All posts by Douglas Berger, M.D., Ph.D.

  • Compulsive shopping: a disorder?

    QUESTION: My wife and I have been married for 15 years.  We have been blessed with a good life but my wife is a shopaholic. This is frequently the subject of our debates because she won’t see...

    • Posted October 2, 2017
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  • Question: My child has ADD, what special learning needs will he have?

    Dr. Berger  : This will depend on the type and severity of ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) that your child has. There are mainly three types of ADD, mostly inattentive, mostly hyperactive, and mixed inattentive and hyperactive (the...

    • Posted October 2, 2016
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  • Q. I have an anger management problem and don’t suffer fools well. Can you help me?

    A. Many people request help for “Anger Management”, however, not all anger problems are the same. If the problem is not only when the person is drinking or coming off alcohol or drugs, then we need to...

    • Posted February 23, 2016
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  • Stressed or Eating Disorder?

    Women in general are exposed to every day stress from life events or outside pressure. The stress may be in the form of beating deadlines or interacting with people, etc. When this happens, the stress hormones adrenalin...

    • Posted May 11, 2015
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  • Husband wants to maintain a relationship with a love child.

    QUESTION My husband of 3 years just told me that he has a 1-year-old child from an affair and wants to maintain a relationship with this child. What should I do? This is a crisis for most...

    • Posted April 9, 2015
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  • Ask the expert: Prolonged use of electronic devices

    However vital the use of electronic devices is in children’s lives, prolonged hours of use can have a negative impact on their health and behavior. You can reduce the risk with help from the experts. How do...

    • Posted January 22, 2015
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  • Q I have had psychotherapy for many years with different therapists, why don’t I get better?

    There may be a number of reasons why psychotherapy may not seem to help someone, each person’s situation being unique. Assuming there is actually some mental health issue at hand, we need to break up the explanation...

    • Posted August 9, 2014
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  • When would you use psychological testing on children…

    Question “We have heard psychological testing is time consuming and costly.When would you use psychological testing on children and what are its pros and cons?”   Answer  This depends on what the purpose of the testing is,...

    • Posted February 16, 2014
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  • Divorce by international couples

    Japan’s Health, Labour & Welfare Ministry’s latest statistics reveal a continuing decline in the number of  divorce by international couples. While this may be a good thing,  couples going through one may find themselves in emotionally charged...

    • Posted September 7, 2013
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  • Ask the Expert

    Q What is the relationship between the economy and mental health?   A. This in an interesting question that can be approached from a few angles. One is that of how a person’s personality style or mental...

    • Posted May 7, 2013
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  • What kind of reactions can a parent have if they are left by their spouse?

    Dr. Douglas Berger says: It is normal for everyone to be in some level of distress if “left behind” after a divorce. In cases where the relationship itself was distressing, a separation or divorce may lead to...

    • Posted May 31, 2012
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  • Do Japanese-Western relationships work?

    The majority of Japanese-Western couples do well, or as well as any Western-Western, or Japanese-Japanese couple may do. The needs of Japanese-Western couples in trouble are generally the same as for same-culture couples with a few having...

    • Posted November 2, 2011
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  • Illness or personality issue?

    QUESTION My spouse has been told she has a depression but she is reluctant to engage in therapy or take medication. Can you help me understand the reasons for this and what to do about it?   ...

    • Posted December 27, 2010
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  • I don’t recall

    QUESTION My husband habitually forgets appointments, where he puts his keys, what he said, etc.  I am sure that it is not Alzheimer’s disease.   What could be causing it and how can this be treated? Forgetfulness...

    • Posted August 30, 2010
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  • The baby blues

    QUESTION: Four weeks ago, a good friend of mine delivered her first baby, a girl. I have visited with her several times since the delivery and have noticed that she seems less active than I was after...

    • Posted February 27, 2010
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  • Time out

    QUESTION I know it is common for couples to have disagreements, but it seems that with my husband and I, we often escalate the conversation into a full-on shouting match. In the end, we are both feeling...

    • Posted December 29, 2009
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  • Man in crisis

    QUESTION I am a foreign dad in his early 50s, a science teacher by profession, twice divorced and am in the middle of an emotional, financial, and psychological crisis. I have enormous debts to pay, no job security, and...

    • Posted November 28, 2009
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  • Moving to Japan

    QUESTION “We will be moving to Japan soon and have heard that there are many stresses of living in a Japanese community. Do you have any advice?”  – Branson family   A lot of what you will...

    • Posted August 31, 2009
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  • Student’s self-esteem

      QUESTION: My 12-year-old son is in his second year of middle school. He has always been shy. On his fourth day of his first year in middle school, he had a very intense altercation with his...

    • Posted July 26, 2009
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  • Your child and life’s reality

    QUESTION: I am a divorced mother of a 16-year-old daughter. I am very concerned that she has no “real” friends and spends too much time on the computer blogging  when not doing school work.  I  suspect that...

    • Posted June 30, 2009
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  • How to deal with depression

    QUESTION: Since I moved to Tokyo, it seems that my wife does not get out of the house and have friends like she used to.  She is always tired and does not have energy to do activities...

    • Posted May 31, 2009
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