The Hippocampus and Neurobiology of Depression Web page has been updated and now contains a PowerPoint presentation (as an Adobe Acrobat document) entitled "How Stress Produces Major Depressive Disorder." It covers the three most important things we currently know about stress and depression. Moderate to severe depression is not a lack of will power or a sign of a character defect. However, there are ways to help recognize what your vulnerability to severe depression might be and there are ways to help prevent moderate to severe depression.

Dr. Sterling recently updated and upgraded most of the DearShrink.com pages. Some sites have been eliminated for now while they are being upgraded and improved. DateGuru.com, MateGuru.com, and ErosGuru.com are under construction. We apologize for any inconvenience. We hope you enjoy the new look and updated information and links. Please feel free to e-mail us with comments, suggestions and feedback about errors and broken links.

The newest addition to Dr. Sterling's Web sites is MentalHealthNewswire.com where you can purchase publication rights to articles written by Dr. Sterling or order new, original content. The mission of Mental Health Newswire is to give publishers and editors a convenient and cost-effective source for quality mental health, substance abuse, and social commentary content written by award-winning author and psychiatrist, Ron Sterling, M.D. Social commentary content includes Sterling Manners, which is Dr. Sterling's good-manners column.

Dr. Sterling's Mind Matters column continues into its fourth year. Mind Matters is a monthly column written for the Seattle seniors magazine, Northwest Prime Time. It received a 2003 second-place award for a senior issues column from the National Mature Market Publishers Association.

Doctor Debug was a recurring column originally written for Tekbug, a technology and lifestyle magazine published in Seattle in 2002. Tekbug died and Doctor Debug is now published in a Montana bi-monthly health magazine. Check the Doctor Debug Web site to view a syndicated mental health advice column written about "debugging dysfunctional aspects of our own personal programming."

Please visit our Mental Health Activist Web site to find information about how to get more active in your community -- volunteering, contacting legislators, and staying up to date on mental health and substance abuse news and views.

Dr. Sterling has established a new Web site about caregiving which begins with a short article -- "Caring for Caregivers." Please visit AllAboutCaregiving.org to get more information.

Dr. Sterling has established a new Web site about "ageism" and how our mindset matters as we age. Please visit AgePride.org to get more information.

Dr. Sterling has established a new Web site about adult attention deficit disorder. You may think the diagnosis is a "fad," but it is not. Despite all the advertising, which could be interpreted as "pushing" a product, adult attention deficit disorder has historically been underdiagnosed. The reason? Professionals, for some time, did not have enough evidence to make a conclusion about whether children grew out of their symptoms or not. Now, we know they may grow out of some of their symptoms but still struggle with, among other things, concentration, follow-through, impulsiveness, poor judgment, irritability, and low frustration tolerance. Please visit AllAboutAdultADD.org to get more information.

Our AllAboutGrief.org Web site contains articles, information, and links to resources for understanding bereavement, the grieving process, and "complicated" grief.

Our AllAboutPsychotherapy.org Web site contains articles, information, and links to resources for understanding more about psychotherapy -- it's not just "talking."

Please go to our All About Forgiveness Web page to view links to information, articles, organizations and individuals dedicated to helping us understand the power and the psychological principles of the process of interpersonal forgiveness.

Our Mental Wellness Web site contains articles, information, and resources for understanding the factors in mental wellness -- self-appreciation, resilience, affiliation, negotiation, curiosity, exercise and leisure activities.

Please visit SeniorMentalHealth.org to view its new look and updated content. SeniorMentalHealth.org is dedicated to providing comprehensive senior mental health information and resources for many growing older concerns and issues.

New Aging Brain Web Site.

Our AgingBrain.org Web site contains articles, information, and resources for understanding more about the phases that the brain goes through during a lifetime. There are many structural changes that take place in our brains, and they don't all occur during our later years.

Please visit our All About Freud (and Others) page to view some advice about Freudian Sends: E-Mail Gone Wrong and new links to information about the term "Freudian Slip." Read about the words "shrink" and "client" at What About the Word "Shrink"? page.

Please go to our Donations Page to learn how you can make donations to help support the mission of Dr. Sterling to provide useful and professional mental health information.

Dr. Sterling has chosen to allow visitors to DearShrink.com to make donations to support this Web site rather than soliciting advertisers and sponsors. Dr. Sterling desires to provide unbiased information and answers to your questions. He has received positive feedback from users who appreciate that there is no advertising present on the DearShrink.com site, except for the advertising of Dr. Sterling's services. Thank you for your kind consideration for donations to support the maintenance and the mission of DearShrink.com.

Please go to our Funding Notices to get more information on funding and advertising at DearShrink.com.

-- Best wishes, Dr. Sterling