Dr. Deborah L. Downey PSY.D.

The organic studies of schizophrenia outnumber, by far, the psychological ones.The quantity of these works and the variety of directions that they have taken reveal that no breakthrough has been made. Even in fields like genetics and biochemistry where some evidence of the organic nature of...

In 2012, Scottish singer Susan Boyle was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome (AS). Before her diagnosis, Susan’s team believed that her ‘unpredictable’ and ‘eccentric’ behavior was due to her being a diva and hot-headed. They considered that she acted the way she did because she was...

A new musical by the name of "Wonderland" seeks to explore autism via rap and spoken word.WINGS"Wonderland" is a WINGS production. WINGS is nationally recognized as one of the leading performing arts programs for children, and is located at the Lynn Meadows Discovery Center. Their goal is to inspire...

The federal government’s health statisticians figure that about one in every 10 Americans take an antidepressant. The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) reports that the rate of antidepressant use in the US among teens and adults has increased by 400% from the years 1988 to 1994 to 2005...

What Is Schizophrenia?Schizophrenia is a severe and chronic mental disorder that can affect how an individual feels, thinks, and behaves. Individuals with schizophrenia can appear as though they have lost their grasp on reality. Although schizophrenia is less common than other mental disorders, the...

Trichotillomania, or hair pulling disorder, is a mental disorder in which people have a strong desire and urge to pull out hair from different parts of their body, including the scalp and eyebrows. In this type of disorder — also considered an impulse control disorder — one finds it hard to...