Posts by swsweb
Good news for paedophiles
The American Psychiatric Association (APA) has recently re-classified paedophilia in their Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, mark five (DSM-V). In a move towards destigmatising the disorder, the organisation has changed their terminology to describe paedophilia as a ‘sexual orientation’, thereby opening the door to paedophiles arguing that their behaviour (as per the precedent…
Read MoreA therapy that makes good horse sense
Just lately, I’ve been hearing reports from a friend about her experience of equine psychotherapy. Once a week, she boards a train and heads for the hills, so to speak, to meet with her four-legged chestnut therapist (who, for the purposes of this post, is just out of view munching on turf in the scene…
Read MoreWho’s got OCD? Obsessive treatment of OCD on TV screens this week
People seem to be returning to the subject of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) rather a lot lately (boom-boom). And is it any wonder. Almost half of the UK adult population believe themselves to be suffering from mild to severe OCD, a recent study reveals. The study, conducted by Benenden Health in partnership with OCD UK,…
Read MoreIt’s standing room only in English mental health facilities
In this post-modern era (and I never have been entirely sure what that means) it’s difficult to know, at least from the outside, what’s going on with mental health services in the NHS. In recent weeks I’ve written about a friend of mine who has lately been confined to a secure unit in North London…
Read MoreConference alert: Psychological Therapies in the NHS
In 2007, the government issued its first ever commitment to enable universal access for anyone with depression and anxiety to NHS-funded psychological therapies. The then Health Secretary, Alan Johnson, announced funding for a national programme, which has since been well underway. So how has the government investment in the mental health of our nation fared?…
Read MoreNeurocognitive impairment or just bad memories?
Just recently, there have been a few occasions on which I’ve had cause to wonder whether I’m headed squarely for dementia – being absolutely certain I’d forgotten my keys and then being surprised to find I had remembered them after all (better than the other way round), and the increasingly common disappearance of a word…
Read MoreA crisis of character in the Western world
I have a friend who has recently been ‘committed’. In the psychiatric sense. To a mental hospital. Perhaps rather arrogantly, I didn’t imagine I would ever be in this position – how could anyone I would befriend ever be locked away for mental illness? I discovered this just a few days ago. She called from…
Read MoreA good kind of crossing boundaries
Those of you who are therapists and/or patients of therapists will likely be aware that, in the normal course of things, it’s not a great idea to cross boundaries – as in, slap someone without permission (violating a physical boundary) or engage in emotional blackmail (violating an emotional boundary). But this month, the Mental Health…
Read MoreThe value of art in expanding our minds
You may have noticed there’s a lot of emphasis on science these days, but a recent study by neurophysicians at the Memory Clinic at St Michael’s Hospital in Toronto demonstrates the value, endurance and mysterious role of art in enriching human lives. The lead author, Dr Luis Fornazzari, reports the case of Mary Hecht,…
Read MoreFace-to-face beats Facebook, hands down
You kind of know it in your heart, don’t you. Spending too much time communing with your computer can’t be good for you. But who would have guessed that, even when the communing involves engaging with a large number of like-minded people (and I’ve heard it said that the population of Facebook makes it…
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