Depression Alliance Scotland Email Announcement April 2006
News from Depression Alliance Scotland (DAS)
Living Life to the Full Course for Health and Social Care Practitioners and Voluntary Sector Workers - Edinburgh
Most of us experience problems of stress or low mood at some stage either directly ourselves or indirectly through family members and friends who face such challenges. This new course is aimed at practitioners and voluntary sector workers to support their clients in building a greater understanding of key life skills and the causes and impact of low mood and stress.
Why attend the course?
You will :
- Go through the complete Living Life To The Full course;
- Consider how to deliver the course in your own setting;
- Familiarise yourself with a series of 10 CBT self-help workbooks in the Overcoming Depression: Five Areas Approach Book;
- Use self-help materials that are jargon-free and practical and easily used.
This four day course will be co-lead by members of the Greater Glasgow Primary Care SPIRIT team and the Depression Alliance Scotland team. The venue is Number Six, 6 Melville Crescent, Edinburgh EH3 7JA
The dates are: Wednesday 14th June 2006; Wednesday 21st June 2006 (To Be Confirmed); Wednesday 5th July 2006. The course costs £300 for people from the NHS and other Public/Private Organisations or £200 for those from the Voluntary Sector/Charities. The cost includes four full days of training and all course materials.
For more information please contact us on 0131 467 3050 or email info@dascot.org
Mother Father.. Campaign
DAS launched our new national awareness-raising campaign to coincide with National Depression Week. The campaign entitled ‘Mother, father …’ (‘Mother, father, brother, sister, son, daughter, lover, friend … you?’ ) has been developed to challenge the negative perceptions about depression which exist and which continue to act as a barrier to seeking help. Despite the fact that depression is estimated to be very common (affecting 1 in 5 people at some point in their lives) it is often seen as “a sign of weakness”, something “which affects ‘other’ people” or something that people could not talk to their families, friends or employers about for fear of being judged. The new DAS campaign hopes to reduce the stigma and negative perceptions surrounding depression by focusing on key relationships to demonstrate that depression could affect any member of a family, a close friend or indeed the individual him/herself and at any time in life.
View the full press release at www.dascot.org/news.htm
New website launched
We also have launched our new website www.dascot.org, which provides information about various aspects of depression and treatment for it. It also contains information about DAS and comprehensive links to other useful sites. Visit our new site today and see what you think!
Donate online
You can now donate to DAS online or become a supporter on our secure microsite provided by workwithus, which is part of SCVO. The address is http://dascot.workwithus.org/ . On this site you can also sponsor people doing events to raise money for us, set up your own sponsor form to raise money, or a set up a special pages to raise money in the memory of a loved one or to celebrate a special event.
Join Us
Join the DAS supporter subscription scheme and receive our quarterly newsletter as well as gaining access to UK wide services such as a penpal scheme and online support group. Becoming a supporter costs £5 (unwaged), £10 (waged), £20 (family), £40 (small voluntary organisation), £80 (large voluntary organisation), £100 (small public/private organisation), £200 (large public/private organisation). For more information visit http://www.dascot.org/supporter.html
Events
Edinburgh - Understandings of Suicide: Implications for Research and Practice in Scotland
Tuesday 3rd October Royal Museum
A call for papers/first announcement for this conference has been issued. This is the inaugural conference of the Suicide Information Research and Evidence Network (SIREN). For more information email siren@chooselife.net. Full conference programme details will be available shortly. Contact Events Organiser, SDC, 17a Graham Street, Edinburgh, EH6 5QN. Fax: 0131 555 0285.
Website
www.talking2ourselves.com
This site is to provide help and information on mental health issues to young people who are either having difficulties themselves, or are worried about a friend or relative or just want to know more about mental well being. This site is for young people aged 12-14, but they hope that all ages will find it informative and helpful. There are also links to useful websites at the end of each page.
Above all this site is: written and designed by young people, for young people.
Depression in the News
Mental illness writers had industry ties: study
Most of the experts who wrote the US manual widely used to diagnose mental illness, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, known as the DSM, have had financial ties to drug makers such as research funding or stock holdings, researchers said. The study found 56 percent of 170 psychiatric experts who worked on the most recent edition, published in 1994, had at least one financial link to a drug maker at some point from 1989 through 2004. The relationships included speaking or consulting fees, ownership of company stock, payment for gifts and travel and funding for research. All of the experts who developed sections defining mood disorders, schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders had such links, the study said.
