A famous study on parenting styles had two groups of psychiatrists being shown the same video clip. In the clip, a man is seen seated reading a newspaper, whilst his child is playing on the floor in front of him.
Personality disorders – the ignored mental health epidemic
Pancreatic cancer is well known as the cancer with the lowest profile. A poorly understood and minimally researched disease, its dismal prognosis has an aura of untreatability that is instilled from the first years of medical school. I spoke
“Is it better to not exist?”
A new update in the Journal of Applied Psychology provides a rebuttal against the soundness of a theory that supports abortion. In doing so, it provides an interesting framework as an argument against suicide.
Nursing homes can be the best place to grow old
They get a bad wrap, but nursing homes are a better option than only having walls to talk to. – Sydney Morning Herald, March 2016 – 2UE Radio spot, 28th March 2016
An Easter Message
The Easter bunny’s origin has been thought to be related to an ancient motif of three hares found in sacred sites throughout Europe and the Middle East. Thought to be a symbol of the Trinity, it is an essential doctrine
Videogames – friend or foe?
Psychiatry has had an unusual relationship with videogames – and despite several hundred studies on the topic, it is still not clear how and to what extent they influence the mind. Do they encourage violence? And can they prevent dementia?
The Santa Clause in Mental Health
What does mental health literature have to say about talking to kids about Santa Claus? http://www.smh.com.au/comment/lying-to-the-kids-about-santa-claus-a-psychiatrists-view-20151217-glpn0z.html
Euthanasia – the problem of capacity
I once had a 70 year old patient with recurrent serious depressive episodes leading to suicide attempts. She was a “professional suicider”, in that she subscribed to an organisation that clandestinely posted out kits to help people kill themselves. I
Mental Health Resources
The Internet is rife with well-intentioned mental health advice, supposed resources, and many, many pitfalls. Much of the difficulty is the reality of psychiatry, in that the lack of objective evidence regarding psychiatric illness (save treatment responses and, in some
The Challenge of Ageing
On the 21st of July 2015 at a Swiss euthanasia clinic, Gill Pharaoh, a retired palliative care nurse, ended her life. She had been involved in the care of several terminally ill patients, and had had a long and successful