Every year I approach the end of March and October with the same growing anxiety that my sleep patterns will be disrupted and I'll be tired, grumpy and generally miserable for the better part of a week. Setting the clocks back and forth an hour to save energy might have made sense in the early…

Ketamine and esketamine (Spravato) have been breakthrough treatments for depression, but unfortunately many people cannot afford ketamine or esketamine (more on the differences in a moment). This is the tragic reality of many new treatments (especially in the US) — they exist, but are out of reach for the people who need them most. However,…

It's not something I write at all. Do you know why? Because I'm generally depressed and no recovery from depression. My bipolar disorder is characterized by punctuated depression mixed mood. And this characterization has been true for years. Years and years of trying to get better. Years and years not being able to get better….

Being admitted to inpatient child and adolescent mental health care (CAMHS) as a child or young person (CYP) is incredibly difficult. This usually happens as a last resort when all other community options have failed. CAMHS services treat children and young people with a range of difficulties that have a serious impact on their mental…

Today I published a post on social media sponsored by Otsuka Pharmaceuticals. I understand that this worries some. Some people think that it is the “big medicine”. the enemy. I know now that I'm working with them openly, I am enemy, too. I understand that perspective. In fact, at one point I swore I would…

Self-harm is a global public health problem (Hawton et al., 2003). In England, approximately 200,000 adolescents aged 12–17 years engage in self-harming behavior without clinical support each year, and an additional 21,000 adolescents seek medical treatment following self-harming events (Geulayov, et al., 2018; Morgan et al. , 2017; Patalay & Gage, 2019). Rates of self-harm…

I feel like I've reached a point where my mental health isn't there. Like my mental health is so depleted it's gone. I guess I'm talking about my ability. a person a braincan only take so much. Eventually, everyone reaches a breaking point. Well, what do you do when you get to that point? What…

The secret of a happy marriage can be summed up in two little words: “Yes, my dear.” While this can resolve most relationship disputes, things get more complicated when one partner is living with dementia. Attention in the world of dementia care is long overdue person-centered careto emphasize the personality of the individual in the…

Some of the most difficult patients to manage in my clinical work are 'treatment resistant depression' and unfortunately, up to 30% of people diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD) are resistant to conventional drug treatments (Jaffe et al 2019). In December 2323 Amelia Talbot blogged about the experience of treatment-resistant depression and the need to…

Bipolar disorder (BD), also known as 'bipolar affective disorder', is a mental health condition associated with mood swings (usually between depression and mania) with periods of stable mood in between. It has a worldwide prevalence of 1.2% (Merikangas, 2009). The extreme mood swings experienced by people with bipolar disorder make everyday life difficult. The increased…