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
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.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
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.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.
