Michael G. Rayel
Dr. Michael Rayel -- psychiatrist, author, and game inventor -- has written A 31-Day Series for young readers which currently has two titles: A 31-Day Success Principles for Kids and Teens and A 31-Day Positive Affirmation for Kids and Teens.
As a game inventor, he created the Oikos Game Series. This 'emotional intelligence' (EQ) board game is a tool to help players learn practical life skills such as dealing with conflict, managing anger, and making decisions in a fun way.
Moreover, he created Fikloo, a party game, and Wordigy and IzSip Challenge, both challenging word games.
Oikos Game 1 and 3, Fikloo, Wordigy, A 31-Day Success Principles for Kids and Teens, and A 31-Day Positive Affirmations for Kids and Teens are recipients of Parent to Parent Adding Wisdom Award.
In January 2007, he will release two new game inventions namely: Actus Tale: Show and tell your way to amazing fun and Wordigy Jr.
As a clinician, he has pioneered the CARE approach as a first aid for mental health. In his First Aid to Mental Illness (named Finalist, Reader's Preference Choice Award 2002), he advances the implementation of practical strategies and early intervention to deal with mental illness.
Dr. Rayel is the Editor of Oikos' Insights! A Family and Self-Improvement Journal www.oikosinsights.com. He co-founded Oikos Global www.oikosglobal.com , the publisher of A 31-Day Series and maker of the Oikos Game Series; and Soar Dime Limited, the publisher of psychiatry and self-help
As a game inventor, he created the Oikos Game Series. This 'emotional intelligence' (EQ) board game is a tool to help players learn practical life skills such as dealing with conflict, managing anger, and making decisions in a fun way.
Moreover, he created Fikloo, a party game, and Wordigy and IzSip Challenge, both challenging word games.
Oikos Game 1 and 3, Fikloo, Wordigy, A 31-Day Success Principles for Kids and Teens, and A 31-Day Positive Affirmations for Kids and Teens are recipients of Parent to Parent Adding Wisdom Award.
In January 2007, he will release two new game inventions namely: Actus Tale: Show and tell your way to amazing fun and Wordigy Jr.
As a clinician, he has pioneered the CARE approach as a first aid for mental health. In his First Aid to Mental Illness (named Finalist, Reader's Preference Choice Award 2002), he advances the implementation of practical strategies and early intervention to deal with mental illness.
Dr. Rayel is the Editor of Oikos' Insights! A Family and Self-Improvement Journal www.oikosinsights.com. He co-founded Oikos Global www.oikosglobal.com , the publisher of A 31-Day Series and maker of the Oikos Game Series; and Soar Dime Limited, the publisher of psychiatry and self-help
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Articles by Michael G. Rayel
November 14, 2007
Our community has suffered a blow this week. Dr. Albert O’Mahony, a revered Clarenville family doctor for years, met an untimely death.
Only a few weeks ago, I had seen him walk in our neighborhood with Donna. He then greeted us with his signature broad grin and vibrant demeanor.
Not too lon...
October 11, 2007
A nice lady who sat beside me on a plane narrated her life after learning that I’m a practicing psychiatrist.
“I can’t say ‘no.’ That’s my problem for years. I‘m now 68 years old and I still try to please everyone except myself. I feel guilty if I say ‘no.’ I should have seen a psychiatrist earli...
September 25, 2007
“Something is wrong. How can procrastination be effective?”
“That’s impossible. I can’t believe it. You’re just kidding.”
“No, I’m not. I really believe that procrastination can be positive at times. And I mean it,” I argued with a friend who just read “How to Overcome Procrastination in 21 Da...
May 20, 2007
For the past few years, I’ve talked to parents complaining about their kids and their online or computer habits.
“They spend too much time playing online games. No time for homework,” reports a single mom.
“When my child loses a game, he yells at me,” adds a frustrated mother.
“My son forge...
April 09, 2007
“What is depression, Dr. Rayel?” “Any hope for me?” “Is it a chemical imbalance?” “Is there any effective treatment?”
Many individuals and their family members have asked me about clinical depression. Usually, I explain that clinical depression has different causes and treatment varies depending...
March 21, 2007
“Some people dare to dream only for themselves. Mama dared to dream for the benefit of others. Mama willingly shared what she had and made others better off.”
I shared these words of wisdom with relatives and friends as we bade Mama good-bye last year. It was a painful, difficult moment for us. ...
March 04, 2007
“Mike, you gave everyone a fright,” says a close friend.
Her remark summarized what happened that strange day in January. What started as a routine workday for me, ended as a wild adventure, a test of unwavering faith, and a “frightful” day especially among hospital staffs.
It all started arou...
February 11, 2007
Do you know what emotional intelligence (EI or EQ) is and how it can benefit your life? Do you know how to manage your emotion so you can propel yourself to the next level?
In short, do you have the EQ edge for success?
There’s so much talk about emotional intelligence and how it can promote...
February 02, 2007
One great thing about holidays is that it provides a convenient escape from the challenges and anxieties of daily living. Life can be tough but holidays can serve as a quick, temporary relief. But now that the excitement of Christmas and New Year is over, it’s about time to sit down and grapple with...
January 29, 2007
January is the best time of the year to start fresh. Worn-out, dysfunctional ways of thinking of the previous year should give way to practical, effective “mental” habits. My priority for this year is to share with you my experience and knowledge about mental health, and how you can improve it.
T...
September 26, 2006
There’s so much talk about emotional intelligence and how it can promote personal and business success. What is it really? What are its basic tenets?
Emotional intelligence is the capacity to recognize, understand, and manage one’s emotions and that of others. This “intelligent” concept focuses o...
