Eating Disorders: Effects of Starving and Vomiting

I wanted to post some more on the effects of eating disorders on the mind and body, but this time focusing on the effects of specific behaviours.  In particular, I will be describing some of the physical and psychology effects of starving and vomiting (i.e. purging).        Starvation can lead to: Sensitivity to [...]

Read Full Post »

Eating Disorder Recovery: The Hurdles

Recovery from an eating disorder poses many challenges that need to be overcome in order to regain health.  These challenges can result in someone relapsing at a time when they were starting to beat the disorder and gain some control over their lives. By making themselves aware of these hurdles, people recovering from an eating disorder can [...]

Read Full Post »

What is Postnatal Depression (PND)?

A small insight into postnatal depression, as provided by myself to Baby London. What is Postnatal Depression (PND)? Have you just given birth and are feeling depressed, irritable, tired, sleepless, isolated, or hopeless? These are all signs that you could be experiencing PND.  You might feel distant from your baby or resent your baby.  You [...]

Read Full Post »

Body Dysmorphic Disorder after Weight Loss

Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) is a condition whereby the individual is preoccupied with their image, in particular with any perceived flaws in appearance.  Traditionally associated with individuals who want to have a limb amputated due to it feeling foreign and not part of them, it is now recognised that people with eating disorders or weight [...]

Read Full Post »

Government Nudges: Health of the Nation

Most of us have heard about Nudge Theory (Thaler and Sunstein, 2008) by now, and I have written about it a number of times – Nudge Theory and Nudge Yourself to Health. However, how the government can utilise the theory to improve the health of the nation remains less clear and shrouded in doubt. Here [...]

Read Full Post »

The Real Supermum: Life with Bipolar Disorder

Please welcome Emma White, The Real Supermum, to healthpsychologyconsultancy.  Emma has kindly provided some insight into life as a mother of 6 with Bipolar Disorder.  I am sure you will agree, this is an extremely powerful narrative that gets right to the heart of Emma’s experience.  Please do visit her blog, The Real Supermum, which is well [...]

Read Full Post »

Tips for Finding Reliable Health Information on the Internet

The Internet offers us a wealth of information on health and well-being. However, a concern with e-health is its reliability. Here are some general rules you can use when assessing the quality of health information available on the Internet: Don’t rely on just one site – compare information between sites. A reliable site will provide [...]

Read Full Post »

Cancer Follow-Up and Aftercare

As part of the Self-Management Workstream of the National Cancer Survivorship Initiative (NCSI), Macmillan Cancer Support, I conducted the following review: ‘Cancer Follow-Up: Towards a Personalised Approach to Aftercare Services. A Review of Current Practice and Selected Initiatives’ (Davies and Batehup, 2009). The following findings were obtained for breast, colorectal, lung, and prostate cancer. Breast Cancer 16 [...]

Read Full Post »

What is Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)?

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is one of the most common gastrointestinal disorders worldwide. It is a chronic, functional disorder of the gastrointestinal tract that comprises the following symptoms: abdominal pain or discomfort of the lower abdomen bloating disruptions in defecation Although symptoms are predominantly gastrointestinal, other symptoms can include: backache nausea heartburn lethargy urinary problems [...]

Read Full Post »

What are Eating Disorders?

‘Eating disorder’ is the umbrella term used to describe different patterns of eating that are disordered due to dysfunctional attitudes and emotions towards food and weight. According to the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV), eating disorders are classified as Axis I disorders, which represent clinical syndromes (i.e. clinical symptomology that can cause significant [...]

Read Full Post »