Young people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are usually given some kind of behavioural or educational intervention to help improve their overall functioning. However, in some cases, those individuals who have high levels of repetitive, obsessive-compulsive type behaviours and mood disorders are treated with drug interventions, although there is little high quality evidence to support [read the full story…]
Observational studies (Vergouwen et al) have reported alarmingly high discontinuation rates for patients taking antidepressant medication (28% at 1 month and 44-52% at 3 months). One group of health professionals who can potentially have a major impact on this issue are pharmacists. This new systematic review conducted by researchers from Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, set [read the full story…]
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…]
Regular readers may recall previous blogs where I have written about the dangers associated with antipsychotic drugs in elderly patients. Many of you have responded simply and emotionally on Twitter by saying: “Stop prescribing these drugs!” Others have recognised that the issue is far from clear cut as a fair proportion of patients do have [read the full story…]
There is a great deal of debate about prescribing antipsychotics to children and young people. Prescription rates of these drugs has risen sharply over the last few years, but there remains only limited evidence about the safety and efficacy of these medicines. The second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) have become more popular and this is partly due [read the full story…]
The NICE depression guidance recommends a stepped-care model for treating mild to moderate depression (see figure 11 below). A considerable amount of funding has gone towards the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies initiative in England, but despite this the availability of individual therapy remains limited and relatively few people with depression receive the kind of [read the full story…]
Existing trials have shown that cognitive behavioural therapy is a promising treatment for chronic fatigue syndrome. The availability of CBT is patchy, so there is an increasing body of research investigating whether internet-based treatment is a viable alternative. A new small randomised controlled trial conducted by researchers from the Netherlands has been published in the [read the full story…]
The public perception of mental health and violent behaviour has often been influenced by poor media coverage and a focus on specific crimes committed by people with psychosis. There’s a nice summary of work in this area on the Mind website, which includes a number of enlightening stats, including this one: The fear of random [read the full story…]
Acute sinusitis (rhinosinusitis) is a common disease with 1 in 5 antibiotic prescriptions for adults in the United States being for sinusitis. US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines recommend using clinical criteria for diagnosis and reserving antibiotic treatment for patients with moderately severe or severe symptoms. The aim of this study was [read the full story…]
This topic has been well publicised in recent years and for good reason. We know that there is a huge disparity between the number of people with dementia who are prescribed antipsychotics (180,000 in England each year) and the number who may derive some benefit from the treatment (36,000). We also know that dangerous side [read the full story…]
