Mental health features

Tourette’s syndrome is classified as a disorder that causes a person to make involuntary sounds and movements called tics. In this blog, a patient describes how she developed impulsive and compulsive behaviours following shingles.

Although eating disorders present challenging psychological issues for professionals, short-term and long-term physical complications are also commonplace. Here, the author looks at some of these physical health risks

Medical students from the universities of Liverpool and Lancaster, under the guidance of Dr Jane Wilcock and Mr Nick Mullin, provide an A-Z of unusual psychiatric conditions that GPs might encounter. Illustrations by Grace Mutton

In the second part of his review, Professor Safiullah Afghan looks at how to manage depression in a primary care setting

In the first part of a new series, the authors consider the role GPs can play in the diagnosis and treatment of a variety of eating disorders.

Bariatric surgery is increasingly recognised as a viable approach to effective weight-loss management. In part one of a new series the authors discuss the different types of bariatric surgery.

Recognising and managing depressive disorders in pregnant women presents specific challenges for both the patient and her GP – particularly in terms of understanding and communicating the risks and benefits of antidepressant treatment. Here, the authors discuss the sometimes complex issues.

In our last issue, sleep specialist Professor Gaby Badre looked at the various types of insomnia and described best practice in assessment and diagnosis. Here, he explores the various approaches to treatment and discusses how this should be tailored to the patient.

Sleep disturbance is a common but complex presentation in general practice. Underlying causes are numerous and often elusive to the GP. In the first of a two-part feature on assessment and treatment of insomnia, sleep specialist Professor Gaby Badre looks at the types of insomnia and discusses assessment and diagnosis.

Dr Jane Roberts, RCGP Youth Mental Health Champion, looks at the implications of a recent report highlighting unmet needs in the primary care of people with mental health issues.