Dr. Karen Baikie

Many people find writing is a good way to help overcome depression, especially following a traumatic event in the past, says Karen Baikie, a clinical psychologist and post-doctoral research fellow at the School of Psychiatry at the University of New South Wales. She says psychologists and psychiatrists often recommend it to patients suffering from mild depression.

Baikie is running an online study, through the Black Dog Institute,, that looks at how the subject you write about affects your depression - whether it makes a difference if you write about a traumatic event, a positive event, or just something neutral in your everyday life, neither good nor bad.

Just why writing lifts a person's mood is a bit of mystery, she says.
...
By writing your experiences down, you transfer those memories out of emotional memory into everyday memory, so they become part of the humdrum memories of everyday existence, and less likely to intrude into your conscious thinking, Baikie says.

How much should you write? As much as you want. But psychologists typically recommend a minimum of three to four sessions of 20 minutes to an hour each time. Just one session doesn't seem to work, says Baikie.
...
You don't need to write about it if you don't want to, although one of the advantages of writing is that it allows you to explore places in your life you wouldn't otherwise visit, and there's absolutely no evidence writing about painful experiences does any harm, says Baikie.
...
These writers were doing the same thing but attributing their experiences to fictional characters, says Karen Baikie.

Dr Karen Baikie

Dr Karen Baikie, clinicial research psychologist at the Black Dog Institute and the School of Psychiatry at UNSW, has recently completed research into the health benefits of expressive writing to heal past trauma and internal stress. In a recent Sydney Morning Herald interview (SMH, Nov 10, 2005), Dr Baikie said that there is a growing body of evidence that expressive writing has clear physical and psychological benefits. "Our emotions and our physiology are intimately linked, people who are stressed tend to get more sick. Dr Baikie explained. "The writing seems to relieve internal stress."

Dr Baikie recently presented a seminar, 'Expressive Writing and Mindfulness Techniques', for the Community Christmas Event at the Black Dog Institute premises in Randwick.

Dr Karen Baikie Dr Karen Baikie, clinicial research psychologist at the Black Dog Institute and the School of Psychiatry at UNSW, has recently completed research into the health benefits of expressive writing to heal past trauma and internal stress. In a recent Sydney Morning Herald interview (SMH, Nov 10, 2005), Dr Baikie said that there is a growing body of evidence that expressive writing has clear physical and psychological benefits. "Our emotions and our physiology are intimately linked, people who are stressed tend to get more sick." Dr Baikie explained. "The writing seems to relieve internal stress."

Dr Baikie recently presented a seminar, 'Expressive Writing and Mindfulness Techniques', for the Community Christmas Event at the Black Dog Institute premises in Randwick.

Dr Karen Baikie

Many people are naturally drawn to write about their life, through private journaling, creative writing, or even publishing their work. In particular, people who suffer from depression or who have experienced difficult life events often find that writing can be a way to help them deal with these experiences. Dr Karen Baikie (pictured right), Professor Kay Wilhelm and a team of researchers with the School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, located at the Black Dog Institute, are investigating whether certain kinds of writing may be beneficial for people in managing their moods, stress levels and their physical health.

Many people find writing is a good way to help overcome depression, especially following a traumatic event in the past, says Karen Baikie, a clinical psychologist and post-doctoral research fellow at the School of Psychiatry at the University of New South Wales. She says psychologists and psychiatrists often recommend it to patients suffering from mild depression.

Dr Karen BaikieWriting About Your EmotionsJanuary 2006

Dr Karen Baikie, clinicial research psychologist at the Black Dog Institute and the School of Psychiatry at UNSW, has recently completed research into the health benefits of expressive writing to heal past trauma and internal stress.In a recent Sydney Morning Herald interview (SMH, Nov 10, 2005), Dr Baikie said that there is a growing body of evidence that expressive writing has clear physical and psychological benefits."Our emotions and our physiology are intimately linked, people who are stressed tend to get more sick."Dr Baikie explained."The writing seems to relieve internal stress."

Dr Baikie recently presented a seminar, 'Expressive Writing and Mindfulness Techniques', for the Community Christmas Event at the Black Dog Institute premises in Randwick.