Being Health Wise
Integrative Psychiatry & Holistic Medicine
Dr. Parks new book, COVID-19/MENTAL HEALTH CRISES: Holistic Understanding & Solutions, is now available for purchase. Book has timely and essential information about recognizing mental health challenges during high stress, crises, and COVID-19. I present vital information on:
- Holistic steps for understanding.
- Coping.
- Self-care.
- Getting help
- Recovery
- And more—to not only survive but to thrive and transform
Meet Ron Parks, MD
Dr. Parks is a consultant, writer, and mentor who specializes in integrative Psychiatry and Holistic Medicine.
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Explore The Integrative Psychiatry Blog
Gun Deaths, Mental Health, & Laws
The Harsh Reality of Gun Deaths
I remember the day I first experienced tragedy as if it were yesterday. What happened left a deep sense of sadness within me. My best friend, Tony, and I met on the school bus. It was on the first morning of our 6th-grade year in rural Maryland and we were both wary of the bigger kids. We hit it off immediately and as the year progressed, we took to hanging out at each other’s house. I used to enjoy visiting his house, as his mother used to make us peanut butter cookies and lemonade. It was the happiest of times.
Childrens’ Essential Need
A child at risk can easily go unrecognized!
Sam was lagging in his school work and was falling asleep on his school desk. His grades were failing. He was getting into fights, according to his principal. Other kids were bullying and picking on him. At home and school, he was often moody and irritable. He avoided social activities and liked to play by himself or watch TV. The school called his mother to make an appointment. What happened next totally caught everyone off guard. Help had come too late. [i]
Crises, Career, and Mental Health
My journey from crises to a career in medicine and mental health began early in life.
Growing up in the rural countryside, I loved to run and play, in the open fields and woods, with my friends and dog. I became good at swimming and other sports. Even though polio was in the news with pictures of children paralyzed from the untreatable illness—there was no effective treatment or vaccine. I felt invincible and in robust health. But with a turn of fate, the virus found me one summer day.