Depression is one of the most common mental health problems, with around 1 in 5 people in the UK suffering from depression during their lifetime (Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2012) including an estimated 4% of children (NHS Choices, 2012). Treatments for depression are different in children and young people, for example some antidepressant medications used [read the full story…]
Anxiety disorders are identified by NICE clinical guidelines as a common mental health issue. The term refers to a range of disorders including generalised anxiety disorder, panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and social anxiety disorder. The typical treatment plan consists of medication and/or psychotherapy, however NICE acknowledges that access to psychological [read the full story…]
Chronic diseases and depression often go hand in hand. There is a growing evidence-base that shows how exercise can help reduce depressive symptoms in people with chronic illness and it’s encouraging to see a steady stream of primary research being published in this area. A new ancillary study published in JAMA examines the effect that [read the full story…]
Anyone who’s spent any time at all on the Mental Elf website, or any of the other National Elf Service sites, knows that we elves love succinct and focused summaries that are easy to read and quick to digest. It’s always a delight to see other groups publishing similar resources, so I’ve decided today to [read the full story…]
The reduced life expectancy (15-20 years less) often faced by many people with schizophrenia is frequently a result of cardiovascular disease. Lifestyle choices (smoking, lack of exercise and poor diet) can increase the risk of these diseases, but people who take antipsychotic drugs often have the additional problem of weight gain that is caused by [read the full story…]
Regular readers of the Mental Elf will recall the blogs (Here is the evidence for exercising if you are depressed and New Cochrane review shows that exercise helps with depression) I wrote back in June and July about the evidence for exercising if you have depression. A new systematic review was published in the British [read the full story…]
Weight gain is one of the side effects that people who take antipsychotic drugs complain of the most. Obesity is common in this population and this can often lead to cardiovascular problems and a far shorter life expectancy than the rest of the population. As a result, there is a great deal of interest in [read the full story…]
Another week, another new type of publication from NICE. The local government public health briefings are aimed at local authorities and their partner organisations in the health and voluntary sectors, in particular those involved with health and wellbeing boards. Three briefings have been launched today on: Tobacco Physical activity Workplace health These briefings will be relevant [read the full story…]
This is perfect timing from the chaps at the Cochrane Depression, Anxiety and Neurosis Group. After all the hubbub about exercise and depression a few weeks ago, it’s great to read an updated version of their systematic review that looks at the effectiveness of exercise in the treatment of depression. The review looked for randomised [read the full story…]
Ooh, what a palaver over the depression and exercise story! Such a lot of words have been written about the study published in the BMJ last week, including by me. The study itself was well conducted but frankly disappointing (for us readers and the researchers themselves), finding as it did that a specific treatment to [read the full story…]
