Top definition tool deemed 'unscientific' by National Institute of Mental Health

A manual once used to diagnose all issues regarding mental health is to be shelved by the National Institute of Mental Health after being dubbed 'pseudoscience' and 'unscientific' by experts in the industry.

"Next month, the latest edition of a book will be published in America that, according to its critics, will give you a starring role in your own private performance of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest – by turning aspects of your normal behaviour, such as checking Twitter a little too often, into a new mental disorder.

Many see its publication as part of a continuing attempt to create order out of the chaos of the human mind by updating a set of common criteria for mental disorders that encourages research as well as helping in the diagnosis and treatment of patients.

Yet the debate is so polarised that the American Psychiatric Association (APA) is publishing the $200 fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) into a maelstrom of controversy. Indeed, two of the DSM's fiercest critics, Dr Allen Frances and Dr Robert Spitzer, are former chairmen of the task forces that composed previous editions.

Now, just two weeks before the new edition appears, the National Institute of Mental Health, the world's largest mental health research institute, has announced that it is withdrawing support for the manual as "it lacks validity" due to the unscientific basis of its classifications."

Read more on the story, written by Mark Piesing, here.

9th May 2013

The bigger picture for e-health

For this e-health theme issue, the Bulletin brought together leading thinkers in the field of e-health to discuss how new technologies can lead to better health for all.

Desmond Tutu
Desmond Tutu is chairman of GeHAP, the Global eHealth Ambassadors Program of the International Society for Telemedicine and eHealth, which aims to raise the profile of e-health worldwide, through advocacy activities.

Q: Can e-health help narrow gaps in social inequality across the world? If so, how?

A: Technology is a major driving force of our civilization. Whether through medicines to heal the sick or products for growing food to feed the hungry, or most recently information and communication technology to fuel economic and social growth, technology has always been intertwined with human development. Today the technology most accessible to the poor and disenfranchised is the mobile phone. If we want a vehicle for reaching the underserved with interventions from health and other sectors of the economy, the mobile phone is the technology of choice.

Q: Can e-health help to tackle the social determinants of health?

A: Definitely. What we need is a paradigm shift from information and communications technologies for health to a greater emphasis on information and communications technologies for development, which benefit health but also have an effect on education, agriculture, commerce, governance and other social determinants of health. What the poor and the vulnerable need is not only good health but good lives.

Q: What can governments and international agencies do to promote the benefits of e-health?

A: Governments set the rules of the game and international agencies have great influence on all players. The right policies and strategies for development of e-health, with proper emphasis on reducing inequalities can play a big role in promoting adoption of e-health technologies and thereby extend their benefits. Once people enjoy the benefits themselves, they will become agents of further promotion and drivers of future adoption. Developing national policies and strategies which create a fertile regulatory environment for e-health, building capacity through, for example, training programmes and on-the-job training for all health workers – these are some of the mechanisms through which governments and international agencies can help provide an enabling environment for the growth of e-health in countries.

For more interviews, check out the full story here

Flexible working to make therapy available at convenient times

Our recent article on the CfWI Blog:

"Guest blogger Barnaby Perks from PsychologyOnline reflects on the importance of the CfWI’s report on the psychological therapies workforce.


Psychological therapies include cognitive behavioural therapy, psychodynamic psychotherapy, interpersonal therapy, arts therapies (including art, music and drama therapy), counselling, and family and couple therapy. The CfWI Improving workforce planning for the psychological therapies workforce review was published today. As well as highlight the absence of a definition of what a psychological therapist actually is, the report emphasises the need to support workforce planning across organisations commissioning and delivering psychological therapies so effective services can be delivered. This needs to include new ways of working such as online services. At PsychologyOnline we believe that therapy should be made available in a way that suits the needs of service users rather than service providers. For many people this means accessing therapy in the evening from the comfort of home. For this to happen there has to be a shift in the way the therapist workforce is planned for, developed and managed on the frontline. We see a fundamental mismatch of supply and demand in psychological therapies. Therapy is predominantly made available during the working day, with limited out-of-hours service. However, our experience tells us that people don’t want to take time off work and prefer appointments outside the working day, especially weekday evenings between 6pm and 10pm. And they’d rather not travel. We believe that people should have the option of accessing therapy in a way that fits in with their busy lives. We use the internet to connect therapists and service users for therapy in a secure online meeting room – most choose to access the service from home on weekday evenings. For many people, online therapy is an efficient and convenient solution. However, it doesn’t suit everybody. There will always be some who prefer or need face-to-face therapy. We believe that widespread use of online therapy would free up valuable face-to-face resources to be targeted at those with the greatest need. Implementing online services across the NHS won’t be easy. The NHS would need to change the way it manages its workforce, particularly in terms of flexible, variable hours and home working. However, this must be addressed if the NHS is serious about providing services to patients that fit around their busy work and family schedules. Read the report: Improving workforce planning for the psychological therapies workforce Leave your thoughts below and visit us at http://www.psychologyonline.co.uk"

