‘Psychiatry’ Questions at Ask the Psychologist: Online Clinical Psychologist, Page 5

Q: I have an 11-year-old granddaughter who is very bright and talented but has always been fairly “hyper” and prone to temper tantrums. Her mom (my daughter) is divorced from the child’s father, is remarried and has had two more children. Because of her temper tantrums (which seemed to happen more often at home), she [...]

Q: I have a friend who says he plans to overdose on Valium and Seroquel. Can someone use these drugs to take their own life? What should I do?

A: Valium is the trade name diazepam and belongs to a class of drugs called benzodiazepines. It has muscle-relaxant properties as well as anti-anxiety properties. It also [...]

Q: There seem to be so many medications prescribed these days that alter brain chemistry. I often wonder why these drugs are prescribed when we don’t yet fully understand how the brain really works. I also wonder how safe the medications really are. They do alter brain chemistry, but they also have powerful side effects. [...]

Q: Do I have Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)? And if so, does Abilify help?
My parents frequently fought when I was a child, and I blamed myself for their troubles. I began to cut myself, drink, and lose weight when I was 11. As I got older I began using alcohol and other substances more frequently [...]

Q: I have been meeting regularly with my family physician who has been prescribing me 300mg of lithium carbonate twice a day and 10mg of Cipralex every alternate day. I have started smoking again recently and want to quit. I had a previous successful attempt by taking small doses of Lexotan (bromazepam), about 1.5mg to [...]