Depression Alliance Scotland Email Announcement January 2006
News from Depression Alliance Scotland
Inverness Group
DAS is setting up a new self-help support group in Inverness for anyone experiencing low mood, tension or feelings of depression. Meetings will be held at Volunteering Highland, The Gateway, 1a Milburn Road, Inverness from 7-9pm and the first meeting is on 8th February.
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
Clydebank Group
We have spaces in our Clydebank self help support group. It is held fortnightly on Tuesday evenings 7-9pm at the Hub Community Centre, Kilbowie Road (opposite Clydebank College) Clydebank. The next meeting is on 31st January.
If you want to find out more about the group, please contact Jeanette on 0141 211 0209 or email jeanette.wallis@glacomen.scot.nhs.uk
Learning to overcome emotional difficulties
Going to college to learn how to work on their problems may be the last thing that a person experiencing emotional difficulties may think of, but thanks to a new joint project led by NHS Greater Glasgow and Depression Alliance Scotland, people who are experiencing emotional difficulties can do just that. The course in life skills called Living Life to the Full, is to be delivered at several Glasgow further education and is also available free on the web at www.livinglifetothefull.com.
More information is available by calling 0141 211 3889 or at admin@livinglifetothefull.com
Events
Edinburgh - Drug Safety - Everyone's Business
Wednesday 25 January 2006, Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
Modern medicines bring great benefits to individual patients and to society.
However, this comes at a cost. This one-day conference will take a broad view of some contemporary issues relating to drug safety including the controversy surrounding SSRI anti-depressant medication. There will be contributions from various stakeholder points of view including health care professionals, the pharmaceutical industry, the regulatory authority, policy makers, and consumers. For more information see http://www.rcpe.ac.uk/education/events/drug_safety.pdf or contact Mrs Margaret Farquhar, Education and Standards Department, Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, 9 Queen Street, Edinburgh, EH2 1JQ Tel: 0131 247 3636 Fax: 0131 220 4393
Email: m.farquhar@rcpe.ac.uk
Glasgow - Young Lives Today
Tuesday 14 March 2006 Crowne Plaza
A one day exhibition and seminar programme for anyone working with children, young people and families
For more information contact Pavilion on 0870 890 1080 or visit www.younglivestoday.com
Glasgow - Mental Health Today
Tuesday 21 March 2006 Crowne Plaza
An event looking at Social Inclusion and Citizenship - connecting people in mental health. It will bring together representatives from all parts of the Scottish mental health sector together under one roof. There is a seminar programme as well as various zones such as the sport zone and the speed-networking zone.
For more information contact Pavilion on 0870 890 1080 or visit www.mhtodayexhibition.com
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 wind their way through the historic city of Edinburgh finishing at Meadowbank stadium. All finishers recieve 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 see www.greatscottishwalk.com
Information
Lanarkshire - Self-Help Support Group for Carers experiencing depression
The Self-help Support Group was established as a result of a pilot 2-session workshop, which enabled carers to explore the cause and effect of depression; explore feelings, thoughts and emotions; explore treatments and how carers can help themselves. This self-help group is different in relation to other carer support groups as it gives carers an opportunity and freedom to truly express feelings and emotions. Carers may feel that family and friends get “fed up” with their tears and emotions and/or they may not wish that side of them to be seen. In other support groups they may not wish to delve into these emotions for fear of “depressing” the general feeling of the group and “putting people off” attending the group.
The group is open to all carers across Lanarkshire who are affected by low mood or depression and feel they would like to get together with other carers in a similar situation for support and develop strategies to combat negative feelings and thoughts. No formal referral is required. It meets at Princess Royal Trust Lanarkshire Carers Centre, ARCH, Register Avenue, Orbiston, Bellshill, ML4 2HF every second Tuesday from 10.30 am – 12 noon. Dates and other information can be confirmed by contacting the Bellshill base on 01698 849749. Directions and transport information also available on request
Helping young people under 14
The Children and Young Adults' Programme at the Scottish Development Centre for Mental Health was asked in 2004 by NHS Education for Scotland (NES) to carry out a consultation with children under 14 to help them develop an understanding of what makes a helpful person. The results of the consultation were used by NES to help revise the competency framework ‘Promoting the wellbeing and meeting the mental health needs of children and young people’.
