Markham's Behavioral Health

Quote of the day

"It is ironic that America, with its history of injustice to the poor, especially the black man and the Indian, prides itself on being a Christian nation."
James Cone

Sound of Voice May Predict Sexual Behavior

There is always something more to learn. I would never have thought of this. Read on...............

"New research findings suggest that the sound of a person's voice may predict his or her level of sexual activity.

Men and women whose voices were given higher ratings in attractiveness reported having more sex partners and were younger at first intercourse than those whose voices were considered less attractive.

"Thus, the sound of an individual's voice can reveal important information to potential mates," study author Dr. Susan M. Hughes of Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York told Reuters Health.

In the study, 149 men and women listened to recorded voices of anonymous individuals and rated the voices on a five-point scale, from "very unattractive" to "very attractive." On average, six men and six women rated each voice. Study participants also underwent measurements of their shoulders, waists and hips and some anonymously reported various details about their sexual history.

When the researchers compared voice ratings with sexual histories, they found that men and women whose voices were considered more attractive by opposite sex raters reported younger ages at first sexual intercourse, more sex partners and more sexual affairs than did those with less attractive voices."

MedlinePlus: Sound of Voice May Predict Sexual Behavior

Quotes of the day

"It comes as a great shock... to discover that the flag to which you have pledged allegiance...has not pledged allegiance back to you. It comes as a great shock to see Gary Cooper killing off the Indians, and although you are rooting for Gary Cooper, that the Indians are you."

James Baldwin

"Support the troops" empty rhetoric?

During this war in Iraq we have seen all kinds of jingoistic baloney with yellow ribbons, "Mission Accomplished" air craft carrier landings by our Commander In Chief, etc. Fact of the matter is, that Bush has cut funding to the Veteran's Administration and as our soldiers return home there will be a shortage of services for them.

The Vacaville, CA reporter has an interesting article about how the lack of resources at the VA becomes a burden for state and local governments in providing health care services to veterans.

"Thanks to Assemblywoman Lois Wolk and her outstanding staff for authoring and pushing Assembly Joint Resolution No. 71, which calls upon the president and Congress to provide a guaranteed level of funding for veterans health care.

The resolution recognizes the large expenditure of taxpayer dollars in providing health care by state welfare and Medicaid programs, local mental health providers and the safety net of hospitals to veterans who are either unable to access or are unaware of their eligibility Veterans Affairs health care and benefit entitlements.

Underfunding of the VA's health-care program shifts the burden of care to state and local governments, and in fact imposes another federal unfunded mandate during a time of shrinking budgets."

The Reporter - Letters

Teens Learn How to Act When Suicide Signs Appear

"High school students across the United States are learning how to save lives through a school-based mental health education and screening program that enables them to recognize warning signs of suicide in their peers and, quite literally, to act.

Just as the acronym CPR has become universal shorthand for a medical emergency rescue technique, the Signs of Suicide (SOS) program teaches students an acronym for a rescue technique of a different sort: ACT, which stands for acknowledge, care, and tell."

Suicide is the third leading cause of death of adolescents. The rate of suicide for adolescents has doubled over the last few decades.

The first week of October, October 2 - October 9th, is Mental Illness Awareness Week proclaimed by NAMI, the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill. This year the focus of Mental Illness Awareness Week is on suicide prevention.

The rate of suicide increases with age with the highest rate among elderly men.

It is estimated that 60 -70% of suicide attempts occur when the person is intoxicated. The cormordibity of substance abuse and suicidality is very high because people will do things intoxicated that they would never do sober.

If you are concerned about someone because they show signs of suicide, please ACT.

Teens Learn How to Act When Suicide Signs Appear -- Bender 39 (18): 14 -- Psychiatric News

Knowing what you don't know

Another way of stating the idea behind today's bumper sticker might be "Ignorance is bliss."

Another way of stating the idea that the doubter is wise is "Flip Flopper!"

People who think they know everything and offer the people the certitude of their belief are very dangerous. It worked for Hitler. It worked for Stalin. It is working for Bush.

Socrates said that the hallmark of wisdom is knowing what you don't know. There doesn't appear to be much wisdom in Washington right now or in the middle east either.

Good mental health is being aware of one's own limitations and creating what are called "good boundaries". Not being aware of one's own limitations, and not creating good boundaries, leads to dysfunction, and if you are the leader of a group of people, problems for the people who blindly follow.

Quote of the day

"The hands that help are better far than the lips that pray."

Robert Ingersoll

"By their fruits, you will know them."

Jesus of Nazareth

The real shame of mental illness - No health insurance coverage

My favorite button says, "Reality is when it happens to you." Until them, as Marie Antoinette supposedly said when told that the peasants had no bread and were starving, "Let them eat cake."

"I t used to be the stigma that kept people from seeking treatment for mental illness. Now it's the lack of insurance and high cost of care.

Today if anyone is still feeling any embarrassment associated with mental illness, it should be the members of Congress who are secretly blocking a bill that would require insurers to cover the mind just as they do the body.

Several senators have put anonymous "holds" on a bill cosponsored by Sens. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., and Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., that would require parity in coverage for mental and physical health care. Sixty-nine of the 100 senators, including Gordon Smith, R-Ore., and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., support the bill.

Smith, who lost his son to depression and suicide a year ago, is among a growing majority of senators who know the pain and heartbreak of mental illness, the proven effectiveness of modern medications and treatment, and the deep unfairness of a discriminatory insurance system.

These senators see that it's cruel and dangerous to deny care to many of the 44 million Americans who suffer from mental health disorders. They see what's wrong with a health system that pretends depression or schizophrenia will go away when the insurance coverage does, in 60, 120 or 180 days.

The U.S. Surgeon General reported in 1999 that only one-third of Americans suffering from a mental health disorder receive treatment. A survey sponsored by the American Psychological Association this summer found that a lack of insurance coverage is the No. 1 reason that people with mental illnesses do not seek treatment."

The real shame of mental illness

Family of Origin work

Over at Freudian Pink Slip, Suzanne, has a great piece she published on September 26, 2004 entitled "Get your mojo working". It is well worth the read if you ever wondered about how life has a way of catching up with you, and how to deal with the demons that sometimes haunt us. It is an encouraging piece.

It was in the hospital that I found out about the magic number 40. This number applies to women if I'm correct. What happens is that if you've been a victim of child abuse (sexual or otherwise) and have hidden it deep inside, age 40 is when it will reveal itself. If you've got an aunthentic version of yourself inside, buried under tons of "what my parents want me to be", "what my friends expect of me" - age 40 is when that authentic person is going to start to raise hell and demand to get out!

Sex Enhancement Pills Fall Short

As a 58 year old male I never knew that so many men were insecure about the size of their penises, and their ability to maintain erections. However, judging by the Viagra, Levitra, and Cialis ads, I guess a lot of guys are having problems.

The even bigger shock to me was the guys who think they have small dicks. I have always naively thought that size didn't matter. Does it? Judging from the male organ enhancer products like Enzyte, I have started to wonder. But let go of you penis and hold on to your wallet, because these male enhancement products, if they were ever really necessary to begin with, don't work.

"Enzyte is more successful subtracting from the male wallet than it is adding to the male organ," Schardt said.

MedlinePlus: Sex Enhancement Pills Fall Short: Consumer Group