Depression Alliance Scotland Email Announcement February 2006
News from Depression Alliance Scotland
2nd March - 27th April Living Life To The Full in Glasgow
Are you in the Glasgow area and interested in attending a free course based on the evidence-based Cognitive Behaviour Therapy Approach? The course is aimed at people who wish to build key life skills to help to better understand the causes and impact of low mood, depression and stress. The course is also of relevance to people who are interested in finding out more about these common emotional difficulties. It will run on a weekly basis on Thursday evenings from 6-8pm. The course will start on the 2nd of March and will finish on Thursday the 27th of April. We now only have 10 places available. If you wish to attend contact Ilenad@dascot.org for further details and confirm a place is still available by 12 noon on 1 March as the first session is on Thursday March 2nd 06.
We regret that this course is only available to people in the Greater Glasgow Health Board area as it is a joint project between Depression Alliance Scotland and the Greater Glasgow Health Board. However the Living Life to the Full course is available to everyone online at www.livinglifetothefull.com.
New Discussion Forums on Living Life to the Full Website
New self-help discussion forums have now launched on www.livinglifetothefull.com . Why not swap hints and tips and get advice from other course members. Log on today and have your say!
Glasgow Groups
Spaces exist in our Maryhill and Clydebank Groups and we have a new Southside group starting on 7th March at 7pm at Langside Halls (next to Queens Park). Contact Jeanette.Wallis@glacomen.scot.nhs.uk or call 0131 467 3050 for more information.
Inverness Group
A reminder that a new self-help support group has started in Inverness . Anyone experiencing low mood, tension or feelings of depression is welcome. Meetings will be held at Volunteer ing Highland, The Gateway, 1a Milburn Road , Inverness fortnightly on Wednesday evenings.
If you are interested in coming along to the group, or finding out more about what’s involved, please telephone the office on 0131 467 3050 or contact Mel at groups@dascot.org
Become a DAS Supporter
DAS Supporters receive a quarterly Scottish newsletter with Scottish news and information. Supporters can also join a UK-wide email support group and/or a penfriend scheme that will put you in touch with other people with depression. It costs £10 per annum to join the supporter scheme if you are waged, £5 if you are unwaged and £20 for families. If you represent an organisation please contact us for rates. For more information contact the office on 0131 467 3050 or email info@dascot.org
Help to support our work by donating to DAS online
You can now donate securely online to DAS on www.givenow.org. Our new website which is to be launched during National Depression Week (17 - 24 April 2006) will include donation facilities. The new website will have our current address www.dascot.org. Any donation, however small will assist us in funding our work to support people in Scotland affected by depression.
Join the Board of Directors
DAS are currently looking to recruit non-executive Directors to join the current Board of Directors of DAS. We are looking for people with particular experience in marketing, working with the media, fundraising, working in the health service and in other statutory services and of working within the voluntary sector. Meetings are currently six weekly. Applications should be made in the form of a short CV to ilenad@dascot.org. Reasonable out of pocket expenses will be fully re-imbursed.
DAS Expert Group of People with Personal Experience of Depression
People who affected by depression or who support a friend or family member with depression are the most important people in our organisation and we want to make sure your voice is heard in Scotland. To do this DAS are developing an expert group of people with personal experience of depression. If you have experienced depression or have supported a friend or family member with depression and are prepared to share your experiences, anonymously or otherwise please contact info@dascot.org for more information about how to become involved. All reasonable out of pocket expenses will be fully re-imbursed.
Events
National Depression Week
17 - 24 April 2006
National Depression Week is coming soon. Our campaign " Mother, Father..." will make the point that anyone can be affected by depression at any time. As part of the campaign we will be challenging misconceptions surrounding the illness and raising awareness of the signs and symptoms of depression and the various treatment options. . We will be sending out packs in mid to late March. If you would like a pack please contact us at info@dascot.org. If you are having an event for National Depression Week (NDW) or would like to support us by raising funds for DAS during NDW, please let us know.