The American Psychiatric Association, which publishes the DSM, said it would require financial disclosures for the next version, due out in 2011.
Reuters 20/04/06
The survival of the happiest
Instead of simply making us richer, politicians should aim to make Britain happier, say the "new utilitarians" like Dr Derek Cox, director of public health in Dumfries and Galloway. Dr Cox says "There is mounting evidence that happiness might be a more powerful predictor of good health than cigarette smoking, diet, physical activity and those kind of things...I'd love to make the people of Dumfries and Galloway the happiest and healthiest people in Scotland."
The Scottish Executive supports an organisation called the Centre for Confidence and Well-being which aims to make Scotland 15 per cent more optimistic within ten years. "Optimism is a major component of happiness and I think it's the part that we can most immediately see is missing from Scottish life," says the centre founder, Carol Craig.
New Statesman 24/04/06
Britons turn to alcohol to mask depression
Britons are using "dutch courage" to mask the fact that they are suffering low-level depression, according to research by the Mental Health Foundation. The soaring drinking rate - consumption has doubled in the past 50 years - is evidence that people are attempting to "self-medicate" their emotional upsets away, the Mental Health Foundation reported. The report highlights the problem of "self-medicating" emotional trauma with alcohol. Research by NOP found that 40% of people drink to feel less anxious, 26% to deal with depression and 30% to "forget their problems". Some 88% of more than 1,000 people questioned would find it difficult to give up alcohol completely while 77% said it made them feel relaxed.
The report can be viewed on the Mental Health Foundation's website www.mentalhealth.org.uk
Guardian 18/04/06
City university and NHS in £50m research bid
Edinburgh University and NHS Lothian are set to take part in a £50 million research project aimed at developing new medicines. They will be joined by Philadelphia-based Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, Scottish Enterprise, and other Scottish NHS boards and universities in the Scottish Translational Medicine Research Collaboration.
Translational Medicine is a new approach to developing new drugs and treatments by focusing research on new tests for the diagnosis and monitoring of human diseases. These tests follow the progress and response to the treatment of patients who have suffered from heart attacks, cancer, depression or osteoporosis.
Scotsman 10/04/06
Rise in calls to helpline from stressed lawyers
A helpline for Scottish lawyers affected by stress, depression and work-related problems has experienced a 70% rise in calls over the last two years. LawCare, co-funded by the Law Society of Scotland, believes that many firms retain a "pull your socks up" culture which can inhibit some victims from reaching out for support. Across the UK, the number of lawyers seeking help from LawCare leapt by 27% last year, said the charity, which provides independent confidential advice and support on heath problems. Two-thirds of calls related to depression and stress, while 20% concerned alcohol problems, mainly among men. LawCare's confidential helpline number in Scotland is 0800 279 6869. Their website is www.lawcare.org.uk
The Herald 10/04/06
Nature's cure: how safe is it?
An American study which suggests that one in four medications may not work properly if taken in conjunction with the homoeopathic treatments, St John's wort or echinacea, has caused alarm. The study by the Indiana School of Medicine found the remedies can cause other medication to be moved out of the body too quickly. The greater concern is that, despite years of research, the general public and some sections of the media still fail to recognise that natural remedies such as St John's wort can have serious side effects.
Research shows that, in mild to moderate depression, St John's wort is as effective as modern synthetic antidepressant drugs, and it seems to have fewer side-effects. In some European countries, it's the most popular treatment for depression. However it should not be taken without checking with your GP first. It can cause light sensitivity, and you should not take it if you are taking warfarin, cyclosporin, oral contraceptives, anticonvulsants, digoxin, theophylline or certain anti-HIV drugs, as it may reduce the effect of these medicines. You should not take it at the same time as taking an SSRI antidepressant or triptan medicines, or if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
Scotsman 06/04/06
DAS recommend that you consult your GP for advice before trying any homeopathic treatment.
