Hungry for Love and Understanding 

The following is a shortened version of a review in the Australasian Journal of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Volume 39 issues 1&2. Review of A Dangerous Daughter by Bernadette Rosbrook (Dina Davis, Cilento, 2021) Hungry for Love and Understanding  A Dangerous Daughter (2021) is Dina Davis’ semi-autobiographical account of a young teenager’s struggle with anorexia nervosa in suburban middle-class Australia in the 1950s, and of the psychoanalytic treatment […]

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Author Spotlight

I am honoured to be the subject of this month’s “author spotlight” in the newsletter of the NT Writers’ Centre, March 2023. Since arriving in Darwin in the late nineties I’ve been involved with its writers’ centre, and was elected to its Board five years ago. As the current Vice-President I am working to increase First Nations representation both on […]

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An Interview from the NT Writers’ Festival 2022

I was fortunate to be interviewed by fellow author Renée McBryde (Unravelling Us) for Red Kangaroo Books at this year’s NTWFestival. You can watch the interview here: https-//youtu.be/ACOPO87kFd8 2.webloc About Red Kangaroo Books in Mparntwe (Alice Springs NT) Dina Davis and Renée McBryde, both NT Authors, chat about the beauty of fiction, the use of imagination, the reinvention of self, […]

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Can genetic research help us improve treatment outcome for eating disorders?

Like many other survivors who still bear the scars of Anorexia Nervosa, I am incredibly grateful for the research into this disease showing that it has a strong genetic component. This study was the first of its kind to show that an individual’s DNA may be useful as an adjunct tool in clinical care. More specifically, if findings from genetic studies become more robust through larger sample sizes, genetic information may help us identify individuals who are at greatest risk for developing a severe or enduring illness. HERE IS THE ARTICLE FROM “EXCHANGES” SCIENTIFIC JOURNAL, JUY 2022: by Therese Johansson, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden Eating disorders arise from a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Eating disorders affect millions of people around the world, are life-disrupting, and in some cases can be life-threatening. Unfortunately, no easy test exists, like a blood test, that can tell us if someone has an eating disorder.  Recent studies led by Karolinska Institutet, UNC CEED, and King’s College London compared the DNA of people with and without (typical) anorexia nervosa and identified regions in the human DNA that differ between individuals with anorexia nervosa and those without [1]. This has helped us understand the underlying biology of the disorder and has the potential to further help us identify people at risk for poor outcome. Another somewhat surprising result of these studies was that low body mass index (BMI) and anorexia nervosa share genetics, indicating that people […]

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Readers’ Feedback

I am always happy to receive feedback from my readers, whether positive or otherwise, provided it’s honest and respectful. Here are some of the many responses I’ve had from the “chat” form on my website. If you have anything to say about either of my books, or any of my articles, I’d be delighted to hear from you. SImply go […]

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