery, on real friendships, on spontaneity, creativity and enthusiasm. Dr Lefever also examines the future of addiction treatment, as well as its politics.

Integrating client stories, research and evidence-based strategies, this Workbook offers educational information, clinical tools and coping techniques to assist addiction patients on the journey toward recovery. Chapters include psycho-educational information on the science behind addiction and examine how patients engaging in resilience behaviors can alter brain functions. A set of three appendices then evaluates what "works" for the treatment of individuals with addictive disorders including ways to engage patients in the treatment process and ways to assess residential treatment programs. Lastly, a glossary of the "language of recovery" terms provides patients and their family members with the guidelines to monitor treatment gains, support their journey of recovery and bolster their resilience. Healthcare providers and those suffering from addictive disorders alike will benefit from the approachable discussion of the science and history behind addiction, the personal case-studies and the patient-friendly set of coping toolbox-activities designed to develop lasting behavioral changes.

Written by leaders in the addictions field, 100 authors from six countries, this handbook is a thoroughly comprehensive resource. Philosophical and legal issues are addressed, while conceptual underpinnings are provided through explanations of appetitive motivation, incentive sensitization, reward deficiency, and behavioral economics theories. Major clinical and research methods are clearly mapped out (e.g. MRI, behavioral economics, interview assessments, and qualitative approaches), outlining their strengths and weaknesses, giving the reader the tools needed to guide their research and practice aims. The etiology of addiction at various levels of analysis is discussed, including neurobiology, cognition, groups, culture, and environment, which simultaneously lays out the foundations and high-level discourse to serve both novice and expert researchers and clinicians. Importantly, the volume explores the prevention and treatment of such addictions as alcohol, tobacco, novel drugs, food, gambling, sex, work, shopping, the internet, and several seldom-investigated behaviors (e.g. love, tanning, or exercise).

Managing Negative Emotions Without Drinking is the ideal companion to Emotion Regulation Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorders. Each of the 12 individual weekly treatment sessions presents scientifically tested strategies for managing emotions without alcohol, including mindfulness practices, direct experiencing of emotion, and cognitive and behavioral skills to manage high-risk drinking situations and prevent relapse to alcohol use. The step-by-step exercises, user-friendly worksheets, and in-session and between-session skill practice help clients gain a basic understanding of the role that emotions play in harmful alcohol use and assist them in developing the skills needed to manage these emotions and cravings without alcohol.

People who suffer from addictive disorders present an incredible challenge to therapists. This book offers hope and specific techniques designed to address the complexity of treatment. Dr. F. Michler Bishop stresses the need for therapists to be flexible, to recognize that different people have different needs, and to consider a variety of perspectives. Cognitive, emotive, behavioral, and spiritual modalities are presented with rich clinical detail. Addressing not only substance abuse, but also shopping, eating, gambling, and sexual behaviors, the book considers such issues as assessment, denial, dual diagnosis, anxiety, shame and guilt. The change process is described in various stages and therapists are reminded that patients need to move through the process, stop the process, and even go into reverse many times before they reach their treatment goals. Of particular interest is the advice he gives on working with non-motivated patients. In contrast to the confrontational, aggressive approach that has been advocated by addictions specialists in the past, Dr. Bishop suggests that therapist confrontations increase the probability of relapse. He recommends that traditional psychodynamic techniques of being empathetic, avoiding argumentation, and supporting self-efficacy are more effective with people's addiction behaviors. Specific methods for special populations, such as mandated clients or those with serious psychological problems, are also presented in this comprehensive, optimistic, and well-organized volume.

