17th February 2021
Written by Olivia Fretwell In our last blog post, we discussed Functional Neurological Disorder (FND). This is defined by the NHS (2018) as a disorder of “medically unexplained symptoms”. Symptoms may be for example sensory loss, tremors, paralysis or even non-epileptic attacks/seizures. These are caused by the malfunctioning of the nervous system; the nervous system More…
31st January 2021
Definition(s) The diagnostic criteria for Functional Neurological Disorder, as stated in the Diagnostic Statistical Manual (DSM-5), are as follows: i) “One or more symptoms of altered voluntary motor or sensory function; ii) clinical findings provide evidence of incompatibility between the symptoms and recognised neurological or medical conditions; iii) the symptom or deficit is not better More…
24th December 2020
Written by Olivia Fretwell. There is an ever increasing body of research surrounding the link between playing contact sport and going on to develop Dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases later in life, especially in sports such as rugby, football and American football. After reading Steve Thompson’s moving interview in The Times, I wanted to find More…
2nd December 2020
Written by Olivia Fretwell. I had the opportunity to speak with Fran Hill who is the Founder and Director of South Coast Fatigue. They are an independent specialist fatigue management service. She provided a very insightful overview of what they offer, who and how they treat clients, as well as how they have More…
7th August 2020
Written By Olivia Fretwell. E-scooters – E for effective or excruciating? Overnight, electric scooters appeared everywhere and anywhere we looked; dividing public opinion in the process. Some saw them as a danger to pedestrians and other road users, particularly as some users were without a license and lacked sufficient road knowledge. The scooters’ silent nature More…
30th July 2020
Written by Olivia Fretwell. In 2018, I wrote my A level Extended Project Qualification on prolonging life and the elderly. My key question was “where will it all end?” I considered several different perspectives on the extension of someone’s physical life as they aged, however this was leading to issues related to their cognition and More…
20th May 2020
Hosted by the Mental Health Foundation, Mental Health Awareness Week 2020 will be running from the 18th to the 24th May. The theme this year is ‘kindness’, and with the world turned upside down due to the current COVID-19 pandemic this couldn’t be more fitting. More now than ever we need to express kindness to others More…
13th May 2020
As with most polytrauma cases, Ravi’s injuries were complex and cumulative in their effects. Most obviously, his reduced mobility and eye patch were the most visible ‘scars’ of the assault he had experienced whilst out socialising with friends in the run up to last Christmas. When I met Ravi last month he was a strikingly More…
27th April 2020
I feel I should prefix this curmudgeonly polemic with an important caveat – I too have experienced the benefits of lockdown. These have included: We can now see our back garden (who knew!!!!) My mother can now not only Facetime, but will also happily discuss the relative benefits of this platform over the alternatives (seismic progress for a More…
20th March 2020
Whether it’s your mum, nan, granny, favourite aunt, teacher, or friend- the women in our lives shape and define the people we become, our behaviours we display and the lives we lead. Regardless of whether it is a product of our genetic make-up or the environment which we are raised, there can be no question More…