Minding Matters

Mental Health Bulletin No. 331

2012-01-23T08:38:00.002Z

The latest edition, no. 331, of the mental health and social care bulletin is now available to download

Pregnancy and SSRIs

2012-01-16T10:39:00.006Z

A Swedish study has found that depressed pregnant women who are prescribed antidepressants called SSRIs (selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors) such as Prozac have a slightly elevated risk of a newborn having raised blood pressure in its lungs. The research which analysed data of 1 million births from five Nordic countries was published online in the BMJ.

Read the full article
Read the original research

Mental Health & Social Care Bulletin No. 330

2012-01-16T08:50:00.002Z

The latest edition, No. 330 of the mental health bulletin is available to download now.

First Mental Health Bulletin of 2012

2012-01-09T08:31:00.004Z

The first bulletin, no. 329, of 2012 is a bumper edition and packed with news, research, publications and conferences covering all aspects of mental health and social care

A Happy New Year to everyone from all of us at EPHRU!

Christmas edition of the mental health bulletin

2011-12-23T10:33:00.002Z

The Christmas edition, no. 328, of the mental health bulletin is available to download now.

Happy Chritmas to you one and all

Mental Health Bulletin No. 327

2011-12-19T07:57:00.004Z

The pre-Christmas edition, no. 327, of the mental health and social care bulletin is available to download now. There will be a mini bulletin on Friday 23rd

Debt impinging upon mental health

2011-12-12T09:46:00.004Z

In the report "A nation living on the never-never" by The Smith Institute on the state of the nation's debt, a chapter by Sean Duggan, chief executive of the Mental Health Centre, is devoted to the interplay between debt and mental health. Duggan states that mental health services should acknowledge the need for financial advice and likewise financial services should be aware of the mental health problems aligned to debt.

Mental health and abortion

2011-12-12T09:28:00.004Z

Having an abortion does not increase the chances of becoming depressed when a woman is experiencing an unwanted pregnancy. Giving birth in these circumstances produced the same numbers of depressed women according to figures published by the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health (NCCMH) on behalf of the Department of Health. NCCMH analysed 44 studies but commented that it was unclear whether all the women included in the studies became depressed as a result of unwanted pregnancy or whether some had mental health problems to begin with.

Read the full article
Read the original report

Mental Health Bulletin No. 326

2011-12-12T08:36:00.003Z

No. 326 of the mental health bulletin is now available to view on the website. Packed with new research, news, publications and conferences

Gambling link to Psychosis

2011-12-06T13:52:00.004Z

A study by Spanish researchers published in Comprehensive Psychiatry suggests that mentally ill patients who suffer from psychosis are more likely to have an addiction to gambling compared to those suffering from other conditions. Pathological gambling has always been linked to conditions such as alcoholism but little research has been done in the past on its comorbidity with psychosis.

Read the full article
Read the original abstract

Mental Health Bulletin No, 325

2011-12-02T13:52:00.003Z

Mental Health Bulletin No. 325 is ready to download ahead of schedule

Mental Health Bulletin No. 324

2011-11-28T07:59:00.002Z

The latest edition , no. 324, of the Mental Health & Social Care Current Awareness Bulletin in now available on the EPHRU website. Full of the latest news, research, publications and conferences

Early warning on dementia

2011-11-18T13:42:00.003Z

It is estimated that six out of ten cases of dementia in England go undiagnosed, DH notes, as it launches a campaign to raise awareness of the early signs and symptoms of the condition. Based on a pilot run in the North West and Yorkshire and Humberside NHS areas, this campaign comprises TV, radio and print advertisements.

Flawed care in the community

2011-11-10T12:30:00.000Z

A report from the Centre for Social Justice has condemned community services for mental health as unfinished and flawed and failing the people for whom they were designed for. The lack of sufficient community care services is resulting in patients being sent inappropriately to hospitals that are not providing the required treatments.

Read the full article
Read the report

Mental Health Bulletin No. 323

2011-11-03T12:28:00.003Z

Ahead of schedule, EPHRU Library's Mental Health Bulletin No. 323 is now available for viewing and downloading.

