Doctor Debug is written by Ron Sterling, M.D., a psychiatrist in Seattle, Washington, who has 30 years of counseling experience.   Now, don't go misinterpreting that "age thing."   Just because he has been around for a while doesn't mean that he is only older and wiser.   He is also caring and funny.   (He's gotta be... he's to blame for the name, okay?)   Read his advice columns to find out what it really means to debug malfunctioning aspects of ourselves.   Dr. Sterling also hosts and maintains the well-known Internet Mental Health Center, DearShrink.com™.

To return here in the future, just bookmark this page or type DoctorDebug.com in your browser's address window.

Doctor Debug™ was first published on May 13, 2002, in the 14th edition of Tekbug, a monthly magazine that was based in Redmond, Washington.   Tekbug was similar to two other free, weekly, Seattle magazines, the Seattle Weekly and The Stranger but Tekbug had a much stronger technology focus.   However, the bad news is that Tekbug crashed and the last edition was published on November 18, 2002.

The good news is Doctor Debug has found at least one new home!   The Doc is being published bi-monthly in Natural Life News and Directory, a Montana publication (628 North Main Street, Livingston, Montana 59047) thanks to publisher Denis Ouellette who discovered the Doctor Debug column while visiting Seattle in September 2002.

Links to the most recent columns are at the bottom of the page.

Tekbug Archives

• Debugging Dependence (small Adobe Acrobat document), May 13, 2002.   The first edition of Doctor Debug written for Tekbug contained an introduction to the column, answers to some Anticipated Questions (AQs before FAQs), and a much longer answer to a question from a reader who is "Hooked on Kathleen."

• The Freudian Send (small Adobe Acrobat document), June 17, 2002.   The second edition of Doctor Debug written for Tekbug talks about e-mail gone wrong and how to prevent your Freudian Slips from becoming an embarrassing (or worse) part of Internet history.

• Debugging Depression (small Adobe Acrobat document), July 15, 2002.   The third edition of Doctor Debug answers a question from an over-achiever type about her anger, and it turns out to be something she may not have expected.

• Debugging "Disorder" (small Adobe Acrobat document), August 12, 2002.   In the fourth edition, Doctor Debug debugs himself, and answers a question from a reader who is concerned about being diagnosed with a "disorder."

• Are We Well Yet? (small Adobe Acrobat document), September 16, 2002.   In the fifth edition, Doctor Debug takes a look at how we have been doing since the 9/11/2001 terrorist attacks and concludes that mental wellness isn't just about perfect functioning.

• Really Sleepless in Seattle (small Adobe Acrobat document), October 15, 2002.   In the sixth edition, Doctor Debug answers a question from a reader about how to fix his sleep problem.

• The Holiday Season Roller Coaster (small Adobe Acrobat document), November 15, 2002.   In the seventh edition, Doctor Debug looks at a few ways to debug some classic holiday season challenges.

• The Time to Hesitate is Through (small Adobe Acrobat document), December 26, 2002.   Doctor Debug answers a question about procrastination and New Year's resolutions, and gives you a chance to look at an old song in a new way.

• Debugging Overeating (html) -- January-February 2007.

• Debugging Partner Conflict (html) -- November-December 2006.

• Debugging Retirement (html) -- September-October 2006.

• Debugging Treatments for Depression (html) -- July-August 2006.

• Debugging Hoarding (html) -- May-June 2006.

• Debugging Self-Esteem (html) -- March-April 2006.

• Debugging Ageism (html) -- November-December 2005.

• Depression and Your Heart (html) -- September-October 2005.

• Debugging Complicated Grief (html) -- July-August 2005.

• Debugging Anti-Anxiety Medications (html) -- March-April 2005.

• Debugging One Kind of Rudeness (html) -- May-June 2005.

• Debugging Anxiety with the Relaxation Response (html) -- January-February 2005.

• The Power of Programming (html) -- November-December 2004.

• Melatonin on My Mind (html) -- September-October 2004.

• Debugging Psychotherapy (html) -- July-August 2004.

• Debugging Attention Deficit Disorder (html) -- May-June 2004.

• Looking for What's Normal (html) -- March-April 2004.

• Debugging "Love" (html) -- January-February 2004. Debugging "Love" (Adobe Acrobat scan of actual article; 4 Mb file).

• Debugging the Holiday Season (html) -- November-December 2003.

• Boosting Your Mental Wellness (html) -- September-October 2003.

• Finding Forgiveness (html) -- July-August 2003.

• Stress Reduction of a Different Kind (html) -- May-June 2003.

• Resolving Regrets (html) -- March-April 2003.

• The Time to Hesitate is Through (html) -- January-February 2003 edition of Montana's Natural Life News and Directory, or The Time to Hesitate is Through (Adobe Acrobat scan of original article).   Doctor Debug answers a question about procrastination and New Year's resolutions, and gives you a chance to look at an old song in a new way.

E-mail sent to Doctor Debug is read only by Ron Sterling, M.D.   No identities, whatsoever, will be revealed in any published answers. Any names used in published answers are fictional.

• Disclaimer. The content offered by or through Doctor Debug is for information only and is not intended for medical, psychiatric, psychological or behavioral health diagnosis or treatment. Never disregard professional advice or delay seeking it because of something you have read in a Doctor Debug article or on this Web site. Click here to read Dr. Sterling's conflicts of interest disclosure statement.

• Editing; No Obligation to Respond. Any communications and any questions sent to DoctorDebug.com become the sole property of DoctorDebug.com and are subject to editing. Ron Sterling's determination as to which questions shall be answered or which communications shall be responded to is final and at his sole discretion. Neither Ron Sterling nor DoctorDebug.com is obligated to and shall not be required to respond to or address every question or communication delivered to them. Any responses to any questions or communications shall only be published in selected magazines, newspapers, or similar publications, or at Web sites, or posted on the DoctorDebug.com Web site and neither Ron Sterling nor DoctorDebug.com have any obligation, whatsoever, to respond to any submitter who originally submitted such communication. Neither Ron Sterling nor DoctorDebug.com are required to provide such submitter with any notice that the submitter's question or communication has been responded to and published or posted to the DoctorDebug.com site or in any other publication or Web site.

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  Copyright © 2001-2006, Ron Sterling, M.D. All Rights Reserved.