Self Help Plus for refugees: we need effective, low-intensity and scalable interventions

41.2% of the refugees screened were found to have symptoms of psychological distress. The risk varied between sexes, nationalities and was suggested to be associated with reduced integration and accentuated by less favourable post migration conditions.

Alexis Low considers a meta-analysis which evaluates Self-Help Plus, a promising WHO intervention that could be scaled up to address the mental health needs of refugees and asylum seekers.

[read the full story...]

Interventions to improve social circumstances among people with mental health conditions

jon-tyson-rbz1hVh7_LM-unsplash

Andy Bell summarises work by the Mental Health Policy and Research Unit looking at improving the social circumstances of people with mental health conditions. The study finds the most robust and compelling evidence available relates to gaining paid employment and tackling homelessness.

[read the full story...]

A human rights approach to integrating HIV and substance misuse services

Business,Creative,Solution,Concept,-,Jigsaw,On,The,Blackboard

Andie Ashdown and Theophanis Kyriacou summarise a recent paper on integrating HIV and substance misuse services, which draws on a person-centred approach that is grounded in human rights.

[read the full story...]

Barriers to citizenship for people living with mental health problems

Social,Collaboration,Network,And,People,Communication,As,A,Connected,Group

In their debut blog, Nagina Khan and Subodh Dave review a qualitative paper exploring the barriers to citizenship that people with mental health problems face.

[read the full story...]

“She kept telling me I had to be one or the other”: bisexual identity invalidation

Person,Pressing,Transgender,Symbol,On,Touch,Screen.,Lgbt,Rights,Concept.

Andie Ashdown and Theophanis Kyriacou explore a recent qualitative study on bisexual identity invalidation and its consequences for wellbeing, identity, and relationships.

[read the full story...]

‘The Expert’ and ‘The Patient’: analysing Parliamentary debates on the 2007 Mental Health Act

Feature

Alison Faulkner writes about a discourse analysis of the House of Commons’ debates regarding the 2007 Mental Health Act, which is very relevant to the current White Paper consultation on the Reform of the Mental Health Act.

[read the full story...]

Moving on up: how much do we need mental health supported accommodation?

shutterstock_1098538682

Will Marsh summarises a recent cohort study published this week in the British Journal of Psychiatry, which investigates the predictors of moving on from mental health supported accommodation in England.

[read the full story...]

Going beyond the Mental Capacity Act in assessing capacity: recognising and overcoming biases and stereotypes #MentalCapacity2020

shutterstock_1109818454

Health and social care professionals routinely assess the mental capacity of people to make decisions about their lives, in accordance with the Mental Capacity Act, 2005. A new briefing note for policy makers and mental health professionals looks at how we can mitigate the risk of assumptions and biases in assessments of mental capacity.

Alex Ruck Keene, an expert in mental capacity and mental health law, summarises the briefing and looks forward to the live streamed #MentalCapacity2020 debate at 12pm on Thursday 26th March.

[read the full story...]

Disability rights, mental health treatment and the United Nations #RonR2019

exchange-of-ideas-222787_1280

Alex Ruck Keene, an expert in mental capacity and mental health law, explores a new debate article in which Dr Paul Gosney and Professor Peter Bartlett discuss whether or not the UK Government should withdraw from the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

This is an essential read for anyone interested in compulsory treatment, human rights, inequalities and the socio-economic factors underpinning mental ill-health. All topics that we’ll be discussing in detail next month as part of the #RonR2019 conference.

[read the full story...]

Mental Health Act review: the demise of the nearest relative?

2881445031_5970dff5c5_b

Kathryn Berzins considers the implications of a recent rapid systematic review of the views and experiences of the Nearest Relative provision of the Mental Health Act (1983).

[read the full story...]