Community Support in Cornwall & Plymouth   

Is coming out always a good thing?

June 20th, 2011 in Psychology & Psychiatry

Coming out as lesbian, gay, or bisexual increases emotional well-being even more than earlier research has indicated. But the psychological benefits of revealing one's sexual identity -- less anger, less depression, and higher self-esteem – are limited to supportive settings, shows a study published June 20 in Social Psychology and Personality Science.

Study links social environment to high attempted suicide rates among gay youth

April 18th, 2011 in Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

In the wake of several highly publicized suicides by gay teenagers, a new study finds that a negative social environment surrounding gay youth is associated with high rates of suicide attempts by lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) youth. The study, "The Social Environment and Suicide Attempts in a Population-Based Samp...

Study: Omega-3 consumed during pregnancy curbs risk for postpartum depression symptoms

April 12th, 2011 in Medicine & Health / Health

Women in the treatment group had significantly lower total Postpartum Depression Screening Scale scores, with significantly fewer symptoms common to postpartum depression.

Fish has long been considered in myriad cultures to be "brain food," but only recently has bona fide science begun to support this ...

Impact of a bad job on mental health as harmful as no job at all

March 14th, 2011 in Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

The impact on mental health of a badly paid, poorly supported, or short term job can be as harmful as no job at all, indicates research published online in Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

Because being in work is associated with better mental health than unemployment, government policies have t...

Heart attack patients with depression less likely to receive priority care in emergency rooms

February 28th, 2011 in Medicine & Health / Other

Heart attack patients with a history of depression presenting at emergency departments were less likely to receive priority care than people with other conditions, found a study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

Several studies indicate that people with heart attacks an...

For people with depression, support groups have built-in benefits

February 18th, 2011 in Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

People who get together for support with depression may find their symptoms decrease, a new systematic review suggests.

“We’re not saying that peer support can do things for people with depression that other forms of therapy can’t, but we found that peer groups are better than no p...

Treatment for manic-depressive illness restores brain volume deficits

February 16th, 2011 in Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

Lithium, introduced in the late 1940's, was the first "wonder drug" in psychiatry. It was the first medication treatment for the manic and depressive episodes of bipolar disorder and it remains among one of the most effective treatments for this disorder.

In the past 15 years, as molecular mecha...

Mental-health patients dying young Published On Mon Jan 31 2011

Linda Chamberlain says she knows many people in their 40s with mental heath issues who died from heart attacks caused by diabetes and poor nutrition.

Nicole BauteStaff Reporter

Affordable housing advocate Linda Chamberlain knows eight people with mental illness who have died recently. But she's convinced it wasn't mental-health issu...

... Should we STILL be using electric shock therapy for depression?

By Pat Hagan

Last updated at 1:53 AM on 1st February 2011

When Gabrielle Blackman-Sheppard told family and friends she was to have electro-convulsive therapy (ECT) for her severe depression, they were horrified.

‘The image they all had was of someone being forcibly strapped into an electric chair,’ recalls Gabrielle, who has suffered from bipolar disorde...

A deficiency of dietary omega-3 may explain depressive behaviors

January 30th, 2011 in Medicine & Health / Neuroscience

How maternal essential fatty acid deficiency impact on its progeny is poorly understood. Dietary insufficiency in omega-3 fatty acid has been implicated in many disorders. Researchers from Inserm and INRA and their collaborators in Spain collaboration, have studied mice fed on a diet low in omega-3 fatty acid. They discovered that reduced levels of omega-3 h...

25 January 2011

Debt is being blamed for the growing number of people suffering from mental illness in the South West.

The Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) said redundancy, mortgage or rent arrears, credit card debt and other money worries were making people desperate.

One in six calls being received by the mental health charity Mind in Plymouth is now related to financial stress.

Pioneering treatment could help people with severe depression

January 24, 2011

Pioneering neurosurgical treatment, a world first in Bristol, which very accurately targets brain networks involved in depression, could help people who suffer with severe and intractable depression.

The research led by Dr Andrea Malizia, Consultant Senior Lecturer in the School of Social and Community Medicine at th...

Light therapy promising for treating major depression

January 7, 2011 by Lin Edwards

(PhysOrg.com) -- A small clinical trial in The Netherlands suggests bright light therapy may be a useful treatment for the symptoms of major depression in older adults.

The trial was run by a team led by Dr. Ritsaert Lieverse of GGZ inGeest and the VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam, and studied 89 adult...

NIHSeniorHealth.gov offers info on anxiety disorders in older adults

December 8, 2010

Anxiety caused by stressful events like moving or losing a job is a normal part of life. Anxiety disorders, on the other hand, are characterized by persistent, excessive and disabling fear and worry and get progressively worse if left untreated. It is estimated that anxiety disorders affect between 3 and 14 percent of older adults in a g...

Scientists develop drug that can stop post-traumatic stress disorder before it starts

By Claire Bates

Last updated at 7:00 PM on 7th December 2010

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1336421/Scientists-develop-drug-stop-PTSD-starts.html#ixzz1ewYylSEP

Scientists have discovered a way to stop post-traumatic stress syndrome in its tracks - by injecting a calming drug into the brain.

Around 30 per cent of people who experience a traumatic event will ...

Mindfulness meditation found to be as effective as antidepressants to prevent depression relapse

December 6, 2010

A new study from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) has found that mindfulness-based cognitive therapy--using meditation—provides equivalent protection against depressive relapse as traditional antidepressant medication.

The study published in the current issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry compar...

Depression treatment rates increase over past decade, but psychotherapy declines

December 6, 2010

The rate of depression treatment increased between 1998 and 2007 but at a slower rate than during the previous decade, and the percentage of patients treated with psychotherapy continued to decline, according to a report in the December issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.

"Depression is a leading cause of disability, lost productivity a...

From The Times

March 2, 2010

Post traumatic stress disorder: a new eye movement therapy (??? new???)

As a 20-year-old, a writer was beaten and left for dead in his home. After years of flashbacks, he found a therapy, based on eye movement, that made his memories bearable

Patrick Strudwick

Depression takes many different forms, for the latest treatments via the National Health Service, just follow the link below.

http://guidance.nice.org.uk/CG90 ...