By John M Oldham MD By chance I came across an interesting website at Harvard Law School called the “Program on Negotiation” (https://www.pon.harvard.edu/), which is an educational effort focusing on interpersonal negotiation skills. Among the many available resources on the website is a free report entitled “Dealing with Difficult People.” Mostly geared for the high-end […]
by John M Oldham MD I recently attended the annual meeting of the American College of Psychiatrists, where there was a fair amount of interest in the enduring debate about temperament and character. What makes us the way we are? Are we born that way (temperament), or are we made that way by life experiences […]
By John M Oldham MD Recently, a feature appeared in The New York Times entitled “The Friendship Advice Experts Swear By” (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/27/well/friendship-make-keep-friends.html). In spite of the corny title, author/journalist Catherine Pearson provides some useful tips called “friendship boosters” to help us strengthen our friendship bonds. Such advice is welcome, since we are challenged by the […]
By John M Oldham MD In a series of earlier blogs (November, 2024 and August, 2025), a link is provided to brief videos I was invited to record for a medical education series hosted by Vumedi.com. Recently, I was asked to provide a new one, which has just been posted, entitled “Personality Disorders Update.” This […]
By John M Oldham MD Many years ago, I made a rule for myself: Never send an angry email until the next day! Whatever the situation (setting the record straight, rebuttal or rejoinder to an unfair criticism, confronting an employee about inappropriate behavior, etc.), just write the email and save it as a draft. Then […]
By John M Oldham MD As Halloween approaches, the networks roll out the horror movies, the scarier the better. Some of us love this scary season and revel in the spooks and goblins. But make-believe witches on broomsticks are one thing; what about blood-drenched monster movies or zombies or the walking dead? There are plenty […]
By John M Oldham MD Not long ago, an interesting piece appeared in the New York Times entitled “What Does It Take to Get Men to See a Doctor?” (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/25/magazine/mens-health-doctor-masculinity.html?searchResultPosition=2). The author, Helen Ouyang MD, reports that in the US, men are more likely to die at younger ages than females. And that men die […]
