"Doctors came to see her singly and in consultation, talked much in French, German, and Latin, blamed one another, and prescribed a great variety of medicines for all the diseases known to them, but the simple idea never occurred to any of them that they could not know the disease Natasha was suffering from, as no disease suffered by a live man can be known, for every living person has his own peculiarities and always has his own peculiar, personal, novel, complicated disease, unknown to medicine. "


Posts tagged with 'memory'

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 posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) - second post

5th January 2009

I posted half a dozen assessment questionnaires for PTSD and intrusive memories a week ago. Here are further handouts and information about intrusive memories, trauma, imagery and PTSD. Flowcharts 1 & 2 (Ehlers & Clark) - here are a couple of Powerpoint slides that - although in colour - print …

Recent research: fish and n-3 fatty acids

6th November 2008

Fish, fish oils, and n-3 fatty acids are often in the health news. Here are seven recent papers illustrating the breadth of fish oil relevance. The papers look at treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, the potential of flax as a dietary source of n-3 fatty acids, effects on indicators of cardiovascular …

Recent research: a mixed bag of studies on personality, paranoia, burnout, somatization, and relationships

9th October 2008

This week's recent research post is a mixed bag of six studies covering the physiological & psychological changes triggered by being separated from one's partner, why similar levels of anxiety & interpersonal sensitivity can lead to social anxiety in some individuals and paranoia in others, how difficulty identifying feelings is …

Handouts & questionnaires for life review, traumatic memories & therapeutic writing

29th September 2008

I've been working on the 'Life review, traumatic memories & therapeutic writing' handouts list in the Good Knowledge section of this website. I detail them below: Chart, early years (0 to 13) - this is the first of six charts that I sometimes use to get an outline of the …

Recent research: borderline, separation anxiety, bipolar disorder, telemedicine, fish oil, depression memory & safety behaviours

1st July 2008

Kitcheman, J., C. E. Adams, et al. (2008). "Does an encouraging letter encourage attendance at psychiatric out-patient clinics? The Leeds PROMPTS randomized study." Psychol Med 38(5): 717-23. [PubMed] An 'orientation letter' delivered shortly before their scheduled first appointment considerably reduced failure to attend at UK psychiatric outpatient clinics. Levy, K. …

Recent research: exercise & mental function, mindfulness, smoking, fatigue, and lots on depression

23rd June 2008

Here are some articles - mostly published in May - that I found particularly interesting: Angevaren, M., G. Aufdemkampe, et al. (2008). "Physical activity and enhanced fitness to improve cognitive function in older people without known cognitive impairment." Cochrane Database Syst Rev(2): CD005381. [PubMed] Exercise seems to improve cognitive function …

Folic acid – should we take supplements?

19th April 2008

A GP friend recently asked me about taking folic acid supplements. He said that in a discussion about supplements with a knowledgeable medical colleague, he'd been told that "there is good evidence to show that we should all be taking ... folic acid." The friend apparently takes 800mcg/day. This is …