Section of General Hospital Psychiatry

The main aim of our section is to examine the interactions between mind and body; the body and the mind. We examine this issue by looking at a very broad range of people with a variety of illnesses.

For example, some of our more recent research has looked at how a person's moods, thoughts and behaviours can affect how quickly he or she recovers from surgery or from glandular fever, or how well they cope with HIV or diabetes. We also have a particular interest in researching the causes and treatment of complex illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome, Gulf War illnesses and sensitivities to multiple chemicals or electromagnetic fields; illnesses which are often debilitating but which currently lack any adequate medical explanation. Our general approach is broadly epidemiological, using large cohorts such as service personnel from the Gulf War, birth cohorts or population cohorts, together with the results of randomised controlled trials of treatment of chronic fatigue, irritable bowel syndrome and other related syndromes.

We also have an interest in the assessment of mental capacity in various settings. Staff may come from an epidemiological background, but we also include qualititative researchers, cognitive behavioural psychologists, historians and clinicians.