FEAR is one of the most significant and important survival mechanisms we have as mammals. It is the feeling induced by a perceived danger or threat, it can even change how the brain and organs function. It ignites a primordial response, without which, over millennia, we would not have known what to run away from…

A FAMILIAR conversation in any house with a young male today would be that of body image. While self-improvement is always a desirable pursuit, something pathological has crept into the teenage world where they have become consumed with attaining the perfect body. I hear it so often in my clinic; parents describing their children as…

In last week’s column I discussed sleep deprivation.  I looked at why we need a restful night’s sleep and how teenagers are often misguided in their approach to study and break a healthy pattern of sleep to get a few extra hours of learning accomplished.  I outlined how dangerous and counter productive this is to…

THERE are so many challenging relationships we have to navigate in our daily lives; our peer group, colleagues and family all demand incredible political acumen to traverse without conflict. But there are other relationships, ones that are more innocuous, subtler and yet drive us crazy at times. And while our relationship with family and friends…

I’m a 35-year-old accountant in one of the top firms in Dublin. I have always managed work stress well. My wife is eight months pregnant with our first child. Recently, I’ve become very anxious and find work increasingly stressful.  My boss is asking me to do more and more; I’m afraid I’m going to get…

Theorists suggest that family life, and what goes on behind closed doors, is a microcosm for society as a whole; conversely, it is argued that the ills of society manifest themselves in the family. The health of the family is an indicator of the health of society. Interestingly, we have the lowest divorce rate in…

A topic that receives a lot of coverage in the media is that of hoarding. We are surrounded by a multitude of different programmes exploring the impact it has on the life of someone suffering with the disorder. I think we are fascinated with it because we all, at times, hold onto things we know…

In our rapidly lived lives stress can come from many places. We have myriad, complicated relationships to navigate in any one day, from our family to our friends, to our work colleagues, not to mention the strangers that manage to make an appearance in the humdrum of our daily lives. Some of the stress we encounter…

IT’S that time of year again, where we analyse the year behind and speculate on the one ahead. It can be quite an exhaustive process trying to wade through the meaning of our experiences, attempting to glean some understanding of it all in the hope it will help us successfully navigate the year that…

I recently separated from my long-term partner. He had a daughter from a previous relationship when we met. He never told me he didn’t want another child but over the last year things became strained when I started to talk about having a child. I love his daughter, don’t get me wrong, but I always…