Understanding Compulsive Shopping.

Since we have just experienced Black Friday, this might be a good time of year to address compulsive shopping.  Giving into an occasional impulse buy is perfectly normal.  The majority of Americans enjoy shopping as a pleasant task of everyday life.  These days we are bombarded not only by shopping networks, but by the internet as well.  Marketers have made a science of getting us to buy.

Do you feel that you or a loved one may have crossed the threshold from occasional bargain hunter to compulsive shopper?  The irresistible desire to shop is known as compulsive buying disorder or oniomania.  According to research by World Psychiatry, 5.8% of Americans are afflicted with the disorder.  Women comprise 80% of that total.

Let’s talk about it.  Seek guidance and self exploration with the help of Penelope J. Hooks, M.D.  She has been working with shopping addictions of various types for more than ten years.  She will discuss your particular case and offer valuable solutions to overspending and related disorders.  If you live in the Houston area, call Dr. Hooks at (713) 521-9087 and visit her website at www.pjhooksmd.com and listen to her audio on shopaholism.

A New Holiday Attraction is Coming to Houston!

Magical Winter Lights 2015

Magical Winter Lights is a spectacular, larger-than-life attraction with a fresh take on the traditional holiday light show.

November 20, 2015 – January 10, 2016 @ Sam Houston Race Park

A Perspective on Aderall and Other Stimulants

Because of heightened awareness over the last 30 years or so, ADHD has become an epidemic, as our society has been parented by baby boomers and beyond.  Did you know that 10% of 10 year old boys in this country are medicated for symptoms related to ADHD?  Even teachers endorse the pill to ameliorate a student’s behavior in the classroom to make their job more manageable.

Let’s talk about talking instead of jumping to medicating.  Of course all parents want their children to be happy and well adjusted.  Why not talk about the situation openly and have a mutual dialogue that gets to the root of many behavioral problems…not just skirt around them with drugs.  Make sure that you get all of the information that you can before you put your child on a regimen of Aderall, Ritalin, or ANY behavior-modifying drug.  Sometimes an understanding of what goes on in a child’s inner world can make a difference. Call the office of Penelope J. Hooks, M.D.  Make an appointment with your child to see her at her office located at 3311 Richmond Ave. Suite 330 in Houston by calling (713) 521-9087.  Let’s begin exploring your family’s options today.

When Good Parents Cause Unintended Harm

Most of us try hard to be good parents, and are unaware that sometimes we cause subtle harm to our child.  It’s a kind of paradox, that in imagining that we do a great job, we cannot look at our contribution to the relationship, which the child may perceive as far from “great.”   A parent may be unable to listen to a child if it seems like an unbearable reflection of something not right about the parent. Sometimes parents begin to teach their children at an early age, without realizing it, that if anything about their parenting is questioned, it is tantamount to family treason.  Children become intimidated into believing that they are simply “bad”.  Once everyone buys into the characterization of a “bad” child, the only answer may seem to be medication for illness in the child, rather than what is more likely a relationship problem between the two.

It is important for families to get back on track.  Seek consultation with a board certified psychiatrist and child psychoanalyst. Such an individual in the Houston area is Penelope J. Hooks, M.D.  Dr. Hooks will address your family’s particular issues with personal care and concern.  Please give her a call to arrange an appointment at her office (713) 521-9087. 

Houston Whatever Fest, the City’s most eclectic street festival.

HOUSTON WHATEVER FEST
Includes over 90 acts on 5 stages with a diverse mix music genres, comedy and art along with local food trucks, unique street performers, Houston-centric vendors, and more taking place in the East End of Downtown - Nov 21 & 22, 2015 – 12:00 PM - 11:00 PM

Building Your Child’s Emotional Muscle

Noted authors Kerry Kelly Novick and Jack Novick have developed a strategy known as “building your child’s emotional muscle”.  Imagine if everything that you do with your child included an extra added dimension if you will.  It is a dimension that will help build strong character, courage, self-esteem, and emotional strength.

Imagine each part of every single day adding value to your child’s life.  Imagine even the simplest actions being the springboard to happiness, learning, and developing new friendships.  It is all very realistic by implementing and developing what the authors call emotional muscle.  The Novicks have written Emotional Muscle: Strong Parents, Strong Children.  It is filled with parenting tips for the first five years of your child’s life.

To continue developing healthy relationships with your children, please call Penelope J. Hooks M.D.  She specializes in psychiatry, psychoanalysis, child psychoanalysis, parenting and relationship issues.  Being a great parent really takes a village.  Give Dr. Hooks a call today to see how she can help with your relationship with your child in the Houston area at (713) 521-9087. 
























 

Halloween Fun! Scream on the Green

SCREAM ON THE GREEN
Friday, October 30 from 6 - 10 pm @ Discovery Green
Admission is FREE.
Have a spooky good time at Houston’s annual citywide costume contest and Halloween celebration for the whole family! Prizes, music and more!

When Children Act Up.

We all know that there are varying degrees of bad behavior from our children.  Sometimes parents and teachers will encounter a “difficult kid” and worry about whether or not their behavior is normal.  Usually the worrisome activity is a passing problem, but sometimes the trouble continues to persist long after it should have passed.  As parents we are frustrated and confused…should we take action or just wait it out hoping it will blow over?  Children do not outgrow emotional problems that have come to the attention of others, particularly when an experienced teacher has noticed.

Psychoanalysts are highly trained mental health professionals.  They can suggest a variety of techniques to help parents understand their child’s world.  A good doctor will consider each individual as a unique person.  While there is no blanket answer for aberrant behavior, a new understanding of what is driving the behavior can often lead to handling the situation differently, and thus lead to changes.  

At this critical time in your child’s life it is important to seek the council of a professional.  The child psychoanalyst that you seek in the Houston area is Dr. Penelope Hooks.  She will help parents and children understand how the past shapes the present and how it can influence the future.  Call Dr. Hooks today to discuss your particular situation at (713) 521-9087.  Or visit her website at www.pjhooksmd.com.

Is Psychoanalysis Right for Me?

Psychoalnalysis is helpful for people who are unhappy, but who function outwardly pretty well.

Psychoanalysis is a term that may sound heavy at first.  It is sort of like hearing the word “diet”.  We know that it treats a problem, but is it something to which we want to subject ourselves?  Like any other treatment of the human condition psychoanalysis has been revised and developed in different directions over the decades since Sigmund Freud coined the term.

There are several basic principles of psychoanalysis.  Among them are:

1.  A person’s traits stem from forgotten incidents from early childhood.

2.  Human attitude is largely ingrained by irrational thoughts rooted in their Unconscious.

3.  It is necessary to bypass psychological resistance to bring the patient to the point of awareness.

4.  The conflict between conscious and unconscious can materialize in the form of emotional disturbances.

5.  It requires skilled guidance to bring these disturbances from the unconscious to the conscious.

6.  Once these unconscious links are made, the disturbance may disappear, and a new sense of well-being takes its place.

                                   

Houston area psychiatrist Dr. Penelope J. Hooks specializes in psychiatry, psychoanalysis for both adults and children, as well as relationship issues.  It is important to come to terms with mental health issues just as we would if we had a persistent physical condition that required a specialist.  Please do not hesitate call Dr. Hooks today to make an appointment at her office at (713) 521-9087.