Young people’s experiences of suicidal distress in their own words

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India Bellairs-Walsh summarise a Scottish qualitative study of young people’s lived experiences of suicide and self-harm, which explores intention, rationality and authenticity, and has many implications for practice.

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Minimum unit pricing policy for alcohol saved lives in Scotland according to new research

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Ian Hamilton reviews a new controlled interrupted time series study published in The Lancet evaluating the impact of alcohol minimum unit pricing on deaths and hospitalisations in Scotland.

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Prescribing lithium for bipolar disorder: are we too scared?

Doctor writing prescription

Deenan Edward and Suhana Ahmed summarise a Scottish study of prescribing for bipolar disorder between 2009-2016, which identified a clear trend towards decreasing lithium use.

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From charity to social enterprise: a case study highlights challenges in adopting self-directed support policy

What are the impacts when a third-sector organisation providing social care services moves toward an open and competitive market?

Jenny Fisher considers the perspectives of staff, managers and service users of a Scottish social care charitable organisation for children with complex needs, which faces funding and organisational change, brought about by self-directed support legislation.

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People with learning disabilities in Scotland more likely to live in deprived areas

keys to life

In 2000, the Scottish Executive published ‘The same as you?’ a ten year programme to meet the needs of people with learning disabilities in Scotland. Following a two year review, last year they published a new ten year strategy, known as ‘The keys to life – Improving Quality of Life for People with Learning Disabilities’, [read the full story…]

Review of adult protection in Scotland suggest high proportion of ‘no further action’ outcomes

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Background Adult safeguarding in Scotland is subject to legislation passed in 2007, known as the adult Support and Protection Act it gives social workers the right to enter any place if part of adult protection inquiries and, if they get approval from the court, it also allows them to someone at risk for assessment and [read the full story…]

New strategy for Learning Disabilities published in Scotland

Keys to Life Scottish Strategy

In 2000, the Scottish Office published ‘The same as you?’ a ten year programme for development. In 2010, a two-year evaluation of the programme began to look at what progress had been made and what still needed to be achieved. The national Learning Disability Strategy group worked on the key themes that emerged from this [read the full story…]

Scotland sees increase in prescribing rates for mental health drugs

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The Scottish Government have published their annual summary of prescribing statistics for mental health drugs. The report shows increases in the prescribing rates for all groups of drugs over the last 12 months. The prescribing costs of some groups of drugs have also risen (ADHD, dementia, depression) although other groups have seen a decline (insomnia [read the full story…]

New mental health strategy for Scotland

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The Scottish Government have published a new mental health strategy for the next 3 years, which aims to deliver faster access to mental health services for younger people, faster access to psychological therapies, work to reduce and prevent suicide and address stigma and discrimination. The strategy has 7 key themes, which came from the consultation [read the full story…]

8th World Congress on Active Ageing, Glasgow, Scotland 13-17th August 2012

The 8th World Congress on Active Ageing will be taking place in 13-17th August 2012 in the City of Glasgow, Scotland. Held every 4 years, this showcase event will take place over 5 days in the prestigious Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre adjacent to the historic River Clyde. It presents a unique opportunity to bring [read the full story…]