Interview with Clinical Psychologist
From The Peopling of Astoria, Queens
Interview with Dr. Delimitropolu
Dr. Vaia Delimitropulu is a clinical psychologist has been practicing psychology for 24 years. She graduated with a P.h. D from Sienna University in 1982. Her practice is open to people of all ages from all different backgrounds. She is fluent in English, Greek, Italian and French which helps her with her diverse group of patients. After many calls I had the privilege to interview Dr. Delidimitroplu over the phone.
As a clinical Psychologist in a neighborhood with diverse ethnicities, do you cater to a variety of racial ethnicities or a specific group of people?
Yes I am aware of the different people that live in the area where my practice is. It is to my advantage that I am fluent in three other languages (Greek, Italian, French) and I make sure to advertise this. Although my practice caters to different people from different places, I must admit that most of my patients are first and second generation Greek immigrants.
Among the many issues that patients come in with, are there any specific issues that are more frequent with a specific group?
Well as a clinical psychologist I deal with many issues from divorce problems to troubled kids. The more frequent cases are cases of adolescent to middle aged patients having anxiety issues. These issues are usually brought up because of financial difficulty or just people being “mentally exhausted”. Among teenagers this anxiety comes from ordinary high school problems including peer pressure, drugs etc. Although most of my patients are Greek and the most frequent problem is anxiety, it wouldn’t be correct to relate that particular problem with that particular race. Anxiety, especially adolescent anxiety is something that happens to everyone in the country, in the world. However, recent immigrants from Greece, Italy or Japan come in with an added anxiety of fitting in and adapting to the American lifestyle.
Are divorces more frequent among inter-racial marriages, and if so are there any races in particular that have this problem?
Divorce is something that happens when there is a discrepancy or difference of philosophy between the spouses. Therefore, I would say that although it’s not more normal for divorce to happen among inter-racial couples, it certainly is a reason for it. Although divorce is common among inter-racial marriages it is even more normal among inter-faith marriages. Religious differences that the couple thought would go away at the beginning of the marriage seem to creep back up and lead to their divorce.
Are there any specific health issues that patients come to you for?
Among the many health related issues that I specialize in, my strengths are with kids who have ADD/HD. This sickness is one that many children have, which prevents them from succeeding in school. I try to isolate the problem and try to fix it with sessions as well as medication. Another health problem that has become increasingly common are eating disorders. In order to fit in with society, many teens and middle aged women as well as men try to slim themselves by starving.
Are there any health issues more common with specific races?
To address the sicknesses I described in the last question. ADD is more common among kids who were born in America as opposed to recent immigrants. Eating disorders on the other hand are more common with recent immigrants. Eating disorders are usually a result of stress. Patients usually resort to this way of life to fit in into the overly competitive American standard. Therefore, it is very common for very recent immigrants to starve themselves in an effort to conform to the American lifestyle.