‘My best friend died when we were ski jumping’ by Dr Wayne Kampers

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/may/04/best-friend-died-ski-jumping-jt-holmes

An individual’s reaction to an exceptionally traumatic and stressful event ranges from a normative reaction to psychiatric disorders identifiable not only on the grounds of symptomology and course, but also on the basis of causative influence. An Acute stress reaction, Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or an Adjustment disorder are thought to arise always as a direct consequence of the acute stress or continued trauma. The time course of spontaneous recovery after a significantly traumatic experience varies considerably and individual vulnerability and coping capacity play a role in determining not only the severity, but also the occurrence of these disorders. They are maladaptive responses to severe or continued stress, which interfere with successful coping mechanisms and invariably lead to problems in personal, social and occupational functioning.  Continue reading →

‘Sporting Heroes: After the Final Whistle’ by Dr Philip Hopley

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In last night’s programme on BBC1, Michael Vaughan, the former England Cricket Captain, explored life after retirement with a range of sporting characters. The theme was simple:
• How do sportsmen and women cope with retirement 20-30 years before non sportspeople retire?
• How can they better prepare and cope with retirement?

www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01hllwk/Sporting_Heroes_After_the_Final_Whistle/
www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/17953358
www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/columnists/michael-vaughan/9252933/Michael-Vaughan-you-must-move-on-quickly-after-a-life-in-sport-or-it-can-become-a-life-sentence.html

From our clinical work we know that any period of transition or life change is accompanied by a set of emotional responses. For many the change is easily managed, some experience transient emotional distress and a small number develop psychological illnesses such as depression, anxiety disorder, alcohol or drug problems etc. Continue reading →

Free Breakfast Briefing – Resilience in the Workplace – Thursday 24 May 2012

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LPP Consulting is delighted to announce a free Breakfast Briefing in our consulting rooms at 8 Devonshire Place, London W1G 6HP on Thursday 24 May 2012 (8am for 8-30am).

The subject is ‘Building a Resilient Workplace with Mindfulness-based Cognitive Behavioural Therapy’. Our speaker is Rob Archer, Chartered Occupational Psychologist and Director, LPP Consulting.

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‘Understanding Depression as an Investment Strategy ‘ by Dr Kate Joseph

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Depression is a common mental health problem that affects around 10% of the population in Britain at any one time (1). Although most people experience some fluctuations in mood, there are specific criteria that lead to the diagnosis of clinical depression, including experiencing at least five of the following symptoms for at least two weeks. The symptoms can be psychological (e.g., low mood, loss of interest in enjoyable activities, tearfulness, worthlessness, irritability, difficulties concentrating, thoughts of death) or biological (e.g., changes in sleep or appetite, restlessness, low energy). Depression tends to have a major impact on people’s functioning, such as withdrawal from social activities, difficulties at work and in relationships.

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‘FACEBOOK or FAKEBOOK?’ by Karen Gerber

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The Internet has been a part of our lives for about two decades and online communication -for example e-mail; instant messaging; chat rooms; blogging; online dating sites and social networking sites (SNS) continues to rapidly evolve. Surrounded by the variety of online communication tools now available, social networking sites (such as Facebook) are one of the more recent tools which provide a rich source of potential research for social scientists. People today do not only use the Internet more to interact to other people, but also to socialize, generate some lasting relationships and even develop a “real” social virtual life (Nabeth, 2005).  Continue reading →

‘‘Happiness’ begins in the nursery’ by Helen Dalton

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Two leading economists have conducted the first in-depth investigation into the earliest years of 90,000 children and adolescents and their happiness when young (The Observer 25th March 2012). Dr Jan-Emmanuel De Neve of UCL, and Professor Andrew Oswald at Warwick University, who presented their study of happiness at the 2012 annual conference of The Royal Economic Society at Cambridge University, found that even when other factors, such as education, physical health, IQ and genetic variation were taken into account, there was a clear link between happiness and future success. Continue reading →

‘Parents: Where There’s a Will There’s a Way’ by Margaret Childs

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The spotlight shines again on parenting after recent media coverage of the report on the 2011 UK Riots and a recent survey by the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (2012). According to the headlines, poor parenting was a significant contribution factor to the 2011 riots and is fuelling a rise in violent behaviour in UK schools.

One wonders how parents respond to headlines such as these. Is it fair for parents to be defined as a “problem” by society? Given the pressure that this description places on parents, it might be hard for parents to imagine surviving parenting struggles and to find solutions.  Continue reading →

‘Sunshine, Health & Wellbeing’ by Ann Edwards

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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2126878/UK-weather-forecast-Britain-braced-Bank-Holiday-misery-heavy-rain-gales-hit.html#ixzz1rT4IcnV5

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/weather/9193379/Weather-Easter-Monday-washout-as-torrential-rain-and-gales-batter-UK.html

Sunshine & Gloom, Leaders’ Easters in The Daily Telegraph page 4 Monday 8th April 2012

Rain and gale force winds spoiled Bank Holiday plans for millions across the UK, including the Prime Minister David Cameron and his family who made the most of the overcast weather in North wales. The rainfall may have boosted water supply to gardens and reservoirs; however a nationwide lack of sunshine has deprived the UK workforce and their families, of the health benefits of topping up their vitamin D levels.1 Continue reading →

‘Can psychometric testing predict success in football?’ by Dr Pieter Kruger

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Researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm reported in the Public Library of Science (April 2012) on a study comparing the cognitive performance of top flight footballers with the lower leagues. They also looked at the influence cognitive functioning had on performance on-field (goals scored and assists). In the study they measured the players’ ‘executive functions’ and included measures such as creativity, cognitive flexibility, working memory and cognitive processing speed. These functions are important in dealing with sudden problems, immediate creativity, processing information ‘real-time’ on the pitch, changing tactics rapidly and revising previous behaviour which did not work (all elements which are part of ‘game-intelligence’).  Continue reading →

‘What do the Budget and the human mind have in common?’ by Dr Gavin Weeks

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Read the two following headlines:
‘Targeting the rich may cost us dear‘ (The Telegraph)
‎’George Osborne has unveiled a millionaires’ budget, says Ed Miliband‘ (The Guardian)

So, using the same ‘data’, an event can either be “targeting the rich” or “a millionaires’ budget”. The point of my writing this is not to determine which of these perspectives is ‘correct’ but to demonstrate something central to our work in psychology: people interpret the same information in very different and often polarised ways. Unhelpful reactions, emotional or behavioural, are common consequences of this style of thinking, which can be seen as the mind’s attempt to simplify and make sense of information – humans tend not to enjoy ambiguity. Continue reading →