It was late on a Friday afternoon. Around 15:25. I was visiting a Segregation Unit — still universally called Seg, though the sign says ‘Care and Support Unit’ — to assess a patient. This is not unusual territory for me. After twenty-five years in forensic psychiatry, I know what Seg is and what it demands. I was told, matter-of-factly, that in five minutes it would be “Feeding time..” and “..we call it early on Fridays“. That bit I did not ...
The latest National Audit Office (NAO) report on prison drugs quantifies a reality already obvious to those in forensic psychiatry and custodial care [1]. The data shows millions in unspent budgets and decade-long delays for basic security. It depicts a system that is currently more effective at fostering addiction than supporting recovery. We are trying to fight 21st-century organised crime and high-potency synthetic opioids with a Victorian infrastructure that is struggling to stay functional. 1. The Chemistry of Despair: From ...
This article summarises a very long and important study. The opinions presented are not that of the author of this post nor this website. The findings and opinions are paraphrased from the study itself. Inquiry methodology and epistemic constraints The study Judgments of predictability, preventability and causation of mental health homicides in England 2010–2023 [Aug 2025] analyses 162 independent homicide inquiries commissioned by NHS England between 2010 and 2023 following offences committed by individuals receiving mental health care. The authors ...
Emotional intelligence (EI), or emotional quotient (EQ), is a concept that has reshaped our understanding of what truly matters for success. While a high IQ was once considered the sole indicator of capability, modern research reveals that our ability to understand and manage emotions—both our own and those of others—is a foundational life skill. This article explores the academic underpinnings of emotional intelligence, exploring its history, different theoretical models, and its profound impact across personal and professional domains. Join in ...
Parents are normally concerned about their children’s development, well-being, and future. Would-be parents are equally concerned. What if there was an epidemic of brain damage affecting thousands of children in the UK, more commonly than many conditions we regularly hear about, yet it remains largely unseen and undiagnosed? In the previous article we learned about FASD. This is the silent crisis of Foetal Alcohol Related Damage (FARD) – a term that encompasses the entire spectrum of harms – including FASD– ...
On spotting the topic one might think or imagine that this is about or dieting or dietetics. It is not. It is a far more. Nutritional psychiatry: is an emerging field of research and clinical practice that explores the intricate relationship between diet and mental health. It investigates how specific nutrients, dietary patterns, and the gut microbiome can influence the development, prevention, and treatment of mental disorders. This field recognises that optimal brain function relies on adequate nutrition and that ...
The COVID-19 pandemic has left an indelible mark on virtually every aspect of our lives, but perhaps one of the most profound and far-reaching impacts has been on mental health. As the world grappled with the immediate threat of the virus, the less visible but equally significant mental health crisis began to unfold. The pandemic’s pervasive sense of uncertainty, widespread social isolation, economic instability, and disruption of daily routines created a perfect storm for mental health issues to emerge and ...
In a BMA article by Serene Boyd 21 May 2024 “Be resilient? What do you think I’m doing?“, Boyd says, “‘Resilience’ has become a loaded word. It is a quality everyone wants and needs, but is it right to tell doctors to be more resilient when it is their workplaces that are at fault.” https://www.bma.org.uk/news-and-opinion/be-resilient-what-do-you-think-i-m-doing Summary of key points: This site has dealt with burnout before [Dealing with burnout 2023] but that does not mean that it is all been ...
For this post and all others (past and present), by psychiatry I also mean mental health services. Whilst psychiatry is a medical discipline it sits within and is normally closely linked to other aspects of mental health services. Introduction In this post I explore how mental health services can learn from disaster management, mistakes, and failures across other industries. I will be thinking about what can be learned from the perspective of NHS psychiatric services. I often study many videos ...
Over the years I have come to appreciate that patients in psychiatric services very much value support. I’ve been wondering ‘What does support mean?‘ Hold on – I know that everybody knows support when they feel it. That would not inform me what aspects of support make it real or valid. Mental health workers and services without doubt need to provide support. Support can vary across various types of activities e.g. emotional support, advice, guidance, therapy etc. That does not ...
