Increase Font size or Reduce Font size      A to Z Site Search 

Articles of News you may have missed or wants to view again.

 

Experts call for radical increase in mental health research investment
A Declaration calling for a radical increase in investment in mental health research will be made at Downing Street today. The Declaration, part of the Research Mental Health initiative, has the backing of dozens of leading scientists and public... 14/10/09

Popular antidepressant associated with a dramatic increase in suicidal thoughts amongst men
Nortriptyline has been found to cause a ten-fold increase in suicidal thoughts in men when compared to its competitor escitalopram. These findings are published in the open access journal BMC Medicine .....14/10/09

 

Promise has NW launch!

The PROMiSE North West network was launched on the 7th September in Preston. This is the first regional network event for the third and independent provider sector....

All UK hospitals ‘must have liaison psychiatry services’:
new report No Health Without Mental Health

Every hospital in the UK must have a dedicated liaison psychiatry service, according to a new report from the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges.
No Health Without Mental Health, warns that the current lack of provision means the mental health problems of many hospital patients are going unrecognised and untreated – causing them unnecessary suffering.

Figures show that 1 in 4 people who attend hospital for physical health needs will have a mental health problem.  For patients over the age of 65 these figures are even higher with 60% requiring mental health care during their hospital stay.  At present, however, around 40% of hospitals have no access to liaison psychiatry services.

Professor Else Guthrie, author of the report, said: “When mental and physical health problems combine, the individual is more likely to experience physical complications and problematic symptoms.  They are less likely to access services and adhere to treatment, and their physical and mental recovery can be seriously impeded.  These complications result in greater lengths of stay, higher numbers of re-admissions, and increased healthcare expenditure.  The fact that many hospitals lack liaison psychiatry input means that patients are not getting a fair deal and that precious NHS resources are not being best utilised.”

Care Quality Commission: New mental health report

The Care Quality Commission has launched the final biennial report from their predecessor organisation, the Mental Health Act Commission. The report says that care for people detained under the Mental Health Act is in need of improvement and highlights the main areas of concern

Doctors fear stigma of mental illness
Only 1 in 5 doctors would seek advice from colleagues or other health professionals if they developed a mental illness, according to a new survey published by the Royal College of Physicians.

 

Three-quarters (73%) said they were most likely to speak to family or friends, while only 13% said they would speak to professional or governmental organisations, and just 7% would talk to colleagues. A further 7% said they would tell nobody.

 

The poll found that:

  • A third (33%) of non-psychiatric doctors said worries about career implications would affect their decision to disclose their illness.
  • 3 in 10 (30%) said they would be influenced by professional integrity and 1 in 5 (20%) said they were worried about the stigma of having a mental health problem.
  • If they required inpatient treatment, they would choose either a local or distant private facility, while a further fifth (19%) said they would opt for NHS care, but away from their local area.
  • More than half (51%) said their decision was influenced by fears over confidentiality.

Dr Alfred White, speaking on behalf of the research team, said: "Doctors who are reluctant to seek professional advice for mental health issues may be putting themselves, and possibly also their patients, at risk. Doctors suffer higher levels of depression and substance misuse, as well as higher rates of suicide than the general population.

 

“The apparent lack of confidence in the current system protecting doctors' confidentiality may exacerbate these trends."

 

Dr White said researchers were concerned that there was a lack of options for doctors who feel they are mentally unwell, adding: "Greater emphasis is needed to educate doctors on mental health and to improve and extend the options open to them for accessing mental health support."