A new report published by the UK Drug Policy Commission criticises the police in the UK for being too heavy handed with arrests of drug dealers. The study maintains that drug dealers are easily replaced and a better policy would be better treatment for addicts and dealers alike.
A study in the British Journal of Psychology maintains that women and men use different pathways in the brain and therefore see things differently.
A Canadian study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine warns of the risks for elderly diabetics who take antipsychotic drugs for dementia. These patients over 66 years of age have a higher hospitalisation rate due to higher blood glucose levels known as hyperglycemia.
A new survey from the Time to Change campaign has found that most British citizens would either cancel or change their holiday plans rather than share the trip with a friend who has a mental illness. Such is the stigma still associated with mental health problems, people would rather go away with a friend who had a criminal record.
Scientists at the University of Liverpool have published interim results of a study in the New England Journal of Medicine that suggest the anti-epilepsy drug has an effect on the IQ of children. Children aged three years and below, born to women who took the drug sodium valproate whilst pregnant, are likely to have an IQ which is lower than the average by six to nine points.
The outgoing chief executive of the charity Combat Stress, Commodore Toby Elliott, has ctiticised the care given to veterans of Afghanistan and Iraq who are suffering mental health problems, particularly post traumatic stress disorder. The charity which treats veterans with psychological problems has 300 former personnel under its care at the present time. Commodore Elliot stated that the NHS provides care for less than half the 9000 patients registered with the charity and that the six pilot NHS schemes were inadequate.
A report, Coercion and Consent, published by the Mental Health Act Commission (MHCA), now part of the Care Quality Commission has stated that mental health care is still variable from service to service and patients have the right to a better standard of care. A third of the mental health patients who committed suicide, where supposed to be under surveillance according to the report. The Care Quality Commission has responded to the report voicing its own major concerns.
Department of Health statistics reveal an alarming increase of 14% in 2007/08 in admittances to hospital of children for drug overdoses. There were 827 cases for all drugs compared to 724 in 2003/4. Cocaine rose dramatically by 140%, however cannabis bucked the trend declining slightly.
Much research has gone into finding a genetic link between schizophrenia and diabetes as schizophrenics are at four times the risk for Type 2 diabetes. The search will continue as a new study published online ahead of print in Trends in Microbiology has found no link with the PPARG gene. Researchers from Utah State University and John Hopkins University have collaborated and conducted a study which appears to demonstrate that a close relationship between a dementia suffer and their caregiver can impede the acceleration of the disease.
New official government figures reveal that as many as seventeen people are being admitted to hospital accident and emergency departments every week as a result of taking cocaine. According to UN figures the UK has the largest usage of cocaine in Europe, with an estimated million people inhaling the drug. The price of cocaine has fallen and doctors say this could increase usage and in turn increase the likelihood of accidental overdoses.
Finnish researchers have conducted a study into drugs used for schizophrenia. Their findings indicate that an older drug, the antipsychotic drug Clozapine may be safer than newer drugs despite its side effects. The research published in The Lancet maintains that newer drugs are a higher cause of premature death.
Statistics released by the Department of Health reveal that suicides rates in England are at an all time low in England. The Care Services Minister Phil Hope announced the publication of the annual report on suicide prevention which draws on data from 2007. He also announced the imminent publication of a new strategy for mental health: New Horizons which will "will focus on promoting positive mental health and wellbeing"
A report by The Future Vision Coalition, a group formed from members of charities, Local Government and Adult Social Services, aims to influence Government policy on mental health. A Future Vision for Mental Health addresses four key areas for reform.
An amino acid supplement could be the answer in helping people with the impulse disorder Trichotillomania. This supplement has already had promising results with people who suffer with obsessive compulsive disorders. The 12 week trial involved fifty patients either taking the pill or a placebo; with a 56% improvement in those taking the supplement. The findings have been published in the Archives of General Psychiatry.
Data from 91 studies involving nearly 8000 people was analysed by researchers from Illinois and Florida Universities giving new insights in people's attitudes to information that conflicts with their own beliefs. The study published in the journal Psychological Bulletin reflected that while people still often ignore views which contradict their own, there are occasions when a person will prefer to investigate other opinions.
There has been much research supporting the theory that psychosis or schizophrenia prevalence is increased by cannabis usage. In a new online study in advance of publication in the journal Schizophrenia Research, UK scientists at Keele University refute this with findings following a systematic review.
Three new studies have opened up the possibilty of new treatments for bipolar disorder, commonly known as manic depression, and schizophrenia. The research, reported in the journal Nature, identified similar genetic causes for both illnesses. However the scientists involved have stated that the break through does not mean cures for either condition have been identified.
