A young person who was treated at Newbridge has turned to her creative talents during lockdown to raise money for the eating disorders charity, Beat. Hannah, who is 19, has launched her own handmade jewellery line, aptly named ‘feed beads’, which has been so successful that she raised £700. Her supportive sister, who used to regularly visit Newbridge while she was in treatment, has achieved match funding from The Pavers Foundation, the charitable facet of Pavers, the shoe company. Together, they have raised a total of £1,400. “While she was at Newbridge, my sister was often doing all sorts of ..read more

Rachel Matthews, Hospital Manager, discusses the balance of keeping the unit Covid secure while also maintaining family relationships. The onset of the Covid pandemic raised some very difficult questions for inpatient mental health services. Many units took the decision to close to all visitors and to suspend all home leave for several months, meaning children and teenagers could only have contact with their parents via video calls. “We felt this wasn’t an option,” says Rachel. “For a child who is already feeling anxious about the pandemic to have face-to-face family cut off seemed like a very ..read more

Newbridge’s treatment programme to address compulsive exercise has been published by an international journal. A manualised group therapy approach developed at Newbridge is effective at reducing compulsive exercise, an international journal report shows. The journal, Eating and Weight Disorders – Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity, has published a paper on the Newbridge programme in its April 2020 edition. Compulsive exercise is defined as a rigid approach to exercise, with high levels of anxiety if not followed and harmful effects. Excessive and compulsive exercise is recognised as a co ..read more

In our service at Newbridge, we have experience of working with young people who have an eating disorder together with a gender identity which is different to their assigned identity from birth (or expressed difficulties with their biological gender). The relationship between the experience of transgender people and eating disorders is not yet fully understood, but through our work with a small cohort of patients, we can make some observations about issues raised and the treatment pathway. Puberty delay In the UK, the current average age for the onset of puberty is age 11 for girls and age 12 ..read more

The 12th Newbridge Masterclass brought a focus on emotional regulation and new cognitive tools to support people experiencing difficulties. Delivered by Gerard Butcher, Assistant Professor at the Department of Psychiatry, Trinity College Dublin, the training examined the role of self-criticism, shame and guilt in the development and maintenance of eating disorders. “Some people with eating disorders are not connecting enough with their emotional state, and equally others are over-connecting with their emotional state,” said Mr Butcher. “As we recognise, we cannot leave emotional regulation out ..read more

Pervasive refusal syndrome is a severe condition which is significantly different to anorexia nervosa, although some symptoms may seem similar. The characteristics of persuasive refusal syndrome are: Refusal of food and drink Social withdrawal (this may mean complete silence) Partial or complete lack of self-care Partial or complete refusal to walk or mobilise in any way Pervasive refusal syndrome is also known as pervasive arousal withdrawal syndrome (PAWS) and was first described by the psychiatrist Professor Bryan Lask who urged professionals to understand the sufferer’s silence as the only ..read more

Newbridge House is the focus of a forthcoming BBC radio feature entitled THE TRUTH BEHIND, exploring eating disorders and our service. A parent of a young person treated at Newbridge describes their family’s experience, together with interviews with our dietitian, clinical manager, assistant psychologist and occupational therapist. The feature will be aired on the Caroline Martin show on BBC Radio WM on Tuesday, September 3 at 1 pm to 2 pm. Lasting up to one hour, the feature will explore how eating disorders develop, what families and professionals should look out for and what to do. Newbridg ..read more

The 12th Newbridge House Masterclass will focus on new cognitive tools which have been demonstrated to effectively address negative emotional states. Gerard Butcher, Assistant Professor at the Department of Psychiatry, Trinity College Dublin, will lead the Masterclass, taking place on Tuesday, October 8th, 2019. The Newbridge House Masterclass series is a renowned forum, providing access to training by internationally recognised specialists within their field. The forthcoming Masterclass will focus on two emerging therapies: Integrative Cognitive-Affective Therapy (ICAT) and Compassion-Focusse ..read more

By Rachel Matthews, Hospital Manager, Newbridge House Body image is defined as the perception a person has about their own body and the thoughts and feelings arising from that perception. Body image issues are very common, manifesting in different ways: for example, a person may be under-weight but believes they are fat. Very commonly, people have body image issues expressed in high levels of self-criticism of their physical appearance and distress when they see themselves in photographs. In this article, we will consider the following questions and themes around body image issues: What can ca ..read more

How did you feel about leaving Newbridge? I could not wait to go back home. I was perhaps a bit unusual in that although I was very poorly when I was admitted, being at Newbridge was like flicking a switch. I did everything that I needed to do to work towards discharge as soon as possible. I spent three months in Newbridge and left just before my 18th birthday. What did you do to prepare and what helped? I wrote lists of little things I could do when I got home because I’m the kind of person who needs to be occupied. Often, we end up thinking about the ‘big’ things like going to university or ..read more