Depression Alliance Scotland Email Announcement October 2005
Information
Edinburgh – Health In Mind Information Resource Centre
“Our relaxed and user-friendly Information Resource Service is designed for people who use mental health services, carers and anyone with an interest in mental health issues… trained volunteers support visitors and callers to access an extensive range of mental health information including information and resources related to survivors of childhood sexual abuse, and a race, ethnicity and mental health library section.. the centre includes a lending library, access to the internet, a quiet reading area, and signposting to local supports and services in Edinburgh and the Lothians.. we look forward to seeing or hearing from you…”
Infoline number: 0131 243 0106
Email: information@health-in-mind.org.uk
In Person: 40 Shandwick Place, Edinburgh EH2 4RT (Mon, Tues, Thurs and Fri 10am – 12:30pm and 1:15pm – 4.00pm)
Events
Scottish Mental Health Week 10th-16th October 2005
Scottish Mental Health Week (SMHW), part of a long-term educational effort to try and raise awareness around mental health and illness in Scotland, began on World Mental Health Day (10th October) when a broad range of events will be held across the globe. SMHW is an opportunity for voluntary organisations, a wide range of community groups, health boards and local authorities to promote greater public understanding and awareness of mental health and illness locally and nationally. This year Scottish Mental Health Week concentrates on the link between physical and mental health.
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Glasgow - Scottish Recovery Network National Conference 2005
Celebrating and Developing Peer Support in Scotland
This conference was initiated by The Scottish Recovery Network to encourage interest in the field of mental health and wellbeing around the use, and development of, peer support in Scotland. It will feature two speakers from the United States where large scale and formalised peer support services have been developed extensively.
The conference is open to a wide variety of participants, including:
• Experts by experience (people who have experienced mental health problems) and their friends, families and carers.
• Mental health service providers, commissioners and planners.
• People interested and involved in policy and practice around improving mental health and well-being in Scotland
• People with experience of peer support work in any setting.
There are a number of free places for those on a low income
For more information visit http://www.scottishrecovery.net/content/default.asp?page=s7_1&newsid=435&back=s7 or email events@sdcmh.org.uk
Glasgow Improving Mental Health Information Programme Conference - iMHIP05
15 Nov 05 The Lighthouse Glasgow 10am - 3:30pm. Places are filling up fast so please book now to avoid disappointment - registration is free! The theme of the conference will be turning the vision expressed in A Mental Health Information Strategy for Scotland into action. Further details about the event and a registration form are available at http://www.isdscotland.org/imhip05. If you wish to present a poster on a relevant research, service development, information set/ documentation or system development project please contact alastair.philp@nhs.net to discuss. If you wish to bring a stand please contact karen.brown@isd.csa.scot.nhs.uk.
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News
Healthier Scotland: Voice Of Scotland
Dr Raj Persaud from TV’s This Morning told the Daily Record that everyone can improve their mental health. Your mental health and emotional wellbeing is very fragile and can be affected by anything - from relationships to work. Some people are more susceptible to mental illness than others When something bad happens to a group of people, only a proportion of them go down with a mental illness. Everyone else can improve their resilience to ensure they don't develop a mental illness. There is a huge imbalance in people's understanding of physical and mental health. Young and middle-aged people are more at risk of failing mental rather than physical health.
At least one in four of us will suffer from a psychiatric problem that requires medical help, yet almost half of adults won't even realise it. More startling still, is that one in three visits to the GP is about mental health problems. Mental disorders account for more sick time in peoples' lives than cancer and heart disease.
We have fewer coping mechanisms than we did 50 years ago, back then more people were religious which can be comforting in times of stress. Society was more structured and there was a certain comfort in that. The amount of choice we have today can be stressful. You might not have realised how common psychiatric problems were, but it's even more sobering when you consider these illnesses tend to strike young, fit adults.
Two-thirds of suicides affect people under 35 and it's at this age when most major mental illnesses strike. As more people talk about mental problems, the stigma will begin to disappear. People who look after themselves mentally and physically and seek help can live normal lives
Raj Persaud Daily Record 15 September 2005
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GPs to stop prescribing antidepressants blamed for suicidal feelings in under-18s
Doctors were yesterday told to stop giving antidepressants to children and people under 18, because of the risks that the pills will make them feel suicidal. The new NHS guidance marks a watershed in the treatment of children's mental health. It shifts the focus sharply away from the psychiatric drugs that around 40,000 children are thought to be taking for depression, anxiety and other problems. Children with mild depression should be given advice on diet and exercise, the guidance tells GPs. Those with moderate and even severe depression should be offered a three-month course of counselling.
