Chief Medical Officer wants mental health to be treated more like physical health England’s Chief Medical Officer Dame Sally Davies has declared that mental health needs to be more of a priority, with both the NHS and employers playing a greater role. Dame Sally has suggested that funding is being cut at a time when … [Read more…]
WHO report suicide as “major public health problem” An important report by the World Health Organisation has stated that someone will take their own life every 40 seconds, with suicide being the second leading cause of death in young people aged between 15 and 29. Analysing 10 years of research and data on this topic … [Read more…]
Sending patients outside of local area impacts on budget NHS mental health trusts have had to reduce beds and staff available to cope with real term funding cuts, contributed to by having to send patients away from home for care. The Health Service Journal investigation of all 57 NHS mental health providers showed a 2.3% … [Read more…]
Hitting the right note between career satisfaction and development, as well as a contented and happy home life can be extremely tricky to navigate for any working professional, let alone doctors. Consultant psychiatrist Emma Sedgwick defines the work-life balance as “ensuring work doesn’t take up more of your life than you want it to.” This is particularly … [Read more…]
Doctors are notorious for being labelled as ‘bad’ patients – delaying seeing their GP and presenting late for treatment are just a couple of key examples. Mental health problems, including anxiety, depression, addiction and even suicide in extreme cases, are becoming increasingly common among medics, with female doctors two and a half times more likely to … [Read more…]
Mental health care for new mums overlooked by NHS Parenting chairty The National Childbirth Trust has revealed that there are “huge gaps” in support for new mothers suffering postnatal depression, with a mere 3% of clinical commission groups having a peri-natal mental health strategy in place. Despite one in 10 mums experiencing postnatal depression, of the … [Read more…]
Researchers unveil mobile monitoring system Experts have revealed a new smartphone application that can detect changes in mental health patients’ moods and behaviour patterns to improve diagnosis and treatment. The app, which was created to aid diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of mental health patients, cleverly detects changes in sleep, mobility, communication and vocal patterns before … [Read more…]
Health warnings about antidepressant use has backfired Reported links and US health warnings speaking out about the risks of suicide for youngsters on antidepressants may have backfired. A new study, published in the British Medical Journal, has showed a sudden fall in antidepressant prescriptions but a rise in suicide attempts, demonstrating that teens were coming off their medication … [Read more…]
Psychiatry is a specialty that focuses around treating patients with mental illnesses, as well as dealing with the interaction between physical and mental health problems. A Psychiatrist is still a medically qualified doctor, and will require six years of specialist training before you can qualify. You may be called upon to treat patients with the … [Read more…]
One death every ten second is blamed on alcohol The World Health Organisation have released new figures that clearly demonstrate the risks of alcohol consumption, with 5.9% of global deaths linked to drinking too much booze. Shekhar Saxena, M.D. and director of the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse at the World Health Organisation … [Read more…]