Website NI

TV Psychologist on Intrusive Thoughts What are intrusive thoughts? We know from psychological research findings that we all men and women at some time or other have intrusive and disturbing thoughts. Physical anxiety symptoms like these drive people to seek help from psychologists and psychiatrists because of the potential frightening nature of the thoughts. Some of my GP referrals, young women tell me about intrusive thoughts of being harmed by their boyfriend, or being in a car crash, or drowning on holiday in the Caribbean or wherever. Are they triggered off by anything? It is the intrusive thoughts of anxiety that act as a trigger for an anxiety disorder if they are debilitating and frequent. Each disorder has its own type of intrusive thoughts and they can, in fact, destroy your emotional stability and emotional intelligence. Intrusive thoughts consistently enter your mind against your will. You did not consciously invite them but they come virtually automatically and...

The teenage years is a time of stress conflict and inner turmoil. A time of searching exploring "Who am I?" What am I meant to become and who will help me unravel all the developmental traumas along the way? There are two main forces of adolescence the onset of sexuality and the mandate that teenagers will move away from their parents gradually and from being an infant to childhood and on to adolescence and move further away from their parents. Developmentally the pathways during adolescence are pretty similar for both genders. It's also psychologically normal for teenagers to go through a pathway of unexplainable and often unpredictable social behaviours leaving parents confused and anxious. This leads to parental misperceptions and gross misunderstandings as their beloved children begin to explore their personal and group identities. We know from adolescent research findings that innocuous events such as a mum or dad going into a teenagers room when they are listening t...

The buzz of media presence week after week, the unexpected researchers' calls, the attention-seeking behaviours and so on. I find that the celebrity culture produces in each of them chronic self-consciousness, and in some cases loneliness and self-destructive behaviours. In particular is the loss of privacy and living in and out of hotel rooms and an unstable family life. There is the effect that celebrities have on their fans, can you imagine if this was the case in a years time after Michaela has done the TV circuits. How would teenagers react and could they fully understand the amorality of such criminal acts of behaviour and the confusion it creates in young minds of being a Glamour model after serving a short prison sentence for a major drug crime? She would then experience what we psychologists call “ parasocial interaction” which simply means that whilst the fans all or most will know her story, she will know little about them and the effects on their psychological devel...