By John M Oldham MD I was invited to join Drew Ramsey, MD to record a podcast about the world of personality and personality disorders. Drew is a talented and creative psychiatrist, whom I have known since he was a resident in training at Columbia, when I was on the faculty there. He has had […]
By John M Oldham MD Recently, many of us were consumed with “Olympic fever,” as we watched the amazing feats of elite athletes in the 2024 Summer Olympics. The triumphs of the winners, and the heartbreaks of those who almost made it, were riveting to watch in real time. But who are these sports superheros? […]
by John M Oldham MD I recently came across a term that was new to me: “gray rocking.” It refers to a behavioral strategy of being deliberately nonresponsive—being stone-faced, if you will. Nonresponding in a colorless, expressionless fashion, like a gray rock. It’s a conscious choice not to get rattled by someone who likes to […]
by John M Oldham MD If your financial status is solidly in the black, what’s your savings strategy? Probably not cash under the mattress, maybe a rainy day fund in a savings account, but most likely investment in equities, i.e., the stock market. Does your personality make a difference in how you invest? A recent […]
Personality Disorders Update John M Oldham MD At the Annual Meeting of the American Psychiatric Association in New York City this month (May, 2024), I was asked to be interviewed on video, to review recent developments in our understanding of the personality disorders. That brief video, about 10 minutes, can be accessed here: https://www.hcplive.com/view/john-oldham-md-history-personality-disorder-pathology. As […]
What is a sociopath? by John M Oldham MD. In today’s media, it’s not unusual for someone to be referred to as a “sociopath,” often accompanied by sensational news about the person’s crafty, deceptive, self-serving behavior. This is nothing new, since scoundrels have been around throughout history. In the 15th century, Machiavelli wrote his famous […]
by John M Oldham MD, March, 2024 “Friendship Recession” is a term I hadn’t come across before. Perhaps it’s a sign of our times. Journalist Daniel Cox used the term in a piece focusing particularly on American men (https://www.nationalreview.com/2021/07/american-men-suffer-a-friendship-recession/). Drawing on data from the Survey Center on American Life, he reported that “the number […]