Mental Health Bulletin No. 322

2011-10-31T08:07:00.003Z

EPHRU Library has published the latest edition no. 322, of the mental health and social care bulletin. Another week's round-up of the news, research, publications and conferences

Mental Health Bulletin No. 321

2011-10-20T11:54:00.005+01:00

The latest edition. no. 321, of the mental health and social care current awareness bulletin is available ahead of schedule. This weekly round has news, research, publications and conferences on all aspects of mental health and social care.

Social phobia a reality

2011-10-19T14:51:00.003+01:00

A US study of teenagers published in the journal Pediatrics, concludes that social phobia is a bona fide serious mental condition rather than just shyness.The authors point out that this condition can occur in people who are not naturally shy in other ways. They hope this research will dispel the myth that social phobia is a made up condition.

Read the full article
Read the original abstract

Mental Health Bulletin No. 320

2011-10-14T13:40:00.002+01:00

The 320th issue of the Mental Health & Social Care Bulletin is now available to download. Go to the Local Additions section for information about free mental health iPhone apps

Double boost to fight stigma

2011-10-14T08:09:00.004+01:00

The long running campaign that aims to stamp out the stigma attached to mental illness, Time to Change, has received a £20 million injection. The Department of Health has pledged £16 million and Comic Relief has also donated £4 million. The care services minister made the announcement on Monday 10th October, World Mental Health Day.

Read the full article

Lack of mental health sevices for female prisoners

2011-10-13T14:13:00.004+01:00

A joint inspection by probation, prisons and Crown Prosecution Service inspectorates has found that community mental services for female prisoners are extremely poor and in 53% of cases services were unsatisfactory

Read the full article

World Mental Health Day

2011-10-10T09:00:00.003+01:00

Today is World Mental Health day. Visit the WFMH site

Mental Health Bulletin No. 319

2011-10-10T07:51:00.003+01:00

The 319th edition of the mental health and social care bulletin is published today. Crammed with up todate information and research. 8 new publications included

Class A Drug treatment declines

2011-10-06T14:39:00.002+01:00

The number of people beginning treatment for dependancy on cocaine and heroin fell substantially from 2008/9 numbers according to the National Treatment Agency for Substance Abuse. The greatest decline was in the under 30's age group. This has been seen as a positive indiction of the way drug dependancy is being dealt with and not a lack of services precluding addicts from gaining help

Read the full article
Read the report

Mental Health Bulletin No. 318

2011-10-03T08:27:00.003+01:00

The 318 issue of the Mental Health and Social Care Current Awareness Bulletin is out today. It is packed with all the usual topics in both the research and news sections. The website page has been revamped. There are new conferences too.

Read the bulletin

A new dedicated clinic for Club Drugs

2011-09-28T10:52:00.003+01:00

A new clinic dedicated to combating addiction to "Club" drugs such as ecstasy and ketamine has opened up in West London at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. A similar clinic was opened in 2009 at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLAM). It is hoped that the new clinic will be instrumental in preventing users of club drugs from progressing onto cocaine and heroin

Read the full article

More say for the Learning Disabled needed

2011-09-28T10:11:00.003+01:00

Mencap has criticised the ability of health professionals to understand, due to a lack of adequate training, the Mental Capacity Act and to then apply it to people with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD). As a direct result people with PMLD have too little involvement in the decision-making surrounding their care. After a three year collaboration with four other services Mencap have now published a guidance toolkit on their website: Involve Me

Read the full article

Barriers to ethnic carers uptake of dementia services

2011-08-26T12:40:00.009+01:00

A study in International Psychogeriatrics journal investigated why carers of ethnic minority dementia sufferers were significantly later in obtaining medical help compared to non ethnic carers. The authors concluded that traditional beliefs surrounding the duty of the family to look after its members prevented carers from seeking specialist help. The researchers also concluded that interventions were required that would break down the barriers to ethnic carers accessing specialist help.

Read the original abstract

"Alarming" NHS child eating disorder statistics

2011-08-01T14:21:00.003+01:00

NHS figures just released show a sharp increase in children being treated for eating disorders. In England 2000 children were treated with 197 under the age of 13 being admitted to hospital. The figures from 35 hospitals were procured under the Freedom of Information Act.

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Teenage abstinence or economy of truth?