Managing Mental Health and Well-being At Work
Edinburgh Conference Centre 20 June 2006
In recent years awareness of the importance of mental health and well-being at work has increased dramatically. This conference clarifies the new political landscape and the practical implications for emloyers and employees, but also highlights best practice and innovation in managing mental health and well-being across the UK. Cost is £295+VAT with a 15% discount for charities. For more information contact fiona@in-equilibrium.co.uk or 01383 432228
Great Scottish Walk
DAS is a named charity for the Great Scottish Walk on Sunday 18th June 2006 in Edinburgh. The 6 and 12 mile walks start in Holyrood Park at 11am and will wind their way through the historic city of Edinburgh finishing at Meadowbank stadium. All finishers receive a commemorative medal and certificate upon completion. There is plenty of entertainment along the route and it's a fun day out for all the family. For more information please contact us at info@dascot.org
Information
Carers week survey
Carers Week this year takes place from 12–18 June 2006, with the theme being "In sickness and in health". The eight leading carers organisations want to know what carers' experiences are and to make sure they are at the centre of everything that takes place during Carers Week. In particular this year they want to know if and how caring has affected your health and wellbeing, as well as your ability to continue caring. What support have you received? Have you had a health check?
The survey is online at www.carersweeksurvey.org.uk
Websites
Feeding Minds - Food and Mental Health Campaign
New research reveals that changes to the human diet in the last fifty years or so could be an important factor behind the major rise of mental ill-health in the UK.
The Mental Health Foundation have launched a campaign which includes reports, an online petition, top tips, frequently asked questions and recipes. View the Feeding Minds Campaign at http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/page.cfm?pagecode=PRFM
Depression in the News
Football fans urged to talk about feelings
Football fans from across the UK were urged to reveal their inner-most feelings about the game in a survey by a mental health charity aimed at discovering how the sport can help men to express their emotions.
Dr Andrew McCulloch, chief executive of the Mental Health Foundation, said: "We know that men suffer from mental health problems but are less likely to talk about their thoughts and feelings than women. "We know that playing football and other sports are good for a person's mental health and well-being, but we want to know if watching football enables men to express their emotions without any embarrassment."
The survey is available at the Mental Health Foundation website www.mentalhealth.org.uk
Mental Health Foundation News 08/02/06
Depression drugs risk to newborns
Babies born to women taking commonly prescribed anti-depressants such as Prozac, known as SSRIs, have an increased risk of suffering severe respiratory failure according to recent American research. Persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPHN) is a rare but life-threatening condition in which a newborn's system fails to adapt to breathing outside the womb.
Scientists in the United States found that while PPHN normally occurs in one to two babies per 1,000 births, it increased to six per 1,000 when women took certain drugs in late pregnancy. The findings, published today in the New England Journal of Medicine, indicate that women who take drugs SSRI drugs such as Prozac, Seroxat or Lustral in the second half of pregnancy have a small but significantly higher chance of delivering an infant who develops PPHN. Other drugs do not pose a risk.
The Scotsman 9 Feb 2006
The research can be found online at http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/short/354/6/579
Note DAS always recommends that you speak to your doctor if you have concerns about your medication. Do not stop taking it without speaking to your doctor.
Ninewells the place for special surgery
Dundee’s Ninewells Hospital was named at the end of January as the site to deliver a highly specialised service for the whole of Scotland. Ninewells is the only site in Scotland currently offering neurosurgery for mental disorder (NMD), a last-ditch treatment option for patients with severe depression.
The controversial operation that involves irreversible brain damage to alleviate symptoms. It not a cure but can improve the quality of life for some people with severe depression that has not responded to drug treatments and psychological therapies. The operation is also offered to patients with the severe form of an anxiety disorder that leads to obsessive behaviour.
However, success is not guaranteed and the operation can pose serious risks to the patient. Doctors can’t predict which patients will benefit and which will show little or no improvement. In the first 10 years of the service 28 patients from the UK and Ireland underwent NMD in Dundee.
