Thomas Armstrong's Blog

On the very day that he was inaugurated, January 20, 2025, President Donald Trump issued an executive order ”Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid,” that effectively cut billions of dollars of aid that had been earmarked for international humanitarian efforts to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, malnutrition, and other afflictions around the world.  The order cut […]

In this video, I share ten practical interventions that people with mood disorders should consider implementing that involve changing your environment in some way (either your inner or outer environment). They include: medications, meditation, the arts, aromatherapy, nature, social connections, exercise, nutrition, psychotherapy, feeling gratitude, and having a purpose in life. As a person with […]

In this video, I highlight nine extraordinary individuals, four from the past and five from the present, who have struggled with mood disorders. At the same time, for each person, I include something that they’ve done with help bring them out of their depressed state. For Lincoln, it was his reciting sad songs and poems, […]

This video describes five assistive technology apps that are particularly well-suited for people with mood disorders like major depression or bipolar disorder. These apps include: meditation-mindfulness apps (e.g. Insight Timer), mood trackers (e.g. Moodfit), online live therapy platforms (e.g. TalkSpace), cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)-based apps (e.g. Sanvello), and music apps (e.g. Amazon Music).  ___________________________________________ To […]

In this video, I emphasize the importance of making good career choices if you happen to have a mood disorder (or know someone who has one). I make four suggestions to guide your thinking as to job possibilities: jobs that involve helping others manage their emotions (counselor, therapist etc.) since you’ve likely had lots of […]

In this video I talk about Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection and how it can help explain why the genes for major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder are still in the gene pool. I explore five possibilities including: the positive advantages of contemplation (”positive rumination”), a more realistic sense of life, higher creative expression, […]

In this video I emphasize the importance for neurodivergent individuals of creating positive and ”rich” social networks (which consists of all the relationships we have with friends, family, teachers, therapists, counselors, and others). Once we understand our network (and we can draw a ”sociogram” to give us a picture of it) we can ”tweak” so […]

In this video I describe six different assistive technologies for people with intellectual disabilities. They include (with the specific product highlighted and discussed in parenthesis): online tutorials (the Khan Academy), social media platforms (Hello, It’s Me), alternative augmentative communication devices (Proloquo2Go), indoor navigation apps (Evelity), emergency contact apps (Red Panic Button), and social problem-solving apps […]

In this video (#33 in my series ”The Power of Neurodiversity’’), I focus on the issue of employment for people with intellectual disabilities.  Only 19% of those with intellectual disabilities work, compared with 61% for neurotypicals. This isn’t right.  Many of those who do work, end up in sheltered workshops doing menial tasks like assembling […]

In this video (#32 in my series on The Power of Neurodiversity) I talk about the stereotypes that neurotypical people have about those with Down syndrome, which holds that they’re limited in what they can accomplish, that perhaps they can work at a sheltered workshop assembling cardboard boxes or bussing dishes at a fast food […]