A psychologist’s guide for parents, care-givers and health care practitioners to the emotional challenges facing children and their parents today

Current research shows that certain childhood mental disorders are diagnosed more frequently today than in previous generations. Many of today’s children and teenagers are more unhappy, anxious and distressed than young people used to be. In this highly informative book, child psychologist Jenny Perkel explores in depth why this might be so, highlighting what modern-day South African children and adolescents are experiencing and the environment in which they are being raised.

Children in Mind presents a broad range of up-to-date findings from psychological, neurobiological, genetic, psychiatric, sociological and epidemiological research related to the diagnosis and treatment of children’s mental health problems. Theoretically informed but not theoretically dense, the book cites both local and international studies to increase awareness and understanding of children’s mental health.

Perkel discusses a broad spectrum of issues faced by today’s children and adolescents: the Covid-19 pandemic, the influence of electronic media, diverse family structures, stress and trauma, and difficult socio-economic circumstances. While offering no easy answers or formulaic solutions to the problems of troubled children, she shows how to think about children’s mental well-being in today’s South Africa.

Children in Mind is an invaluable resource for all those who work with troubled children and adolescents: psychologists, social workers, counsellors, educators and parents. The author’s informed and compassionate approach will help equip professionals and parents to help young people navigate complex issues and make adjustments in their behavior in order to live more balanced and happier lives.

A practical and inspiring self-help guide to encourage anyone feeling apprehensive or uncomfortable about starting a conversation to step into their power, talk about their mental health and help them to support themselves as well as others in the same situation.

Let's be honest, it can be really awkward talking about your mental health. In this hugely relatable practical and inspiring self-help guide, Michelle Morgan, Ambassador for Mental Health First Aid England provides a roadmap to encourage anyone feeling apprehensive or uncomfortable about starting a conversation about how they feel to step into their power, talk about their mental health to support themselves as well as others in the same situation.

Blending a much sought-after balance of information and inspiration with the personal and practical Own Your Awkward elegantly marries the lived experience with expert advice around the topic of mental health in an accessible and approachable tone.

Michelle introduces the reader to her highly successful tried and tested frameworks, BRAVE - being brave and having the courage to ask for help, and SENSE - using common sense and sensitivity to offer help, which she uses with her clients around the world. Michelle will show you step-by-step how to use the different techniques outlined as well as sharing her self-care M-Plan. By owning her awkward, she'll help you to own yours, so that others can own theirs, and together we'll get comfortable feeling uncomfortable and smash the stigma of talking about our mental health.

This book will show you not only how to transform panic into your greatest power and help others to do the same, but also how to turn awkward into your greatest asset yet.

Toxic thoughts, depression, anxiety--our mental mess is frequently aggravated by a chaotic world and sustained by an inability to manage our runaway thoughts. But we shouldn't settle into this mental mess as if it's just our new normal. There's hope and help available to us--and the road to healthier thoughts and peak happiness may actually be shorter than you think.

Backed by clinical research and illustrated with compelling case studies, Dr. Caroline Leaf provides a scientifically proven five-step plan to find and eliminate the root of anxiety, depression, and intrusive thoughts in your life so you can experience dramatically improved mental and physical health.

In just 21 days, you can start to clean up your mental mess and be on the road to wholeness, peace, and happiness.

The book we need NOW to avoid a social recession, Murthy’s prescient message is about the importance of human connection, the hidden impact of loneliness on our health, and the social power of community.

Humans are social creatures: In this simple and obvious fact lies both the problem and the solution to the current crisis of loneliness. In his groundbreaking book, the 19th surgeon general of the United States Dr. Vivek Murthy makes a case for loneliness as a public health concern: a root cause and contributor to many of the epidemics sweeping the world today from alcohol and drug addiction to violence to depression and anxiety. Loneliness, he argues, is affecting not only our health, but also how our children experience school, how we perform in the workplace, and the sense of division and polarization in our society.

But, at the center of our loneliness is our innate desire to connect. We have evolved to participate in community, to forge lasting bonds with others, to help one another, and to share life experiences. We are, simply, better together.