Evening Telegraph 30 January 2006
Mental health warning
To many employers, mental health problems are either a sinister sickness or a last hiding place for the incurably lazy. The Government’s own figures show that an astonishing 60 per cent of employers admit they would not consider employing someone with mental health problems, while a third of those who have suffered mental illness claim they have been fired or forced to resign from their job.
It is this attitude is an enormous barrier to the Government’s latest efforts to cut the number of people on incapacity benefit and return a million to work. Nearly 40 per cent of incapacity benefit claimants have mental health problems, including stress and depression. And it is these people who are the likely victims of the last example of blatant employer prejudice in Britain today.
The Times 27/01/06
Depressed Scots rely on mood drugs
More Scots are being prescribed anti depressants than ever before. In the last five years there's been a 24% increase in the number of people north of the border relying on the mood stimulating drugs.
SNP MSP Richard Lochhead says mental health problems should not be ignored and is calling on the parliament to investigate the reason behind the rise while SNP health spokeswoman Shona Robinson pointed out some depressed people wanted "support, not medication," from their GP.
Scotland Today 25/01/06
Daily Record 25/01/06
Exercise gets you off depression's treadmill
Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin found that people suffering from depression who walked on a treadmill for 30 minutes reported feeling more vigorous and had a greater sense of psychological well-being for up to an hour after the workout.
Those patients and another group that sat quietly for 30 minutes both reported reductions in negative feelings such as tension, depression, anger and fatigue. But only the group that exercised said they felt good after the session, according to the study published in the December issue of the journal, Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. Lead researcher John Bartholomew said the study reinforced past research that had found consistent exercise, along with medication and counselling, can help people overcome depression.
The Australian newspaper 25/01/06
'Mindfulness' lifts depression for many, but not all
Mindfulness, a central concept in yoga and various forms of meditation, has proven to be effective against depression, but difficult to grasp for a significant number of people who try it, according to a University of Calgary researcher. Mindfulness is the practice of simply being aware of thoughts and emotions, rather than getting caught up in them or analysing their meaning .
"Mindfulness helps people step back and recognize that the negative thoughts they are having on a given issue are simply thoughts and may or may not be true," researcher Ailsa Singer says. "By acknowledging and accepting such uncomfortable feelings, our research has found that negative moods will dissipate more quickly." However 40 per cent of people tested could not apply the concept of mindfulness to their own thinking.
news-medical.net 23/01/06
Hormone Could Serve as an Antidepressant
The hormone leptin, thought to be key to weight loss, might also improve your mood even if you're not overweight. Leptin, which is believed to control feelings of hunger, also helps prevent stressed-out mice from falling into despair, a condition comparable to depression in people, a new study suggests. Leptin appears to be like other hormones that play more than one role in the brain, said Richard Simerly, director of the Neuroscience Program at the Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles. "They alter the way brain circuits function, and they do this not in just the areas that you'd expect."
It's too early to know if leptin would help people recover from depression. But it's good news for a hormone that was unknown until its discovery about a decade ago, Simerly said. The findings appear in the Jan 16th issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Forbes.com 19/01/06
Plea to forge ahead with health plans
A complex and ambitious plan to change the way mental health services are delivered across Tayside came before health bosses. While some expressed reservations over escalating costs and the bid to seek a private developer to build new hospital premises, one NHS Tayside board member, Liz Forsyth, said they could not afford not to go ahead with the plans .
New buildings for psychiatric patients will be provided at Murray Royal Hospital in Perth, Stracathro Hospital, by Brechin, and at Carseview, Dundee, under the proposals. It was the latest stage in what has become a very protracted planning process around the replacement of out-of-date hospital buildings and investing more in supporting patients in their own local communities.
Evening Telegraph 19/01/06
Lifetime risk of depression: restricted to a minority or waiting for most?
A piece of research published in the British Journal of Psychiatry suggests that up to half the population of the Western world could be affected by depression during their lifetime. The young and the very old are most likely to become depressed and these are the two groups in the population who are most likely to have their depression go unrecognised, and the two groups in which treatment with antidepressants or cognitive–behavioural therapy is problematic.
Andrews et al British Journal of Psychiatry (2005), 187, 495 ^ 496
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