The Department of Health have published a set of papers from the first meeting of the Ministerial Advisory Group on the Mental Health Strategy, chaired by Paul Burstow, Minister of State for Care Services. The Minister leads on overseeing the implementation of No health without mental Health: a cross-government mental health outcomes strategy for people of [read the full story…]
This meta-analysis adds more weight to the argument that cannabis use plays a causal role in the development of psychosis in some patients. The review pooled 83 studies that reported on age at onset of psychotic illness in substance-using and non–substance-using groups. The study found that: Age at onset of psychosis for cannabis users was [read the full story…]
Web-based education support for people with health problems is now widespread, but there is comparatively little research that explores the reasons why people do not complete online courses once they are enrolled. This paper presents data from a randomised controlled trial based in Australia, where 370 participants were randomly allocated to: An online bipolar education [read the full story…]
Here is a website to bookmark if you have any interest in mental health law and the various pieces of legislation that practitioners need to refer to on a regular basis. The Mental Health Law Online website has detailed sections on the three most important acts: Mental Health Act 2007 Mental Health Act 1983 Mental [read the full story…]
Eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa can place considerable strain on families. Parents or partners often care for people with anorexia nervosa and this can be a very distressing experience for them. Carers naturally get very involved, but unfortunately this can sometimes lead to them criticising the sufferer and making the situation worse by contributing [read the full story…]
The Centre for Policy Studies have published a report, which concludes that despite being well-intentioned, plans to introduce Payment by Results (PbR) trials are unlikely to succeed. The report by leading drugs analyst Kathy Gyngell claims that: New Labour’s approach to drug addiction – prescribing addicts with methadone in an attempt to reduce crime and [read the full story…]
The NHS must wise up to the “growing problem” of drug and alcohol misuse among older people, according to a new report published today by the Royal College of Psychiatrists. The report, written by the Older People’s Substance Misuse Working Group of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, warns that not enough is being done to [read the full story…]
This systematic review conducted by the UK National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health set out to review the efficacy of non-pharmacological treatment for depression in people with depression and chronic physical health problems. They found 35 RCTs that met their inclusion criteria and ended up conducting a meta-anlalysis of 22 studies using a random-effects model. The bulk [read the full story…]
Valproate is widely used as a mood stabiliser for people with bipolar disorder, despite the fact that there is very little evidence that shows the effectiveness of this treatment. This observational cohort study looked at over 4,000 bipolar patients in Denmark who were treated with lithium or valproate from 1995 to 2006. The results favoured [read the full story…]
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation have commissioned Ipsos MORI to conduct a survey which provides robust data on the levels and patterns of alcohol consumption and influences on drinking behaviour in 13-16 year olds. The survey involved 5,700 teenagers from schools in England and data was statistically modelled using binary logistic regression to highlight the strongest influences [read the full story…]