Co-occurring Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorders: A Guide to Diagnosis and Treatment provides a clinically detailed, evidence-based, and exhaustive examination of a topic rarely plumbed in psychiatry texts, despite the fact that co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorders are common. The authors argue for a more holistic and integrated approach, calling for clinicians to tactfully but persistently evaluate patients for a broad range of co-occurring disorders before determining appropriate treatment. Focusing on a substance use disorder in isolation, without determining whether another psychiatric disorder is co-occurring, can doom treatment efforts, and the reverse also is true. To help clinicians keep the big picture in mind, the book is organized around 18 cases, each of which addresses a particular diagnostic skill (e.g., assessment), group of disorders commonly comorbid with substance use disorders (e.g., PTSD, eating disorders), specific treatment (e.g., pharmacological interventions), or special population (e.g., adolescents). This case-based approach makes it easy for readers to understand strategies and master transferable techniques when dealing with their own patients. * Because the initial face-to-face sessions are especially important with this patient population, the book includes chapters on the diagnostic assessment and the initial interview, as well as offering interviewing tips throughout to help the clinician develop the necessary care and skill in this arena. Also included is a chapter on integrating motivational interviewing into the treatment.* Each of the 18 cases stands alone, allowing the reader flexibility in using the text. For example, the 18 cases and discussions can be read sequentially, or as needed, depending on the reader's special interest or current need. * The book also features chapters on how to effectively work with patients whose disorders might be affecting other members of a patient's family, since the likelihood of a successful outcome is enhanced if an integrated treatment plan is developed for their co-occurring disorders.* The questions that accompany each chapter can be used as an organizational tool prior to reading or to test knowledge and comprehension afterward.* The text is completely up-to date and provides DSM-5 diagnostic information essential to each case. Co-occurring Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorders: A Guide to Diagnosis and Treatment offers a straightforward approach to people with complicated presentations, offering mental health clinicians the skills they require to effectively assess, diagnose, and treat these patients and their families.

Treating individuals with a substance misuse problem can be challenging. Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy in the Treatment of Addiction is a practical treatment planner that offers an evidence-based model to aid client assessment and formulate a successful treatment plan.

The volume introduces cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) as an effective psychological intervention that can be used in a variety of clinical settings such as community and outpatient services, structured in- and day- patient programmes and residential rehabilitation units. In addition, the book includes appendices with session tools, therapy worksheets, daily thought record sheets and coping skills strategies. The detailed guidelines and effective advice provided will help both clinicians and care staff to address their clients' substance misuse problem in a collaborative, practical and psychotherapeutic way.

This book is an invaluable tool for specialists working in the field of addictions as well as therapists and other care staff in general adult services who are seeking to develop their approach toward the treatment of addiction.

Female problem gambling is a seriously underexplored area. This is the first book to bring together international experts on the subject.

An estimated 3-5% of all individuals who gamble will become compulsive gamblers. This "invisible addiction" can be financially and emotionally devastating to both the gambler and his/her family. This timely clinical manual explains why gambling is on the rise and the factors which distinguish recreational and compulsive gamblers. Mental health professionals will learn how to assess and treat compulsive gamblers using a variety of interventions: behavior therapy, inpatient treatment, family therapy, and 12-step programs.

Widely recognized as one of the most inventive and iconic science fiction writers of all time, Philip K. Dick is an author whose literary sophistication elevated the sci-fi genre into the storytelling powerhouse it is today. His works, known for their portrayals of simulated realities interspersed with universal and philosophical themes, have become enormously influential among writers of all genres and have inspired numerous television and film adapations, including the 1982 cult classic Blade Runner. Underneath the veneer of fame, Dick's personal life matched the dramatic intensity of his most beloved works. Beginning with the tragic death of his twin sister, his life took on a fantastical, science fiction-like quality when, in 1974, he had what some consider to be a psychotic episode and what others believe to be a mystical experience of some kind. According to Dick, a pink light beamed psychic information into his brain, awakening memories of a past life as a Christian revolutionary and granting him contact with time-traveling extraterrestrials. He also had visions of ancient Rome superimposed over his neighborhood in suburban San Francisco, and later on, attempted to warn local police that he was a machine programmed to self-destruct. As a result, Philip K. Dick spent the rest of his life trying to fathom the meaning of what he called his "divine madness." Was it schizophrenia? Or did he experience a genuine prophecy of the sacred order? In The Divine Madness of Philip K. Dick, clinical psychologist Kyle Arnold probes the fascinating mystery at heart and mind, and shows readers how early traumas opened Dick to profound spiritual experiences while also predisposing him toward drug dependency and violence. By disputing allegations of schizophrenia, Arnold contends that Dick's paranoia was instead caused by his addiction to speed, and that his mental illness was borne out of the powerful scenes of spirituality depicted in the sci-fi stories he helped to create.