The lessons in Together have immediate relevance and application. These four key strategies will help us not only to weather this crisis, but also to heal our social world far into the future.

• Spend time each day with those you love. Devote at least 15 minutes each day to connecting with those you most care about.
• Focus on each other. Forget about multitasking and give the other person the gift of your full attention, making eye contact, if possible, and genuinely listening.
• Embrace solitude. The first step toward building stronger connections with others is to build a stronger connection with oneself. Meditation, prayer, art, music, and time spent outdoors can all be sources of solitary comfort and joy.
• Help and be helped. Service is a form of human connection that reminds us of our value and purpose in life. Checking on a neighbor, seeking advice, even just offering a smile to a stranger six feet away, all can make us stronger.

During Murthy’s research for Together, he found that there were few issues that elicited as much enthusiastic interest from both very conservative and very liberal members of Congress, from young and old people, or from urban and rural residents alike. Loneliness was something so many people have known themselves or have seen in the people around them. In the book, Murthy also shares his own deeply personal experiences with the subject—from struggling with loneliness in school, to the devastating loss of his uncle who succumbed to his own loneliness, as well as the important example of community and connection that his parents modeled. Simply, it’s a universal condition that affects all of us directly or through the people we love—now more than ever.

A simple, positive, practical toolkit for better mental health, from clinical psychologist and TikTok star Dr Julie Smith.

Drawing on her years of experience as a clinical psychologist, Dr Julie Smith's first book is a must-have handbook for instantly better mental health. Filled with secrets from the therapy room, Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? offerssimple advice, effective strategies and powerful coping techniques to help readers stay positive and resilient no matter what life throws their way.

Written in short, bite-sized entries, in Dr Julie's warm and informal style, a reader can turn straight to the appropriate section depending on the challenge being faced - and immediately find tools to help. From managing anxiety, dealing with criticism or battling low mood, to building self-confidence, finding motivation or learning to forgive yourself, and much more, this book tackles everyday issues that affect us all and offers easy, practical solutions that might just change your life.

Parenting is about to get easier--and a whole lot more effective…

In a time when so many children and young adults seem to be struggling, parents are looking for help in bringing up mentally healthy kids who are equipped to thrive. Finally, evidence-based help is now available for overwhelmed parents who are trying their best but feel like they’re falling short.

#1 New York Times bestselling author and neuropsychiatrist Dr. Daniel Amen and child psychologist Dr. Charles Fay have teamed up to reveal what’s missing from most parenting books. It’s the fact that you need to address both the brain and the mind of your child (and yourself) in order to effectively raise good and strong humans.

In this groundbreaking book where neuroscience meets love and logic, parents are given practical tools to help children of all ages go from behavioral problems like defiance, meltdowns, and power struggles to being:

• Responsible, confident, kind, and resilient
• Better prepared to make good decisions
• More focused and motivated
• Better able to have healthy relationships, and more

Let Dr. Amen and Dr. Fay help you learn how to be the parent you've always dreamed you could be―and raise great kids who are on their way to reaching their full potential, including their best possible mental health.

'The must-have, family handbook - accessible, equipping and game-changing' Anna Mathur, author of Sunday Times bestseller, Mind Over Mother How do you raise a happy, resilient child? How can you best support your kids when they struggle? How should you approach their mental health ups and downs? Dr Beth Mosley is one of the UK’s most experienced and respected consultant clinical psychologists, and she works with children, young people and their families every day. In this evidence-based, realistic and practical guide, she shares the answers to the most commonly asked questions: - What causes anxiety, and how can I control it? - How should you broach difficult conversations with your child around subjects such as low mood or even self-harm? - How can we support each other and communicate better? Happy Families takes an expert, honest and accessible approach to children’s mental health – arming parents and carers with the tools they need to tackle anxiety, low mood and difficult behaviours, as well as the hope and reassurance to actively make a change, with children from ages 4 right up to 21. With techniques based on cutting edge science, evidence developed over twenty years of working in the NHS as well as Dr Beth’s own experience as a mother of three, this book will help parents make sense of what their child is going through - and it will also show them how they help their children to not just survive, but to thrive. 'Easy to read, compassionate and packed full of practical strategies to empower parents' Amber Hatch, author of Mindfulness for Parents

The author offers advice on such matters as mastering emotions, overcoming debilitating habits such as over-eating, drinking and drug abuse, unleashing the hidden power of body and mind, improving personal and professional relationships, and taking control of personal finances.

