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Opinion - Page 2

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The three-body problem

The physics of Cixin Liu’s alien world make it a hazardous place to live, and the consultation can sometimes also feel like a minefield of hidden agendas, competing interests, and impossible choices.
5 January 2026
5 mins read
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Where continuity is key: Primary care in Norway

Patients know their doctor well, benefit from consistency of approach and are understanding if they have to wait slightly longer ... knowing from years of experience that their GP is there for them. This feels like a more traditional primary care model,
20 October 2025
4 mins read

Ketamine: When the Party’s Over

Ketamine, once a niche party drug, is at the centre of a public health crisis. Paul McNamara and Megan Glover argue that we have an opportunity — and a responsibility — to improve awareness, reduce harm, and protect young people from the
17 October 2025
4 mins read

The Consciousness Conundrum

We are embedded in the world, which is shaped by our actions and interactions. Consciousness is not an isolated process but situated within and dependent upon our physical and social environment.
16 October 2025
3 mins read
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Rebuilding the relational core of general practice

General practice is a complex intervention that rests on core relational practice, and is built on continuity, contextual knowledge, and professional competence.  As continuity is disrupted by fragmented care and workload pressures, the relationships that sustain trust become harder to maintain.
15 October 2025
5 mins read

Tackling the problem of quality in peer review

"Peer review remains central to maintaining quality and standards in scientific research. Despite its vital gatekeeping role in academic publishing, peer review itself has only recently become the subject of serious scrutiny, with growing efforts to guide its ethical practice. Less attention,
9 October 2025
3 mins read
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Are we judging GP registrars on their outfits?

Professionalism may not be a discrete domain on the mark scheme, yet it shapes how registrars are assessed, creating a standard that remains open to personal interpretation. And when that interpretation is shaped by assumptions about religion, culture, gender, or identity, attire
8 October 2025
3 mins read
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The anxiety engine

...there’s often this powerful driver behind our consultations that pushes people to present to us, maybe in words that are too frightening to say out loud, maybe in a nebulous wordless sense of angst... Tim Senior examines the anxiety engine.
6 October 2025
2 mins read
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Complexity, demand, and those little white spots

Any system for managing seasonal illness makes certain assumptions, primarily that we are dealing with a seasonal illness rather than something superficially similar but more serious. What are we to do, then, in the face of such uncertainty, especially when general practice
1 October 2025
5 mins read

It’s not the antidepressants, it’s the keys

That’s not to dismiss the value of treatment, but to acknowledge that in some lives, the most potent prescription we can help facilitate isn’t 20 mg of citalopram — it’s a tenancy agreement.
19 September 2025
3 mins read
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Shaking hands again

"We tended to turn door knobs with our elbow or to press elevator’s buttons using our house keys. As time passes, these somehow obsessive behaviours have been gradually abated, but I feel some subconscious concern still remains. In my personal experience, I
17 September 2025
3 mins read
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Getting back in the fight

'It’s just that you’ve been here for a while already and as you say, we’ve covered several things, and I’m just feeling a little overwhelmed by your list of problems.' A consultation through the allegorical lens of science fiction battle armour!
13 September 2025
3 mins read
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Knocking for help: a hidden strain of GP-training

In clinical scenarios that are unfamiliar or require in-person review, trainees are often forced to leave their patients mid-consultation to seek help. The act of “door knocking” i.e interrupting a colleague who is themselves consulting - can feel burdensome. Hana Esack reflects.
1 September 2025
2 mins read
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A Poem : Beyond The Extra Mile.

A poem for the beleaguered, the determined or the stubborn amongst us, who go to work each day and just do the best we can. Rest assured, despite the clamour and noise of unmet expectation, it is enough.
28 August 2025
1 min read
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“AI psychosis”

While not (yet) a formal diagnosis, the term "AI psychosis" or “ChatGPT psychosis” is being used to describe presentations in which delusional or psychotic symptoms centre around interaction with large language models (LLMs).
20 August 2025
2 mins read
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Home is where the heart is?

I'd spoken to so many residents on the phone but I hadn't ever quite got the picture of what the living conditions were like. I did now. The poor chests that never truly recovered from antibiotics, the perennial mental health difficulties -
16 August 2025
4 mins read
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In summer!

"As ever, the articles in Life and Times tell a story, a meta-narrative that shares present realities, draws on the past, and attempts to speculate on the future ..."
1 August 2025
4 mins read
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