With compassion and encouragement, this book helps us to begin and strengthen our recovery from our addictions and emotional or psychiatric illnesses. A gentle, spiritual and supportive approach to bolster our recovery, The Twelve Steps and Dual Disorders provides an adaptation and discussion of each of the Twelve Steps of Dual Recovery Anonymous.

This carefully written and illustrated book provides an explanation of sex for people with autism and special education needs and disabilities (SEND). It helps readers to understand the physical processes as well as important issues such as consent and sexual safety, helping them to develop positive relationships. Many people with autism and SEND have or will have intimate relationships. Often sex is alluded to, rather than being carefully explored. This can create confusion around consent, sexual health, and pregnancy, and cause people to turn to dubious online information. This book frankly explains sex so that the reader has a clear understanding of what constitutes sex, knowledge of the proper names for sexual organs and sexual activities, and is aware of the potential physical consequences of having sex.

A harrowing memoir of life with manic depression. All In My Head reveals the terrible reality of the condition and it's devastating impact on the life of a young woman. 'When I'm manic all I remember is the moment. When I'm depressed all I remember is the pain.' Terri Cheney Terri Cheney's story starts with her rape.Occuring at the height of her mania, Terri had spun out of control on many an occasion, but never had she been hurt as brutally or as badly as the night she was raped by a complete stranger. Graphically telling the account of that night is the beginning of Terri's journey, from beautiful, well-educated and successful lawyer based in LA to multiple suicide attempts, nights in jail, her eating disorder, broken jobs, ruined friendships and finally electroshock treatment. In this painfully honest account of a life lived in extremes, one minute Terri, the competent, professional lawyer would be crouched beneath her desk at work, paralyzed by depression; the next she'd be flying kites off the edge of a cliff in a violent thunderstorm. One minute she's euphoric from a successful date with a cute guy, the next she's eating remains of food left on her pillowcase, too depressed to get out of bed. From her early 20s Terri struggled with manic depression and there seemed to be no treatment, no help. Rounds of medication and even electroshock therapy - this a mere ten years ago - proved useless. Only the shock of a brutal rape and subsequent suicide attempt would finally lead Terri to the help she so desperately wanted and needed. All in my head is a startling and moving account of Terri's battle with manic depression, a battle she continues to fight.

What is borderline personality disorder and what can people with borderline problems do to help themselves? The treatment of personality disorder is a major concern facing current mental health services. Specialist therapies are often not available and many people with these problems drop out of treatment. Managing Intense Emotions and Overcoming Self-Destructive Habits is a self-help manual for people who would meet the diagnosis of 'emotionally unstable' or 'borderline personality disorder' (BPD), outlining a brief intervention which is based on a model of treatment known to be effective for other conditions, such as anxiety, depression and bulimia. The manual describes the problem areas, the skills needed to overcome them and how these skills can be developed. It is designed to be used with the help of professional mental health staff, ideally in a group with individual sessions to support and coach the person in the application of the skills taught. A minimum of 24 and maximum of 36 sessions are recommended. Areas covered include: * the condition and controversy surrounding the diagnosis of BPD * drug and alcohol misuse * emotional dysregulation and the role of thinking habits and beliefs * depression and difficult mood states * childhood abuse and relationship difficulties * anger management. Borderline personality disorder is a complex and challenging condition. This manual aims to explain the problems experienced by people who may be given this diagnosis in a way that clients and staff can easily understand. It will be essential reading for people with BPD and professionals involved in their care - psychologists, psychiatric nurses, psychiatrists and occupational therapists.

Since 2002, The Breast Reconstruction Guidebook has been the best resource on this topic for women who have had a mastectomy. Equal parts science and support, it is filled with stories that illustrate the emotional and physical components of breast reconstruction. Kathy Steligo, a gifted writer and breast cancer survivor who has twice had breast reconstruction, compassionately answers women's questions about how they will respond emotionally and physically to losing a breast, whether to treat or prevent breast cancer. Steligo provides detailed descriptions of the various surgical options for mastectomy and reconstruction, as well as information on choosing and paying for a surgeon, preparing for and recovering from surgery, and handling the many practical details and difficult decisions women will face along the way. A road map of the mastectomy and reconstruction journey, this book gives women the comprehensive, unbiased details they need to make their own informed decisions about whether reconstruction-and which reconstructive option-is right for them. Readers learn how breasts can be recreated using implants or their own tissue and the advantages and disadvantages of each option. Surgery timelines, recovery, and potential problems (and how they can be resolved) are also explained. A new foreword by Dr. Minas Chrysopoulo, MD, of the PRMA Plastic Surgery Center for Advanced Breast Reconstruction, highlights the book's strengths and offers a medical perspective on breast cancer and reconstructive surgery. The extensively updated text includes new discussions of* innovative reconstructive procedures* contralateral mastectomy* the benefits and limitations of nipple- and areola-sparing mastectomies* nipple delay procedure* patient-controlled tissue expansion* cohesive gel silicone implants* microsurgical advances that improve tissue flap procedures* fat grafting* nipple reconstruction* nipple and areola tattooing* reconstruction with the BRAVA system* pregnancy after TRAM* male mastectomy and reconstruction* decision making and solving cosmetic and medical post-op problems* surgical procedures that reduce the risk of cancer* the latest research data on mastectomy and reconstruction* and much more

Overwhelmed, frustrated, and suffering from long haul COVID symptoms and the fallout of the pandemic? This practical guide will help you transform your struggles to lead a fulfilling, vital life right now. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), the scientifically based therapeutic approach presented by Joseph J. Trunzo and Julie Luongo, offers a way out - not when you're feeling better, but right now.

