Ashburn Bipolar Support Group is meeting at 8 p.m. each Wednesday at Ashburn Psychological Services. The support group for those with bipolar meets in Suite 214 in the conference room on the second floor of 44110 Ashburn Village Shopping Plaza, Ashburn, VA 20147.
Social Skills Groups Ashburn Psychological and Psychiatric Services is now forming social skills groups for Spring. We are planning to have child and adolescent Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD and ADD) groups and child and adolescent Asperger's Disorder groups. All groups will be run by two Ph.D level psychologists and will be comprised of a social skills group for the child or adolescent coinciding with a parent education/support group. Please contact our office manager, Laura Cusumano, at (703) 723-2999 to reserve your child or adolescent’s spot. You may visit us to review our team bios and services at www.ashburnpsych.com
Military Suicide Rate is the Highest in Two Decades The number of suicides in the Army increased last year to startling numbers not seen since the Vietnam War. It has been reported that 115 troops committed suicide in 2007, and about a quarter of those deaths occurred in Iraq. Several factors appear to be contributing to the higher rates including, the extension of deployments and repeated tours of duty for our young service men and women. The military acknowledges that there is now a greater need for more screening, training and education programs. The military has also approved the hiring of [...]
Understanding and Preventing Teen Suicide According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide is currently the 3rd leading cause of death among young adults and adolescents 15 to 24 years of age, following unintentional injuries and homicide. Suicide is often a desperate attempt at escaping a seemingly impossible situation or to find relief from bad thoughts or feelings. These feelings could be rejection, hurt, shame, guilt, despair, loneliness, isolation or a host of others. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, scientific evidence has shown that almost all people who take their own lives have a diagnosable mental [...]
Coping with the Winter Blues: Understanding Seasonal Affective Disorder It is easy to understand why, this time of year, many are struck with a case of the winter blues. We leave for work before the sun comes up and head home in the dark barely glimpsing daylight. As the days get shorter and colder many find themselves dealing with sadness, increased appetite and excessive sleeping. What they may be experiencing is more than a case of the winter blues, but rather seasonal affective disorder, or SAD. Many of my clients suffer from this disorder and often they just expect it is [...]
Ashburn Psychological and Psychiatric Services hosted a morning talk by Brain Injury Services, Inc. on January 29th. The team at Ashburn Psychological and Psychiatric Services had the pleasure to hear from three individuals with sustained brain injuries. The presentations and life stories were quite moving and uplifting. In an effort to serve the community, Ashburn Psychological and Psychiatric Services provides Brain Injury Services Inc. clients with neuropsychological evaluations and medication management on a reduced fee basis. Brain Injury Services, Inc. is based out of Springfield, VA, but they have offices in Leesburg and Manassas, and a club house in Alexandria. They [...]
Keeping New Year’s Resolutions New Year's Eve has always been a time to reflect on the changes we want (or need) to make and to resolve to follow through on those changes. Every year clients of mine tell me their lofty plans for New Year’s resolutions- find a boyfriend, lose weight, get healthy, quit smoking- and inevitably, like most people weeks later when I ask about the progress of their resolutions, they confess that they have abandoned their goals. Striving for positive change is important; by following some basic steps, you can improve your chances to achieve your goals. Set reasonable [...]
Stress and the Economy Many psychiatric disorders have to do with external factors causing emotional upheaval and distress. There’s Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which is caused by lack of exposure to sunlight. There’s Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which is caused by experiencing an event that is dangerous and traumatic, and now I believe there may be a new epidemic affecting the mental health and wellbeing of many -- Market Affective Disorder (MAD), which is caused by stress in response to the global economic crisis that is impacting our savings and sense of security. While MAD isn’t an actual disorder, we, as [...]