Your brain is always listening and responding to these hidden influences and unless you recognize and deal with them, they can steal your happiness, spoil your relationships, and sabotage your health. This book will teach you to tame the:

• Dragons from the Past that ignite your most painful emotions;
• Negative Thought Dragons that attack you, fueling anxiety and depression;
• They and Them Dragons, people in your life whose own dragons do battle with yours;
• Bad Habit Dragons that increase the chances you’ll be overweight, overwhelmed, and an underachiever;
• Addicted Dragons that make you lose control of your health, wealth, and relationships;
• Scheming Dragons, advertisers and social media sites that steal your attention.

In Your Brain Is Always Listening, Dr. Daniel Amen shows you how to recognize harmful dragons and gives you the weapons to vanquish them. With these practical tools, you can stop feeling sad, mad, nervous, or out of control and start being happier, calmer, and more in control of your own destiny.

'Extremely compelling' - THE GUARDIAN 'It's a fascinating read... Buy the book! Buy the book!' - JO GOOD, BBC RADIO LONDON 'Searing... funny, eloquent and honest' - PSYCHOLOGIES 'Remarkable... I hope this book finds a wide readership' - WASHINGTON POST 'A beautifully-rendered memoir' - PUBLISHERS WEEKLY 'Often as chilling as Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar, but also full of so much inner and external turbulence that it reminded me at times of The Bourne Identity and Memento. Readers will root for Lily, even when she is attempting to run away from the realities and sometimes authorities chasing her.' - HUFFPOST UK 'A harrowingly honest memoir' - KIRKUS REVIEWS' Because We Are Bad is an emotional, challenging read. Lily takes us deep into the heart of the illness but she is also a deft writer, and even the darkest moments are peppered with wit and wry observations.' - JAMES LLOYD, OCD-UK As a child, Lily Bailey knew she was bad. By the age of 13, she had killed someone with a thought, spread untold disease, and spied upon her classmates. Only by performing a series of secret routines could she correct her wrongdoing. But it was never enough. She had a severe case of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and it came with a bizarre twist. This true story lights up the workings of the mind like Mark Haddon or Matt Haig. Anyone who wants to know about OCD, and how to fight back, should read this book. It is ideal for anyone who liked books by fellow OCD sufferers Bryony Gordon (Mad Girl, Glorious Rock Bottom), Rose Cartwright (Pure), and David Adam (The Man Who Couldn't Stop: The Truth About OCD). EXTRACT Chapter 1: Chesbury Hospital From the outside, Chesbury Hospital in London looks like a castle that got lost and was plonked down in the wrong place. It is long and white, with battlements and arched windows from which princesses could call down, in the chapter before they are saved. But it's not entirely believable. Where the portcullis should be, there are giant glass doors. Walk through them, and you could be in a five-star hotel. The man at reception wears a suit and tie and asks if he can help, like he's going to book you a table. A glass cupboard showcases the gifts sold by reception: bath oils, rejuvenating face cream, and Green & Black's chocolate, just in case you arrive empty-handed to see a crazy relative and need an icebreaker. The walls, lampshades, window fittings, and radiators are all a similar, unnameable colour, somewhere between brown, yellow, and cream. A looping gold chandelier is suspended by a heavy chain; the fireplace has marble columns. The members of staff have busy, preoccupied faces-until they come close to you, when their mouths break into wide, fixed smiles. Compared with the Harley Street clinic, there is a superior choice of herbal teas. When the police arrived after the escape, Mum cried a lot; then she shouted. Now she has assumed a sense of British resolve. She queries: 'Wild Jasmine, Purple Rose, or Earl Grey?' A nurse checks through my bag, which has been lugged upstairs. She takes the razor (fair enough), tweezers (sort of fair enough), a bottle of Baileys lying forgotten in the handbag (definitely fair enough), and headphones (definitely not fair enough). There would never be a hanging: far too much mess. The observation room is next to the nurses' station; they keep you there until you are no longer a risk to yourself. It is 10th January, 2013, and I am 19. ABOUT THE WRITER Lily Bailey is a model, writer, and mental health campaigner. As a child and teenager, Lily suffered from severe Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). She kept her illness private, until the widespread misunderstanding of the disorder spurred her into action. She began campaigning for better awareness and understanding of OCD, and has tried to stop companies making products that trivialise the illness.

