"At bottom every man knows well enough that he is a unique being, only once on this earth; and by no extraordinary chance will such a marvelously picturesque piece of diversity in unity as he is, ever be put together a second time. "


Posts tagged with 'agoraphobia'

New NICE guidance on the treatment of generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) and panic disorder (with or without agoraphobia)

10th February 2011

In January, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published their new evidence-based clinical guideline on the care and treatment of adults with generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) or panic disorder (with or without agoraphobia). This guideline updates and replaces their 2004 one (which was itself amended in 2007). …

Handouts & questionnaires for improved assessment & monitoring of panic disorder

28th December 2009

For quite some time, I've used Katherine Shear's "Panic Disorder Severity Scale (PDSS)" as my main way of assessing and monitoring the severity of panic disorder. I've recently woken up to the fact that there is a specifically designed "Self Report" version of this scale. It is copyrighted, but Dr …

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 …

Handouts & questionnaires for “outcomes toolkit” (IAPT)

27th October 2008

The "Improving Access to Psychological Therapies" (IAPT) initiative is very ambitious and exciting. It states its principal aim is to support English Primary Care Trusts in implementing "National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence" (NICE) guidelines for people suffering from depression and anxiety disorders. IAPT go on to say that …

Handouts & questionnaires for panic, agoraphobia & depersonalization

1st September 2008

I've been working on the 'Panic & depersonalization' handouts list in the Good Knowledge section of this website. The list contains most of the handouts and questionnaires I currently use when working with people suffering from panic disorder, agoraphobia or depersonalization/ derealization disorder. Here they are with brief descriptions: Panic …

Agoraphobia

25th August 2008

I'm gradually adding content to the 'Good Knowledge' database. I've just put in some information on agoraphobia. It reads: The US DSM IV diagnostic system describes the "essential features" of agoraphobia in the following way: "There is intense fear of, or discomfort in, settings from which escape is difficult or …

Recent research: CBT, insomnia & depression, GP visits & health anxiety, desensitization & medication, agoraphobia & panic

31st July 2008

Manber, R., J. D. Edinger, et al. (2008). "Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia enhances depression outcome in patients with comorbid major depressive disorder and insomnia." Sleep 31(4): 489-95. [PubMed] STUDY OBJECTIVE: Insomnia impacts the course of major depressive disorder (MDD), hinders response to treatment, and increases risk for depressive relapse. …

Depersonalization/derealization – an important & regularly missed diagnosis

12th February 2008

The young man sitting in front of me thought he was going mad. I remembered the woman I'd seen who was so frightened of her symptoms that she found it immensely anxiety-provoking to even speak about them. It's not surprising. Of course people suffering from depersonalization/derealization symptoms will try desperately …