Dr Jane Morris

Consultant Medical Psychotherapist and Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist, Clinical Lead for North of Scotland Managed Clinical Network for Eating Disorders.  Honorary Senior Lecturer (University of Aberdeen)

NHS Grampian

FOCUS AREA OF PRACTICAL/ CLINICAL WORK/RESEARCH

My career has spanned both CAMHS and adult services: I particularly like to work with adolescents and young adults.  I entered the field of eating disorders as one strand in my clinical work and continue to prefer to understand them in the context of the whole person and their culture, rather than to work within artificial and rigid diagnostic boundaries.

Teamwork has been the hallmark of my practice, whether in inpatient outpatient or day patient settings – preferably within networks that span all of these.  Over the last decade I have been working within a specialist eating disorders centre which has helped people when the ED has been complicated by diabetes, substance misuse, trauma, personality disorder, pregnancy, or more ‘atypical’ presentations such as male or older individuals.

I have certainly learned more from discussions with my patients and their families and carers than from reading the research literature.  I hope I have given them more by doing this than by my rather small body of research.  However, I have immense respect for good science.  My own best contribution now may be to write accessible digests of my experience and to participate in public discussion and debate.

PUBLICATIONS/PROJECTS/ACTIVITIES

Journal articles

Willis R, Fuller J, Kathuria L, Khan S, Morris J, et al. (2015) Girls Growing Up: A Feasibility and Acceptability Study to Explore the Antecedents of Anorexia Nervosa in Girls Aged 7 to 17. J Child Adolesc Behav 3:199 doi:10.4172/2375-4494.1000199

Books and book chapters

• Morris, J. (ed) (2008) ABC of Eating Disorders Oxford:Blackwell
•  Morris, J. (2012) ‘Eating Disorders’ in IACAPAD Open Access Online Textbook of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, ed Rey, J
• Morris, J and McKinlay, A. (2018) Multi-disciplinarymanagement of Eating Disorders Springer, with accompanying website/app ‘Anorexiabytes’
• New2 Eating Disorders, ed Morris J, a workbook in association with the Royal College of Psychiatrists – in press

College Reports

• Management of eating disorders in Scotland – briefing.  (2014) Royal College of Psychiatrists in Scotland
• CR 208 Managing transitions when the patient has an eating disorder (2017), Crockett, P, Morris, J & Winston, T
• Contribution to forthcoming update on College Report on The Mental Health of Students in Higher Education (Callender, J)
• Contribution to report on Management of Personality Disorders for Royal College of Psychiatrists in Scotland (Williams, A)

Blogs

• https://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2015/04/23/jane-morris-making-the-glorification-of-anorexia-a-crime/
• https://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2017/04/04/jane-morris-do-school-children-need-happiness-lessons/
• https://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2018/03/15/jane-morris-rising-admissions-for-eating-disorders-we-need-to-close-the-revolving-door-of-treatment-and-relapse/

MOTIVATION/INSPIRATION/MISSION

I have seen from close to, the torment caused by these disorders.  I’m appalled to see the physical damage and early deaths that result, but even more motivated by wanting to relieve the dreadful mental preoccupations and to liberate good and gifted people. Helping families to reclaim their loved ones has also been a very moving part of my work.

As I have become more senior I have (reluctantly) cut down on direct clinical work, so that I can work with colleges, media and government to improve services and inform research.   Since the work itself can often be frustrating and difficult, I have been happiest working within good teams, and with the support of the best secretaries and managers, whose contribution is too often unsung.