The long view on Brief Admission: autonomy and care for people with borderline personality disorder

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Brief Admission allows people with BPD to self-refer for short respite stays, offering a person-centred alternative to emergency hospitalisation. This 4-year longitudinal study from Sweden reveals who uses it, how it works, and how services could adapt.

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“Necessary evil” or hidden harm? A scoping review of informal coercion in psychiatry

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Informal coercion – the subtle pressure patients feel in psychiatric care – is common but poorly understood. A new scoping review sheds light on how it’s defined, where it happens, and why it matters for patients and professionals alike.

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Evidence-based safe staffing levels on mental health wards: there’s no such thing

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The relationship between staffing and incidents of violence and aggression on wards is complex. Today Emily Wood reminds us that there is an urgent need for high quality evidence to inform guidelines and practice.

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Brief admission during crisis for people diagnosed with borderline personality disorder

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Dan Warrender publishes his debut elf blog on a recent systematic review, which suggests that brief admission as a crisis management tool is acceptable and can be effective for people with ‘borderline personality disorder’.

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Recovery under close observation – three decades on

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Recovery has been a driver for policy and practice for thirty years, but this observational study leaves questions about how embedded it really is.

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The impact of risk management on recovery in psychiatric hospitals: a patient-centred study

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Sahar Seidl summarises a qualitative study on the ontological insecurity of inattentiveness, which looks at how risk management processes in acute psychiatric care can have a negative impact on patient recovery.

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The experience of treatment-resistant depression: we need to rethink treatment for people who do not respond to antidepressants

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Amelia Talbot summarises a qualitative meta-synthesis exploring people’s experiences of living with ‘treatment-resistant’ depression.

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Trauma-informed care in mental health: why we need it and what it should look like

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Aneta Zarska blogs about a qualitative research study from Australia that outlines what trauma-informed care should look like, by asking people with experience of mental health difficulties.

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Music groups on acute mental health inpatient wards

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Una Foye highlights a small qualitative study that explores the benefits of establishing music groups on acute mental health inpatient wards. She reflects on the boredom felt by many inpatients and the importance of social connection and a positive ward atmosphere that may indirectly improve recovery and mental well-being.

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Do general hospital staff stigmatise people with mental illness?

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Rebecca Stevenson writes her debut elf blog on a recent systematic review looking at general hospital health professionals’ attitudes and perceived dangerousness towards patients with comorbid mental and physical health conditions.

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