David Payne on Second Life

There’s a great scene in US sitcom Cheers when postal worker Cliff Clavin confidently predicts that email is a passing fad and the art of letter-writing will one day return. Cliff is threatened by technology, fears for his livelihood, and, besides, has no need of email. His world is small. All his social interaction happens […]

Read More…

Vidhya Alakeson on parity for US mental health patients

Buried in last week’s legislation to bail out Wall Street was a small but important victory for healthcare in America. At the same time as passing a $700 billion rescue package for the financial sector last Friday, the US House of Representatives also passed a bill on mental health parity. Rumour has it that parity […]

Read More…

Helen Barratt: Back to reality

Returning to full-time work after a year of studying has taken some getting used to. I’m slowly adjusting to my Outlook calendar running my life, and learning to survive the two hour meetings which are a regular part of life in public health. Lasting the course until 17:00 on Friday is still a struggle though. […]

Read More…

Birte Twisselmann: It’s good to talk

Cracking up, to be broadcast this coming Sunday on BBC2, will be the second television programme to be broadcast in the context of the BBC’s Headroom campaign for mental health and wellbeing (bbc.co.uk/headroom). I had a preview at a screening organised by the Royal Society of Medicine. The documentary provided a moving insight into journalist […]

Read More…

Klaus Morales: Can doctors be healthy AND happy?

“Work is central to wellbeing, and certain features correlate highly with happiness.” Tony Delamothe (BMJ  2005;331:1489-1490). Agree. But to what extent? I just got home from a whole day of activities and duties at the hospital and let’s say – a bit of bla bla blas. Yes, I am a junior doctor, but not a […]

Read More…

David Pencheon: Climate change – not just doing better but doing different

By now you will know that the UK Committee on Climate Change has recommended that the 2050 target should be increased from a 60% reduction against baseline to 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (principally carbon dioxide). This has now been accepted by the UK Government.   This makes the target (rightly) extremely challenging. It […]

Read More…

Fiona Godlee: Why pharma should not be allowed to fill the gap in patient information

There was one thing we were all agreed on – proposers and opposers alike – at the Great Oxford Debate last week: there’s a big gap in the quality and quantity of information for patients. Where we disagreed – and starkly – was whether the drug industry should be allowed to fill that gap. Yes […]

Read More…