In my professional role I have had to assess the risk of suicide for over twenty years. A holistic understanding of the young person is required in terms of their personal life, education progress and life at home, in addition to the features of depression and anxiety disorders. In the forensic setting there is additional…

Young people frequently present to us in the context of the breakdown if their parents’ relationship. It can be a very sad time and have an enduring emotional impact on a young person for many years. In the UK 2 million teenagers may be living with one or both parents who drinks too much alcohol….

Recently I was reading a blog entitled www.wiringthebrain.com by Professor Kevin Mitchell of Trinity College, Dublin. In the Victorian era the study of the skull contours was linked to theories of the emotional life and character of that person, giving way to a language of understanding the mind. After Freud there was a great expansion…

After a person has committed suicide, everything stops. We can no longer see them and our relationship with their relatives transforms somewhat. We share their pain and suffering, which they carry on long after the coroner’s inquest into their lives. Relatives will feel anger and sadness, which never seems to end. They have to face…