Latest articles on counselling and therapy

The media has supplied the general population with caricatures and stereotypes of people who have schizophrenia through films, TV and the news. In some cases, it portrays people with the condition being unable to work - this is not true. There are supported employment programs out there that help people with schizophrenia and other mental health problems work in competitive jobs.

For example, in a randomised trial, individuals with schizophrenia performed well in comparison to their...

There has been mounting evidence that inflammation and the immune system play key roles in the development of schizophrenia and other psychiatric conditions.

Researchers from the UK Medical Research Council recently analysed microglia. These act like gardeners to our brain, weeding out any infection and 'pruning' unwanted connections between brain cells.

To record the activity of microglia, researchers injected 56 people with a chemical dye. The highest level of activity were found in...

People with schizophrenia are left struggling with relationships and are losing the opportunity to work due to the lack of support.

Over 1,000 people with schizophrenia took part in the survey, and it was found that there are long delays in accessing effective talk therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).

Schizophrenia can cause muddled thoughts, a change in behaviour and people living with the condition may experience hallucinations.

According to the NHS, around one in...

If you have a friend or family member with schizophrenia, helping them find treatment and cope with symptoms can make a huge difference in their recovery. Dealing with schizophrenia can be difficult even if you are not the one with the condition, but you don’t have to cope on your own.

It is important to offer support to the person, but it is also important to look after yourself and take advantage of the support groups available.

If someone close to you has schizophrenia, you may...

Developed by researchers at the University of Cambridge, a computer-based memory game has been tested on a small number of schizophrenia patients with positive results.

With results showing improvements in learning and memory, the game may be able to help patients return to work after a diagnosis.

Schizophrenia causes various psychological symptoms including hallucinations and behaviour changes. Many sufferers also have problems with cognition, with their memory often being affected. This...

The research in question looked at 780 people, 410 of whom had experienced psychosis and 370 healthy participants - all aged between 18 and 65.

The research was carried out by King's College London and suggests that the risk of psychosis is three times higher for those who smoke potent, skunk-like cannabis than non-users.

A spokesman from the Home Office has commented to say this study highlights the reasons why cannabis is still an illegal drug in the UK.

Interestingly the study found...

World Mental Health Day this year tackled schizophrenia, an often misunderstood condition. Statistics from the Mental Health Foundation reveal that there is more media misinformation about schizophrenia than any other condition.

So what exactly is it?

Schizophrenia affects your ability to think clearly and decipher fantasy from reality. Common symptoms include hallucinations and hearing voices, both of which can be incredibly unsettling, for both the person experiencing it and those...

World Mental Health day is an initiative run by the World Federation for Mental Health and was first celebrated in 1992. The aim of the initiative is to raise awareness of various mental health issues, including mental health education and advocacy. Each year a different mental health concern is addressed, and this year the focus is on schizophrenia.

What is schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia is a condition that affects the way a person thinks, feels and acts. The symptoms vary, however a...

People who have obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) have a higher chance of being diagnosed with schizophrenia or related spectrum disorders, according to a new study.

The research - carried out by scientists at Aarhus University in Denmark - also showed that children of parents with OCD are more prone to developing the complex psychological disorder.

Although the two conditions are very different, former research has shown that they do sometimes overlap. The Danish research team wanted...