Male mental health problems need more attention

Over the past 30 years three to four times more men have taken their own lives than women, and at no point during this period has the rate of suicide in women been higher than that of men. This raises questions about why we haven't been thinking about the psychological needs of men and boys sooner.

Men's Health Week aims to raise awareness of this and other mental health problems that men face. Traditionally, men are reluctant to seek help, have high levels of isolation, high rates of drug and alcohol misuse, are at greater risk of homelessness, display more externalised and destructive behaviours, and are more involved with the criminal justice system. Underlying many of these experiences are complex psychological problems, but rarely do we empathise with their causes.

Men are more often portrayed as villains, perpetrators and the causes of problems, and we can become too focused on the externalisation of mental distress in men through alcohol abuse, aggression and other anti-social behaviours. Such behaviours also attract a punitive response from services.

If these behaviours are the result of unacknowledged complex traumatic backgrounds and mental health difficulties, a punitive response is only likely to make a bad situation worse. Anger, one of the few sanctioned male emotions can often indicate that someone is feeling bad about themselves, seems to have been excluded from mental health services. It is not surprising that 90% of the male prison population is estimated to have mental health problems. A more empathic approach to understanding the psychological wellbeing of men and boys is needed, says Luke Sullivan of The Guardian.

To read more on this story, click here.

New study finds depression treatments "can extend life"

Researchers have shown for the first time in a randomised trial that treatment for major depression can reduce overall mortality rates in older patients.

The study

US researchers identified 1,226 patients over the age of 60 years from 20 primary care practices who were randomised to an intervention or a usual care group. The intervention included educational sessions for GPs and patients’ families and a ‘depression care manager’ in the practice who monitored symptoms and offered psychotherapy or an increase in antidepressant dose if indicated. This study looked at the mortality risk after long term follow (up of 98 months through 2008).

The findings

After long-term follow-up (98 months), patients with major depression in the intervention group had a 24% lower mortality risk, compared with those who received usual care. The HR of minor depression in the intervention group versus minor depression in the usual care was 1.18. Those with major depression in the intervention group had a similar mortality rate to those without depression (HR 1.09), while patients with major depression in the usual care group had almost double the mortality rate, compared with those without depression (HR 1.90).

Read more on the Pulse website.

19th June 2013

Mental health care for pregnant women has 'worrying gaps' says NSPCC

There are "worrying gaps" in mental health services for pregnant women, a charity has warned.

The NSPCC said that women face a "postcode lottery" of services because less than half of mental health trusts in England have specialist services for expectant and new mothers.

The wellbeing of more than one in 10 newborn babies across the country could be improved if all new mothers with mental illness had equal access to good services, a report by the charity suggests.

Mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and schizophrenia can begin or escalate when a woman is pregnant or after her baby is born.

The charity said that many of these illnesses are preventable or treatable but in some areas NHS commissioners are "not giving mums' mental health the priority it deserves".

It is calling on ministers to "fill gaps in services" and to ensure that the mental health of mothers is given the same importance as their physical health.

Peter Wanless, chief executive of the NSPCC, said: "This report clearly shows that with the right services, it is possible to prevent the harm caused by maternal mental illness. But opportunities to help many more families are being missed.

"We have to start treating the mental health of mums and babies with the same importance as their physical health.

"Pregnancy and the first months of a child's life are critical for their future wellbeing and parents naturally play a vital role. If the Government is serious about giving every child the best start in life it must take action to fill the gaps in services."

Read more on The Huffington Post website.

17th July 2013

Libraries begin stocking self-help books for depression

GPs will be able to direct people with conditions such as depression, phobias and eating disorders to self-help books in their local library under a scheme starting today.

The ‘Reading Well: Books on Prescription’ scheme supplies books based on cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) techniques to help people understand and self-manage common mental health conditions.

The scheme was launched last week by independent charity The Reading Agency, the Society of Chief Librarians and local library services.

Books will be made available in participating libraries from from today. The scheme is supported by NICE guidelines, the RCGP and the Royal College of Nursing.

At the launch of the scheme, Dr James Kingsland, a GP in Merseyside and national clinical lead for NHS clinical commissioning, said: ‘Reading Well: Books on Prescription is brilliant. It will enable me and my fellow GPs to recommend book-based CBT from libraries. This can be a stand-alone treatment or alongside medication and other psychological interventions.’

To read more, click here.

11th June 2013

Job opportunity: We are looking for ASP.NET Web developer

We need an ASP.NET wizard for our web development team, who will have development & operational responsibilities.

• ASP.NET MVC4, Razor, C#
• Full time
• £20-40k, dependant on experience
•  Based in Fenstanton, Cambridgeshire (soon to be relocated in Swavesey)

About PsychologyOnline

Our main business is the provision of online therapy through a network of affiliated qualified and experienced therapists. We are a small company but we are expanding rapidly. The role of the development team is to design and build our innovative online therapy platform. We have an agile, flexible and responsive approach to software development.

