The Goods and Bads of Social Media Websites

            Social media websites like Facebook and Myspace undeniably affect teens’ and young adults’ social lives and self-esteem.  In some cases, the effects can be positive, but in other cases, they can be quite harmful.

            On the positive side, social networking sites provide a great forum for keeping in touch with old friends and getting better acquainted with new ones.  For college students especially, Facebook event invites keep people informed of parties and other social events around campus.  Social media websites are an easy way to reach out to lots of friends and acquaintances right away.  Posting photos and tagging your friends in them is a free, instantaneous way to share your memories with one another.

            On the flipside, social media websites can lead youth to feel isolated, excluded, and depressed.  Teens who aren’t happy with their current friends or lack of a social life may read exciting status updates or tweets from their peers, and may feel jealous.  Seeing photos of people having fun at a party they weren’t invited to can make them feel even worse.  For teens who feel like they’re on the outside, Facebook, Myspace, and other media websites can lead to low self-esteem, depression, and many other mental health issues.  Additionally, these websites provide a medium for cyberbullying, which is a huge problem right now.

            There are lots of other pros and cons to social media websites.  What others can you think of? Do you think these websites do more harm or more good for teens?

            By: Robyn Goldberg and Mark Dworkin LCSW

March & the Winter Blues

            Winter can be a tough season for those living in colder regions like New York.  With this past winter being one of the coldest, snowiest winters we’ve had in a while, it’s likely that many people have experienced seasonal depression.  The winter blues are common; lots of people feel a little sadder, more sluggish, and lonelier during the cold months.  The shorter number of daylight hours also contributes to these negative feelings.  Additionally, it’s common to gain some weight in the colder months – we eat more to stay warm, we eat more because we’re indoors more, and we eat more because of the negative emotions we’re feeling.

So in some ways, March – the month that comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb – can be a wonderful time.  It represents a transition into milder weather.  We’re finally experiencing longer days and some springtime warmth.  But for some people, this time can be very difficult.  With beach season just around the corner, body image concerns are prevalent.  Those who’ve put on some pounds over the winter might be struggling to lose them.  People who experienced depression this winter might still be feeling down, and wondering why their mood hasn’t improved now that we’re entering spring.

How do you feel about March? Is it a month you look forward to or dread?

By Robyn Goldberg & Mark Dworkin LCSW

Respecting Americans First; No Mosques Near The World Trade Center Site

As I have said on Twitter I would be starting blogs that some may find offensive. I strongly believe in First Amendment Rights, specifically the right to religious freedom. I believe that the great majority of members of the Muslim faith are good law abiding citizens. However I do not know of any other faith that sends their children to their death with the promise of great rewards in heaven after their death.

And I do not know of other religious groups who have planted their "sleepers" on American soil to learn how to fly a plane into buildings to murder innocent Americans. We will soon come up to the 10th anniversary of one of the greatest acts of terrorism perpetrated on American soil.

To allow a "Community Center" that has a Mosque within its walls so close to a center where thousands of innocent Americans were murdered is madness. While it is certainly legal, it is indecent. The leaders of this center may be welling meaning human beings. However how can we be absolutely sure that there are no "sleeper agents" who are surveilling this area and marking it for further acts of terrorism?

Yes I know the first argument against my position will be that there could be many ways sleeper agents could have access to this area, or any area that may be targeted for future acts of terroism. This is a legitimate argument. However I once worked as a waiter in a Jewish sleep away camp. I asked the head of the kitchen why we couldn't have milk with our meat? While her answer answer might not satisfy a Rabbi's argument, hers was common wisdom. She said, "It's bad enough that we kill the animal; should we make things even more worse by drinking it's milk while we eat its flesh?"

There is nothing wrong with Muslims practicing their faith, but do we have to put up with their practice blocks away from from where their brethren wounded our nation so deeply?

(I've kept Robyn from being a part of writing this article; this is my view alone and I take responsibility for its contents). These blogs will also appear on www.markdworkin.com soon.

American who still suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder would be well advised to seek help from an EMDR clinician who is at least "Therapist Certified in EMDR" by the EMDR International Association (of which I have been a founding member; former board member and currently an Instructor of the Basic Training in EMDR Psychotherapy).

Let's find reasonable solutions to difficult problems. I encourage those with other opinons to voice them.  My opinion is let's not make things worse than they are. What's your opinion?

Putting Americans First

            I’d like to open a discussion about the needs of the middle class in the US. 

