Many readers probably remember someone or heard of someone having a "nervous breakdown" not that many years ago, and the fantasies we built were based on total secrecy ranging from seeing someone screaming in frenzied behavior to someone in a mummified state being hauled away in a straight jacket.

Up until ten years ago, the prevailing thought was that our brains were basically the same potential the day we were born until the day we died. However, with the advance of brain scans and increased capability to measure neuron function down to a single cell, I have had to concede that not only can the brain get “smarter and better balanced,” but this process lasts a lifetime. And to put the new findings into greater relevance, the smarter you get, the happier you get.

Since I was a child with a severe case of what is known as attention-deficit disorder, I have been extremely interested in the new explosion in new cases and the sudden interest in new trends in diagnoses. The number of children categorized under this label are above 17 million cases, appearing to be one of the greatest mental health epidemic of our times. The question was whether there were any bases for this unique disorder and if so, what factors have predicted such a huge outbreak of cases.

Do you sometimes wonder if your brain is slipping away? You
may be suffering from the downward spiral of Stress Storms.