INTEGRATIVE + ONLINE PSYCHIATRY + HOLISTIC HEALTH

Category: Death and Dying

Collage of six picture of peoples journey from midlife crisis to vitality and thriving.

Finding the way from a midlife crisis

Written by Ron Parks, MD on . Posted in Commentary on Health and Well-being, Death and Dying, Depression, Grief and Loss, Happiness, Holistic Approaches to Prevention and Recovery, holistic mental healthcare, Mood, Post by Guests, Spirituality & Health, Trauma.

Navigating from a life-challenging period of depression and suicidal thoughts to purpose and vitality—strategies to help.

My father’s surprising revelations.

When I was a teenager, my father shared with me, as we were walking one day, that he was amazed at an encounter earlier that day with a friend of his who had come to him for support and guidance. The friend told him he had been having suicidal thoughts and was very upset with what he thought were significant losses and challenges in his life. I don’t know what my father told him, but his friend felt relieved and left in an improved mental state, feeling that he had been listened to, supported, and unburdened by his deepest worries and fears.

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Colleague of pictures around the theme of loss, forgiveness, broken heart, insight, perspective, & enlightenment

What I learned from my father’s death or should have

Written by Ron Parks, MD on . Posted in Commentary on Health and Well-being, Death and Dying, Depression, Grief and Loss, Holistic Approaches to Prevention and Recovery, holistic mental healthcare, Meditation/Mindfulness, Mood, Neurodiversity, PTSD, Public Health Issue, Relationships, Spirituality & Health, Trauma.

The hidden truth about Forgiveness

by Ron Parks, MD

It was early morning when I got a call from the chief of medicine and cardiologist at the community hospital where I was on staff. In a more worried voice, than was usual for him, he said, “Ron, could you stop by my office on your way to make rounds? It’s about your father. With everything I have tried, I can’t stabilize him. We need to make some decisions!” With that, I grabbed my coat and headed out the door. Our chief of medicine was the top cardiologist in the immediate area. When my father, during a visit to our home, had another one of his heart attacks, I had him admitted to our local hospital under the care of an experienced cardiologist.

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Young Barefoot Woman with Headscarf on Beach looking and grieving her losses and hoping for a secure future

Extreme Passion, the Value and Danger—Holocaust Recalled

Written by Ron Parks, MD on . Posted in Commentary on Health and Well-being, Creativity, Death and Dying, Grief and Loss, Hate Crimes, PTSD, Social Media, Trauma.

Harnessing extremes into creativity, loving concern for others, and actions to avoid societal upheaval, hatred, and destruction.

I recount an early life story that brought me to the realities and risks of the extreme passions and ideas we can get caught up in as individuals or whole societies with positive or devastating outcomes.  

My mother’s lost cousin—Iren

When I was a child in the early-to-mid 1940s, my mother took me to a local shoe repair shop on

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Man contemplting shooting self with gun with alcohol, depressed

Gun Deaths, Mental Health, & Laws

Written by Ron Parks, MD on . Posted in Death and Dying, Depression, gun violence, Hate Crimes, Public Health Issue, Trauma, Uncategorized. 1 Comment

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.

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Lightning in a thunderstorm and natural disaster

Crises, Career, and Mental Health

Written by Ron Parks, MD on . Posted in Addiction, Bipolarity, Death and Dying, Depression, Grief and Loss, Holistic Approaches to Prevention and Recovery, Holistic Views on Mental Health Issues, Integrative Therapies, Meditation/Mindfulness, Mood, Neuroplasticity, PTSD, Public Health Issue, Spirituality & Health, Trauma, Viral Pandemics.

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.

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COVID-19 and Mental Health Crises Book

Written by Ron Parks, MD on . Posted in Addiction, Anxiety & Panic, Bipolarity, Commentary on Health and Well-being, Coronavirus, Death and Dying, Depression, Grief and Loss, Holistic Approaches to Prevention and Recovery, Integrative Therapies, Meditation/Mindfulness, Mood, Neuroplasticity, PTSD, Public Health Issue, Spirituality & Health, Trauma, Viral Pandemics. 1 Comment

If a mental health crisis or the pandemic has affected your life, then this book is written for you.

COVID-19/Mental Health Crises: Holistic Understanding & Solutions

In his timely book, now published, Ronald R. Parks, MPH, MD, examines the impact of COVID-19 or other forms of crisis, loss, or tragedy on individual mental health.

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Sun breaking through clouds

Covid-19 Depression & Grief

Written by Ron Parks, MD on . Posted in Coronavirus, Death and Dying, Depression, Grief and Loss, Mood, PTSD, Public Health Issue, Trauma, Viral Pandemics.

With a catastrophic pandemic as COVID-19 (SARS-CoV2) with exposure to overwhelming circumstances and a high number of deaths, survivors have to manage the aftermath of potentially occurring anxiety, grief, major depression, and PTSD.

Mental health services have, at times, been overwhelmed because of an inadequate number of available trained professionals and preparedness to handle such a high demand on available resources.

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Rooster crow morning wakeup

COVID-19 Wake Up Call

Written by Ron Parks, MD on . Posted in Commentary on Health and Well-being, Coronavirus, Death and Dying, Grief and Loss, Holistic Approaches to Prevention and Recovery, Integrative Therapies, Meditation/Mindfulness, Public Health Issue, Spirituality & Health, Trauma, Uncategorized, Viral Pandemics.

The current COVID-19 pandemic is a wake-up call to understand all the contributing factors, and steps needed to protect ourselves and future generations from recurrences and the devastation.

Hopefully, soon, COVID-19 will peak and subsides. Its rapid spread and lethality have had a devastating and tragic effect on the most vulnerable people and the vital infrastructure of our society. 

When the final analysis is done, what will be learned and taken away as practical ideas or as more profound wisdom? Some useful areas of interest and inquiry may focus on

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Mourning Pet Loss

Written by Ron Parks MD Shan Parks cowriter editor on . Posted in Death and Dying, Depression, Grief and Loss. 3 Comments

A Dream about the death of my dog Pepper:

In my dream, I was working at my desk, and I saw, my little Yorkie, Pepper, rolling and frolicking on the couch on his blanket. I got up and went over to rub his tummy, which he always loved when he was on his back. I got up, and as I approached him, I said, you have died and will disappear when I go to rub your tummy. To my surprise, he stayed on his back and let us both enjoy and relish my rubbing of his belly. I woke up realizing that my hands were rubbing on my own head and hair.

This article is dedicated to Pepper, our wonderful pet and companion for over 12 years, who died recently of a combination of old age and ill-health. He was an adopted pet from an animal rescue program.

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