Questionnaire tool for young mental health service users

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

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

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?

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

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

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

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

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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Nature versus nurture in PTSD

The combination of adverse events in childhood and traumatic experiences in adulthood raises the chances of developing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) according to a study in the Archives of General Psychiatry journal. Furthermore the risk increases if there is a genetic mutation present. The American study was conducted on 1,252 people between the ages of 17 and 79.

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Depression and nutrition

The first study to look at the UK diet and depression has concluded that processed food is linked to depression. The British Journal of Psychiatry compared the the diet of 3,500 civil servants with their levels of depression five years later.

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