Calls for more support for cancer patients
Nearly half of cancer patients in Scotland have depression, while a quarter feel they have no-one to talk to. A study for Macmillan Cancer Support of 1500 people nationwide. paints a shocking picture of the effects of diagnosis and treatment. The charity wants more help to be offered to patients and their family and friends.
The number of people living with cancer continues to rise. One in three of us will be diagnosed with the disease at some point in our lives, with 275,000 people diagnosed with the disease each year, and more people will require help and support to rebuild their lives in the future.
Scotland Today 05/04/06
Genetics of depression – targeted treatments
Deciding which medication will work best for a person with depression is currently a case of trial and error. The GENDEP project, a three-year, €7.5 million project, is in the process of developing a genetic test to help doctors make informed prescription decisions. Led by a team at the Medical Research Council's (MRC) Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre (UK), the Sixth Framework Programme-funded consortium involves some 20 partners from ten countries, including new Member States Slovenia, Poland and Croatia.
MRC’s Peter McGuffin noted at the start of the study that it has the potential to revolutionise the treatment of depression. "Its main aim is to make it easier for doctors to decide which antidepressant will be most likely to work for a given depressed person, with the least side effects, but the research will also help us understand depression better, and may lead to the development of new and improved treatments in the future," he said. The project's interim report is available on the GENPEP website: http://gendep.iop.kcl.ac.uk/index.php
Europa Press Release 03/04/06
Young Scot Awards
Daniel Robertson won a Young Scot health award for helping improve mental health services for youngsters in his area. The 17-year-old of Sullom, Shetland, who has suffered from depression, hopes to change negative stereotypes surrounding mental illness. He said: "I'm so pleased to have won this award."
Sunday Mail 02/04/06
More suffering postnatal depression than previously thought
Many new mums may be dismissing the symptoms of post natal depression as a minor case of baby blues, according a top Scottish psychologist. Doctor Cynthia McVey of Glasgow Caledonian University carried out a survey of 300 new mothers and found of the mothers who thought they just had a case of the blues, a third actually were at risk of PND. She also found most would be reluctant to talk to health professionals about their anxiety.
Scotland Today 30/03/06
Chocolate may deepen depression
Bad news for chocolate lovers. Findings of new research, published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, by the Australian Black Dog Institute fly in the face of the myth that chocolate is an antidepressant. Professor Gordon Parker, the executive director of the Black Dog Institute and lead author, says "... you'd have to eat a truck load of chocolate before you have had the equivalent of one antidepressant tablet.... "
"Our review rejects any possibility that chocolate desired as a way of relieving stress or when feeling down has any antidepressant benefit."
Consuming sweet foods is thought to release the neurotransmitter beta-endorphin in the hypothalamus, which is said to have an opiate effect on the body. But why the chocolate high is so transient and insufficient to sustain mood in those who eat it for emotional reasons remains unknown.
ABC News Australia 29/03/06
Summer bummer
Longer, brighter evenings are upon us. But while the beginning of British Summer Time is widely assumed to help relieve the symptoms of depression, for some people the clocks going forward actually makes things worse, according to the support service Breathing Space. Many people experience depression in the winter - Seasonal Affective Disorder – that lifts with the improving weather and lighter days of spring. Yet some people feel no better – or even worse – as the nights get lighter.
"Many people have the preconception that the brighter days will automatically mean an increased feeling of wellbeing," said Tony McLaren, Breathing Space's service coordinator. "Unfortunately for some people suffering from depression, the advent of spring and the rebirth of new life all around can actually intensify their sadness, and they may feel frustrated that their mood hasn't brightened despite the improvement in weather and longer daylight hours."
The Breathing Space helpline is available from 6pm to 2am on 0800 83 85 87 (minicom 0800 31 71 60).
The Herald 28/03/06
Shock tactics to help suicidal young men
A new publicity campaign has been launched to point out high suicide levels among young men in western society. Billboards featuring "stark and hard-hitting visuals" will be put up all over the UK by the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM).
They will compare suicide rates to casualty rates in Iraq and add three new names a day to represent the number of young men killing themselves daily, while attempting to foster a debate about stereotypes that prevent men from discussing their problems
Mental Health Foundation 28/03/06
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