2011-07-28T14:46:00.009+01:00

Figures released by by the NHS Information Centre reveal that there has been a decrease in smoking, drinking and drug taking by teenagers. The data for 2009-2011 was procured from a survey conducted on 7,264 11- 15 year olds from 246 schools

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Antidepressant use on the increase

2011-07-20T08:04:00.003+01:00

The Office of National Statistics has released Social Trends 41. Included in this comprehensive set of data is mental health information. The report gives figures that show the use of antidepressants has risen dramatically since 1991. In that year 9 million prescriptions were authorised, but by 2009 it had risen to 39.1 million. The data also shows that in England in the period of 2009-10, 11% of the population was diagnosed with depression.

Read the full article
Read the report

Male Eating Disorders Unrecognised

2011-07-13T14:01:00.003+01:00

According to the Royal College of General Practitioners eating disorders are going undetected in men. Apparently a doctor when faced with an abnormally thin male is likely to diagnose depression rather than anorexia or bullimia. Although NHS figures register a 66% rise in the past ten years in men being admitted to hospital for eating disorders, the charity BEAT says the NHS does not keep statistics for non-hospitalised sufferers and this could be the tip of the iceberg.

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The failure of drug treatment policies

2011-06-20T14:44:00.003+01:00

The coalition government has indicated that it wants to radically change the way drug addicts are treated. In the wake of this the Centre for Policy Studies, a Conservative party linked think tank, has concurred that the present methods are not working. It recommends that methadone prescribing and benefits funding that cost around £3.6bn per year be replaced with a rehabilitation programme

Read the full article
Read the original report

Parents, teenagers and drinking

2011-06-17T10:19:00.004+01:00

A survey carried out on behalf of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has highlighted the influence of parental drinking habits on their offspring. It appears that even moderate parental overindulgence can affect teenage attitudes what is acceptable limits of intake

Read the full article

Family support includes brothers and sisters

2011-06-17T10:04:00.004+01:00

Statistics gathered by the mental health charity Rethink have found that support for the siblings of people with mental illness is an area that needs addressing. In the case of 20% of the participants of the survey, there was no support at all. This had a detrimental effect on the mental health of the siblings themselves

Read the full article

No value in early autism screening

2011-06-13T14:03:00.004+01:00

A new review of the literature recommends, inspite of US practice, that there is no value in screening very young children for autism. The authors of the study published in Pediatrics report that more harm than good might be achieved as misdiagnosis is common. Furthermore with no cure or adequate support in place little is gained by screening

Read the full article
Read the original abstract

Leptin and depression

2011-06-08T13:59:00.002+01:00

The hormone Leptin has been linked to levels of depression in women. Leptin controls appetite and women who had higher amounts of this hormone showed lower levels of depression. Body Mass Index played no part in the results of this research which is being presented at The Endocrine Society's 93rd Annual Meeting in Boston

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Self harm in Wales on the rise

2011-05-04T14:41:00.002+01:00

A study commissioned by the Welsh Assembly: 2011 Children and Young People’s Wellbeing Monitor for Wales has shown that self harm is on the rise amonst young people in Wales. The charity YoungMinds commented on the findings intimating that the actual figures were probably higher than those cited in the report. However the stuiy found that drinking and smoking in young people is still declining.

Read the full BBC article
Read the report

Hope for new Alzheimer's treatments

2011-05-03T14:37:00.003+01:00

The Alzheimer's Society have announced that their research programme could lead to new treatments for dementia in the next ten years. It is hoped the program Drug Discovery will find ways of delaying dementia and also alleviating the severity more effectively

Read the full article

Depression, GPs and confidence

2011-04-15T15:02:00.006+01:00

A newly published survey gives an eye-opening insight into the way depression is managed by GPs. The survey was conducted as a part of the"There's more to depression" campaign. The research found that although 96% of GPs try to ascertain the severity of a patient's depression at the initial diagnosis, their confidence in managing depression from then on drops, and only 11% of GPs felt they had the expertise to give expert advice. Read the full article

Appealing against detention under the Mental Health Act

2011-03-31T14:42:00.005+01:00

The personal experiences of patients appearing before the First-tier Tribunal (Mental Health), formerly the Mental Health Review Tribunal have been collated into an innovatative report commissioned by the Administrative Justice and Tribunals Council (AJTC) and the Care Quality Commission (CQC). 150 interviews were conducted with patients who had appealed against being detained under the Mental Health Act. It is the first time that such information has been available Read the full article Read the report

New campaign to combat stigma

2011-03-25T14:01:00.003Z

Time to Change is launching a new campaign to tackle the stigma surrounding mental illness. The campaign "It's time to talk, it's time to change" comes in the wake of the results of an online survey which revealed the reluctance of people who had had mental health problems to discuss this openly.