Neuropathology of Drug Addictions and Substance Misuse, Volume 3: General Processes and Mechanisms, Prescription Medications, Caffeine and Areca, Polydrug Misuse, Emerging Addictions and Non-Drug Addictions is the third of three volumes in this informative series and offers a comprehensive examination of the adverse consequences of the most common drugs of abuse. Each volume serves to update the reader's knowledge on the broader field of addiction as well as to deepen understanding of specific addictive substances. Volume 3 addresses prescription medications, caffeine, polydrug misuse, and non-drug addictions. Each section provides data on the general, molecular, cellular, structural, and functional neurological aspects of a given substance, with a focus on the adverse consequences of addictions. Research shows that the neuropathological features of one addiction are often applicable to those of others, and understanding these commonalties provides a platform for studying specific addictions in more depth and may ultimately lead researchers toward new modes of understanding, causation, prevention and treatment. However, marshalling data on the complex relationships between addictions is difficult due to the myriad of material and substances.

Jared Kindred left his home and family at the age of eighteen, choosing a life of riding train cars and making friends on the street. He was an addict for most of his short life, drinking far too much and lying about it; he was ultimately killed by an overdose. Yet he inspired the deepest love of Dave Kindred's life. Leave Out the Tragic Parts is not merely a reflection on love and addiction and loss. It is a hard-won, and remarkably fair-minded, account of the life Jared chose for himself and the colorful people around him--people with names like Puzzles, Stray, and Booze Cop; people with stories to tell. Kindred asks painful but important questions about the lies we tell to get along, and what binds families together or allows them to fracture. Jared's story ended in tragedy, but the act of telling it is an act of healing and redemption. This is an important book on how to love your family, from a great writer who has lived its lessons.

Neuropathology of Drug Addictions and Substance Misuse, Volume 2: Stimulants, Club and Dissociative Drugs, Hallucinogens, Steroids, Inhalants and International Aspects is the second of three volumes in this informative series and offers a comprehensive examination of the adverse consequences of the most common drugs of abuse. Each volume serves to update the reader's knowledge on the broader field of addiction as well as to deepen understanding of specific addictive substances. Volume 2 addresses stimulants, club and dissociative drugs, hallucinogens, and inhalants and solvents. Each section provides data on the general, molecular and cellular, and structural and functional neurological aspects of a given substance, with a focus on the adverse consequences of addictions. Research shows that the neuropathological features of one addiction are often applicable to those of others, and understanding these commonalties provides a platform for studying specific addictions in more depth and may ultimately lead researchers toward new modes of understanding, causation, prevention, and treatment. However, marshalling data on the complex relationships between addictions is difficult due to the myriad material and substances.

Important reading for current and future addictions treatment cliniciansthis book synthesizes and integrates the expanding body of knowledge about combined trauma/addiction treatment to specifically address the needs of clinicians in addiction treatment environments Here, in a single source, is an essential overview of trauma treatment for people in addiction treatment settings. Psychological Trauma and Addiction Treatment presents specific methodologies and techniques for clients in inpatient and outpatient addiction/mental health settings. The contributorsleading clinicians and researchers in the fieldprovide a comprehensive set of scientific treatment approaches addressing a broad spectrum of trauma disorders. Psychological Trauma and Addiction Treatment brings you up-to-date, authoritative coverage of: the dynamics of co-occurring psychological trauma and addiction all of the primary treatment frameworks currently utilized in trauma treatment treatment frameworks that take gender into account cognitive therapies in treating these co-occurring disorders the role of psychodynamic psychotherapies in treatment attachment disorders and their relation to trauma and addiction treatment EMDR as a treatment for traumatized addicts the psychoneurology of trauma and the implications of psychoneurology in addictions and trauma treatment how self-help groups can contribute to and limit recovery for psychologically traumatized clients forgiveness therapy as an adjunct to trauma treatment counselor self-care for those who work with this client population Ultimately, this is a book of hope. Every author in this text has a firm belief that people with co-occurring trauma and addiction can recover, can maintain quality relationships, can confront life's challenges as they arise, and can be happy and fulfilled. Psychological Trauma and Addiction Treatment is designed as essential reading for entry-level and experienced addiction counselors, social workers, professional counselors, psychologists, and others working in the trauma treatment field.

