Alex Darling wrote a great article on the risks of benzodiazepines like Valium. I did my best to give some useful tips on how to avoid problems. http://thenewdaily.com.au/life/2016/03/01/benzodiazepines-get-addicted/
Winning the lottery – when the dream becomes a nightmare
People claim the great Australian dream is home ownership. Rubbish. It’s winning TattsLotto. Ever since I was a kid, one question has popped up around the kitchen table, at the pub, over coffee, and even in bed: what would you do if you won TattsLotto? Recently the dream took a bizarre twist as we followed…
KPIs for your life
Anyone who’s worked in a big organisation will know about KPIs – key performance indicators. Numbers to measure how the organisation is functioning. We have dozens in hospitals – time from arrival to discharge, infection rate, falls rate, seclusions rate, sick leave rates etc, etc. They annoy some people who claim they’re “too simplistic” or…
Uncharted passion, disrupted hormones and weird superstitions – the life of a football fan
It’s Grand Final season – it might seem that nothing else matters about now. Writing about the psychology of football is like writing about the psychology of love. A fool’s business. Nothing (so far) has quite made sense of how 100,000 people turn up to shout and scream, cry and gasp, and pin their fortunes…
Ethics, group psychology and Meteora – a tour group dilemma.
Everyday life is full of mini-ethical moments. Do you own up to being under charged? Do you push in when the traffic is heavy and you’re running late? Do you hassle your kid’s teacher to get little Jimmie or Jane an advantage? Most of us do our best, but various emotions, motives, and practicalities act…
How well do you know your own feelings?
A patient screamed, “I’m not angry.” Another on finding out about their partners infidelity claimed “I’m not jealous, just disappointed.” And they believed it, at least in the heat of the moment. But were they right? I’m pretty good at recognising the emotional states of others, but pretty poor when it comes to myself. Not…
Comedians and mental illness – is there a link?
The coroner has now released preliminary findings confirming that Robin Williams died by suicide. Mixed with the eulogies and grief over the loss of such a talented comedian, his family, friends, fans and admirers are starting to ask why? In particular, we are trying to understand how a man who could be so funny and…