Ongoing loneliness can have serious ramifications. It increases the chance of being depressed or anxious about social interactions, and being depressed or anxious can limit social interactions - exacerbating loneliness. Research has shown how loneliness impacts physical health via poorer sleep, more headache symptoms, increased stomach complaints and more frequent respiratory complaints. The result is ... [Read more now]
It's World Mental Health Day - a day for global mental health education, awareness and advocacy. Two of the most common mental health issues I see in my practice are depression and anxiety. Challenge your perception about mental illness If I could give people in wider society a message it would be that anxiety and depression ... [Read more now]
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is not a quirk, a habit or a worry. It is an extremely distressing mental health problem. Sufferers can also feel deeply embarrassed and can have a tendency to suffer in silence because friends and family often don't understand what is going on. The greater people's understanding of OCD; the better ... [Read more now]
Around 3,000 Australians die by suicide every year, and more than 60,000 attempt to end their lives and this week, there are two days dedicated to acknowledge and do something about these devastating statistics. Monday 10th September is Suicide Prevention Day and Wednesday, 13 September is R U OK? Day. This day is dedicated to ... [Read more now]
Stop the stress caused by final exams Year 12 exams are a major source of stress for students, parents and families. Not only do high anxiety levels during this time impact on our youths’ well-being and performance in this high octane final year of secondary school, it can continue to affect mental health in the ... [Read more now]
Anxiety is enough of a battle in its own right, but did you also know it can mess with the way you communicate with – and interpret messages from – the people around you and society in general? Here’s how: 1. When you are anxious, you literally cannot think straight. Your thoughts get all entangled. ... [Read more now]
When you are kind to yourself, and have compassionate self-talk, you will be less anxious. Research over the past nine years has indicated that self-compassion has a protective role to play in mood and anxiety disorders. Roemer (2008) found that people with low levels of self-compassion had more severe symptoms of generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) ... [Read more now]
Adult ADHD is a real condition defined by the DSM-5 in 2013. Until recently, it was believed that children outgrew ADHD but we now know that ADHD is a developmental disorder that continues throughout the life span. Around 5% of children suffer from ADHD and, of these: at least half continue to experience clinically significant ... [Read more now]
Listening to a message left by Reeva Simons* on my voice mail, I noted some anxiety in her voice. I called back immediately and set up an appointment for the next day. Noticing the date was the 14th of January, I decided to consult my notes. Yes, my gut feeling was correct. I had seen ... [Read more now]
Well I've finally passed a milestone of sorts in this journey we call "therapy” (yes I'm still getting used to saying the word outloud) by finishing my tenth session. All in all it's been an interesting and very enlightening experience. Educational too, if you want to call it that I suppose, though I'm not sure ... [Read more now]
