Psychological therapies can help reduce pain in children with painful conditions

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Any parent whose child has a chronic or life-threatening illness will attest to the fact that it can be a worrying, stressful and exhausting journey. Parents can struggle to juggle caring for their child with work, social and other commitments. This can lead to parents suffering from mental health problems themselves, in addition to the [read the full story…]

Low back pain longer than 6 weeks? Try physiotherapy functional restoration rather than advice

Low back pain

Have you ever had low back pain lasting longer than 6 weeks? I know a few elves who have. Did you know it is estimated that 28% of people will experience disabling low back pain (LBP) sometime during their lives and that 80% to 90% of attacks of low back pain resolve in about 6 [read the full story…]

More research is needed for cognitive behavioural therapy to help men who commit domestic violence

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Men who physically abuse their partners are often treated with cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). Men sometimes sign up to these treatment programmes voluntarily, but are also sometimes obliged to participate by a court order. CBT can help change behaviour and also break established thinking patterns and beliefs, but is there any reliable evidence that this [read the full story…]

Drug and talking treatments can reduce violent behaviour in mental health and criminal populations, but more research is needed

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Studies show that over 1.6 million people are killed as a result of violence each year and it is thought that this estimate is considerably less than the actual number who die from assaults. Violence in inpatient hospital settings and emergency departments is the subject of a NICE guideline that is currently being updated. A [read the full story…]

New long term conditions compendium from the Department of Health

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Commissioners, health professionals and social care professionals will all be interested in the new Long Term Conditions Compendium of Information published by the Department of Health. This third edition updates the version produced in 2008 and provides the evidence for improving care and outcomes for people with long-term conditions. 70% of the total health and [read the full story…]

The evidence remains weak for using CBT to help children who have suffered sexual abuse

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Child sexual abuse is a widespread social problem, which can cause a range of mental health conditions including fear, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, behavioural problems, inappropriate sexual behaviour and an increased risk of psychological problems in adulthood. Cognitive behavioural therapy is often used to help children (and their non-offending parent) to manage the conditions that [read the full story…]

CBT is no better than other psychosocial therapies for people with schizophrenia, according to new Cochrane review

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NICE guidance recommends offering CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy), family therapy and arts therapies for people with schizophrenia: Offer CBT to all people with schizophrenia. This can be started either during the acute phase or later, including in inpatient settings. – Taken from 1.3.4.1 in Schizophrenia (CG82). NICE, March 2009. However, CBT is still not widely [read the full story…]

Young people with psychotic symptoms should be offered CBT before antipsychotics, according to new RCT

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Antipsychotic drugs are currently prescribed to a significant proportion of young people who are diagnosed with psychosis. Past research has estimated that up to half of people at risk of developing psychosis at a young age will progress to a full blown psychotic illness such as schizophrenia. A new landmark randomised controlled trial has been [read the full story…]

Cognitive behavioural therapy effective for pain control in the initial stage of orthodontic treatment

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Pain is not an uncommon experience during orthodontic treatment, and has been reported as a cause of treatment discontinuation. The aim of the study was to assess the efficacy of a cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) intervention for patients experiencing pain during orthodontic treatment. Eligible patients were randomised into three groups CBT intervention(n=150), ibuprofen intervention(n=150), and [read the full story…]

Web-based CBT is equal to face-to-face CBT at reducing anxiety in adolescents, accordingly to randomised controlled trial

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I’ve blogged about computerised cognitive behavioural therapy (CCBT) a few times over recent months and highlighted research that shows it is effective in treating a range of mental health conditions. Research shows that most young people do not seek treatment for anxiety problems. There are lots of good quality reviews and trials that support the [read the full story…]