Patients diagnosed with anxiety have an almost three times greater risk of developing dementia and it is a stronger risk factor than both depression and cerebrovascular disease, according to a UK primary care study.
The study’s authors suggest older patients could be presenting with anxiety which is caused by their first experiences of cognitive impairment.
Primary care researchers at Keele University in Staffordshire used the Consultations in Primary Care Archive to identify 400 cases of dementia and matched them to 1,353 controls without dementia.
Read the full article via Pulse here.
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Thursday, 11 October 2012
Thursday, 4 October 2012
Stalking your ex on Facebook is bad for your mental health
New research shows that obsessing over your ex on Facebook might seem like it helps ease the pain of breaking up, but it's potentially harmful for your mental health.
Facebook Surveillance of Former Romantic Partners: Associations with PostBreakup Recovery and Personal Growth by Dr. Tara C. Marshall, Ph.D., tells us that online post-breakup fixation on your ex is really not a good idea if you want to get over it, heal your heart, or get back into personal growth patterns.
Facebook Surveillance of Former Romantic Partners: Associations with PostBreakup Recovery and Personal Growth by Dr. Tara C. Marshall, Ph.D., tells us that online post-breakup fixation on your ex is really not a good idea if you want to get over it, heal your heart, or get back into personal growth patterns.
And even though "all the kids are doing it" - it's not going to be helping out anyone's mental health anytime soon.
The paper explains, "Not only do people use Facebook to monitor the activities of current romantic partners, but as many as one-third use Facebook to keep tabs on former romantic partners.While Facebook surveillance of ex-partners has been linked to negative outcomes such as online and offline relational intrusion, the potential for Facebook contact and surveillance to disrupt emotional recovery and growth following a breakup has received little research attention."
Read more via ZDNet here.
Wednesday, 3 October 2012
Depression in the workplace increasing in the UK
A new survey from the European Depression Association has revealed that one in ten working people surveyed in Europe have taken time off work due to depression.
The IDEA survey questioned over 7,000 people across Europe and discovered that 20% of the respondents had received a diagnosis of depression at some point. Great Britain had the highest percentage recorded (26%), and of those experiencing depression, it suggested that 58% were likely to take time off work because of it.
The IDEA survey questioned over 7,000 people across Europe and discovered that 20% of the respondents had received a diagnosis of depression at some point. Great Britain had the highest percentage recorded (26%), and of those experiencing depression, it suggested that 58% were likely to take time off work because of it.
Read more via the HR Review here.
PsychologyOnline provides professional support for those suffering from mental health illnesses such as depression. For more information about our online therapy service, see details on our website.
PsychologyOnline provides professional support for those suffering from mental health illnesses such as depression. For more information about our online therapy service, see details on our website.
Tuesday, 18 September 2012
Cricketers urged to complete online depression tutorials
All county cricketers are being encouraged to complete a series of online tutorials in a move aimed at raising awareness of depression.
Created by the Professional Cricketers' Association, the tutorials aim to help players identify key warning signs.
High-profile England internationals who have experienced depression, including Marcus Trescothick, present segments of the video.
The PCA says it will help affected players gain any support they need.
The initiative's launch has been deliberately timed to coincide with the end of the domestic season.
This time of the year is considered a ''risk period'' as players adapt to life outside the daily routine and environment of their county clubs.
Read more here.
18th September 2012
Created by the Professional Cricketers' Association, the tutorials aim to help players identify key warning signs.
High-profile England internationals who have experienced depression, including Marcus Trescothick, present segments of the video.
The PCA says it will help affected players gain any support they need.
The initiative's launch has been deliberately timed to coincide with the end of the domestic season.
This time of the year is considered a ''risk period'' as players adapt to life outside the daily routine and environment of their county clubs.
Read more here.
18th September 2012
Wednesday, 12 September 2012
One in four HR Execs have no formal policy to manage stress
More than one in four (28%) HR directors admit that they have no formal process in place to deal with stress and anxiety for employees, according to a recent survey by OfficeTeam.
The study surveyed 200 HR directors across the UK, with the results segmented by size, sector and geographic location. Formal policies for employee stress could include processes for reporting anxiety, training programmes to teach resilience, or access to professional counsellors as part of private medical health schemes.
200 UK HR directors were asked, What policies have you implemented to help employees deal with stress and anxiety?’ Their responses were as follows:
* Stress management training for all employees: 33%.
* Access to counselling services through private medical insurance: 32%.
* Individual programmes as needed: 31%.
* No formal policy: 28%.
* Formal policy for senior management only: 7%.
* Don’t know: 3%.
