Daily Psychology and Mental Health News Feeds: At a Glance

News From NHS Mental Health Specialist Library

• Attitudes to Mental Illness 2008 Research Report
  Tue, 13 May 2008The latest national statistics on Attitudes to Mental Illness produced by the Department of Health were released on 8 May 2008 according to the arrangements approved by the UK Statistics Authority.
• Self administration of medicines in Mental Health Trusts
  Mon, 12 May 2008This guide is intended to help support the implementation of medicines self-administration by service users in Mental Health Trusts.
• Improvement review of substance misuse 2006 2007
  Mon, 12 May 2008The Healthcare Commission and the National Treatment Agency (NTA) have published a report detailing their findings from the second of three annual reviews conducted to assess the performance of substance misuse treatment services. The review covered 149 ‘local drug partnerships' in England, and each was asked 45 questions across 10 criteria. Each area was then scored on a scale; "weak", "fair", "good" and "excellent". The focus was on two themes: i) commissioning and systems management of drug treatment, and ii) harm reduction services.
• Mind report on debt and mental health
  Mon, 12 May 2008Research by Mind shows that debt is not just a financial problem but can have a serious impact on a person's mental health in terms of anxiety and stress, depression, self-harm and suicidal thoughts, as well as adding to wider social exclusion problems.
• Two new mental health stories from NHS Choices
  Mon, 12 May 2008Two mental health stories were published on the Behind the Headlines NHS Choices site last week: one on the benefits of quitting smoking, and the second on the link between weight and dementia.
• Always a last resort
  Mon, 28 Apr 2008All-Party Parliamentary Group on Dementia's Inquiry into the prescription of antipsychotic drugs to people with dementia living in care homes.
• Mind guide about self harm targeted at young people
  Mon, 28 Apr 2008This booklet has been produced by Mind and Barnado's and is aimed at young people.

News From Psychology Today

• Tater Recall
  Tue, 13 May 2008Can eating potatoes help you remember?
• Surprising Sunflower Seeds
  Tue, 13 May 2008A dose of these seeds keeps your blood pressure down.
• PT Recipe: Super Tubers
  Tue, 13 May 2008The ugly potato that's packed with goodies.
• Room With a Cue
  Mon, 12 May 2008How you adorn your space speaks volumes about you.
• Home Decor Goes Green
  Mon, 12 May 2008Organic decor free of man-made chemicals.
• Natural Element: Home Clean Home
  Mon, 12 May 2008Nursing your house to good health.
• New Mom Ph.D.
  Fri, 09 May 2008How motherhood makes women smarter.

News From Medical News Today

• Quit Smoking Message Not Getting Air Time In Mental Health Care
  Tue, 13 May 2008People with mental illness are not receiving the support they need to stop smoking, despite high rates of nicotine dependence and deaths from cardiovascular and respiratory illnesses.According to Professor Steve Kisely, from Griffith University's School of Medicine, health services are failing to provide appropriate smoking cessation strategies to people with problems including depression, schizophrenia or post-traumatic stress disorder.
• Alzheimer' S Society Comment On A Review Of Palliative Care Published In The May Issue Of Journal Of Clinical Nursing, UK
  Tue, 13 May 2008One in three people over 65 will die with dementia and too many of them are subjected to an undignified and unnecessarily painful death. This is often because staff lack the specialist training to provide good care at the end of someone's life. It is vital that all people, not just those with cancer, benefit from good palliative care. The number of people living with dementia in the UK is set to soar to more than a million in less than twenty years.
• From Engineering Solutions To Extending Human Healthspan To Developing Socially Assistive Robotics For Physical And Cognitive Health
  Mon, 12 May 2008The National Academies Keck FUTURES INITIATIVE has announced the recipients of its 2007 FUTURES grants, each awarded to support interdisciplinary research on aging and healthspan -- the period of life that is free from serious or chronic illness.
• Study Shows Racial Discrimination Has Different Mental Health Effects On Asians
  Sun, 11 May 2008The first national study of Asians living in the United States shows that for some individuals, strong ties to their ethnicity can guard against the negative effects of racism. For others, strong ties to ethnicity can actually make the negative effects of discrimination worse. And the mental health effects of such discrimination may shift over a lifetime as Asian-Americans continue to examine their ethnic ties, say researchers.
• Mind Comments On New Public Attitudes Survey
  Fri, 09 May 2008Commenting on the release of the Department of Health's 2008 survey into public attitudes towards mental ill health, Mind's Chief Executive Paul Farmer said: "Overall, the general picture is that attitudes towards mental health are at best static - it's the reason why some of the leading mental health charities got together to form
• 2008 May Is Mental Health Month: Stressed "Sandwich Generation" Mothers Must Care For Themselves
  Fri, 09 May 2008Today's mother often juggles full-time employment, household chores and parenting, but a growing number of women are taking on yet another responsibility-caring for an aging loved one. Next week, as Americans observe both Mother's Day and Mental Health Month, Mental Health America encourages mothers to take the Mental Health Connection Challenge by building their social support networks to help cope with the stress of their demanding lives.
• VYVANSE Demonstrated Significant Improvement In ADHD Symptoms In Adults
  Fri, 09 May 2008Shire plc (LSE: SHP, NASDAQ: SHPGY), the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, presented the results of a phase III pivotal study in which VYVANSE demonstrated significant improvements in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms in adults and met all safety and efficacy endpoints. "Adults with ADHD often find it challenging to focus and organize during the day.