Read the full article

SLaM's dual OCD trials

2011-02-25T11:39:00.003Z

The Obsessive Compulsive Disorder service for children and adolescents run by SLaM (South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust) is the only one in the country that provides this range of treatments. It is currently running two trials which they hope will improve outcomes. One is assessing Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) delivered by telephone and the other is investigating the prescribing of the drug D-Cycloserine.

Read the full article

Robbing Peter to pay Paul?

2011-02-25T11:17:00.003Z

Mental health leaders are warning that adult mental health and social care services are at risk in the rush to address the targets for child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS). The government strategy No Health without Mental Health states that it is proven early intervention in childhood reduces mental health problems in adulthood and expects the NHS to prioritise CAMHS

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The family & future mental health

2011-02-09T10:44:00.005Z

A report published by the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ)has criticised the government's new mental health strategy. It states that no provision has been made to tackle family breakdown which is a major cause of mental health problems in children and in adulthood. The report findings are in conclusion to a poll carried out on 1000 people affected by mental health problems of which 50% cited family breakdown as a causal.

Read the full article
Read the CSJ report

Mephedrone available on the Internet

2011-02-09T10:32:00.004Z

The dance drug Mephedrone which was made illegal nearly a year ago is still available to buy on the Internet, according to a BBC Radio 5 Live investigation. Internet dealers are offering large quantities of the Class B drug along with others that are yet to be made illegal. Also other dealers are now selling Mephedrone in the hope of introducing users to hard drugs.

Read the full article

Does it cut both ways?

2011-02-02T14:37:00.006Z

The government has announced its plans to boost the profile of mental health services to an equal footing with physical conditions. £400 million is to be injected with particular focus on child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS). It is hoped that as well as reducing stigma, 1.2 million people will recover earlier than previously. However charities such as Young Minds have warned that the spending cuts elswhere, such as Sure Start centres, will undermine the strategy.

Read the Department of Health document
Read the charities reply

Progress but no cure

2011-01-20T09:23:00.003Z

Two studies describe new methods of detecting Alzheimer's disease. One, a blood test, hopes to indicate whether there is a predispostion towards dementia when older. The other, a scanning test,will allow early detection and subsequent treatment. However both studies in the Journal of the American Medical Association reiterate that they offer no more insight into a cure for Alzheimer's

Read the full article
Read the scanning test abstract
Read the blood test abstract

Mental Health detention rises

2011-01-11T14:56:00.004Z

There has been a large rise in the number of people being detained under the Mental Health Act in England. An increase of 30% on the 2008-9 period was recorded in 2009-10. For the first time in five years there was a rise in inpatient cases, data from the Information Centre showed.

Read the full report

Nicknames may hurt me, not sticks & stones

2010-12-17T14:03:00.003Z

A YoungMinds survey studying the classroom experiences of 2629 young people between the ages of 9 and 25 has reported the distress caused to mentally ill pupils by verbal abuse. The report also stated that witnesses to the abuse were often distressed by this behaviour. The stigma involved made it very difficult for mentally ill children to report feeling unwell compared with children who were feeling physically unwell. The charity has called for intensified health promotion to reduce the stigma involved.

Read the full news article

Cleanliness not next to happiness?

2010-12-09T14:00:00.002Z

Rates of depression in younger people have outstripped that of older people and this has led to researchers searching for biological factors. Scientists at a US university medical school have come to the conclusion the higher rates are due to the lack of healthy bacteria in immune systems; a direct consequence of our cleaner environment

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Read the original abstract

Thousand of child carers of the mentally ill

2010-12-03T14:50:00.002Z

The Mental Health Foundation has published a report My Care that states there are an estimated 50,000 to 200,00 child and adolescent carers of severely mentally ill adults. Many suffer from bullying as a result of the stigma surrounding their parents' conditions. Anxiety and frustration are leading to the carers themselves becoming mentally ill and also disruption of their education. Professionals who have contributed to this report are calling for more support for this vulnerable group.