The guidance is likely to cause consternation among GPs who do not have enough counsellors and therapists available to treat all the children who will need help. "The very significant shortage of practitioners able to deliver these therapies is a cause for concern," said Dinah Morley, the deputy director of the charity Young Minds, which applauds the new emphasis on therapy.
The government's National Institute for Clinical Excellence (Nice), which has produced the guidance, says only one drug - Prozac - may help children, and even that carries risks. Only if the "talking therapies" do not work can children be prescribed antidepressants - and even then, only in combination with other forms of counselling and close monitoring for side- effects.
Until recently, most under-18s diagnosed with depression have been treated by their GP and most will have been given a prescription. But in response to growing concern at the potential of the modern antidepressants to make young people feel suicidal. Nice has said pills should never again be the treatment of first resort.
In June 2003 the drug licensing body in the UK warned doctors of the risks in prescribing any of the modern antidepressants known as the SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) for anybody under 18, with the exception of Prozac. All of them had a tendency to increase suicidal thinking, but only Prozac showed any benefit in children to counterbalance the dangerous side-effects.
Sarah Boseley, The Guardian September 28, 2005
Note: Depression Alliance Scotland does not recommend coming off your medication without speaking to your doctor first.
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‘Talk about it' on World Mental Health Day
To mark World Mental Health Day on Monday 10 October, the Mental Health Foundation is asking people to talk freely about their mental health. The charity is providing tips on how to look after your mental health and encouraging members of the public to share their tips and experiences as openly as possible throughout the day. There is a 'big mental health conversation' on the Foundation's website www.mentalhealth.org.uk, where everyone's invited to share their ways of coping.
Celia Richardson, the Mental Health Foundation's Director of Communications said: "We don't talk about our mental health. We share information and advice about the vitamin supplements we take, how we deal with minor ailments, and how we stay in shape. But we don't talk about how we stay well mentally, how we cope with stress, and what keeps us feeling balanced and positive. This is one of the reasons people who develop common mental health problems feel isolated and alone. They just don't realise how many people have felt the same as them…. Fear of the stigma attached to mental illness means people are often reluctant to discuss it. But this means we don't find out from our friends, families and colleagues all sorts of useful coping strategies…”
Five top tips for good mental health:
· Talk about your feelings - sharing your feelings with others and being listened to can help enormously.
· Ask for help - if you think you may need professional support, see your GP and be clear about how you feel. Think about seeing a counsellor. Talking therapies can be useful in helping people to work through their problems.
· Keep active - physical activity is a proven way to keep mentally well. Exercise makes us feel better immediately through the release of uplifting chemicals into our bodies. It can also be a great way to meet people!
· Eat well - a balanced diet is essential to maintaining good mental health. A growing body of research shows direct links between what we eat and how we feel.
· Drink sensibly - even though it makes us feel good in the short term, alcohol is actually a depressant. Sensible drinking is key, particularly when we are feeling low or anxious.
· Keep in touch with friends and loved ones - close relationships have a huge impact on how we feel on a daily basis so manage them the best way you know how.
Did you know? 10 Mental Health Facts to make you think…
· In the UK, there are more suicides on Mondays than on any other day of the week.
· 1 in 10 people will have some form of depression at any one time.
· By the year 2020, it is estimated that depression will be second only to heart disease as an international disease and disability burden.
· Around half of all people with depression do not go to their GP. Two-thirds of those who do see their GP present with physical ailments or sleeping problems rather than psychological symptoms.
· In 2002 / 2003, the economic and social cost of mental health problems in England stood at £77 billion.
· Among teenagers, rates of depression and anxiety have increased by 70 per cent in the past 25 years.
· 40 per cent of older people living in care homes are depressed.
· Approximately 2 million people of working age in Britain are currently taking psychiatric drugs.
· Job applicants with a diagnosis of diabetes are significantly more likely to be offered a position than applicants with a diagnosis of depression, all other factors being equal.