This comprehensive manual will help musicians and those working in live music to identify and cope with the various physical and psychological difficulties that can occur during, or as a result of, touring. It covers topics including mental health, peak performance and performance anxiety, addiction, group dynamics, relationship problems, dealing with the media, physical health, diversity and inclusion, crisis management and post-tour recovery. Written by health and performance professionals, this timely and essential book provides robust clinical advice, cutting edge research, practical strategies, resources and detailed illustrations. Each chapter is underpinned with personal recollections from musicians and prominent touring personnel, including Nile Rodgers, Justin Hawkins, Philip Selway, Charles Thompson, Katie Melua , Kieran Hebden, Jake Berry, Tina Farris, Taylor Hanson, Trevor Williams, Lauren Mayberry, Pharoahe Monch, Jim Digby, Will Young, Angie Warner, Dale 'Opie' Skjerseth and many more. Touring and Mental Health is designed to be picked up, put down, read at length and passed around the tour bus.

'Extremely compelling' - THE GUARDIAN 'It's a fascinating read... Buy the book! Buy the book!' - JO GOOD, BBC RADIO LONDON 'Searing... funny, eloquent and honest' - PSYCHOLOGIES 'Remarkable... I hope this book finds a wide readership' - WASHINGTON POST 'A beautifully-rendered memoir' - PUBLISHERS WEEKLY 'Often as chilling as Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar, but also full of so much inner and external turbulence that it reminded me at times of The Bourne Identity and Memento. Readers will root for Lily, even when she is attempting to run away from the realities and sometimes authorities chasing her.' - HUFFPOST UK 'A harrowingly honest memoir' - KIRKUS REVIEWS' Because We Are Bad is an emotional, challenging read. Lily takes us deep into the heart of the illness but she is also a deft writer, and even the darkest moments are peppered with wit and wry observations.' - JAMES LLOYD, OCD-UK As a child, Lily Bailey knew she was bad. By the age of 13, she had killed someone with a thought, spread untold disease, and spied upon her classmates. Only by performing a series of secret routines could she correct her wrongdoing. But it was never enough. She had a severe case of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and it came with a bizarre twist. This true story lights up the workings of the mind like Mark Haddon or Matt Haig. Anyone who wants to know about OCD, and how to fight back, should read this book. It is ideal for anyone who liked books by fellow OCD sufferers Bryony Gordon (Mad Girl, Glorious Rock Bottom), Rose Cartwright (Pure), and David Adam (The Man Who Couldn't Stop: The Truth About OCD). EXTRACT Chapter 1: Chesbury Hospital From the outside, Chesbury Hospital in London looks like a castle that got lost and was plonked down in the wrong place. It is long and white, with battlements and arched windows from which princesses could call down, in the chapter before they are saved. But it's not entirely believable. Where the portcullis should be, there are giant glass doors. Walk through them, and you could be in a five-star hotel. The man at reception wears a suit and tie and asks if he can help, like he's going to book you a table. A glass cupboard showcases the gifts sold by reception: bath oils, rejuvenating face cream, and Green & Black's chocolate, just in case you arrive empty-handed to see a crazy relative and need an icebreaker. The walls, lampshades, window fittings, and radiators are all a similar, unnameable colour, somewhere between brown, yellow, and cream. A looping gold chandelier is suspended by a heavy chain; the fireplace has marble columns. The members of staff have busy, preoccupied faces-until they come close to you, when their mouths break into wide, fixed smiles. Compared with the Harley Street clinic, there is a superior choice of herbal teas. When the police arrived after the escape, Mum cried a lot; then she shouted. Now she has assumed a sense of British resolve. She queries: 'Wild Jasmine, Purple Rose, or Earl Grey?' A nurse checks through my bag, which has been lugged upstairs. She takes the razor (fair enough), tweezers (sort of fair enough), a bottle of Baileys lying forgotten in the handbag (definitely fair enough), and headphones (definitely not fair enough). There would never be a hanging: far too much mess. The observation room is next to the nurses' station; they keep you there until you are no longer a risk to yourself. It is 10th January, 2013, and I am 19. ABOUT THE WRITER Lily Bailey is a model, writer, and mental health campaigner. As a child and teenager, Lily suffered from severe Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). She kept her illness private, until the widespread misunderstanding of the disorder spurred her into action. She began campaigning for better awareness and understanding of OCD, and has tried to stop companies making products that trivialise the illness.