Read the full article
Read the MyCare report

The Stigma Lingers on

2010-11-25T13:48:00.002Z

A study in the American Journal of Psychiatry journal maintains that despite decades of strategies aimed at reducing the stigma attached to various mental illnesses, success has been minimal. The opinions of a sample of the American public were gathered and compared with opinions from ten years ago.

Read the full article
Read the original abstract

Child development impacts on later mental health

2010-10-29T14:53:00.002+01:00

A review in the journal Current Opinion in Psychiatry explored how child development impacts on the mental health of people in later life. The findings also recommended more research into preventative interventions.

Read the original abstract

Anti-psychotic drugs reduction pledge

2010-10-27T09:24:00.003+01:00

A new coallition of forty organisations, The Dementia Action Alliance, has announced that one of its goals is to reduce the use of anti-psychotic drugs for dementia patients. A government review estimated these drugs are wrongly prescribed to approximately 145,000 sufferers, and have resulted in 1,800 needless deaths.

Read the full news item

Keep taking the tablets?

2010-10-14T13:56:00.002+01:00

German scientists have released research that states the drug reboxetine (Edronax) which has been routinely prescribed for depression over the last thirteen years is no more effective than a placebo. The BMJ study furthermore states that it is possibly harmful and that the manufacturer has been guilty of suppressing trials results. It is implied that NICE will have to review their guidance on the prescribing of the drug.

Read the full article:
Read the original abstract

Not Minding the Gap

2010-10-14T12:50:00.002+01:00

A study in the British Journal of Psychiatry maintains that young people are falling into a black hole when they become adults and leave child and adult mental health services (CAMHS). Researchers from the University of Warwick followed 154 service users who made the transition for a year and concluded that provision was in the main poor.

Read the full article
Read the original abstract

Whole family therapy for anorexic teens

2010-10-07T14:12:00.003+01:00

A study in the Archives of General Psychiatry journal states that whole family therapy rather than therapy centred on the anorexic teenager alone, may be more effective in the long term. The model of treatment shifts away from past treatments which insinuated parents were to blame for their children's eating disorders. Better results were established at the six month and twelve month intervals.

Read the full article
Read the original abstract

Antipsychotic drugs linked to blood clots

2010-09-23T14:22:00.002+01:00

Research published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) has linked the prescribing of antipsychotic drugs to increased dangers of blood clots. The Nottingham University study maintains that the evidence is the most persuasive yet. Patients prescribed these drugs in the last two years have a third higher risk of developing clots. Other scientists agree that antipsychotics are powerful drugs that should be treated with caution.

Read the full BBC article
Read the original full text study

The worldwide cost of dementia

2010-09-23T13:44:00.003+01:00

The economic burden of the predicted worldwide dementia "epidemic" has now been calculated in a report published by the Alzheimers Disease International (ADI). ADI is calling upon the World Health Organization (WHO) to take action now to make dementia its number one health priority. The report states that the economic costs of dementia will exceed 1% of the world's gross domestic product this year: $604bn or £388bn.

Read the full BBC article
Read the full original report

Anthrax contamination of heroin

2010-09-03T12:53:00.003+01:00

A fourth incident in the Leicestershire area of heroin being contaminated by heroin has come to light after another young man died after taking the drug. The Health Protection Agency is making a full investigation and a further post mortem of the victim is set to take place. Meanwhile heroin users are being urged not to take the drug.

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No jail for mentally ill minor offenders

2010-08-20T11:23:00.002+01:00

A poll of the general public has shown that 64% of those polled believe that mentally ill people who commit minor offences that do not pose a threat to others should not be given custodial sentences. Instead treatment should be combined with community service. The poll comes in the wake of the Justice Minister's call for reform in this area.