· One in ten children aged 5 to 15 experience clinically defined mental health problems.
World Mental Health Day was founded by the World Federation for Mental Health and is celebrated every year to raise awareness about mental health around the world.
Medical News Today 2nd October 2005
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Mental health changes become law
A new law has come into force aimed at improving the care of thousands of people with mental health problems. The Mental Health (Care and Treatment) Scotland Act replaces legislation which dated back to the days when people were locked up in asylums.
Its legal framework, which is designed to put the patient first, will place greater demands on the NHS.
The British Medical Association said it was the most fundamental change in mental health law in 40 years.
Psychiatric care has been considered under-resourced compared to other parts of the NHS.
New rights and safeguards include:
- Measures which will prevent children from being admitted to adult psychiatric wards.
- Patients will have the right to ask for an independent advocate, who will make sure the right decisions are made if they are ill and cannot speak for themselves.
- The act will also allow patients who are sectioned - but who pose no risk to others - to be treated in the community, rather than having to go to hospital.
Deputy Health Minister Lewis Macdonald pledged an extra £5m this year and next year to help with providing the new services. He said "… People experiencing mental health problems, their carers and families will benefit from legislation which offers them more rights and greater protections. The act has been described as leading the way in Europe."
Dr Andrew Bust, of the BMA's Scottish Council, said the new laws reflected changes in healthcare provision and a changing society. “I hope the Scottish Executive will back up its commitment to introduce this landmark legislation with the resources that are vital to its success."
The Scottish Association of Mental Health said mental health had always been "a Cinderella service" because of the stigma and misunderstanding which surrounded it. Chief executive Shona Neil said "I hope people recognise that principles alone will not change practice. We also need to see resources in the way of training and of combating the stigma surrounding mental health problems."
BBC News 5th October 2005
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NHS should pin hopes on alternative remedies
COMPLEMENTARY therapies should be much more widely available on the NHS, according to a controversial report commissioned by the Prince of Wales.
The independent study, ordered by Prince Charles nine months ago, called for therapies such as acupuncture and herbal remedies such as Echinacea to be made widely available on the NHS, saying that to do so could bring widespread benefits to the nation's health and the wider economy.
The report found that osteopathy, chiropractic and acupuncture can aid those with conditions such as back pain, while herbal medicines helped to ease arthritis, colds, depression and heart and circulatory problems. It said that, while homeopathy was reported as being beneficial for certain conditions including stress and menstrual problems, its overall effectiveness was inconclusive.
However, Professor Edward Ernst, of the University of Exeter, a leading expert in homeopathic medicine, claimed the report was "totally unscientific".
The professor, who was interviewed for the study, but asked for his contribution to be withdrawn, said: "There is just no benefit to this, and no new science here. It seems to be a purely political move, and certainly should not be treated as anything that advances our knowledge."
He said the prince's report could actually be detrimental to patients because it does not mention the safety of these treatments.
A Scottish Executive spokeswoman pointed to the Homeopathic Hospital in Glasgow, the only such institution in the UK, as evidence of the NHS support of alternative treatments in Scotland and added: "NHS boards have discretionary powers to provide complementary therapies." But MSPs called for more therapies to be made available on the NHS and more research into their effectiveness.
Fiona MacGregor The Scotsman 7th October
Human tragedy of epidemic revealed
The foot-and-mouth disease crisis was a human tragedy and not just an animal one, researchers have said. During the 2001 epidemic much of the countryside was closed for months and between 6.5 million and 10 million animals were slaughtered. But the distress caused in the rural community continued to have an impact long after the outbreak was declared over, according to researchers writing in the British Medical Journal.
In the aftermath of the disaster, health and social problems among those in the study included flashbacks, nightmares, uncontrollable emotions, conflict within communities and increased social isolation. In the longer term, there was evidence of stress, anxieties about emissions from disposal sites where animal bodies were burned and buried, confusion, bitterness and increased fear of unemployment, the study found. Many of these negative effects continued to feature in the diaries which the researchers collected throughout the 18-month period they studied.