While it’s been the middle class that helps keep this country strong, it’s now the middle class that suffers due to the decision of these companies.  They continue to outsource jobs to foreigners, when there are millions of unemployed American citizens who are badly in need of jobs.  These corporations are disgracing themselves, by saving some money at the expense of suffering middle and lower class citizens.  These corporations wouldn’t even exist today if not for our tax dollars. 

How can they justify this, when more and more American families are going hungry and living homeless?  We need to worry about our own people first and foremost.  When we’ve eradicated homelessness and starvation across this country, then we can worry about non-Americans.

            Do you agree or not? What’s your opinion on the matter?

(If you are dealing with related mental health concerns, please contact me at (516) 731-7611 or visit my website markdworkin.com)

Dear CEOs & Stockholders:

          In recent years, the taxpayers of the US have bailed out banking CEOs, investment house CEOs, and stockholders.  Our tax dollars have kept them from going bankrupt during our nation’s economic crisis.  Yet these people are allowing American children to go without food, without a place to clean themselves, without shelter.

            Democracy is the best form of government, so why do we allow corporate socialism? The family farm is becoming a myth, yet the government hands out billions of dollars to corporate farms to not grow certain crops.  The oil industry is given billions of dollars in subsidies, yet they make billions as well.  The insurance industry makes billions of dollars in profits yet nothing is done to regulate how much they can charge for premiums.

It is time for the people of America to join with the progressive forces of the Coffee Party. Let’s take back our country from outlaws who pay their lobbyists to bribe our Congressmen and women to write laws that keep these thieves rich while children are hungry and homeless.

            Additionally, mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and substance abuse have become widespread during this time of economic distress.  The financial issues in this country are tearing peoples’ lives apart, and we cannot allow it to go on any longer.  It’s up to us to voice our anger at what’s going on in this country, so changes will have to be made.

As Phil Ochs once sang, “Here is a land full of power and glory/Beauty that words cannot recall/Oh her power shall rest on the strength of her freedom/Her glory shall rest on us all (on us all)!”

(If you are struggling with mental distress due to financial issues, please contact Mark at (516) 731-7611 or visit his website at markdworkin.com)


By Robyn Goldberg & Mark Dworkin LCSW

Unequal Distribution of Wealth

            Considering the poverty situation I discussed in yesterday’s post, I thought I’d open a dialogue about the uneven distribution of wealth in this country.

            When there are 16 million children living in poverty in the US, I believe that rectifying this situation should be the utmost priority.  As I stated yesterday, “earmark” funds should not be going towards anything but ending the homelessness and starvation facing so many youth and their families today.  I also believe that something needs to be done about the unequal distribution of wealth in this country.  The wealthiest 1% of the population owns more than a third (i.e. over 33%) of the wealth in the US.  The least wealthy 20% own just 0.1%!

            Rather than giving tax cuts to the richest in our country, why not put that money towards keeping people employed? Rather than accepting the elevated unemployment rate during this recession (which causes families to live in poverty, and robs children of their basic rights to food and shelter) why not tax proportionally and use this extra tax money to create more jobs?

            I find the salaries of celebrities and athletes to be disturbing, when you consider how badly some families are struggling.  I don’t think that being able to throw a curve ball justifies someone making $20 million a year, nor should any actor be making $1 million per TV episode.  Of course, these people work hard too, but there’s a point where such immense wealth becomes excessive.  The drastic gap between the rich and poor in the US is alarming.  What can be done to save children living in poverty? Do you think the unequal distribution of wealth is just a part of life, or should changes be made?

Eradicating Poverty vs. Earmarks

            As demonstrated by the 60 Minutes segment this weekend, there are a record number of American children living in poverty now due to the recession.  In fact, the number has increased by two million in the past two years.

            This has had devastating effects. Many children and their families are now homeless; they live in cars, or at a neighbor’s house, or in motels.  Some go without food for far too long.  These children are deprived of the basic human needs; this could have far-reaching consequences for them throughout their lives.  For instance, youth who experience starvation and homelessness are more likely to experience social issues, academic difficulties, and low self-esteem.

            One would think that in a time of economic crisis, the US government would do everything in its power to assist these families and ensure that no child has to grow up in such terrible circumstances.  However, this is not the case.  “Earmarks” are items inserted into bills that allow government money to be spent directly on projects without any public hearing.  Recently, earmarks have allocated funds towards projects such as rebuilding a stone barn, creating a public shooting range, and studying sea animals.

            In light of the tragic situation facing so many American children today, does the government have any excuse for spending money on projects other than PROTECTING our children from living in poverty?  What could possibly be more important than this?

                                    By Robyn Goldberg and Mark Dworkin LCSW