A report on the consultation ‘Consulting children under 14 on their views of the people who help them at times of difficulty’ is now available on SDC’s website: http://www.sdcmh.org.uk/html_docs/pubs/pubs_new.htm.
Highland Homeless Advice Line
A new telephone advice line aimed at people in the Highlands who are homeless or at risk of homelessness is being launched in Inverness. It is being run by Citizens Advice Direct and aims to help rural callers deal with a range of related problems such as debt, benefits and employment. The Highlands Homeless Advice Line freephone number is 0808 801 0804
Websites
Well Scotland
www.wellscotland.info
This new website, launched by the Scottish Executive, offers advice on improving mental well-being, including taking exercise and keeping in touch with friends. The website is at www.wellscotland.info and is part of a programme to improve the nation's mental health.
Depression in the News
Health Groups Claim Diet Affects Mental Health
Changes to our diet in the last 50 years or so, such as industrialised farming practices and junk food diets, could be a major factor behind the rise of mental illness in the UK, claim the Mental Health Foundation and Sustain.
Reports from both charities say the impact of diet on mood and behaviour (pdf) has been growing for years. The two organisations have joined forces on the Feeding Minds (pdf) campaign to raise awareness of the links between diet and mental health, and are calling for more financial and political support for measures to ensure that sustainable supplies of a wide variety of nutrient-rich foods are available, affordable and attractive.
Many nutrients, they claim, can improve a person's mental health, and dietary changes may hold the key to combating specific mental health problems including depression, schizophrenia, ADHD, and Alzheimer's disease. The charities are also calling for Government to incorporate the link between diet and mental health into all food-related policy and practice.
SCVO Third Force E-News 16 January 2006
Welfare work rules to be tougher
Tougher sanctions are planned against people claiming Incapacity Benefit who refuse to take jobs, Work and Pensions Secretary John Hutton has said. Proposals for reforming the benefits are due to be unveiled this month. Mr Hutton told the Work Foundation the new system would take a "something for something" approach.
He said the reforms would include an element of compulsion and said people who were able, but refused, to return to work could have their benefits cut. But he said: "It will be dependent on measuring their ability to work fairly." Sources have told the BBC that the reforms will affect existing claimants as well as new claimants. It is understood that some options have been ruled out including means testing and time limits on people being able to claim the benefit
BBC News 16 January
Shock as leader quits to battle his depression
THE popular premier of Western Australia stunned his colleagues and constituents today by announcing he will quit politics because of depression. Geoff Gallop, a close friend of Prime Minister Tony Blair since their Oxford University days, said his resignation came after he sought advice from doctors last week. His battle with depression was not common knowledge.
He said: "My doctors advise me that with treatment, time and rest, this illness is curable."
Edinburgh Evening News 16 January 06
Having children 'is bad for your mental health'
A study, published in the Journal of Health and Social Behaviour, surveyed 13,017 adults who were asked how many times in the past week they had experienced symptoms of depression. Questions included how often "you felt lonely", "you felt depressed", "you felt fearful", and "you had trouble keeping your mind on what you were doing". It found parents experience "significantly higher levels of depression than non-parents".
But Clem Henricson, the director of research and policy at the National Family and Parenting Institute, a charity that provides support to parents, said that the study ignored the "host of positives" of parenting. "While the arrival of a child produces a new dimension of responsibility, there is an obvious sense of pleasure and fulfilment that accompanies parenthood," she said. "Most parents would agree that bringing up the next generation is an enriching experience."
Telegraph 15 January 06
Electric shock treatment 'best response' to depression
According to a recent study carried out by the scientists at the University of Edinburgh, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), also popularly known as shock therapy, is the most effective treatment for severe depression. This study published in January 14 issue of The Lancet studied more than 65,000 adults and children, who were treated for depression over a 10-year period beginning 1992.
