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Don’t lose sleep over this…
Having recently shared a twin room with a heavy snorer, I can tell you a thing or two about sleep deprivation. I lasted a total of three nights and, had I sustained the remaining four for which we were booked, I’m convinced I would have gone mad (I paid the extra for a single room)….
First aid for mental health
I’ve never done a course in first aid, which has always seemed to represent a glaring hole in my CV. You never know, after all, when you might be called upon to apply an emergency tourniquet or, worse still, perform CPR. But now there’s an altogether new species of first aider – the mental health…
The high price of funding cuts to North London mental health services
A recent review of mental health services in the Barnet, Enfield and Haringey NHS trust suggests that significant community funding cuts may be on the horizon. Local NHS commissioners ordered the review, which was carried out by consultancy group Mental Health Strategies – who found that NHS mental health services across the region were ‘unsustainable’…
Now there’s DBT for BPD
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is characterised by problems with regulating emotions and thoughts, impulsive and reckless behaviour and unstable relationships with other people. Depression, anxiety, self-harm and suicidal behaviours can also be part of the picture. I can’t help but think that these symptoms sound remarkably like those of addiction – any addiction – and…
Schizophrenia proven genetic, claims new US study
A new study published in Nature and widely reported in the mainstream media claims to have ‘removed any doubt’ about a biological cause for schizophrenia. The study claims that more than one hundred genes associated with dopamine, the immune system and heavy smoking are implicated in causing the condition. The researchers, from across many different…
‘Pursuit of happiness’ is the answer say UK mental health experts
This month, the CentreForum Mental Health Commission concludes what is being described as a ‘landmark study on the state of mental health in England’. The 12-month commission has identified five key priorities for implementation between now and 2020. The final report calls for policy makers to: Establish the mental wellbeing of the nation or ‘the…
An OCD treatment we’ll keep coming back to?
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a condition characterised by unreasonable thoughts and fears (obsessions) that lead to repetitive behaviours (compulsions). The archetypal example is hand-washing, but there are many different forms. In the case of hand-washing, to ease the fear of contamination, one may compulsively wash one’s hands until they are chapped and sore (i.e….
Herbal doesn’t always mean harmless; news for St John’s Wort
St John’s Wort has, for centuries, been used as a treatment for mental disorders and nerve pain. Named after St John the Baptist whose feast day on 24 June coincides with its full bloom, its five yellow petals are thought to represent a halo, and characteristic red sap the blood of the martyred saint (St…
