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
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
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