'I SAVOURED EVERY WORD' ABI DARE A REDEMPTIVE TALE OF THE POWER AND WISOM OF WOMEN'S BODIES' LEAH HAZARD 'MAGNIFICENT: A WORK OF TRUTH' SUSIE ORBACH 'FILLED ME WITH HOPE' DR ELINOR CLEGHORN 'SO MANY WOMEN WILL FEEL LESS ALONE AFTER READING THIS BOOK' KATIE WARD Following the birth of her first children, twin boys, Jessica Cornwell collapsed in a fever. Rushed back to hospital, she was initially dismissed, before a life-threatening infection was diagnosed. Alone, recovering, watching her body bruise and break, a curious thing happened: she stopped feeling. At home, the numbness remained. Nursing her boys through jaundice, learning to breastfeed, slowly re-emerging into a world where other mothers seemed to cope, Jessica hid her secret - she felt no love, only fear. Worse, vivid memories began to surface, of moments in her past she thought buried. Jessica began to name, one by one, the shadows that returned to haunt her first year as a mother. And in claiming back the words, she fought to claim back her life and the love she bore her young family. Birth Notes is the story - luminous, breathtaking and courageous - of forging a self from fragments. With eloquent rage and searing honesty, it speaks for the unvoiced and shines a light on maternal mental health. It is the love story of a mother for her children and a woman for herself.

'Raw, intense and absorbing.' MATT HAIG 'As tender and funny as it is painful.' TLS 'I didn't give my hands much thought before they turned against me. ... They have been chipping away at my life, slowly, slowly, in a way I could never have predicted.' Lauren Brown is anxious. And when she feels worried, she picks at her skin. Secretly, quietly, but increasingly compulsively, her skin-picking begins to affect her day-to-day life until she realizes she must unravel the reasons behind it. This sparkling memoir follows the thread of Lauren's anxiety - tangled and frayed - back to its source. Written with rare wit and insight, it is an attempt to redirect the anxiety that's pooled in her fingertips for as long as she can remember, released in odd bursts in caravan parks, on European holidays, at GP surgeries and on the wind-stung north-east coast. It is a moving and joyful exploration of obsession, forgiveness, stigma and healing, and a true love-song to the north. Thoughtful, unsparing and at times darkly comic, Hands is the masterful debut of a luminous new talent.

Improve your hearing, enhance your life With new advice on just-released over-the-counter hearing aids Hearing loss can be frustrating, but in fact it's common and treatable. Hearing Loss For Dummies, written by top experts in the field in collaboration with AARP, walks you through how to get the help you need to clearly hear the sounds of life--whether you're at home, at work, or out and about. And hearing health is critical: Hearing loss can increase your risk of falls and injuries, isolation and depression, and even cognitive decline and dementia. Authors Frank Lin and Nicholas Reed at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine lay out the steps to hearing health: Understanding how hearing works--and how it changes as we age Finding specialists you can trust Determining whether you need testing and, if so, where to turn Learning practical solutions for hearing better at home, at work, on the phone, and in restaurants and theaters Choosing the right hearing aid, including just-approved over-the-counter hearing aids, and getting them adjusted to work for you Exploring the pros and cons of cochlear implants and other surgical options Covering the costs of hearing health care If you're concerned about your own or a friend or relative's hearing, this is the one book you'll need. For what can seem like a complicated, stressful and lengthy process, Hearing Loss For Dummies tackles the topic head-on and provides you with expert guidance to put your mind at ease on the path to better hearing.

Emily's story begins on St. Stephen's Day, 2010, in St. John's, Newfoundland when she gives birth to a baby girl named Sadie Jane with a shock of snow-white hair. Within 3 months Sadie is diagnosed with albinism, a rare genetic disorder where pigment fails to form in the skin, hair and eyes, with accompanying maladies such as photophobia and partial blindness. Emily is drawn to understanding her child's differences by researching the cultural beliefs associated with albinism worldwide; a journey that takes her to a faraway continent, through her own family tree, and all the while unearthing discoveries that vacillate between beauty, amazement and horror.

This carefully written and illustrated book provides an explanation of pregnancy for people with autism and special education needs and disabilities (SEND). It helps readers to understand the physical processes of pregnancy, as well as important practical information, such as how to stay healthy in pregnancy, antenatal care, the role of the midwife and the involvement of partners. Many people with autism and SEND may want or plan to have children. Many women who have autism, special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) have poor experiences of prenatal and postnatal care and high levels of stress, anxiety and depression or do not disclose their pregnancy until far into their terms due to fears of forced termination. This book frankly explains pregnancy so that the reader has a clear understanding of what constitutes pregnancy, what happens during labour and is aware of their legal right to create a family.