Read the full article

Religion & Psychosis

2010-08-04T14:11:00.002+01:00

A study in Psychological Medicine journal refutes previously held ideas that intense religious experiences will result in serious mental problems. The evidence points to the fact that even the experience of brief pyschosis will be limited.

Read the full article

Read the the original abstract

Mental illness hits the pocket

2010-08-03T14:36:00.002+01:00

A new report from the World Health Organization (WHO), following a survey, shows that seriously ill people earn up to a third less than their healthy counterparts. The research discussed in the British Journal of Psychiatry explains that unlike previous surveys that targeted high income countries, the data included in this one was also from low and middle income countries

Read the full article
Read the original abstract

What's normal?

2010-07-27T14:51:00.004+01:00

The new draft of the fifth edition of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) has numerous new conditions which begs the question what makes a person normal. In the wake of this eagerly awaited publication the latest edition of the Journal of Mental Health concentrates on diagnosis in mental health with articles written by celebrities and experts. One contributer is Sir Terry Pratchett who gives his personal view of Alzheimer's

Read the full article

Dementia and diabetics

2010-07-20T14:59:00.003+01:00

Researchers in Florida have found a major difference in the dementia of people who also suffer from diabetes from that of non-diabetics. The most likely cause of dementia in diabetics appears to be vascular disease of the brain whereas in non-diabetics it is a build up of plaques

Read the full article

Chairman of Bar Council advocates legalised personal drug use

2010-07-20T14:33:00.002+01:00

The chairman of the Bar Council which represents the UK's barristers has put forward the view that personal drug use should be made legal. Nicholas Green argues that this would save the British economy billions of pounds. Drug crime alone reaches 13 billion per year. Benfits to public health would also be achieved.

Read the full article

Ecstasy use on the wane

2010-06-23T14:24:00.002+01:00

An investigation by Radio 2's Newsbeat maintains that new alternatives such as mephadrone have replaced Ecstasy in Britain's night clubs. Dealers and law enforcement agencies say tighter controls on chemicals have contributed to a fall in production of the drug.

Read the full article

Mental health failing autistic children

2010-06-11T14:44:00.002+01:00

The National Autistic Society has published a report following a survey carried out on 450 parents of autistic children. The society is, as part of its campaign: You Need to Know, lobbying the government to improve Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) for autistic children

Read the full article

Mephedrone not to blame for teenage deaths

2010-06-02T14:46:00.002+01:00

In the wake of the clubbing high mephadrone being made a Class B illegal drug, comes the news that toxicology tests have proved that the two teenagers thought have died as a direct results of using mephadrone, died from other causes. However expert opinion maintains that the ban was based on research rather than two isolated incidents.

Read the full article

New legal highs warning

2010-05-26T14:38:00.002+01:00

A warning about new "legal highs"has been issued by Wales Drug and Alcohol Helpline. With mephedrone recently banned as a Class B drug, clubbers are looking for alternatives and 400 have been identified on the Internet

Read the full article

Alcohol dependency increases prescriptions

2010-05-26T13:35:00.003+01:00

Statistics released from the NHS Information Centre show that there was a 12% increase last year in prescriptions handed out to deal with alcohol dependency in England. The figures cited compared the prescribing of two particular drugs in 2009 with that in 2008. However, experts caution that it may be a matter of increased willingless of patients to face their addiction rather than an increase in alcoholism itself.

Read the full article
Read the report

Loneliness and the social networking generation

2010-05-25T15:02:00.002+01:00

A survey commissioned by the Mental Health Foundation surprisingly found that in this day of instant messaging and social networking it is the young and not the older generation who are more prone to loneliness. The charities report The Lonely Society cited changes in society and family life as being the key reasons for feelings of isolation.

Read the full article

Creativity and mental health

2010-05-20T08:59:00.003+01:00

Scientists have linked creativity to schizophrenia by studying the receptors in the brain.The study from the Karolinska Institutet found that dopomine levels in creative people are similar to the levels found in in the brains of schizophrenics.