September 26, 2006
Children bombard parents with many challenging behaviours. We are delighted if their behaviour is mostly positive. But what if your child constantly demonstrates negative behaviour? How are you going to deal with it?
It can get very frustrating for a mother who is yelled at every time she says ‘n...
September 26, 2006
Expectations abound everywhere. At work, we are expected to perform various tasks, to cooperate with colleagues, and to finish a project. In school, we are expected to study and read our homework. There are no relationships, affiliations, or associations where expectations don’t exist.
Homes sho...
September 22, 2006
A British weapon’s inspector was found dead in the woods after he slashed his wrist. For the past few weeks, he was entangled with a controversy about the war in Iraq.
On Monday, a Hyundai executive leaped to his death from the 12th floor. He was on trial for allegedly paying off North Korea $10...
September 22, 2006
The American Institute of Stress reports that stress among Americans is significantly rising. About $300 billion a year is lost due to stress-related reduced productivity, absenteeism, insurance cost, health-related programs, and employee dissatisfaction.
This is a sad fact.
Signs of stress a...
September 22, 2006
I usually put my children to sleep. Routinely, each one takes turn saying prayers before dozing off.
“Dear heavenly Father, thank you for my family and relatives and for all the blessings. Thank you for giving me only good dreams and good thoughts.”
As this prayer echoes around the room, it so...
September 22, 2006
“It is the magic of a touch, the power of a hug . . . that make life joyful.” This is a portion of my essay in high school. My teacher loved it. She even thought that a professional writer honed the article for me.
Her skepticism was a compliment at the time. Her disbelief was a subtle way of sa...
September 19, 2006
When driving, we need to check our rear-view mirror every few minutes to perceive dangers lurking behind — tailgaters, hecklers, over speeding cars, and drivers under the influence. Aside from anticipating threats, it helps us contemplate our next move, giving us enough time to be cautious before ov...
September 19, 2006
“Junkyard Wars,” a TV series showed two teams of experts contending for a title. The aim of the competition was for teams to construct a torpedo that can hit a target. But the challenge was more than just the process of construction. The challenge was creating a torpedo out of a junk.
Each team ...
September 18, 2006
Maria has been feeling depressed for at least two and a half years. About three years ago, her husband of 20 years left her for another woman. Devastated, she became despondent and tearful almost daily.
Eventually, her depression got worse associated with inability to function. Her appetite, ener...
September 18, 2006
Maria has been increasingly depressed for the past few years. She has tried at least four newer antidepressants but so far, she doesn’t seem to respond. Unable to work, she’s now feeling helpless and hopeless. Likewise, her family is discouraged. Frustrated and baffled by Maria’s lack of progress, t...
September 18, 2006
Maria’s depression was difficult to treat. As you can recall, various medications had been tried to no avail. But after several months of treatment, Maria has eventually become stable on a combination of two antidepressants.
She’s now able to do her usual activities and is motivated to go back to...
September 18, 2006
Countless number of patients and their family members have asked me about manic–depression and major depression. “Is there any difference?” “Are they one and the same?” “Is the treatment the same?” And so on. Each time I encounter a chorus of questions like these, I am enthused to provide answers.
...
September 18, 2006
I’m surprised when some patients and caregivers confuse dementia and Alzheimer’s as one and the same. Each time a family member is suffering from memory loss, the conclusion is always Alzheimer’s. Is it reasonable to label all dementias as Alzheimer’s?
As a clinician, my answer to queries is that...
September 18, 2006
Alzheimer’s Dementia has a combination of cognitive and behavioral manifestations. Cognitive impairment is the core problem which includes memory deficits and at least one of the following: aphasia or language problem, agnosia or problems with recognition, apraxia or motor activity problem, and impa...
September 18, 2006
I remember a friend in college who would blush, sweat, and tremble when required by a teacher to speak in class. A few weeks before the presentation, he’d be anxious, agitated, and couldn’t sleep. Because I was still a student then, I didn’t have any clue what he was going through. But I knew that s...
September 18, 2006
Dysthymic Disorder, used to be called Dysthymia, is a low-grade and yet chronic depression characterized by feelings of sadness or depression associated with lack of interest to do things and some physical symptoms such as lack of energy, sleep, and concentration.
Psychological symptoms such as f...
September 16, 2006
Nancy was doing very well until about two years ago when Phil, her boyfriend of 9 years, broke-up with her. It was a difficult moment for her especially after she learned that Phil eventually married her cousin. Since then, Nancy had deteriorated. One evening, she was involved in a motor vehicular a...
September 16, 2006
How do we treat bipolar disorder? Specifically, how do we treat mania or depression associated with bipolar disorder? The treatment of these two clinical states is not the same.
The treatment of mania is dependent upon its severity and acuity. For mild to moderate mania, mood stabilizers such as...
September 16, 2006
Jill is a 21 y/o college student who used to do well until about a few months ago when she started to experience “weird” attacks almost daily. She described her experience as “horrible.” When she has the attack, she feels that she’s about to die or develop a stroke.
One day while she was in a ma...
September 16, 2006
Sarah is a 28 y/o accountant who had a traumatic past that she kept to herself. At age 15, she was grabbed by a masked man while she was jogging in a park. The man threatened to kill her with a knife and brutally raped her. She screamed but nobody seemed to have heard her.
Since that time, Sarah...
September 16, 2006
When suffering from clinical depression, people have different ways of confronting it. Some acknowledge it, face it just like any problem, and seek help. Some ignore it as if it doesn’t exist. And others simply accept that it’s there but they don’t do anything about it. In fact, they don’t even ask ...