First published in 2001. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

'This isn't living, this is just existing.' A long-term physical health condition - a chronic illness, or even a disability - can take over your existence. Battling against the effects of the condition can take so much of your time and energy that it feels like the rest of your life is 'on hold'. The physical symptoms of different conditions will vary, as will the way you manage them. But the kinds of psychological stress the situation brings are common to lots of long-term health problems: worry about the future, sadness about what has been lost, frustration at changes, guilt about being a burden, friction with friends and family. You can lose your sense of purpose and wonder 'What's the point?' Trapped in a war against your own illness, every day is just about the battle, and it can seem impossible to find achievement and fulfilment in life if the condition cannot be cured. It doesn't have to be like that. Using the latest developments in cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) which emphasise mindfulness and acceptance, and including links to downloadable audio exercises and worksheets, this book will show you how you can live better despite your long-term condition. It will teach you to spot the ways of coping that haven't been working for you, how to make sure that troubling thoughts and unwanted feelings don't run your life, how to make sense of the changes in your circumstances, to make the most of today and work towards a future that includes more of the things that matter to you. If you stop fighting a losing battle, and instead learn how to live well with the enemy, then - even with your long-term condition - you'll find yourself not simply existing, but really living again.

How to Get the Most Out of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT): A client's guide is aimed at those who are either considering consulting a cognitive behaviour therapist or who are actually consulting such a therapist. Written by one of the world's leading CBT practitioners, it will steer you through the CBT process. The guide will help you to decide whether CBT is right for you, give you advice about how to make a therapeutic agreement with a therapist, show you how to prepare for CBT sessions and how to apply what you have learned from CBT after therapy has ended. How to Get the Most Out of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) is a concise and practical guide that will help you to understand the CBT process and how to make the most of your therapy, no matter which CBT approach your therapist practises, so that you continue to benefit from it once therapy has ended and can learn to be your own therapist.

When Eric Wendel was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in 1966, the survival rate was 10 percent. Today, it is 90 percent. Even as politicians call for a "Cancer Moonshot," this accomplishment remains a pinnacle in cancer research. The author's daughter, then a medical student at Georgetown Medical School, told her father about this amazing success story. Tim Wendel soon discovered that many of the doctors at the forefront of this effort cared for his brother at Roswell Park in Buffalo, New York. Wendel went in search of this extraordinary group, interviewing Lucius Sinks, James Holland, Donald Pinkel, and others in the field. If there were a Mount Rushmore for cancer research, they would be on it. Despite being ostracized by their medical peers, these doctors developed modern-day chemotherapy practices and invented the blood centrifuge machine, helping thousands of children live longer lives. Part family memoir and part medical narrative, Cancer Crossings explores how the Wendel family found the courage to move ahead with their lives. They learned to sail on Lake Ontario, cruising across miles of open water together, even as the campaign against cancer changed their lives forever.

'Deborah James has captured the heart of the nation' - The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge @KensingtonRoyal 'Brave, bright, beautiful' - Lorraine Kelly 'Deborah's ability to find positivity in the darkest of places is an inspiration to us all' - Davina McCall I'm alive when I should be dead. In another movie, I missed the sliding door and departed this wondrous life long ago. Like so many others, I've had to learn to live not knowing if I have a tomorrow, because, statistically, I shouldn't have. At the age of 35, I was blindsided by incurable bowel cancer - I was given a less than 8% chance of surviving five years. More than five years later, my only option is to live in the now and to value one day at a time. So how do you flip your mind from a negative spiral into realistic and rebellious hope? How do you stop focusing on the why and realise that 'why not me' is just as valid a question? How we learn to respond to any given situation empowers us or destroys us. We have the ability in our minds to dictate our own outcomes - bad or good - and with the right skills and approach, we can be the master of our lives. How to Live When You Could Be Dead will show you how. It will awaken you to question your life as if you didn't have a tomorrow and live it in the way you want to today. It will show you how to build a positive mindset and, through this, invite you to think about what you could do if you believed you could do anything you want. Ebury, a division of Penguin Random House, will pay GBP3 from the sale of each copy of How To Live When You Could Be Dead by Deborah James sold in the UK to Bowelbabe Fund for Cancer Research UK. Cancer Research UK is a charity registered in England and Wales (1089464), Scotland (SC041666), Isle of Man (1103) and Jersey (247).

THE INSTANT NUMBER ONE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER Reflections on hope, survival and the messy miracle of being alive It is a strange paradox, that many of the clearest, most comforting life lessons are learned while we are at our lowest. But then we never think about food more than when we are hungry and we never think about life rafts more than when we are thrown overboard. The Comfort Book is a collection of consolations learned in hard times and suggestions for making the bad days better. Drawing on maxims, memoir and the inspirational lives of others, these meditations celebrate the ever-changing wonder of living. This is for when we need the wisdom of a friend or a reminder we can always nurture inner strength and hope, even in our busy world. A book of timeless comfort for modern minds.