Does taking antidepressants during pregnancy harm the child? Here are the facts

baby-boy-shoes-on-belly

Ian Jones summarises a number of studies that consider the benefits and harms of antidepressants during pregnancy, including a recent cohort study that found that exposure to antidepressants in the womb is associated with a modest increased risk of speech and language disorders.

[read the full story...]

Elf help to ensure your research has digital impact #ResearchWales16

screen-shot-2016-10-12-at-22-15-58

This post accompanies a talk I’m giving in Cardiff today at the Research with Impact conference organised by Health and Care Research Wales. Please read the blog, peruse my slides and let me know what you think. It’s an exciting time for us elves!

[read the full story...]

Depot antipsychotics: If you pay me, you can keep injecting me

15957442702_af350ecae9_k

John Baker looks at the 2-year follow-up results of a cluster RCT on the effectiveness of financial incentives to improve adherence to maintenance treatment with depot antipsychotics.

[read the full story...]

How can genetics help us better understand, diagnose and treat mental illness? An interview with Andrew McIntosh

3623619145_2daf5d53c4_o

This World Mental Health Day, we share a Wellcome Trust interview with Professor Andrew McIntosh, who has a £4.7 million award to explore why people develop depression. He tells Wellcome how he hopes his work will improve the lives of people with mental health conditions, and how he looks after his own mental wellbeing.

[read the full story...]

Does recession = poorer health? Evidence strongest for suicide and mental illness

8370629273_7b4dfee983_b

Claire Niedzwiedz examines a recent systematic review which looks at the possible harm caused by the 2008 financial crisis and recession on the health of people living across Europe.

[read the full story...]

Austerity and suicide: are we placing health before wealth?

Protesters clash with policemen during riots at a May Day rally in Athens May 1, 2010. Angry protesters set fire to garbage cans and two TV outside broadcast vans in Athens as thousands of Greeks marched through the capital on May Day to protest against austerity measures they say only hurt the poor.  REUTERS/Icon/Panagiotis Tzamaros  (GREECE - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS CIVIL UNREST EMPLOYMENT IMAGES OF THE DAY) GREECE OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN GREECE

Ian Cummins reflects on a recent study looking at the relationship between fiscal austerity and suicide rates in Greece, Italy, Ireland, Portugal and Spain.

[read the full story...]

Time to stop prescribing antidepressants to young people with depression?

photo-1456397807017-5a6b47d257f4

Andrew Shepherd considers the implications of a recent network meta-analysis of the efficacy and tolerability of antidepressants for children and adolescents with depression.

[read the full story...]

iCBT may be an effective treatment for PTSD

DSC_0092.JPG

André Tomlin explores a recent systematic review and meta-analysis of the effectiveness of Internet-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy (iCBT) for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

[read the full story...]

It’s good to talk: training psychiatrists to improve communication with patients

15946339168_25d2b30557_k

John Baker evaluates the recent TEMPO cluster RCT, which explores training to enhance psychiatrist communication with patients who live with psychosis.

[read the full story...]

Bipolar disorder in older men linked to increased risk of dementia

15596232627_88e725fe30_k

Elena Marcus presents a recent study that shows how older Australian men with bipolar disorder have an increased risk of dementia and early death.

[read the full story...]