Relaxation Exercises for Stress Reduction Below is a range of relaxation exercises to help you reduce stress and muscle tension. Try out each of them to see which you initially prefer Then commit to practising at least one of them every day for the next couple of weeks. To get the most out of these […]
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Integrative Treatments for Depression: A Review of the Evidence The most popular treatments for depression include psychological and pharmacological treatments. In terms of psychological therapies, the most commonly-used form is cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) while the most popular antidepressants are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as Prozac® (fluoxetine), Zoloft® (sertraline) and Lexapro® (escitalopram). While […]
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10 Ways to Naturally Boost Serotonin Serotonin is a neurotransmitter (brain chemical) that is associated with mood. In fact, most pharmaceutical antidepressants are designed to increase the availability of serotonin in the brain. It is believed that by increasing serotonin, mood will improve and therefore depression will be treated. Antidepressant drugs are not the only […]
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5 Reasons Why Depression and Other Mental Health Problems are Increasing! Research has confirmed that mental health problems like depression and anxiety-related disorders are on the increase. In fact, by 2020 it is predicted that depression will cause more disability than any other physical or mental disease. This prediction is alarming as mental health problems […]
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The effects of childhood adversity on inflammation in depressed adults Increased inflammation is consistently seen in adults with depression. In this study, published in Frontiers in Psychiatry, the effect of adverse childhood experiences (ACE) on inflammation was examined[1]. Levels of inflammatory markers (e.g, interleukin-6, c-reactive protein, and white blood cell count) were compared between: adults […]
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What is Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)? Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) is the most popular psychological treatment for mental health problems. So what is cognitive behaviour therapy and what are some of the CBT techniques used by practitioners? This article will provide a brief overview of CBT and of the techniques used to improve mental health. […]
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Signs of Stress… The Mind-Body Connection! Advancements in technology now allow us to accurately detect signs of stress and the impact it has on the body. Resting heart rate variability is one area that psychologists now examine using biofeedback machines. This mind-body connection can then be utilised in order to help people learn how to […]
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5 Common Causes of Depression Depression, anxiety, and other mental health disorders are associated with disturbances in several biological processes in the body. These are summarised in the figure above and include:1. Neurotransmitter imbalances2. Dysregulated stress response3. Chronic, low-grade inflammation4. Excess free radical damage5. Neuroprogression Each of these processes all affects each other which can lead to […]
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The Relationship Between Inflammation and Anorexia Anorexia nervosa affects less than 1% of the Australian population and over half of the sufferers have a co-morbid mental health condition, most commonly depression and/ or anxiety. Furthermore, the rate of mortality of people suffering from anorexia nervosa is up to 5 times that of the general population […]
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VIDEO: Integrative Treatment for Depression and Anxiety In this short video, we provide a brief explanation of PI Therapy and how it works to treat depression and anxiety. PI Therapy incorporates multiple, research-driven strategies to help improve depression and anxiety. By making several small-to-medium changes that might be contributing to someone’s depressive or anxious symptoms, […]
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