Oh, and on sunny days we enjoy sharing a BBQ outside the office!

About you

We are looking for a brilliant web developer with inspiration and flair, whose main focus will be on the front-end of the development stack.

In practice this means that you understand user interaction and can translate complex requirements into an easy to use and engaging system, drawing inspiration from social media sites, e-learning systems, resource management systems, etc… Because we are a small team, you may also be required to work on all other parts of the system, such as data architecture, business logic, etc..... You need to be flexible and versatile.

Are you enthusiastic, with experience, vision and innovative ideas? Can you take your work seriously without taking yourself too seriously?!

We do everything in house, so here's an opportunity for you to see your ideas put into practice and to influence business development.

Essential:

• ASP.NET MVC4, Razor, C#
• HTML, CSS
• Javascript, jQuery
• legally able to work in the UK

Work will include interfacing with Entity Framework back-end, building HTML5 & CSS themes, and creating great user experience with jQuery and other libraries.

Desirable:

• Skills such as using source control, bug triage, project management
• Some experience of agile development methods
•  Degree-level education
• Some Experience with Quantify-self applications would be great

How to apply:

Please send your CV to info@psychologyonline.co.uk and tell us a little about yourself: your situation, background and personality.

Children with a parent in prison are twice as likely to face mental health problems later in life

Children with a parent in prison are twice as likely to be disruptive in school and face mental health problems later in life, says a report to be published later today.

The report, from the children’s charity Barnardo’s, urges every school to appoint a designated teacher to look after the needs of the estimated 200,000 children a year who find themselves in this position.

“The children of prisoners are a group hidden from view,” said Alison Worsley, the deputy director of strategy at Barnardo’s. “All the evidence suggests they are highly vulnerable and often face extensive challenges to their education and wellbeing.”

The report says – as there are around 36,000 schools in England and Wales – there is a strong possibility that the vast majority of schools have at least one pupil with a parent in prison. One Oxfordshire headteacher estimated that at least two children in every class at her school was in that position.

“Parental imprisonment has a direct impact on children’s academic attainment, socio-emotional development and behaviour, often escalating to school exclusion or truancy,” the report adds.

“Yes, I’m naughtier at school,” one 13-year-old whose stepfather is in prison told researchers. “I’m getting removed from lessons for being naughty and joking around. Sometimes I just get angry.”

A mother whose partner was in prison said of her daughter: “Her school work is terrible. Everything in her report was about the past few months. It’s quite obvious what’s affecting it.”

The Barnardo’s research also shows that at least 25 per cent of children over the age of 11 with jailed parents are at high risk of mental health problems.

The majority of imprisoned parents are fathers, but up to 18,000 pupils a year are separated from jailed mothers says Richard Garner of the Independent.

Read more here.

5th June 2012

Psychological therapies 'help patients control long-term conditions'

GP referral for depression and anxiety in patients with a long-term condition (LTC) can significantly improve their control of their disease and healthcare costs, suggest UK researchers.

The study across 20 GP practices showed a reduction in A&E department use and increased antidepressant use in people with LTCs and common mental health problems who had been referred to the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme, compared with those who were not referred to an IAPT service.

The team concluded that while further research over longer periods is needed, it seems that IAPT helps people with LTCs cope with their physical as well as comorbid mental health problems.

Launched nationally in 2008, the IAPT programme is aimed at expanding the use of evidence-based psychological therapies for common mental health problems such as depression and anxiety. A study published in 2011 found that the IAPT programme resulted in a significant reduction in sick notes and A&E attendances among people with such conditions.

This latest analysis, published in Behaviour Research and Therapy, looked at the use of healthcare by 1,118 people with a common mental health problem referred to IAPT, of whom 186 had LTCs, and that of 6,711 matched control patients with a common mental health problem who were ot referred to IAPT, of whom 1,115 had a LTC.

People with LTCs and mental health problems who were referred for IAPT had a fall in A&E service attendances in the six months after referral, compared with the six months before, whereas those who were not referred to IAPT had an increase in A&E attendance over the same period. This equated to an average of 0.21 fewer A&E visits with IAPT versus no IAPT, a statistically significant difference.

For more information, click here to visit the source.

21st May 2013

Use 'Mental Health Awareness Week' as a tool to talk to your colleagues

Mental health problems are common

It's known that 1 in 4 British adults experience at least one diagnosable mental health problem in any one year(1). So why is there so little understanding about this? Awareness is increasing with the help of dedicated charities and developing government policies to eliminate discrimination but still very few people are trained in how to distinguish and help when a colleague is struggling.

Stress and anxiety in the workplace should not be ignored

Research (commissioned by the mental health charity Mind) has found that work is "the most stressful factor in people's lives with 1 in 3 people saying their work life was either very or quite stressful" (2). Despite this, 45% of employers think that none of their employees would be suffering from a mental health problem(3). In fact, 1 in 6 workers are currently experiencing depression, anxiety or distress(4). What proportion of your company is that? Every size of business, whether a start up, SME or corporation are all are equally responsible for looking after their worker's physical and mental health in the workplace. 