View the article here

Give mental health same priority as physical, says Royal College of Psychiatrists

The organisations, which take charge of commissioning NHS services from next week, should ensure that patients get ''equivalent levels of access'' to treatments for mental health problems as for physical health problems. The ''long-standing and continuing'' lack of parity between mental and physical health is ''inequitable and socially unjust'', according to a new report by the College.

''Much has been done to improve mental health in the last 10 years but it still does not receive the same attention as physical health, and the consequences can be serious,'' said Professor Sue Bailey, president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists

Article via The Telegraph found here.

Mental health service users to get greater choice in care

The Government has announced that mental health service users will get more choice about where and how they get their condition treated by the NHS. Care Minister Norman Lamb said: “If any group of patients could benefit from being empowered by taking control of their own care, it is people with mental illness. Today’s announcement is a further step to make sure they have more choice, more control and more information about their care.

“We’ve made it clear in the past that there can be no health without mental health, and that we expect the NHS to place as much emphasis on people’s mental health as on their physical health needs. By giving patients more choice in their care, we are making sure they get the right type of high quality mental health care at the right time, which suits them and their needs.”

Article via mentalhealthtoday.co.uk found here.

PsychologyOnline offers professional support for those struggling with mental health issues. Our service is professional and confidential. For more details, see our website.

Children's mental health services to improve

Care and Support Minister, Norman Lamb, has announced funding of £2 million for new technology to improve children's mental health sessions. Children will be able to use tablet computers during their sessions with a therapist to see if they are achieving their treatment goals. Mr Lamb said: "Acting early to help children with mental health problems can prevent a lifetime of suffering as half of those with lifelong mental health problems first experience symptoms before the age of 14."

Article via Department of Health found here.

PsychologyOnline offers professional support for those struggling with mental health issues. Our service is professional and confidential. For more details, see our website.

More young veterans treated for PTSD than ever before

Leading military charities say they're treating more veterans under-30 for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than ever before.

The mental health problem is triggered by injury or severe psychological shock and anything from military combat to a traffic accident can cause it. Symptoms include flashbacks, severe anxiety, isolation and depression.

Read more of the story via BBC Newsbeat here.

PsychologyOnline delivers online cognitive behavioural therapy for those struggling with mental health issues, including PTSD. Our service is professional and confidential. For more information, see details on our website.

England to host international initiative for mental health leadership in 2014

Norman Lamb, Minister of State for Care Services has accepted an invitation for England to host the 2014 exchange.The exchange will help the NHS, local government and partners to speed up improvements to services, and support and improve mental health, by learning from experts from across the world.

The exchange will take place in June 2014 and will aim to build long term collaboration between leaders in mental health in the NHS, local government, charities and user organisations, allowing the continued sharing of information and learning for the benefit of people living with mental health problems.

Read more via Department of Health here.

Five psychiatric disorders 'linked'

Findings from a major study reported in the Lancet medical journal have found that autism, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder and schizophrenia all share several genetic risk factors.

Versions of four genes increased the odds of all five disorders. Researchers hope to move the psychiatry away from describing symptoms towards fundamentally understanding what is going wrong in the brain. One of the researchers Nick Craddock, a professor of psychiatry at Cardiff University, said: "It signals the opening of a potential new era for psychiatry and mental illness."

Read more of the story via BBC News here.

Mental health is as important as physical health

Professor Barbara Sahakian, best known for her expertise on cognitive enhancers, has asked people to prioritise mental health in the same way as physical health. "As a society, we take our mental health for granted. But just like our bodies, it is important to keep our brains fit".

In any given year, one in every four adults suffers from a mental disorder. As a result, in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada, mental disorders are the leading cause of disability, with depression and anxiety accounting for a significant percentage of the disorders. "Just as joggers check their pulse rate, we should encourage individuals to regularly keep an eye on the state of their mental health. We need to educate the public about what to look for." added Sahakian.

Read more via The Times of India here.

PsychologyOnline offers professional support for those struggling with mental health issues. Our service is professional and confidential. For more details, see our website.