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
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
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
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
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
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.
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
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
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
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.