"The distress caused by the epidemic shapes the context in which many rural health practitioners in the UK now work. Distress is not a medical problem, however, unless it becomes pathological, when it is re-categorised as depression or post-traumatic stress disorder. "If it is treated it is counted. Otherwise those who are suffering are expected to recover using their own resources and networks," the researchers said.
icscotland 7th October 2005
Don't let stress be a strain
One in four of us will experience some kind of mental health problem at some point in our lives, according to NHS statistics, but taking preventative care of our mental health can help guard against problems, says Kate Wallace, policy and research manager for SAMH. "It's a question of being aware of our mental health and its needs in the way we are aware of our physical health and its needs," says Wallace. “A lot of people misunderstand the phrase mental health and think it refers to mental illness - that's not the case.
"We would like people to be aware every day of the importance of caring for their brains, as they do their bodies, so that they can address them in the early stages."
Scottish Mental Health Week runs until 16 October. Here are a few ways you can give your mind the attention it deserves.
- Become more emotionally literate and find out what makes you feel down
- Take time out to do something that helps you switch off
- Exercise
- Listen to cheerful music
- Relax – consider looking into complementary therapies such as aromatherapy and acupuncture
- Mental health issues can manifest themselves with an easily recognisable change in our emotional state, such as depression. But changes in behaviour can also highlight changes in our mental well-being so look at how you are behaving
- Ask for help
Tracey Lawson The Scotsman 11 October 2005
I overcame 40 years of illness to build a new life. . .
A year ago Bill Irvine could barely leave his house, never mind set foot in a library. The 60-year-old from Shawlands in Glasgow suffered anxiety and depression for almost 40 years and his confidence was non-existent. But he's now been awarded the title of Older Learner of the Year after conquering his fears and building a new life. Mr Irvine won the award from Learndirect Scotland after setting up a website for the Gorbals Link Club which supports people with mental health problems.
Speaking at the start of Scottish Mental Health Week, Mr Irvine said free computing courses at the Gorbals Library and Real Learning Centre had given him a new lease of life.
He said: "After so many years of illness, I had lost all self confidence and it was difficult to believe in myself. "It was difficult at first but the staff were so supportive and friendly that my confidence grew and I passed a number of courses. "I've always felt people with mental illnesses should have a voice and once I started to learn how to use computers I realised I could do something about that….If I can do this, anyone can - I'm just sorry I didn't do something sooner."
Evening Times 11 October 2005
Blunkett: Job not TV to beat stress
A job will cure stress and depression much better than watching daytime TV, claimed Cabinet Minister David Blunkett. 
He insisted those who needed long-term care would be comfortably provided for. But he added: "If people will reconnect with life, getting out, that is volunteering, being able to re-associate with the world of work, suddenly they come alive again. "That will overcome depression and stress a lot more than people sitting at home watching daytime television."
Tackling the high number of people on incapacity benefit (IB) was a first term priority for Tony Blair that never happened. Mr Blunkett faces the threat of a backbench revolt over plans to get many of the 2.7 million people on incapacity benefit back into work. Labour's new, smaller majority means any suggestion that people are being forced back into work risks a Commons defeat this time around. However, ministers are adamant that the number can be cut, citing research that shows nine out of 10 hope to return to work up to a year after signing on.
Scotsman 10 October 2005
Note: Depression Alliance Scotland does not agree with Mr Blunkett. While some people with depression can be helped by returning to work and this should be encouraged, many of those with depression on Incapacity Benefit are not sitting at home watching daytime TV when they could be working, but are seriously ill. Being forced back to work before they are ready could exacerbate their condition. Comments like Mr Blunkett’s only serve to further increase the ignorance and stigma surrounding depression and other mental health conditions.
Arts' effect on mental health
A new report into the role of the arts in combatting mental health problems has been launched for Scottish Mental Health week. The publication celebrates the work being done by artists to challenge the stigma and discrimination surrounding mental ill health. It will be launched in Dundee by local arts and mental health group Luna.
The Scottish Executive-backed report will reveal projects ranging from a mobile galley space touring Scotland to a work by an elderly, long-term psychiatric patient at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital which ended up as a film.
Daily Mail 10 October 2005
Websites
Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH) have launched their first Mental Health Podcastfor Scottish Mental Health Week! Hear about positive ways to maintain your mental health, the power of music & mental health and much more. You can listen to the podcast at www.samh.org.uk
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This email announcement is published by Depression Alliance Scotland
Website: www.depressionalliancescotland.org Email: info@dascot.org
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