Dan Gottlieb

You can feel free to e-mail me questions, reactions or vignette's about your life and also I cannot respond to everyone, every Tuesday at noon I will be live for an hour to chat with you in real time.

And please know that if I use your correspondents, although I will try to disguise identifying characteristics, because this is a public forum, I cannot assure confidentiality.

Dan Gottlieb

Ask Dan: Be willing to forgive yourself

By Dan Gottlieb

Posted 2:05am

Dear Dan, My daughter died three years ago of the lung disease mesothelioma at age 38. She had suffered from depression, panic, and anxiety from a very young age.

Ask Dan: Facing repeated bad behavior

By Dan Gottlieb

Posted 06/29/2009

Dear Dan, Are some people truly beyond hope or help? My inclination is, yes, there are individuals that are beyond hope, but I am wondering what your experience tells you.

Ask Dan: The special challenges of a teen who is deaf - 06/22/2009: By Dan Gottlieb

Her real name is Yu-Chen, but everyone calls her Yo-Yo. I don't quite know what that means in Mandarin, but it seems like a perfect nickname for this 15-year-old girl with sparkling eyes, a perpetual smile, and all the energy and enthusiasm you would expect from someone her age.
Ask Dan: A visit to a country that honors kindness - 06/15/2009: By Dan Gottlieb

Several months ago I received an e-mail from Chou Chin-Haur, founder of the Chou Ta-Kuan Cultural and Educational Foundation in Taiwan. He told me I had been selected as one of 12 people around the world to receive the "Fervent Love of Life" award and that they would fly me and a companion to Taipei for eight days.
Ask Dan: An honest, hurtful choice - 06/01/2009: By Dan Gottlieb

Dear Dan, I have two children, both in their 30s. Ten years ago I came to the realization that my sexual orientation was not compatible with my long-term heterosexual marriage. My husband and I divorced amicably, but it devastated our children. For years they were angry, hurt, and distant.
Ask Dan: Suffering depression, refusing treatment - 05/25/2009: By Dan Gottlieb

Since depression affects 20 percent of the population, this illness probably touches most of us. So what can we do when a loved one is depressed and refusing treatment? The "distraught mother" below will be joining me on tomorrow's Web chat.
Ask Dan: The depths of depression - 05/18/2009: By Dan Gottlieb

For those who have never experienced clinical depression, it can be hard to understand. To most people, it is just a depressed mood, something that can be gotten over in a brief period. With a bad mood, most people can function with a pretty clear mind. It can be painful, but no big deal.
Ask Dan: Caring adults, and luck, fuel resilience - 05/11/2009: By Dan Gottlieb

I've been interested in resilience since I became a quadriplegic 30 years ago. When I went through rehab, many of us were depressed, but some went home and vegetated, while others did whatever it took to reclaim their lives. I've long wondered about the difference between those who survive adversity, and even thrive, and those who don't.
Ask Dan: Letting go of dreams for your adult children - 05/04/2009: By Dan Gottlieb

Since my last column and Web chat on parents and their adult children, I have been flooded with e-mails. So I have decided to revisit this topic from a couple of different dimensions. The concerned mother below struggles with guilt about her daughter's risky decisions. My radio show today and Web chat tomorrow will include Jane Isay, author of Walking on Egg Shells: Navigating the Delicate Relationship between Adult Children and Parents.
Ask Dan: How to live with anxiety over death - 04/27/2009: By Dan Gottlieb

Early on, most children realize something about death. Often it's the passing of a grandparent or a family pet. But pretty soon children figure out their parents could die. And then there is a flash that they too could die. This death anxiety usually goes underground because it is just too much to handle. And it stays underground for a long time. But it is always there and often revisits us as we age and when we become ill.
Ask Dan: Conscience is a judge that can go to extremes - 04/20/2009: By Dan Gottlieb

This week's letter raises an issue we can all relate to: critical self-judgment. Tomorrow's Web chat will be about how to deal with it. My guest will be Michael Baime, an internist and director of the Penn Program for Stress Management.
Ask Dan: Learning to be parents to our adult children - 04/13/2009: By Dan Gottlieb

So many of us boomers and beyond struggle with our relationships with our adult children. The issues range from dealing with in-laws to our children's marital discord to our distress about their child-rearing practices.