Specialities

Dr McPhillips is dually-qualified in General Adult Psychiatry and Addictions Psychiatry. He diagnoses and treats a wide range of psychiatric conditions, including:

• Addictions (drugs, alcohol, tobacco, gambling and others)
• Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) [See definition]
Definition

Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Society expects adults to be focused, organised, reliable. ADHD militates against this. While the symptoms are easy to recognise in children – particularly at school – they’re harder to spot in adults, who tend to develop ways of disguising and denying them. ADHD has been ever-present in their lives, but before the 1990s, it was rarely picked up.

So the challenge in adults is to persuade them to acknowledge the problem and understand that with the right support and medication, they can manage the symptoms and transform their lives.

• Anxiety and panic attacks
• Bipolar Disorder [See definition]
Definition

Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar Disorder is a mental illness characterised by severe mood swings from high energy (over-excitement, irritability or hostility) to low energy (depression), with periods of equilibrium in between. It makes the sufferer difficult to live and work with.

Fortunately it’s a well-supported condition, with a wide range of medications to suit the different needs and responses of sufferers, along with talking therapies and support groups.

• Depression
• Eating disorders
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) [See definition]
Definition

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
At its most extreme, OCD can take over the sufferer’s life. It could be very apparent to others – such as compulsive cleaning – or a secret problem, such as a recurring dark thought. Some of these obsessions, like fear of contamination, can effectively imprison sufferers.

Anti-depressants have been the most effective medications for OCD, when combined with talking therapies like CBT.

• Personality disorders [See definition]
Definition

Personality disorders
Personality disorders come in many forms, but have this in common: sufferers don’t respond normally to other people, to whom they can appear inexplicably aggressive, suspicious, anxious or emotional.

There are no medications specifically designed for personality disorders, but I will work with you to find the right one for you, in combination with a talking therapy.

• Phobias
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) [See definition]
Definition

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) 
PTSD is a disorder stemming from direct experience of a traumatic event or period. Certain triggers make the sufferer replay and relive the experience, with occasional panic attacks.

Even decades after the original trauma, it’s never too late to seek help, which may include group therapy, medication or eye movement treatment – a relatively new solution which has proved surprisingly effective.

• Complex PTSD [See definition]
Definition

Complex PTSD
While PTSD is generally a reaction to single traumatic event, Complex PTSD refers to an extended period of trauma – often in childhood – and is a constant presence rather than episodic, making the sufferer distrustful and detached, even from their own family.

But there is a way back. Through medication, gradual lifestyle changes and trauma-based therapy, the patient can begin to develop trust, self-worth and optimism.

• Psychosis [See definition]
Definition

Psychosis
Psychosis is caused by chemical imbalances in the brain which can create delusions and hallucinations, leaving the sufferer feeling detached from society and unable to function.

Medication will relieve the symptoms of the psychosis and, to reduce chances of relapsing, I usually proscribe continuing with it for at least a year, along with psychotherapy treatments like CBT to identify triggers and develop coping strategies.

• Relationship problems

Shared care and emergencies

Dr McPhillips maintains close working relationships with a range of psychologists and therapists in the UK and abroad. He is able to access private inpatient, day patient and outpatient treatment for patients in London and the rest of the UK – and emergency admission if necessary – but also refers to clinics and specialists in the USA, Switzerland, South Africa, Spain, Portugal, France, and Australia.

He treats his own inpatients at the Nightingale, a large private general psychiatric hospital in Marylebone, Central London. He also works closely with CHARTER Harley Street, who he recommends for patients in London in need of daycare treatment for all forms of addiction, eating disorders, trauma and relationship problems.