Application software and video games based on ‘brain-training’ have become a relative staple of the gaming industry in recent years. Popular programmes such as Lumiosity and Brain Age now attract millions of users daily. In a recent study carried out
Mental health – As much a social and political issue as it is a biological and psychological one?
Good mental health is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as “a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and
Adolescent alcohol abuse – Rewiring the teenage brain
The negative effects of adolescent alcohol abuse on adolescent development and well-being are quite widely accepted and understood. Statistics have demonstrated that high levels of adolescent alcohol consumption are associated with higher reported frequencies of mental health difficulties (e.g. development
Willpower – our beliefs matter
Willpower in its simplest definition is described as the ability to deliberately do something that exerts our resources or in contrast, the ability to entirely refrain from doing something against our impulses. Overall having willpower is considered to be a
Emotional Complexity – a protective factor for anxieties relating to aging and death
Aging and death are common sources of anxiety for many of us. Aging anxiety is described as a concern and anticipation of adverse physical, mental and personal losses during the aging process. Death anxiety as you would expect, is defined
Borderline Personality Disorder – A disorder of trauma or personality?
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) as the name suggests is a serious mental illness that is marked by unstable moods, behaviours and relationships. Although as the name suggests BPD is largely accepted as a disorder of personality, some experts have for
Life after mental illness
For many people, recovery from mental illness is a very real possibility. Constant fine-tuning of psychotherapeutic practices informed by clinical research means that more and more people are benefiting from therapeutic engagement. Before a person recovers from a mental illness
An introduction to Attachment Based Family Therapy (ABFT)
Depression affects approximately 11% of adolescents by the age of 18 and suicide is the second leading cause of death for young people aged between 15 and 24. Treatment for adolescent depression can be tricky and often involves a combination
The power of positive thinking
Many mental illnesses including depression and the anxiety disorders are maintained by intrusive negative thoughts. These thoughts generally fit into a cyclical process that usually includes behaviours, emotions and situations and for in the case of anxiety, bodily sensations. For