Read the full article

The recesssion and workplace stress

2010-05-17T14:07:00.004+01:00

The charity MIND commissioned a survey of 2,050 workers to assess the effects of the recession on mental health. It found that fears about job security, longer hours or a cut in hours had resulted in 1 in 11 British workers consulting their GP due to stress, anxiety or depression

Read the full BBC article
Read the MIND press release

Mental health and "green exercise"

2010-05-05T14:56:00.005+01:00

A study in the Environmental Science and Technology journal concludes that all it takes is five minutes of exercise in an outdoor setting such as a park, wood or garden to help maintain mental well being. The different exercises taken into consideration ranged from gardening to horse riding.

Read the full article

Dementia will cost less because of research

2010-04-19T14:40:00.002+01:00

A new report from the Alzheimer's Research Trust claims that the cost of dementia in England will be reduced in the future due to advances from research which will lower the predicted number of dementia sufferers

Read the full article

Coalition of charities plan to improve mental health of young people

2010-03-31T08:36:00.004+01:00

The Children and Young People's Mental Health Coalition, is planning new strategies to improve the mental health of young people up to the age of 25. The fifteen charities involved are concerned that the stress affecting young people in the UK is not being adequately addressed

Reda the full article

Confident Communities, Brighter Futures

2010-03-26T13:31:00.003Z

The Mental Health Division of the Department of Health has published a new report: Confident Communities, Brighter Futures: a framework for developing well being as part of the New Horizon: A Shared Vision for Mental Health strategy. It "sets out the argument and evidence base for prioritising well-being, and provides a systematic approach to selected evidence-based approaches and interventions that have been shown to be effective across the life course, and across key public health domains"
Read the full report

Better treatment for depression needed say GPs

2010-03-22T14:16:00.002Z

A survey rolled out by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) has found that despite recommendations by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE), 65% of UK general practitioners do not initiate psychologcal therapies for depressed patients within two months. The survey was conducted in conjunction with the mental health charity MIND who are campagning for better therapy services.

Read the full article

New report on criminal justice & mental health

2010-03-19T14:31:00.003Z

The Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health has published a new report which confirms that mental health services and the criminal justice system have had more collaboration. However those who experience both services have had differing perceptions on the results

Read the full article
Read the report

Dementia and stigma

2010-03-01T14:10:00.003Z

A government survey has highlighted the stigma related to dementia. One in three people omitted to feeling uneasy in the company of a person suffering with dementia. To counteract this a new campaign has been launched involving people with dementia. The aim is to educate people as to how they can relate to and help dementia sufferers.

Read the full article

Dementia experts to boost research

2010-02-24T15:13:00.002Z

The Care Services Minister Phil Hope is chairing a group of experts who will be striving to stimulate more research into dementia. It aims to generate more funding and more public support for research. The group is comprised of scientists, researchers, charity leaders and government officials.

Read the full article

Call for better NHS care for mentally ill offenders

2010-02-23T14:41:00.003Z

A report by Laing and Buisson analysts states that severely mentally ill prisoners are not getting the NHS care they need despite the savings in reoffending costs this treatment would generate. It is estimated that severely ill offenders make up 1.5% of the 80, 000 prison population. The government has said that measures are in hand to rectify the problem.

Read the full article

Ofsted report on CAMHS for young people in care

2010-02-18T14:13:00.004Z

Ofsted have published a report on the inconsistent provision of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) for young people in care. Young people over the age of 16 from twenty seven homes in eight local authorities were assessed and the barriers to accessing services were highlighted.

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Valium as addictive as heroin

2010-02-11T13:53:00.002Z

Scientists have warned that benzodiazepines such as Valium (diazepam) that are well known treatments for anxiety are as addictive as Class A drugs such as heroin. The Swiss study in Nature journal said benzodiazepines use the same "reward pathways" in the brain. It is hoped that the findings of this research will lead to the next generation of non-addictive treatments for anxiety.

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One in four suffer from depression in the UK

2010-02-01T15:02:00.004Z

People suffering from depression in the UK is a staggering one in four. A survey has further shown that only a third of sufferers will seek help. Reasons for depression vary according to gender and sufferers appear to be ignorant of the range of treatments available to them.

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Ecstasy most lethal drug for non-addicts

2010-02-01T14:40:00.003Z

British researchers have identified Ecstasy as being more lethal than Speed or Crystal Meth for fit and healthy young people who are not drug addicts. A study published in the journal Neuropsychobiology analysed data of stimulant deaths from 1997 - 2007. There were 832 deaths for Speed and Crystal Meth combined and 605 related to Ecstasy.

