Childhood maltreatment and bipolar disorder

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Emily Currell writes her debut Mental Elf blog about a recent Lancet Psychiatry systematic review, which reports that childhood maltreatment is associated with an unfavourable course of bipolar disorder in adult years.

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Common mental health disorders linked with increased risk of violent reoffending in ex-prisoners

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Ian Cummins considers the implications of a new cohort study of convicted prisoners in Sweden, which links psychiatric disorders with violent reoffending.

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Don’t Put Up With It! Video resource for women with learning disabilities affected by domestic violence

Targeting psychological and social factors, such as mental health, social support, well-being, societal perceptions and self-constructs, may alleviate loneliness and should be measured in loneliness interventions.

A recent research project set out to listen to and understand the experiences of women with learning disabilities who were victims of domestic violence. As a result, the project team produced a set of materials to provide information and advice.

Here we look at the video resource produced by the team.

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Preventing and responding to violence against disabled people – what works?

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Professor Jill Manthorpe begins 2015 with a blog considering a systematic review on interventions to prevent and respond to violence against disabled people. She reflects on how social workers use systematic review papers as part of evidence based practice and gives some useful pointers for reading and getting the most from such studies.

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Childhood abuse and adverse life events interact synergistically to produce a high risk for psychotic experiences

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This recent study concludes that childhood abuse creates an enduring vulnerability to psychosis that is realised in the event of exposure to further stressors and risk factors, such as separation, bereavement, or being involved in an accident or physical attack.

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Cohort study links early exposure to intimate partner violence with poor mental health outcomes, but longer follow-up is needed

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Negative childhood experiences have always been a big topic in psychology and psychiatry, as they tend to be associated with poor mental health outcomes in later life. Intimate partner violence (IPV) harms not only the adults directly involved in it, but also the children – witnessing IPV as a child is a known risk factor [read the full story…]

WEAVE RCT: GP training, but not screening, may benefit women who have experienced intimate partner violence

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Behaviour within an intimate relationship which causes psychological, physical or sexual harm to either party is known as intimate partner violence (IPV). This violence is perpetrated by both men and women, but significant injuries are more commonly sustained by women. Consequently, IPV is a major public health concern as it contributes majorly to mortality in [read the full story…]

Women who experience domestic violence are almost twice as likely to suffer from depression and vice versa

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In June this year The World Health Organisation (WHO) published a report, which highlighted violence against women as a ‘global health problem of epidemic proportions’. The report detailed the impact of violence on the physical and mental health of women and girls. This can range from broken bones to pregnancy-related complications, mental problems and impaired [read the full story…]

Preventing or reducing domestic violence against pregnant women: more studies desperately needed!

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30% of domestic violence (DV) begins during pregnancy and is most prevalent within the working and lower middle socio-economic classes. It is a major public health concern and abuse during pregnancy is of particular concern due to the health risks to both mother and child. It can cause physical and psychological harm to women, and [read the full story…]

Study shows that adolescents with symptoms of depression and suicidality are more at risk of unhealthy romantic relationships in adulthood

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Clinical depression is unfortunately relatively common in adolescence with a prevalence of about 5%. The rates of suicide per 100,000 are around 12.0 for females and 14.2 for males aged 15-24 years with suicidality (thoughts or uncompleted attempts at suicide) likely to be higher. Research and clinical experience suggests issues relating to suicide and depression [read the full story…]