Supporting people with learning disabilities can be a stressful job. Previous studies have identified predictors of staff burnout but there is little consensus about the way these factors interact with each other, or their relative importance. The researchers in this study looked at the direct and indirect associations between work stressors, emotional responses by staff, [read the full story…]
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is undertaking a review to decide whether the NICE clinical guidelines on bipolar disorder (CG38) and antenatal and postnatal mental health (CG45) should be updated. Within the review proposal consultation document, NICE has concluded that the guidelines should be considered for an update at this time. The [read the full story…]
The Independent Mental Capacity Act Advocacy (IMCA) service was established in 2007 following concerns expressed during the implementation of the Act that there was a need to provide extra support in the Act for the most vulnerable people. The purpose of the service is to help those vulnerable people who lack capacity facing decisions made [read the full story…]
Whilst there is a developing literature aimed at a better understanding of end of life care for people with learning disabilities, there is little published that relates directly to the perspectives of paid carers. The researchers in this study used a series of focus groups to analyse responses from 64 people who worked in learning [read the full story…]
This Canadian paper looked at the situation of people with learning disabilities in Montreal who were homeless, to try to understand the nature of their situation, The paper draws on data from people who were known to a dedicated team in the city working with homeless people. The researchers collected data from files of 68 [read the full story…]
This study evaluated the outcomes of a public health nurse home visiting system for mothers with learning disabilities and for those in a comparison group without learning disabilities. The study authors carried out a secondary analysis of existing family home visiting data using a two-group comparative design. They looked at 68 (17 for mothers with [read the full story…]
This study set out to look at how an inclusive approach to data analysis in a research project with a group of self advocates increased the group’s capacity for self advocacy. The researchers presented numerical data in three visual formats for analysis, which were analysed and interpreted by 17 members of a People First group [read the full story…]
The debate about antidepressant use and suicide in young people rages on. A new meta-analysis of placebo-controlled paroxetine trials has been published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry by a research team at GlaxoSmithKline (the company who make the drug also known as Aropax, Paxil and Seroxat) in Pennsylvania. This kind of drug company conducted [read the full story…]
NICE have published a new guideline today with the usual collection of supporting documents. Here’s the blurb from their website: This clinical guideline offers evidence-based advice on the care and treatment of adults who have common mental health disorders, with a particular focus on primary care. It brings together advice from existing guidelines and combines [read the full story…]
There are many barriers to people with learning disabilities becoming parents. Published research describing the experience of parents with a learning disability suggests that these include planning for both pregnancy as well as for parenthood. Studies have also shown however that the provision of the right support at the right time can enable parents with [read the full story…]
