The Thinking Mind Podcast: Psychiatry & Psychotherapy

Professor Sir John Strang is a leading clinical academic. He is head of the Addictions Department at King’s College London and a Consultant Psychiatrist in addictions treatment for over 30 years.He is one of a small number of senior addictions researchers outside North America identified by ISI (the Institute for Scientific Analysis) as a “Highly Cited Author” with a rate of citation in the “top one half of one percent of all publishing researchers in the last two decades”. He developed and continues to expand the work on Take-Home Naloxone, a life-saving innovation for reducing opiate overdose deaths. We discuss how addiction and substance use disorders are defined and what might cause someone to develop them. We talk about what can make substance use disorders difficult to treat. We talk about the opioid epidemic and pick Prof Strang’s brains on what the reasons for the differences between the UK and USA is. We discuss take home naloxone and treatment for opiate dependence and consider broader issues such as what the aims of treatment might be/should be.We are so grateful to all the listeners who sent questions in - we didn’t get to cover all of them this time, but look out for future episodes!Interviewed by  Dr. Anya Borissova Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com  Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcastSUPPORT THE PODCAST: buymeacoffee.com/thinkingmindGive feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

Prof David Veale is a Consultant Psychiatrist and leads a national outpatient and residential unit service for people with severe treatment refractory Obsessive -Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) and anxiety disorders at the South London and Maudsley Trust. Dr David Veale specialises in obsessive compulsive disorder, body dysmorphic disorder, health anxiety, emetophobia and depression. He is a Visiting Professor in Cognitive Behaviour Therapies at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London.Interviewed by Dr Alex Curmi - Give feedback here - podcast@maudsleylearning.com -  Follow us here: Twitter @maudsleypodcast Instagram @maudsleylearningpodcastGive feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com  Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcastSUPPORT THE PODCAST: buymeacoffee.com/thinkingmindGive feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

Dr. Emmert Roberts, an addiction psychiatrist and research fellow from South London, discusses the crisis surrounding drug treatment. He shares insights on the UK's record drug-related deaths, the impact of policy changes on patient care, and innovative approaches like drug consumption rooms. Roberts highlights the successes and challenges of the 'Everyone In' initiative that provided emergency housing during COVID-19 and emphasizes the need for holistic care in substance use treatment to effectively support marginalized communities.

Dr Alex George is a medical NHS doctor. He is well known for featuring on Love Island in 2018. Following the show, Alex has become a leading voice in mental health, and uses his platform to make health and medicine more accessible to millennials and beyond. Dr Alex is the UK Governments first Youth Mental Health Ambassador. Dr Alex has launched a campaign requesting the UK Government prioritise mental health amongst children and adolescents. He has also written a book ‘Live Well Every day’ with the intention of helping people achieve their best health and lifelong wellbeing.Among many other topics we discuss:- The psychological impact of fame and social media- Common sense strategies for managing mental health problems- The importance of discovering your values- Mental health problems among minority populations- Learning from Failure Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi with Dr. Rebecca Wilkinson and Dr. Anya Borissova  Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com  Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcastSUPPORT THE PODCAST: buymeacoffee.com/thinkingmindGive feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

What are some of the useful things to know about the experience of anxiety and depression? Can psychoeducation be helpful? What are ruminations and why might it be useful to take time to acknowledge what thoughts pass through your mind? What are some self-help steps you can take? Alongside my experience working as a psychiatry trainee and the clinicians I've learnt from, these are some books that I think can be helpful: 10 steps to positive living – a very short, easy to read, overview of some core thinking missteps that we all make that can contribute to unhappinessSchool of Life – a somewhat more philosophical exploration of life lessons The Chimp Paradox – a practical, metaphor and exercise based self-exploration  tool . Finally, I mentioned some studies that I read in preparing for this, here they are (feel free to get in touch if you'd like the PDFs): https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30738219/ ; https://www.eif.org.uk/report/adolescent-mental-health-a-systematic-review-on-the-effectiveness-of-school-based-interventionsAudio-essay by   Dr. Anya Borissova. Dr Borissova is an academic core trainee psychiatrist in the South London and Maudsley NHS foundation trust with a special interest in psychotherapy and researching improvements in treating depression.Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com  Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcastSUPPORT THE PODCAST: buymeacoffee.com/thinkingmindGive feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