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Self control - it's out of your control

2010-01-19T14:55:00.002Z

Researchers have found that self control, or lack of it, is down to peer pressure and is contagious. Five studies involving hundreds of volunteers were conducted over a two year period at the University of Georgia. The results are published online, ahead of print in the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.

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Highly educated autism clusters

2010-01-06T13:59:00.007Z

A Californian study has linked autism to highly educated areas. Although is unclear why the link occurs, the research published in the journal Autism Research found that children of older parents who were highly educated were more likely to be autistic. Data of 2.5 million births during a five year period was analysed resulting in 10 clusters of autism.

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More alternatives to antidepressants needed

2010-01-05T13:58:00.003Z

The Mental Health Foundation (MHF) says that there is still not enough access to alternatives to antidepressants after it has emerged that three quarters of GP's who prescribed them would have prefered to be able to offer alternatives. MHF says that an eight week course of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (a combination of yoga, meditation and cognitive therapy) (MBCT) halves the risk of becoming depressed again. However the Department of Health has said that access to alternatives to drug therapy has improved in the past year.
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Up the ZZZZs to minimise depression

2010-01-04T14:30:00.003Z

Research has shown that teenagers who have fewer hours of sleep each night are more likely to suffer from depression and they are also more likely to have suicidal thoughts. The study in the journal Sleep studied 15,500 12 - 18 year-olds and concluded that lack of sleep could effect emotional brain responses.

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Questionnaire tool for young mental health service users

2009-12-15T15:03:00.006Z

King's College, London is developing a questionnaire to be used as a tool to measure the experiences of 9 - 17 year olds who have used mental health services. The Children and Adolescent Service Experience (ChASE) will put 15 questions to the children and their carers about therapy received. The tool is considered to be an effective way to evaluate the views of young users who have in the past been ignored. However it is felt that the tool must not become a substitute for talking to young people.

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Mentally ill children leaving Care lack support

2009-11-26T14:17:00.002Z

A new report published by the Local Government Association (LGA) finds that children leaving care who have mental health issues are not receiving the support they need. The care leavers support teams do not have the experience needed to deal with mental illness or have enough knowledge of the different Child (CAMHS) and Adult services provision for mental health.
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Therapy not money makes you happy

2009-11-23T15:15:00.003Z

British research has concluded that psychological therapy is 32 times more effective in restoring happiness than a quick fix of money. Data on the well being of thousands of people was examined and the results of the study can be read in the journal Health Economics Policy and Law

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Anxiety good for you?

2009-11-20T14:51:00.002Z

Depression is as deadly as smoking for the effect on a person's life expectancy according to collaborative research between universities in Norway and London. However the study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry found that when depression was combined with anxiety the increased risk of mortality was negated.

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Age and addiction

2009-11-18T13:28:00.002Z

Research to be published by the Scottish Drugs Forum indicates that drug addicts over the age of 35 are more likely to commit suicide. A survey of over 70 users and their professionals involved in their care showed that they were likely to feel overwhelmed by their past experiences and a feeling of being neglected.

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Talking Therapies could be victim to the recession

2009-11-13T12:18:00.002Z

There are fears that the programme Improving Access to Psychological Therapies could be put at risk due to the recession. Leaders of the Royal Society of Psychiatrists and the Mental Health Network are concerned that job losses will result in reduced services. The report voicing these concerns will be published today at the Mental Health Network’s annual conference

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Alzheimer's test

2009-11-09T14:49:00.003Z

The diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease can be delayed due to its symptoms being confused with those of depression. A new multi-tasking test which avoids this problem has been developed by Edinburgh researchers. The research, published in the Journal of Neurology, compared 89 people who were either healthy, suffered from Alzheimer's, or depression.

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Pot and PTSD

2009-11-05T15:03:00.003Z

Research carried out at the University of Haifa suggests that cannabis (marujana) could help tackle the problem of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). 10 - 30% of people who suffer traumatic events go on to develop PTSD and can suffer from months to years with the condition. The study published in the Journal of Neuroscience used a rat model for the research as their responses to stress are similar to humans.

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