Music therapy, when combined with standard treatment, is effective in helping people with depression, according to a small Finnish randomised controlled trial published in the August issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry. The research team from the University of Jyväskylä, led by Professor Jaakko Erkkilä and Professor Christian Gold, recruited 79 people aged between [read the full story…]
The Department of Health in conjunction with the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse has issued guidance on commissioning prison based substance misuse services for 2011/12. The guidance takes the form of a letter with an appendix from Richard Bradshaw (Director, Offender Health), Ian Poree (Director of Service Development NOMS) and Rosanna O’Connor (Director of [read the full story…]
The manufacturer of agomelatine (Servier) has informed NICE that it would not be making an evidence submission for the appraisal of agomelatine for the treatment of major depressive episodes. Servier drew attention to the fact that NICE guidelines for England and Wales recommend generic selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) as first-line treatment followed by a [read the full story…]
Shared decision-making is a process in which clinicians and patients work together to select tests, treatments, management or support packages, based on clinical evidence and the patient’s informed preferences. It involves the provision of evidence-based information about options, outcomes and uncertainties, together with decision support counselling and a system for recording and implementing patients’ informed [read the full story…]
Treating depression is rarely straightforward, but treating someone who is depressed and also has comorbid personality disorders can be even more complicated. Studies have shown that short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy (STPP) is a treatment worth considering for depression and personality disorders when they occur individually, but this intervention has not yet been studied systematically for people [read the full story…]
Existing studies have identified associations between psychosis and serious crimes such as homicide, but to date it has been unclear to what extent psychotic disorders are associated with arson (the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to buildings or the natural environment). This study conducted by researchers at Oxford University used data from the Swedish [read the full story…]
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation have today published five reports focusing on the impact of the recession on the people of Bradford. One study looked at the impact that involuntary unemployment can have on people’s mental health and well-being by investigating the coping strategies and emotional support that people require when they experience stressful life events [read the full story…]
This systematic literature review, conducted by the Swedish Council on Health Technology Assessment, scrutinises the scientific evidence for preventive medical and psychological interventions directed at sex offenders. The review found major weaknesses in the evidence base and concluded that: In the absence of findings from reliable research, a reasonable treatment and follow-up strategy might be [read the full story…]
There is a need for a rapid-acting, non-injection, acute treatment for agitation in people with schizophrenia. This randomised (double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group) controlled trial set out to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of inhaled loxapine for acute treatment of agitation in schizophrenia. The researchers recruited 344 adults with DSM-IV schizophrenia who were in good general health [read the full story…]
A research team from Umeå University in Sweden have published a randomised controlled trial that investigates the importance of pacing when delivering bibliotherapy for people with panic disorder, i.e. should patients be ‘prescribed’ a full book as therapy all at once, or should they be given separate chapters each week? The small trial randomised 28 [read the full story…]