Reviewing published studies on drugs and other therapies, the scientists conclude that antidepressants and ECT (electro-convulsive therapy) are the best treatments. Klaus Ebmeier from Edinburgh University and colleagues dismiss recommendations to doctors from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) that more talking therapies are used as in effect pandering to public opinion.
But Tim Kendall, joint director of the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health, which produced the guidelines for Nice, says it is not possible to get a complete picture of the risks and benefits of antidepressants because drug companies have published only a limited number of usually positive trials.
The main objection to ECT is loss of memory.
Guardian 13 January 06
Earth Times 13 January 06
Please note that ECT is a controversial therapy and anyone considering having it should be made aware of all possible side effects. Contact us if you would like more information.
Stressed Turn to Drink
More a third of men in the UK are turning to alcohol to relieve stress - while a quarter of the population resort to cigarettes, according to a report released today from health charity Developing Patient Partnerships. Automated call centres, mobile phones and computers crashing top the stress scale of modern life says the survey, which marks the launch of DPP's Dealing With Stress campaign. The campaign shows people how much they can do to manage their stress and avoid the knock on effects of depression and anxiety. As DPP's Dr Rosemary Anderson says: ".... people often underestimate how much they can do to manage their stress."
SCVO Third Force E-News 12 January 2006
Heritability of depression more likely in women
Genes apparently have a larger role in women than in men in the risk of developing major depression, based on the results of a new twin study appearing in the January edition of the American Journal of Psychiatry. The study assessed data on lifetime major depression in 42,161 twins, including 15,493 complete pairs, from the national Swedish Twin Registry.
Dr. Kenneth S. Kendler, of Virginia Commonwealth University's School of Medicine, who lead the study said "We have pretty good evidence that there is a set of women that are prone to depression, particularly in the postpartum period and during the premenstrual phase of the menstrual cycle," Kendler pointed out. This type of depression runs in families, he said, but men don't seem to be affected, probably because they don't have the hormonal fluctuations that women have.
Reuters 10 January 2006
Mental health book scheme is expanded
A book scheme to encourage the public to take care of their mental health is being expanded. The healthy reading initiative gives members of the public access to self-help books recommended by doctors and other health professionals. The books included cover a wide range of topics from anxiety and depression to bereavement and shyness.
Members of the public in Eastwood in East Renfrewshire can now access these books at their local library without having first seen a health professional. Psychologist John Hickey said: "In the first five months of the scheme 650 books were issued.
Glasgow Evening Times 09/01/06
Better mental health in the countryside
Country dwellers enjoy better mental health than stressed out city folk, scientists have said. Despite previous research which suggested the isolation of rural life can cause mental health problems, scientists from Warwick Medical School and Portsmouth and Bristol universities found that city life is more harmful to mental health than life in the sticks.
The team wrote in the British Journal of Psychiatry: 'There are small but statistically significant differences in rates of common mental disorders between urban and rural residents 'Rural residents had slightly better mental health than non-rural counterparts.'
The findings back up previous studies which claimed instances of mental disorders such as depression and suicide rates are higher in the city.
Monsters and Critics 4 January 2006
Fish oils and depression
A randomised controlled trial of EPA (ethyl-eicosapentaenoic acid) found in fish oils has been carried out evaluating it as an additional treatment for outpatients with bipolar depression. A highly significant antidepressant effect emerged. This was in spite of participants being unable to guess their therapy, intention to treat analyses that took account of altered main therapy during the trial, and the large placebo effect that dogs this type of trial. Crucially, benefit was gained without triggering mania or recognisable side effects. EPA appears to be a promising, “natural” new line of therapy.
Frangou S, Lewis M and McCrone P British Journal of Psychiatry 2006; 188: 46-50.
Crisis centres, retreats and "sanctuaries" should replace psychiatric hospitals, report urges
Crisis centres, retreats and therapeutic “sanctuaries" with private ensuite rooms should replace psychiatric hospitals, a report by a mental heath charity has urged. People in a mental health crisis and carers should also be able to drop into new community health centres at any time of the day and night to access help.
Psychminded, 12/12/2005
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