Excellent free information & advice on over 180 common medical conditions
29th November 2008
Good stuff! The British Medical Journal Group have just launched their Evidence Centre. It's a fine evidence-based resource providing excellent information for doctors, patients and organizations. Most of the services however seem to cost money to access. The Best Health resource for patients, for example, costs £9.99 plus VAT for …
Recent research: seven studies on diet, supplements & smoking
27th November 2008
Here are a couple of studies on smoking, a couple on B vitamins, a couple on vitamin D, and an intriguing study on iron. The smoking papers underline the varieties of damage this habit produces. So the Pasco et al study shows that, for women, being a smoker is associated …
Handouts & questionnaires for problem solving & behavioural activation
24th November 2008
Here are a series of forms, questionnaires and handouts that I use regularly in my work. The problem solving diagram is a recurring theme - both at the start of therapy and as a sheet to return to when reviewing and considering additional therapeutic options. Other sheets are classic variants …
The CAGE questionnaire as a screen for alcohol problems
23rd November 2008
An article in one of this month's editions of the Journal of the American Medical Association celebrates the publication of the CAGE alcohol screening questionnaire by Charles Ewing 25 years ago. CAGE is a mnemonic to help remember the four simple questions. "Have you ever ... 1.) felt the need …
Recent research: half a dozen studies on cognitive therapy
20th November 2008
Here are half a dozen recent studies involving cognitive therapy (CBT). The first by Craigie et al explores the use of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) to treat generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Although, as one would expect, MBCT helped GAD sufferers, it was noteworthy that results "fall well short of outcomes …
Handouts & questionnaires for wellbeing and time management
17th November 2008
Here are a selection of assessment sheets and handouts on wellbeing, time management and related topics. A lot of my work involves helping people face fear and anxiety. The "Determination training" and more straightforward monthly "Practice record" are often helpful here. The "Respected figures exercise" is one of the most …
Personality, extroversion & compassion 2
16th November 2008
Having written the first blog posting on Personality, extroversion & compassion yesterday, I realized I wanted to add one or two further comments. These comments are mainly about scores on the Big five aspects scales (BFAS) and about "personality" in general. I've also made these comments downloadable as a BFAS …
Personality, extroversion & compassion 1
15th November 2008
If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion. Dalai Lama I have a lot of experience of interpersonal group work - both with participating in and running groups that provide a chance to learn more about ourselves and how we relate …
Recent research: egosystem & ecosystem
13th November 2008
In the end the love you take is equal to the love you make. Beatles This is essentially the Beatles closing statement. It is the last lyric on the last album they recorded. (Let It Be was the last album they released, but it was recorded earlier). Every now and …
Peer groups: Wiston autumn group – second reflection
12th November 2008
Yesterday was a normal day's work for me. The group is getting a bit more distant. In writing the reflection yesterday, I skipped past the structure of the final morning. Waking, writing, tea, fruit, greeting, breakfast. We negotiated details of the final morning timings. The start was the last meeting …