What can be seen as an 'ordinary' level of stress in the workplace can quickly progress to being problematic for both the employee and employer but it is often not picked up on as something that can be improved with professional psychological help. Ignoring mental health issues in the workplace could lead to the affected member of staff dramatically reducing their productivity and draining company resources by continuing to work whilst unwell.

Larger businesses may well have a developed plan to spot problems and help those in need but what happens in smaller companies that cannot dedicate funds to mental health insurance? 8 out of 10 company directors say that their company has no formal policy to deal with stress and mental ill-health(5) which, with the amount of money being lost in society due to these issue each year (£25 billion according to The London School of Economics), is clearly not enough.

Raising awareness to combat typical problems

Mental Health Awareness Week is one of the few platforms used to raise awareness of the issues that are affecting such a large proportion of the population. There are events going on all over the country but by just talking about mental health in a more open and free manner some of the stigma, can be reduced. An entrenched culture of stigma about stress and mental health problems is costly to employers both financially and staff turnover. Expected stigma in the workplace caused by admitting to being overly stressed or suffering from a mental health problem can be a certain way of silencing anybody and preventing them from finding help. In a small team, without a specified HR contact or close friend in the company, there can be few people available who seem appropriate to talk to if you are suffering – whether from a diagnosed mental health problem or unusual stress levels. Proactively creating a pathway for people looking for help could give the necessary guidance for people to start getting better. By having systems in place to create an unobtrusive support network for those who need it and investing in current employees mental health productivity will ultimately increase and you will not have to loose valuable team members.

It is well documented that people with diagnosed mental health issues can work effectively and easily within a supportive and flexible environment. Stigma can be reduced by raising awareness of mental health issues and signposting the way to get any necessary help in your workplace. If a problem has been identified with one of your team and they need mental health care, it is much better to get them help quickly and discreetly rather than to ignore the problem – after all, you wouldn't let somebody continue as normal with a untreated broken leg in the office. The help needed may be as simple as somebody to talk to, but for more complex problems, there are solutions which allow treatment to take place whilst at work.

If you identify a team member who may have an emerging mental health issue, discretion and a willingness to help them are key. For more information on how to help a colleague and identify problems, the Mental Health Foundation has some useful guides to start with.

This year, Mental Health Awareness week aims to highlight the impact that physical activities can have on mental health and general wellbeing. For more information about activities taking place this week visit: www.mentalhealth.org.uk

PsychologyOnline

PsychologyOnline is a Cambridge based company providing live online confidential therapy nationally to both NHS services and private individuals or companies. The convenience and flexibility of the service makes therapy accessible to those who may not have had time before – sessions can be after working hours, at the weekend or fitted into the working day. There is no need to travel as appointments take place in a secure online meeting room accessed from any computer with an internet connection.

Once you activate your online account you will be assigned a therapist and you can start therapy within a few days. You will assigned one of our team of experienced Chartered Psychologists and accredited Psychotherapists for the duration of your treatment.

PsychologyOnline is an appropriate treatment method for issues such as anxiety, bereavement, child and family issues, depression, drug and alcohol misuse, eating disorders, managing anger, managing pain, OCD, panic, phobias, post-traumatic stress, relationships, sexual difficulties, stress management and terminal illness.

We are available to provide either individuals or businesses with mental health treatment with great discretion and at the user’s convenience. If your business would like to discuss cover for employees as part of a benefits package, please contact Stephanie Ruskin at s.ruskin@psychologyonline.co.uk.

If you have any other questions about our service and what it can do for you then please contact us at info@psychologyonline.co.uk.

(1) The Office for National Statistics Psychiatric Morbidity report, 2001

(2) Mind, www.mind.org.uk

(3) Equality and Human Rights Commission, 'Mental Health and the workplace, 2010'

(4) Equality and Human Rights Commission, 'Mental Health and the workplace, 2010'

(5) Mind, www.mind.org.uk

Mental Health Awareness Week 2013

PsychologyOnline support the continued need to raise awareness of mental health issues. Mental Health Awareness Week, 13-19 May 2013, is organised by the Mental Health Foundation and aims to highlight the impact that physical exercise and activity has on mental health and general wellbeing.

Physical activity is often described as something we ‘ought to do’ to avoid developing health problems such as diabetes and heart disease. What's less often explained is the huge potential it has to enhance our happiness and quality of life and reduce mental illness.

Here’s some advice from the Mental Health Foundation:
Physical activity has a huge potential to enhance our wellbeing. Even a short burst of 10 minutes brisk walking increases our mental alertness, energy and positive mood.
Participation in regular physical activity can increase our self-esteem and reduce stress and anxiety. It also plays a role in preventing mental health problems and improving the quality of life of people experiencing these.

Read more in this free booklet from the Foundation: ‘Let’s Get Physical’

Find out more about Mental Health Awareness Week here: http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/

To see what events are happening in your area click here.

13th May 2013

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