Blog

Depression in Men: It Happens More Than You Think 0

Women are thought to be twice as likely as men to be depressed, but that doesn’t fit with men’s disproportionate representation in “deaths of despair” (males are 72% of alcohol abuse deaths, 70% of drug overdoses, and 80% of suicides).

Could it be that the psychology field has a flawed system for identifying depression? Some (including me) say yes.

Turns out, depression symptoms were defined by the way that women typically react to, and display, depression. Depression in men may look different.

What's Wrong with the Duluth Model for DV Treatment? 1

The Duluth Model is a DV treatment program that dominates every level of DV services from the police officer who responds to a 911 call, to the laws that govern how that officer is supposed to act, to the judge who hears the case if charged, and the treatment services provided to both parties.

The Duluth Model for DV treatment provides glaring examples of the DV community’s anti-male pro-female gender biases. In pivotal ways, the influence the model has waged is a major cause of those ongoing biases. 

From my perspective, the Duluth Model is not only flawed, and unhelpful—it is destructive. 

I have come to that conclusion through decades of advocacy for men abused by their wives and girlfriends, and for the expansion of understanding that Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) can happen in any gender configuration.

In this post, I'll give you the background. You can draw your own conclusions. 

How Many Men are Abused by Women? 1

Abuse of men by their partners, especially female partners, is usually dismissed as infrequent or not harmful, and is often laughed at or even encouraged. But how many men get abused by their wives and girlfriends? How many men experience domestic abuse and violence? What are the percentage stats for abuse of men? What are the relative numbers of abused men and abused women?

My answers will probably surprise you.

Is The Way You are Listening Damaging Your Relationship? 0

Listening in a way that works is a skill that most people don't have. Most people use what I call "Not Listening Skills" when their job in the moment is to be a listener. These communication missteps create misunderstandings and messy buildup in couples: accumulated hurt feelings and resentments. They also contribute to people talking at each other rather than hearing each other and considering what they have to say.

People using any of the 10 Not Listening Skills often think they are doing a great job as a listener and don't see or understand that it's damaging their relationship. They may be listening to their partner, but their partner doesn't feel heard, and they don't really get what their partner has going on.

Psychologist Dr Hughes Testimony for Amber Heard Exposes DV Gender Bias 0

Forensic Psychologist Dr Dawn Hughes, PhD testified on Amber’s behalf during Amber Heard and Johnny Depp’s “You defamed me.” “No, you defamed me.” trial. As a counselor and author of several books about partner abuse, I have been following the Depp/Heard case for a long time. I transcribed and analyzed Dr Hughes’ testimony to check it against other evidence and what I know about mental health and partner abuse.

For this post, I’m focusing on the domestic violence part of Dr Hughes’ testimony and what it tells us about her objectivity and gender bias, as well as the gender bias of other DV advocates, resources, and treatment programs.

Forensic Psychologist Dr Curry Testimony Johnny Depp v Amber Heard Trial 4

On Day 9 of the Johnny Depp v Amber Heard Defamation trial, forensic Psychologist Dr Curry testified that she diagnosed Amber Heard with Borderline and Histrionic personality disorders, and made other determinations relevant to the case, after examining records pertaining to Amber's history and performing 12 hours of assessment interviews with Amber in person.

I watched most of Dr Curry's testimony live. She is impressive: thorough, knowledgeable, and unflappable.

Her testimony is worthy of taking a look at to decipher who to believe in the competing DV accusations of this former couple. It's also worthy as a study of psychology best practices.