Neil Senior

Not that Scott

BRATTLEBORO-I wish to sincerely apologize to Vermont Gov. Phil Scott, whom by accident I named incorrectly in my recent article.

I, of course, meant Sen. Rick Scott from Florida.

I have the highest regard for Gov. Phil Scott; in fact, I am supporting him in the current election.


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Disordered to the extreme

Donald Trump lies, steals, cheats, blames others, and manipulates — and yet, 50% of the U.S. doesn’t seem to notice. Why?

Neil Senior M.D. is a psychiatrist. BRATTLEBORO-Personality is the summation of immutable emotional, cognitive, and behavioral characteristics that define how, as individuals, we interact with others. Personality disorders are problems with this structure which frequently lead to interpersonal disruptions. These problems may be internal within an individual and not...

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Some new ideas for Brattleboro’s struggles

I am writing to suggest some practical steps that Brattleboro could take to address the current issues of panhandling and homelessness. 1. Low-income housing should be spread evenly by population county-wide. Surrounding towns - for example, Wilmington, Townshend, Putney and Dummerston- should all have adequate housing that is available...

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Our government held hostage

The horror of the Parkland, Florida massacre cannot be overstated. In six minutes, a cowardly bully murdered 17 innocent people. However, as we contemplate this truly awful event, we should not lose sight of the 100 or so Vermonters who kill themselves with guns each year, often with handguns and often alone. These events are rarely reported in the media, lead to no political posturing, and leave the survivors and first responders to grieve in isolation, mostly without any community...

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How do we fix a broken mental-health system?

Louis Josephson, president and chief executive officer of the Brattleboro Retreat, has stated that “there is no mental health system” in Vermont. In his response, Frank Reed, the state's commissioner of mental health, claimed that there is. Of course, both are right. On paper, there is a system - hospital and residential care, community mental health, randomly scattered private practitioners and, of course, prison - but try in practice to consistently access this system. Examples of troubles include unreasonable waits...

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Little in the way of proof for medical marijuana’s effectiveness

In 2004, the Vermont Legislature passed S.76, the bill authorizing medical marijuana. This law allows for marijuana, grown by dispensaries, to be distributed to Vermont residents. The process is as follows: the patient qualifies for a card from the state; a prescriber writes a letter, not a prescription; the patient takes it to a dispensary, not a pharmacy, and pays out of pocket, not through health insurance, for the marijuana. The indications according to the state for the use of...

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