Blog

Social anxiety is far more common than we might think and most of us have suffered from social anxiety in one form or another during our lives. But what causes social anxiety? It manifests itself as a fear of rejection or being judged or embarrassed in front of other people. It leads to avoidance behaviour […]

Science Daily reports that Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for patients with social anxiety not only helps to reduce anxiety levels but also seems to protect against accelerated cellular ageing. These are the findings of a study involving researchers at Karolinska Institutet published in the journal Translational Psychiatry reports. “This is the first step towards better […]

The Social Anxiety Association report that Social Anxiety is the third largest mental health care problem in the world today. Social anxiety causes chronic anxiety and fear over social situations.  It prevents people from leading the life they want; it stops them from taking the job they are good at doing; it prevents them from […]

Drug Treatment for social anxiety is insufficient A Japanese study group maintain that when drug treatment for social anxiety is insufficient CBT continues to work.  They clarified that cognitive therapy maintained its effects more than a year after the end of therapy for patients with a social anxiety disorder even for those who did not […]

Children and young people can be offered digital cognitive behavioural therapy (digital CBT, also known as computer CBT) as a first-line treatment for mild depression. Digital CBT is delivered on mobile phones, tablets or computers, meaning users can access help quickly, avoiding waiting lists. Group CBT, group interpersonal psychotherapy and group mindfulness are also recommended […]

Research has shown that CBT is particularly effective to for the treatment of phobias. Certain fears are natural and reasonable, but others are excessive given the level of danger in any situation. However, these kind of fears cause unnecessary pain and distress. They can have serious consequences in everyday life,  undermining self-confidence, stopping enjoyment and […]

Research shows that cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) can really help us to rewire our brains. The BBC have published a very interesting article which shows that primitive survival instincts like fear are processed in a part of the brain called the limbic system. This includes the amygdala, a region involved in the processing of emotion, […]

Food and Mental Health Can what you eat really affect your mental health? The charity Mind has produced a very interesting and helpful article which explores this subject and provides practical advice into how you can adjust your diet to help your your mood. Called Food and Mood it provides helpful tips on how to […]

A BBC guide explains how CBT is based on the idea that problems aren’t caused by situations themselves but by how we interpret them in our thoughts. These interpretations have an impact on our feelings and actions. How does this work in practice? For example, if someone you know walks by without saying hello, what’s […]

There is a lot of talk at the moment about Mindfulness and how it can be the answer to lots of mental health issues. What is Mindfulness and how to does it differ from other alternative therapies? According to the NHS, Mindfulness is: Paying more attention to the present moment – to your own thoughts […]