Integrated Approaches to Drug and Alcohol Problems: Action on Addiction provides a pathway through the field of addiction, giving a clear description of points along that path, from the beginning of problematic use of drugs and alcohol, to treatment, support, recovery and reintegration in society. The book illustrates the principle of integrated approaches to tackling the rise in problems with addiction. Practical applications of these approaches are demonstrated in the work of UK charity Action on Addiction, one organisation which has been influenced by, and contributed to, the research and practice of the authors. The interventions illustrated within Integrated Approaches to Drug and Alcohol Problems demonstrate how the findings of international research can be brought together to provide effective services for individuals, families and communities suffering from addiction-related problems. Some of the foremost internationally recognized addiction researchers, clinicians and trainers from the UK, USA and Canada have contributed chapters to this book. It will be of interest to all those working in the field of drug and alcohol addiction, including counsellors and therapists, as well as GPs, nurses and public health officers. Integrated Approaches to Drug and Alcohol Problems will also have general appeal to anyone studying Psychology and Mental Health courses at undergraduate or postgraduate level, plus those affected by addiction.

In this book, based on profound clinical experiences in supervising and educating practitioners to work with clients with substance abuse and mental illness, the writer suggests an integrated dynamic recovery model in helping clients with substance abuse. In doing so, a multi-dimensional model in the re-anchoring of various humanistic dimensions for persons with substance abuse and mental problems is articulated. Instead of focusing merely on detoxification of persons with substance abuse, the individual's meaning of life, self-system, emotion, body and stress and coping are re-engaged. By means of case vignettes and extracts of clients' self-narration, the whole book provides a humanistic, practical and reflective, working guideline for related professionals, family members and other parties to understand and implement effective, multi-dimensional interventions for people with drug addiction and substance abuse.

An estimated 6.5 million individuals currently abuse prescription drugs in the United States. Unlike policy on street drugs, federal policy on prescription drug abuse is complicated by the need to maintain access to prescription controlled substances (PCS) for legitimate medical use. Prescription drug abuse is not limited to addiction; it includes, for example, taking a medication for the purpose of getting high or taking a medication that was prescribed for someone else. This book discusses reduction efforts and the federal role in prescription drug abuse.

The clinical course of nicotine dependence, nicotine withdrawal and smoking cessation varies significantly between men and women smokers. Recent research has also suggested that certain personality traits and experiences predict and help maintain smoking behavior, thus leading to dependence and negative health consequences. The chapters in this book include research on the correlation between people's early engagement in smoking behavior and later problematic levels of use, the role of hormone therapy (HT) to treat smoking / nicotine dependence; the association between active and passive water pipe tobacco smoking and health issues that might develop later on (as well as the similarities and differences between tobacco smoking and cigarette smoking). Worldwide tobacco use, production and consumption are continuing. Of approximately 1.2 billion smokers in the world, about half of them will die from diseases caused by smoking. The authors' describe the extent of nicotine dependence, the neurobiology of nicotine dependence, which is important for understanding tobacco addiction and its treatment, and describe the pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments of nicotine dependence, including electronic cigarettes. The final two chapters detail the chemical composition and health risks associated with secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure. These chapters address the impact of SHS on children in particular, as well as the deleterious effect on workers' health that often takes place in indoor environments, and finally, recent global public policies that have been implemented on tobacco control are addressed.

Technology has significantly changed our world. Sexual imagery and encounters can now be accessed anywhere, anytime, using portable electronic devices. Users can generate a stream of graphic pornography, a wide variety of virtual sexual activities, and casual, anonymous, or paid-for sexual encounters with a click or a tap. Simply put, we have greater access to highly stimulating sexual content, and potential sexual partners, with much less built-in accountability. Porn addicts are especially vulnerable to the lure of digital technology and the seemingly endless array of stimulation it provides. Research suggests that cyber-porn addicts spend at least eleven or twelve hours per week online viewing porn.

Today, all forms of sex addiction are technology driven--from porn websites to webcams to casual sex hook-up apps found on smartphones. Sex addicts organize their lives around the pursuit of sexual activity with self or others, spending inordinate amounts of time viewing and masturbating to porn or planning, pursuing, and engaging in sex acts. At the same time, they neglect important relationships, work, and personal responsibilities. Overwhelming feelings of guilt, shame, and remorse invade when the acting out ends.

While it's complicated, recovery is possible. "Always Turned On" shows readers how to turn those temptations off while providing practical long-term solutions for recovery.

Robert Weiss, MSW, is a therapist, international speaker, and regular blogger on Psych Central and the "Huffington Post."

Jennifer P. Schneider, MD, PhD, is a physician, international speaker, and the author of nine books.