An essential grief guide and recovery workbook for those who have said, "I thought I'd feel better by now."

Grief does not follow a timeline or a set path. It is nonlinear and messy, doubling back on itself just when you thought you were out of the woods. Those who have experienced the loss of a loved one know this unequivocally, but Western society still seems to think that grief should only last six months to a year-tops-when in fact, grief can last throughout a person's entire life and manifest as serious mental health issues, including depression, anxiety, anger, and despair.

The Long Grief Journey, co-written by a psychotherapist and a clinical psychologist who have both worked with grieving individuals for decades, is for the people who are past the acute pain and effects of a sudden loss and are now learning to live beyond that. It is for those who by all appearances seem to have "moved on." They're working, carrying out their responsibilities, showing up for important life events, yet they quietly bear the weight of their sadness and longing for their loved one. There's a name for this type of long-term, unresolved grief. In fact, there are several: complicated grief, traumatic grief, complex bereavement, prolonged grief, extended grief, abnormal grief, exaggerated grief, and pervasive grief disorder. If you feel "stuck" after experiencing the death of a loved one, even if much time has passed, this book is for you.

With exercises, journal prompts, and rituals that will further help readers along their grief path, The Long Grief Journey is designed to educate, support, and coach you to rekindle a desire to live life fully, all while still cherishing and embracing the memories of your loved one.

When Lorraine Gibbard became a Christian, she could not imagine the tumultuous journey that awaited her. A sudden onset of mental illness shattered her successful life and left her feeling lost in a foreign land. Clinging to her new-found faith, she set out on the long journey of recovery. Growing daily in trust and dependence on God, Lorraine began to see how compassionately Jesus viewed those suffering mental distress. As she learnt about prayer and healing, and the nature of God's Kingdom, she was inspired to set up the Mental Health Fellowship. Supporting individuals and their carers for thirteen years, the fellowship demonstrated how mental health services and the church could work together to transform lives. Join Lorraine in discovering Jesus' compassion towards the mentally ill and learn how to offer practical and spiritual support.

A Comprehensive, Holistic Guide to the Conventional Medical and Self-Care Treatments for Anxiety Disorders

In a world that values excess, the pressure to succeed never ends. As a result of our fast-paced and high-stakes society, anxiety can take over our lives.

For approximately 20 million American adults a year, anxiety symptoms such as dizziness, stammering, heart palpitations, trembling, and shaking can be extremely debilitating. Unlike other books on anxiety, this book offers a holistic program that includes not only conventional psychiatric and psychological treatments, but also provides nutrition, fitness, environmental, herbal, stress reduction/healing, and relationship self-care approaches.

"Living Well with Anxiety" contains helpful advice for a wide range of anxiety disorders: social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, and various phobias. With a comprehensive resource section that contains relevant websites and e-mail addresses, audiocassettes and CDs for relaxation, and descriptions of related books, this book provides vital help for anyone experiencing anxiety.