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News from
other organisations and the
NHS
Scottish Government: Minimum price for
alcohol announced
The preferred minimum price for alcohol will
be 50p per unit was
recently announced by the Health Secretary Nicola
Sturgeon. At this level, the price was equivalent to the 45p
per unit set in 2010 after taking account of inflation. She also
said that setting the price at this level would have significant
health and social benefits.
Government pledges support for women
with postnatal depression and improvements to maternity care
Women who have postnatal depression and
who have suffered a miscarriage, stillbirth or the death of a baby
will get more support from the NHS. The
Health Secretary has pledged to improve maternity care. An
extra 4,200 health visitors being recruited by the government will
get enhanced training.
Department of Health
Update from NICE
Psychiatric units safer as in-patient suicide falls
The
study by the University of Manchester’s National Confidential
Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide by People with Mental Illness
shows the rate of suicide among psychiatric in-patients fell by
between 29% and 31% between 1997 and 2008 with nearly 100 fewer
deaths per year. The falls were seen across most groups of patients
with the biggest falls in young patients and those with
schizophrenia. On wards, deaths by hanging fell by nearly 60%.
Troubles
linked to mental illness
People affected by
traumatic episodes in the Northern Ireland Troubles are showing
signs of mental illness decades after the events,
a new study by the University of Ulster has revealed.
Researchers met people aged 45 and over whose lives were touched by
the conflict and found 50% displayed symptoms of ill health many
years after their initial trauma.
Anxiety and antidepressant use on the rise
Research by the NHS Information Centre has shown that since the
onset of the credit crunch four years ago, cases of people being
admitted to hospital for anxiety disorders and panic attacks rose
by one third.
Report
from the American Psychiatric Association Conference: Chicago
Psychiatric guide drops two
disputed diagnoses
Two proposed psychiatric
diagnoses failed to make the last round of cuts in the process of
revising the
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Gone
from the latest revision are "attenuated psychosis syndrome,"
intended to help identify individuals at risk of full-blown
psychosis, and "mixed anxiety depressive disorder," a blend of
anxiety and depression symptoms.
NHS
needs to integrate mental and physical health services for better
care and savings
The NHS can significantly improve patient care
and save money by integrating mental and physical health care for
people with long term health conditions and long-term mental
illness. This is the conclusion of a new report from the NHS
Confederation's Mental Health Network,
Long-term health gains: Investing in emotional and psychological
wellbeing for patients with long-term conditions and medically
unexplained symptoms.
Health
Foundation’s Shine programme open for funding applications
Shine, is open for a new round of funding
applications from 1 May 2012 until 17 July 2012, with over £1
million available to support up to 18 innovative healthcare teams.
The 2012 challenge is to find
new innovative approaches to delivering healthcare that aim to
achieve one of the following:
Europeans diverge over alcohol taste,
tax and marketing
Public awareness of the
health impacts of alcohol vary widely across Europe adding to
existing divisions between member states on tax, taste and
marketing as policymakers seek to revitalise Europe's common
alcohol strategy. The results showed widely divergent recognition
of health messages about alcohol.
Meanwhile, the alcohol industry's marketing
continues to raise concerns at the Commission, which is threatening
to legislate if the sector fails to self-regulate. In France, a
blanket ban on advertising prevents alcohol manufacturers from
associating themselves with sporting events such as the Olympic
games. But the UK has taken a different view and has allowed
Heineken to be one of the principal sponsors of the London 2012
Olympics.
NHS
Careers: schools competition: winners focus on the role of the
psychiatrist
Four young girls from Welling in Kent were selected from over
1,250 nationwide who entered the competition
designed to encourage young people aged 12-14 to think about the
huge variety of jobs available in the NHS. They chose to focus on
the role of a psychiatrist in the NHS. The judges were impressed by
their creativity and understanding of the role and the excellent
video job advert which involved a series of role-play scenarios
to challenge the stereotype of a psychiatrist’s role.
Mind Media Awards 2012 now open for
entries
Have you watched a television programme,
caught something on the radio or seen something online or in a
newspaper that you felt could make a difference to the perception
and understanding of mental health? If so, tell Mind. To be
eligible for the Awards, broadcast and
online entries must have been transmitted on television or radio or
accessible online in the UK, between 8 June 2011 and 7 June 2012.
Closing dates for suggestions by the end of June 2012.
The
first PsySTAR Annual Summer School in Mental Health Research
Royal Society of Edinburgh: 21-22
September 2012
The
School is aimed at clinical trainees (FY1-ST4) interested in an
introduction to cutting edge research relevant to psychiatric
disorders. The topics include epidemiology, clinical trials,
neuroimaging, molecular biology, stem cell research and
genetics.
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