Author: preetikaur
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Book Review: Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker
Quote of the book “It is time for us to reclaim our right to a full night of sleep, without embarrassment or the damaging stigma of laziness” 5 key points In the Northern Hemisphere, when the clocks go forward by one hour, there is an increase in the number of heart attacks the next day.…
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Book Review: Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
Quote of the book “It is only a slight exaggeration to say that happiness is the experience of spending time with people you love and who love you.” 5 key points We have two systems for making decisions: System 1 (automatic system) and System 2 (effortful system). It is easier to recognise other people’s mistakes…
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Book Review: When It Is Darkest: Why People Die by Suicide and What We Can Do to Prevent It by Professor Rory O’Connor
Quote of the book “Suicide is not selfish. Characterising suicide as selfish simply adds to the stigma around it. And when stigma increases, help-seeking declines, ignorance flourishes and deaths soar.” 5 key points Suicide is a marker of distress and not attention seeking There is a public health need for more suicide awareness, because of…
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Book Review: because i knew you: How Some Remarkable Sick Kids Healed a Doctor’s Soul by Bob Macauley
Quote of the book “It’s easier to believe that sick kids always get better and death comes only for those who’ve lived a full and fulfilling life.” 5 key points Human presence and connection is a powerful healer at the bedside of those who are at their most vulnerable: “In medicine, the greatest act of…
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Royal College of Psychiatrists International Congress 2025
Conference Reflections In June 2025, thousands of psychiatrists, researchers, and clinicians met in Wales for the Royal College of Psychiatrists International Congress 2025. This is one of the UK’s leading conferences in mental health, exploring emerging challenges, scientific advances, and human experiences at the heart of psychiatry. I was particularly drawn to sessions on insomnia,…
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Book Review: Inglorious Empire: What the British Did to India by Shashi Tharoor
Quote of the book “One of the worst legacies of colonialism is that its ill effects outlasted the Empire” 5 key points The Indian Rupee used to be one of the strongest currencies in the world before British colonialism. When the British arrived in India, India had 25% of the world’s GDP. When the British…
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Book Review: Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
Quote of the book “Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them.” 5 key points Aurelius frequently addresses what can make someone happy or unhappy, such as “those who fail to attend to the motions of their own soul are necessarily unhappy” Another common theme is death and…
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Critique de livre : Nous étions tous des réfugiés d’Alan Gratz (Book Review)
Citation du livre “Les bateaux étaient assez proches pour que les familles puissent se parler, mais impossible de s’approcher davantage.” Je voudrais partager mes pensées et réflexions personnelles à propos du sujet d’être un réfugié et de ce que cela signifie, après avoir lu le livre Nous Étions Tous Des Réfugiés, écrit par Alan Gratz…
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Book Review: The Silk Roads: A New History of the World by Peter Frankopan
Quote of the book “We think of globalisation as a uniquely modern phenomenon; yet 2,000 years ago too, it was a fact of life, one that presented opportunities, created problems and prompted technological advance.” 5 key points The rise of the Mongols was due to their planning, organisation, and goals, rather than a lack of…
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European Psychiatric Association: 33rd European Congress of Psychiatry 2025
Conference reflections The 33rd European Congress of Psychiatry, hosted by the European Psychiatric Association (EPA), took place from April 5-8, 2025, in Madrid, Spain. I am grateful to the Royal College of Psychiatrists for the funding to attend this conference as part of my Rehabilitation and Social Psychiatry award. Under the theme “Towards Real-World Solutions…