Employees in the private sector appear to be most at risk of being overlooked, with one in three (33%) HR directors revealing that they are without a formal stress and anxiety policy. However, this figure falls to 28% for publicly listed companies, and 20% for the public sector, states HR Review.
The study surveyed 200 HR directors across the UK, with the results segmented by size, sector and geographic location. Formal policies for employee stress could include processes for reporting anxiety, training programmes to teach resilience, or access to professional counsellors as part of private medical health schemes.
200 UK HR directors were asked, What policies have you implemented to help employees deal with stress and anxiety?’ Their responses were as follows:
* Stress management training for all employees: 33%.
* Access to counselling services through private medical insurance: 32%.
* Individual programmes as needed: 31%.
* No formal policy: 28%.
* Formal policy for senior management only: 7%.
* Don’t know: 3%.
Employees in the private sector appear to be most at risk of being overlooked, with one in three (33%) HR directors revealing that they are without a formal stress and anxiety policy. However, this figure falls to 28% for publicly listed companies, and 20% for the public sector, states HR Review.
12th September 2012
Tuesday, 11 September 2012
Suicide prevention strategy backed by £1.5m
The government has promised to put £1.5m into research exploring how to prevent suicides among those most at risk of taking their own lives.
The pledge comes as ministers unveiled a suicide prevention strategy that aims to cut the suicide rate and provide more support to bereaved families
Funding will be used to look at how the number of suicides can be reduced among people with a history of self-harm.
Researchers will also focus on cutting suicides among children and young people and exploring how and why suicidal people use the internet.
Launching the strategy to coincide with World Suicide Prevention Day, the care services minister, Norman Lamb, said: "One death to suicide is one too many – we want to make suicide prevention everyone's business.
"Over the last 10 years there has been real progress in reducing the suicide rate, but it is still the case that someone takes their own life every two hours in England.
"We want to reduce suicides by better supporting those most at risk and providing information for those affected by a loved one's suicide."
The pledge comes as ministers unveiled a suicide prevention strategy that aims to cut the suicide rate and provide more support to bereaved families
Funding will be used to look at how the number of suicides can be reduced among people with a history of self-harm.
Researchers will also focus on cutting suicides among children and young people and exploring how and why suicidal people use the internet.
Launching the strategy to coincide with World Suicide Prevention Day, the care services minister, Norman Lamb, said: "One death to suicide is one too many – we want to make suicide prevention everyone's business.
"Over the last 10 years there has been real progress in reducing the suicide rate, but it is still the case that someone takes their own life every two hours in England.
"We want to reduce suicides by better supporting those most at risk and providing information for those affected by a loved one's suicide."
Read more with the Guardian.
11th September 2012
Monday, 10 September 2012
Survey finds mental health still carries stigma
Stigma around mental health issues is still stopping people in need from accessing support, medics have warned.
A survey to mark World Suicide Day found almost a third of people would not willingly accept someone with a mental health problem as a close friend.
And 62% admitted they would discriminate against hiring someone with a history of mental illness on the grounds they may be unreliable.
St Patrick’s University Hospital in Dublin warned it is crucial vulnerable people can get high quality care from a service they trust.
Some 525 people died from suicide in Ireland last year, up from 486 in 2010.
Paul Gilligan, chief executive of the mental health and addiction facility, said: “Data from the World Health Organisation indicate that approximately one million people worldwide die by suicide each year.
“This translates to one death by suicide every 40 seconds.”
A survey to mark World Suicide Day found almost a third of people would not willingly accept someone with a mental health problem as a close friend.
And 62% admitted they would discriminate against hiring someone with a history of mental illness on the grounds they may be unreliable.
St Patrick’s University Hospital in Dublin warned it is crucial vulnerable people can get high quality care from a service they trust.
Some 525 people died from suicide in Ireland last year, up from 486 in 2010.
Paul Gilligan, chief executive of the mental health and addiction facility, said: “Data from the World Health Organisation indicate that approximately one million people worldwide die by suicide each year.
“This translates to one death by suicide every 40 seconds.”
Read more of the Irish report here.
10th September 2012
Thursday, 6 September 2012
"A golden age discovery in neuroscience"
Developments in imaging technology, genetics, brain chemistry and computing are promising fresh insights into the workings of the mind and mental illness.
Dr Belinda Lewis is using fMRI to study bipolar disorder at Cambridge University's Wolfson Brain Imaging Centre.
As her patients lie in the scanner they are shown a series of images conveying a range of human emotions - from fear and sadness, to joy and laughter.
