Published in BeingWellĀ·Jan 11, 2021Member-onlySocial Suffering; Understanding the Impact of Psychiatric Illness.In my time as a psychiatry doctor, I have met hundreds of patients. All of them have stories, lives, and experiences. One crucial part of understanding the cause of someone's suffering is to reconsider what it means to see its impact outside of any diagnostic ideology. In short, to considerā¦Psychology6 min read
Published in BeingWellĀ·Jan 10, 2021Member-onlySurviving a Social Media āpile-onā; 5 TipsMany of us use a social media account, and some of us have been unfortunate enough to be on the end of a āpile on.ā To those who have, this can be an excruciatingly painful, andā¦Social Media6 min read
Jan 9, 2021Member-onlyTwitter vs Trump; Actually, its a victory for libertarianismWith Trump now banned from Twitter for violating terms of service and allegedly advocating what some have called an insurrection, many cite that the site has gone too far. I disagree. Here is why. Pundits stating that the ātrump banā is the start of some censorship on freedom of speechā¦Politics4 min read
Jan 3, 2021Member-onlyHow to understand a personal crisis.John* was a young man and suicidal. He had recently split from his partner and had spent three days drinking. His sleep was erratic, and his mind playing over the same thoughts of guilt and anger. He had begun to feel anxious, his heart beating hard in his chest. Theā¦Psychology7 min read
Published in BeingWellĀ·Jan 1, 2021Member-onlyCOVID 19: Denial is a killer.COVID 19 has become a disease of the mind, and that is where it can win. We must fight backāthoughts from a psychiatrist. ā Denial is natural but a barrier to survival. Denial is a natural defense mechanism against trauma. In most cases, this is not a deep denial, and the person is somewhat aware of the irreconcilable nature of their beliefs with reality. It becomes psychotic in some cases, where the reality is repressed so deeply that a secondary alternative andā¦Covid 195 min read
Published in BeingWellĀ·Jan 1, 2021Member-onlyNarcissism; A Defense and Critique in Social MediaLessons from my failures and the successes of others. ā Over the last few weeks, I have taken a break from social media. I had many reasons, including working as a frontline ward psychiatry trainee in a covid + ward, revising for exams (which to my surprise are still happening in midst of a horrible pandemic,) personal stress, and, mostā¦Psychology7 min read
Published in BeingWellĀ·Nov 6, 2020Member-onlyThe Limits of Psychiatry; A Refutation and CompromiseIt is only this year that Professor John Read published his latest work meta-anlysis on ECT in the in joural āEthical Human Psychology and Psychiatryā and catalysed a huge debate about the nature and justification of psychiatric treatments. Although widely disputed in terms of its methodology and contradicting studies findingā¦Psychiatry8 min read
Dec 19, 2019Member-onlyThe Value of āCertaintyā in Psychiatry (and beyond.)As a psychiatrist, I often work with those for whom the subjective nature of reality is vastly different from what is objectively true. This can provide intense suffering, or release from it. From a metaphysical standpoint, many simply see what is not there, and by hold with this sight aā¦Science7 min read
Oct 8, 2019Member-onlyDeath threats, deceit and a loss of democracy.I t was only just recently that Barrister Jolyon Maugham was the center of the news. Alongside other legal minds, he had spearheaded campaigns around complicated legal issues concerning āBrexitā, the British plan to leave the European Union. Although attempting to uphold legal mandates and ensure oversight to political actionsā¦Psychology18 min read
Published in BeingWellĀ·Oct 6, 2019Member-onlyāThe Price of Stigma in Mental Health; why we hate and how to change minds.Imagine, for a moment, and some of you will not need to imagine, that you are unwell. For you, the world has turned grey and you are beginning to consider that there is nothing left to make you smile. Or, perhaps, that you are feeling that āsomething is wrongā, thatā¦Mental Health11 min read