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Dear Annie: Six-year estrangement is hurting whole family

Dear Annie: I don’t know where to start. It has been six years since our youngest daughter, “Emily,” has been close to us. The problem started when our oldest daughter and her cousin were in the kitchen talking about Emily when Emily walked by. She obviously was concerned that they were talking about her. We were just getting ready to eat our holiday meal, and I asked where Emily was, and they said she had left. I called her to ask why, and she said her sister and cousin were staring at her and talking. Mind you, they were all in their 40s. After I talked to Emily, my husband ...

Woman enters manic pyschotic break that takes a toll on family

DEAR DR. ROACH: My daughter’s going through a manic psychotic break. Her reality is skewed, and she thinks that she’s right and that the rest of us are out of touch. It’s taking a toll on our family. How can I get through to her to seek professional help? — B.C. ANSWER: Unfortunately, this is a common situation that often doesn’t have an easy answer. Mania is a specific psychiatric state when a person has a sustained period of very high energy. People in a manic state often don’t sleep much at all and have high energy, which they often use to make risky decisions that can ...

The GOP’s quiet rebellion: What it means for Trump, Congress and the Supreme Court

Something important is happening in Washington that many political observers did not expect to see this early in President Donald Trump’s second term. For the first time since Republicans regained unified control of Washington, significant numbers of Republican senators and House members are openly pushing back against the White House not on personality but on power. The issues vary: the proposed anti-weaponization fund, funding for a White House ballroom, questions surrounding congressional authority over military action involving Iran. Yet the common thread is unmistakable: ...

Gordon Wood and the historians who told the real story of the founders

The sudden death of the historian Gordon Wood, just weeks before the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, is one more mark of the closure of a golden age of the historiography of the Revolutionary era. It’s an occasion to reflect on the uniqueness, indeed the idiosyncrasy, of the emergence of the primacy of this United States among the nations of the world. As the historian Walter McDougall has pointed out, a catalog of world civilizations in the year 1600 looks, with one exception, much like the world today. There is a prosperous and populous ...

Dear Annie: Hoarding ruined my marriage

Dear Annie: Eight years ago, it felt like I had a mental breakdown trying to deal with all the clutter coming in our house. I told this to my wife, but her reply was to justify why she needed everything. Meanwhile, my frustration turned from anger to rage, and I started throwing things and shouting at her and not understanding how attached she was to her stuff. I threw boxes and boxes into the trash. Fast forward eight years to the present, and the situation hasn’t gotten any better. Her relationship with me has been put in a box and stored somewhere in the garage. These last eight ...

An expensive injection is indicated for prostate cancer patient

DEAR DR. ROACH: About six years ago, I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. I chose to have a high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU), which ultimately wasn’t successful. I was told that surgery after an HIFU was a high-risk option, so I chose to have radiation therapy to reduce the surgical risk of side effects like incontinence. Prior to the start of the treatments, I was given an injection of leuprolide, presumably to interfere with testosterone production. There’s also an injection that is scheduled for a couple of months after the completion of the radiation. I asked if the ...