The study shows both that the brains of those suffering from bipolar disorder are excessively stimulated by these images, and that they are less able to process, or interpret, that information accurately.
But perhaps the important aspect of the research, Dr Lennox claims, has been to demonstrate the presence of bipolar disorder in the brain.
"Fundamentally it shows that bipolar disorder, and in fact all mental illnesses, are brain disorders of a biological nature that warrant proper investigation including scanning. And that that will be of clinical utility in the near future."
Dr Belinda Lewis is using fMRI to study bipolar disorder at Cambridge University's Wolfson Brain Imaging Centre.
As her patients lie in the scanner they are shown a series of images conveying a range of human emotions - from fear and sadness, to joy and laughter.
The study shows both that the brains of those suffering from bipolar disorder are excessively stimulated by these images, and that they are less able to process, or interpret, that information accurately.
But perhaps the important aspect of the research, Dr Lennox claims, has been to demonstrate the presence of bipolar disorder in the brain.
"Fundamentally it shows that bipolar disorder, and in fact all mental illnesses, are brain disorders of a biological nature that warrant proper investigation including scanning. And that that will be of clinical utility in the near future."
Read the whole article (writen by Tom Feilden) here.
6th September 2012
Wednesday, 5 September 2012
48% of young people do not feel comfortable talking to their GP about their emotional or mental health
A study in Brighton and Hove has found that only 52% of young people aged 16–25 would feel comfortable talking to their GP about their emotional or mental health.
The survey of 172 16–25 year olds also found that 36% do not feel comfortable addressing mental health issues with their doctor.
The research was carried out between October and December 2011 by theRight Here project in Brighton and Hove, one of four Right Here projects around the UK working with young people to develop new ways to deliver mental health services.
The study assessed young people’s experiences of visiting their GP, to identify improvements that could be made to their emotional and mental health services. The Brighton and Hove GP-led Clinical Commissioning Group is now working in partnership with Right Here to encourage changes to how GPs respond to young people’s emotional and mental health, based on the report’s findings.
Read more of the findings here.
5th September 2012
The survey of 172 16–25 year olds also found that 36% do not feel comfortable addressing mental health issues with their doctor.
The research was carried out between October and December 2011 by theRight Here project in Brighton and Hove, one of four Right Here projects around the UK working with young people to develop new ways to deliver mental health services.
The study assessed young people’s experiences of visiting their GP, to identify improvements that could be made to their emotional and mental health services. The Brighton and Hove GP-led Clinical Commissioning Group is now working in partnership with Right Here to encourage changes to how GPs respond to young people’s emotional and mental health, based on the report’s findings.
Read more of the findings here.
5th September 2012
Monday, 3 September 2012
Changing attitudes to mental health
With the abundance of guidance and research available, OH practitioners should now be well placed to help ease the stigma of mental ill health, says Jane Downey.
According to recent research, six employees out of 10 with diabetes keep their condition secret for fear of discrimination and bullying (Paton, 2011). If employees with diabetes fear discrimination, how much greater must the fear be for employees with mental health conditions, described as the "number one" stigma by Corrigan (2005)?
This is echoed in the statistics, which reveal that only 21% of people with long-term mental health conditions are in employment; this reduces to between 4% and 8% for those who have a "severe mental health condition" (Rinaldi and Perkins, 2002). This is despite the fact that research on the "Individual Placement and Support" (IPS) model of vocational rehabilitation clearly demonstrates that a large proportion of people with severe mental health conditions can attain and retain jobs as long as they are provided with appropriate support (Becker et al, 1994; Burns et al, 2007). So, why in these supposed enlightened times is this problem so difficult to resolve? And what can OH practitioners do to alleviate the effects of mental health stigma in their workplaces?
According to recent research, six employees out of 10 with diabetes keep their condition secret for fear of discrimination and bullying (Paton, 2011). If employees with diabetes fear discrimination, how much greater must the fear be for employees with mental health conditions, described as the "number one" stigma by Corrigan (2005)?
This is echoed in the statistics, which reveal that only 21% of people with long-term mental health conditions are in employment; this reduces to between 4% and 8% for those who have a "severe mental health condition" (Rinaldi and Perkins, 2002). This is despite the fact that research on the "Individual Placement and Support" (IPS) model of vocational rehabilitation clearly demonstrates that a large proportion of people with severe mental health conditions can attain and retain jobs as long as they are provided with appropriate support (Becker et al, 1994; Burns et al, 2007). So, why in these supposed enlightened times is this problem so difficult to resolve? And what can OH practitioners do to alleviate the effects of mental health stigma in their workplaces?
Read more here.
3rd September 2012
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