Handouts & questionnaires for depression information
2nd March 2009
Here are a few handouts that I've put together over the years to provide background information about depression. The development & maintenance diagram is probably the handout here that I use most - both to explain issues about depression and also for many other psychological disorders as well. Development & …
How to cut down on saturated fats
1st March 2009
The excellent UK Food Standards Agency has recently launched a campaign (see the TV ad) to encourage people to cut down their intake of saturated fats. As the FSA points out on their webpage about saturated fats most people in the UK eat about 20% more than the maximum recommended …
Recent research: lifestyle - five papers on sleep, exercise & stress management
26th February 2009
Here are five papers on lifestyle and the benefits of making healthy choices. The first by Cohen et al on sleep habits and susceptibility to the common cold, showed increased risk of developing a cold after infection for those with shorter sleep duration. Interestingly the increased risk was even greater …
Handouts & questionnaires for self-determination theory (SDT), an upgrade
23rd February 2009
I'm a big fan of self-determination theory (SDT). I've posted before on SDT. See, for example, the September post from last year with its links to a lecture I've given and to a number of handouts. See too Wellbeing, time management & self-determination in the website's Good Knowledge handouts section. …
A couple of interesting, helpful websites
21st February 2009
Here are a couple of very interesting, helpful websites that I've been reminded of recently. They illustrate in a fun way the diversity and possibilities of the internet. The first is http://www.meetup.com/ which calls itself the "World's largest community of local Meetups, clubs and groups" with its strapline "Do something, …
Recent research: a mixed bag of six papers on anxiety
19th February 2009
Here are half a dozen papers with anxiety relevance. The first couple are about the interaction between genetic vulnerability (or resilience) and childhood experience. The Stevens et al paper is an update on the large body of research looking at psychological genetic vulnerability/resilience in macaque monkeys and how this interacts …
Handouts & questionnaires for increasing access to psychological therapies (IAPT) outcomes toolkit, an upgrade
16th February 2009
Over nearly 35 years of practice as a doctor and psychotherapist I've assembled a collection of 300 to 400 handouts and questionnaires that I use in my work. I'm gradually uploading most of these handouts to this website so people can use any that they'd like to. The collection is …
Are you at risk of developing cancer from radon gas at home or at work?
15th February 2009
Last month's article in the British Medical Journal on the dangers posed by radon gas in buildings jogged my awareness of this important hazard (Gray, Read et al. 2009). Quoting Wikipedia on radon "Radon is the invisible, radioactive mono-atomic gas that results from radioactive decay of some forms of uranium …
Recent research: five papers on feeling good & improved functioning, on meaning & wellbeing, and on happy memories,
12th February 2009
I seem to be making a habit this month of focusing on a specific journal when posting the weekly report on interesting recent research. Last week it was the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology . This week it's the Journal of Positive Psychology . To quote the Journal's website: …
Handouts & questionnaires for healthy sexuality, sexual dysfunctions, and for abuse
9th February 2009
Here are a series of handouts,questionnaires and book suggestions for healthy sexuality, for sexual dysfunctions, and for abuse screening. Touch, sex & caring - this two page Word handout is rather dated now, but still makes a series of very valid points. Sexual interaction inventory - this questionnaire asks about …