Over the years, the link between mental and physical health has become hard to ignore, but generally it is an area little discussed within medicine and more widely within the public forum. I wanted to write more fully about this, and so in my spare time got to writing about my experiences working as a psychiatrist in a general hospital. I wanted to explain why some people experience the symptoms that they do, and how treating the mind and understandng the patient can help treat their physical health.

What started as an enjoyable hobby gradually took on a life of its own, and soon turned into a book. The book is written for the general public - you can see reviews in The Guardian and Times Literary Supplement - so if you want to understand more about the mind and body, you can order at...