Janet Treasure, OBE PhD FRCP FRCPsych, is a British psychiatrist, who specialises in research and treatment of eating disorders. She is currently the Director of the Eating Disorder Unit and Professor of Psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College, London.Studies Mentioned during the Interview:Serotonergic psychedelics and personality: A systematic review of contemporary research: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0149763417303019Interviewed by Dr. Rebecca Wilkinson with Dr. Alex CurmiGive feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com  Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcastSUPPORT THE PODCAST: buymeacoffee.com/thinkingmindGive feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

Dr. Richard Miller is an American clinical psychologist, author and radio broadcaster. He is the author of the book Psychedelic Medicine and the founder of the Wilbur Hot Springs health maintenance organisation, where he helped over 1500 people to detox from drugs and alcohol. Miller has presented his work at national conferences of the American Psychological Association, the American Academy of Psychotherapists and the White House Conference on Drugs.In addition to continuing his professional work in psychology, Miller currently hosts a weekly, live radio program, "Mind Body Health & Politics" on his website MindBodyHealthpolitics.orgIn this episode we discuss:  Ayahuasca, Cannabis, Ketamine, Existential Responsibility, Psychotherapy and much moreThe cannabis study we discuss can be found here: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(19)30048-3/fulltextInterviewed by Dr. Rebecca Wilkinson with Dr. Alex CurmiGive feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com  Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcastSUPPORT THE PODCAST: buymeacoffee.com/thinkingmindPart 1 of this Interview can be found under Interview #26, released on Nov 12th 2021Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

This week we are thrilled to meet Dr Akeem Sule @ak411cam who is a Wolfson College Research Associate and a Consultant Psychiatrist in General Adult Psychiatry at the Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, co-founder of the Hip Hop Psych movement and facilitates the film club for the Association of Black Psychiatrists. Dr Sule discusses about the exploration of syndemics and addiction in “The Wire”, what “Euphoria” might tell us about the ‘ethical drug dealer’, cultural humility, racism in psychotherapy and generally, why politicians should watch “Top Boy”, how can TV/film makers ensure they get their portrayals of mental illness right and so much more.Interviewed by  Dr. Anya Borissova Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com  Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcastSUPPORT THE PODCAST: buymeacoffee.com/thinkingmindGive feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

Why should you engage in conflict in relationships? How should you think about it? Whats the difference between healthy and unhealthy forms of conflict?Audio-essay by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Curmi is a specialist registrar in General Adult psychiatry in the South London and Maudsley NHS foundation trust with a special interest in psychotherapy and mindfulness meditation.Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com  Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcastSUPPORT THE PODCAST: buymeacoffee.com/thinkingmindIf you want to help the situtation in Ukraine, please donate here:https://www.ukrainianlondon.co.uk/donate-help-ukraine-trusted-charities-uk/ Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

Dr Charles Shepherd is a medical doctor and world renown expert on the subject of chronic fatigue syndrome, also known as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, or ME. He is the Hon Medical Advisor to the ME association, which is a self-help support charity for people with ME. He was on the Steering Committee of the National ME Observatory, a collaborative research project in the UK, as well as previously on the advising committee for NICE guidelines on ME. He has written a number of books for both patients and medical professionals on the topic as well as developing the Shepherd ME/CFS Disability Scale. Dr Shepherd also developed ME himself following a bout of chickenpox from a patient.  Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) is a long-term, fluctuating, neurological condition that causes symptoms affecting many body systems, most commonly the nervous and immune systems. ME affects up to an estimated 264,000 people in the UK, and around 17 million people worldwide. There is a 3:1 female to male ratio. People with ME experience severe, persistent fatigue associated with post-exertional malaise (the body’s inability to recover after expending even small amounts of energy). ME is classified by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as a neurological disease. However, due to the complex and unknown nature of the condition, there has been a lot of controversy surrounding the disease.Interviewed by  Dr. Rebecca Wilkinson Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com  Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcastSUPPORT THE PODCAST: buymeacoffee.com/thinkingmindGive feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast