More Pupils Have Mental Health Issues Say School Staff

A report by the BBC says that a survey of school teachers suggests that more pupils have mental health issues than two years ago.

More than one in six said they believed at least a quarter of students in their school or college were affected by mental health problems.

Almost 90% said staff have had to provide more support for these pupils over the past two years, while 43% said they had been finding it harder to access services for pupils with mental illness.

One head of department at a Reading secondary school said local Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services were "completely overwhelmed". 

You can read more about this story here.

Does Money in Adulthood Affect Adult Outcomes?

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has published a new study "Does money in adulthood affect adult outcomes?"

There is ample evidence that adults with lower incomes tend to have worse outcomes including worse health, lower life expectancy and lower subjective wellbeing than individuals with more. But is money in adulthood itself important? Or are these relationships driven by other factors such as higher levels of education, underlying personality traits or the long-term impact of childhood circumstances?

This study reviews the evidence, focusing on research that tested whether the relationship between money and outcomes in adulthood is causal.

Suicide in Men at its Highest Since 2001

Office for National Statistics data shows that the proportion of men taking their own lives has reached the highest level since 2001.

The data shows 19 deaths by suicide for every 100,000 men in 2013.

Overall, 6,233 suicides were registered in men and women over the age of 15 in 2013 - 4% higher than the previous year.

The legacy of the recession is one explanation for the rise.

Overall suicide rates had been falling consistently from 15.6 deaths per 100,000 in 1981 to 10.6 per 100,000 in 2007.

"Since 2007, the female rate stayed relatively constant while the male rate increased significantly," the ONS report states.

Marjorie Wallace, the chief executive of the mental health charity SANE, commented: "It is really shocking that men who are or could be in their prime of life should feel driven to such a state of hopelessness and despair for the future that they are taking their own lives.

"SANE's own research shows that many suicides could be prevented, if people were able to talk more openly about their feelings and felt able to seek therapy or other help.

New Website Launched For Children With Mental Health Issues

The Department of Health has funded a new website MindEd to raise awareness of children with mental health issues.

Experts have warned that thousands of children and young people may be "slipping through the net" because adults do not recognse the warning signs of mental health problems.

A surveyof 21,000 adults backed by groups including the Royal College of Paeditrics and Child Health revealed that a third were unsure of signs of depression in children.

More than 850,000 children in the UK have a mental health problem. Possible warning signs include:

• Loss of appetite / weight loss
• Waking early
• Excessive boredom
• Poor concentration

You can read more on this story on the BBC News website here.

Upcoming Conference On Working With People With Dementia & Their Carers

 
The University is to host a conference on working with people with dementia and their carers on 26th March.

Speakers will include:

• Dr Schoeman, Acting Consultant Psychiatrist, Older People's Mental Health, from Sept
• Toby Friedner, BBC Three Counties Radio, Presenter of Shrinkwrap (Disability & Mental Health Show)
• Larry Gardiner "Living with Dementia"
• Sheila Hartnett, RGN Project Lead for Dementia Care

To reserve a place, please contact:
The Social Work Office at
The Centre for the Development of Social Care Practice
on 01582 743372

New Report On Mental Health Act In 2011/12 Published

Photograph by Damork

The Care Quality Commission’s annual monitoring report on use of the Mental Health Act has drawn attention to rising use of the Act both to detain people in hospital and to continue to use compulsory powers when they return home.

The number of people who have been detained has risen steadily each year since the 1983 Act was amended in 2007, while the introduction of community treatment orders is extending the use of compulsion when people are discharged.

The report shines a light on the way people are treated once they are detained. Like recent reports from Mind and Rethink Mental Illness, it describes wide variations in the quality of experience of detained patients.

It shows, for example, that a significant minority of detained patients are not involved in decisions about their treatment or in planning for their discharge from hospital.

The report also draws attention to the continued high rates of detention, and in particular the use of community treatment orders, among many Black and minority ethnic groups.
Worryingly, the report also finds that too few people are offered access to independent advocacy. Access to an advocate is a fundamental safeguard in the 2007 Mental Health Act and research by the Mental Health Alliance and others has identified a gap in provision of advocacy services, especially for some Black and minority ethnic communities.

The full report is available to read here: http://www.cqc.org.uk/sites/default/files/media/documents/cqc_mentalhealth_2011_12_main_final_web.pdf

Prison mental health team stretched by 'serious' increase in demand - 9/28/2012 - Community Care

Photograph by Mikecogh

In more news on mental health, prisons watchdog warns of "serious and sharply increasing" problem of prisoners presenting with mental health and personality disorders.

An annual report to ministers by the independent monitoring board at HMP Pentonville revealed mental health teams at the prison received 24 referrals a week in 2011/12, up from 18 referrals a week last year. Incidents of self harm had also “increased very significantly” over the last year.


The watchdog said the reasons behind the spike in mental health demand at the prison “were not fully understood”. But it warned of the need for extra resources to bolster the mental health support on offer.

The full article is available to read here in Community Care:
Prison mental health team stretched by 'serious' increase in demand - 9/28/2012 - Community Care

Failings in ethnic minority mental health care ignored - 10/31/2012 - Community Care

The government talks about mental health reform but has taken little action to address inequalities in a system where ethnic minorities are over-represented and under supported, writes Professor Kamaldeep Bhui.

Professor Bhui claims that the government’s efforts to reorganise health and social care to promote public mental health fails to pay any attention to inequalities. Aside from the odd mention in policy statements and the ongoing rhetoric about the perils of state multiculturalism, there is little action.

You can read the full article in Community Care here: Failings in ethnic minority mental health care ignored - 10/31/2012 - Community Care

On TV tonight...

On BBC 1 tonight, (29th October 2012) at 8. 30 PM Panorama reveals new evidence of poor training and and false record-keeping at the Winterbourne View hospital outside Bristol.

Last year BBC Panorama exposed the violent abuse of people with learning disabilities at Winterbourne.  A number of former patients have faced further assaults or unnecessary restraints in other care establishments.

Following the closure of Winterbourne View, and as 11 of its former staff are sentenced in court, Panorama asks: are the most vulnerable people in society any better protected? http://www.bbc.co.uk/i/b01nqn4d/

Middle-Aged Men At Highest Risk Of Suicide

Statistics reveal that middle-aged men are now the group at highest risk of committing suicide in England. 

Key reasons could be job or money worries due to the recession, says a new government strategy to reduce the number of suicides. Suicide rates among young men - previously the most at-risk group - have fallen. There was a total of 4,215 suicides recorded in 2010.

Charities said better support was key to cutting rates further. It is 10 years since the government published its last strategy to tackle suicide rates. Overall the rate of suicides has fallen - but there has been a slight increase in recent years.

The strategy says the current economic problems are likely to have a bearing on rates. particularly in middle-aged men.

"Previously, periods of high unemployment or severe economic problems have had an adverse effect on the mental health of the population and have been associated with higher rates of suicide," it stated.

"Evidence is emerging of an impact of the current recession on suicides in affected countries."

The most recent figures show that in 2008-10 the three-year average suicide rate for 35-49 year old males was the highest of any group, at 20.8 per 100,000 population. However, suicide risk is recognised as being complex, and most often a combination of factors.

The government is promising £1.5m for research into how to tackle suicide in at-risk groups. Aside from middle-aged men, these include people with mental health problems and those with a history of self-harm.
Strategies to reduce the risk of suicide include reducing access to suicide-related internet sites for children and reducing the opportunity for suicide for people in prisons or mental health facilities.

The government has also promised better information and support for those bereaved or affected by suicide.

You can read more on this story on the BBC News website here.

Report Hilights 'Barriers' To Dementia Diagnosis

A new report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Dementia says that many patients face "shocking" delays for dementia diagnosis and treatment. It claims that GPs are often seen as barriers to a diagnosis and that some people have to wait more than a year for an appointment at a memory clinic.

The inquiry was set up to examine big discrepancies in dementia diagnosis rates. Across the UK it is estimated that only 43% of people with the disease have a formal diagnosis.Scotland has the highest rate with 64.5%. In Northern Ireland it is 61.5% and in England it is 41%. The diagnosis rate is lowest in Wales, with 37.4%.

The report says there is strong evidence to show the benefit of early diagnosis for people with dementia, their families, and also to the taxpayer. 

But the inquiry highlights what it calls "barriers" to diagnosis and treatment, after looking at evidence submitted by more than 1,000 carers, GPs and hospital specialists.

These include poor public understanding of dementia. More than a third of carers who responded said the person with the condition had waited more than a year to go to their GP. The report says many came to regard GPs as barriers to diagnosis rather than gatekeepers.

It also identifies big variations in access to memory services. Some people reported having to wait more than a year for an appointment at a memory clinic, while for others it was just a few weeks.
And it says people often received no information or support following diagnosis.

'Shocking discrimination' in mental health services

NHS managers in England have been accused of "shocking discrimination" in commissioning mental health services.

The Mental Health Policy Group from the London School of Economics said three-quarters of people with depression or anxiety got no treatment.

The committee of senior academics and medical professionals described this as a "real scandal".
Care Services Minister Paul Burstow said mental health should be treated as seriously as physical health issues.

The committee is headed by economist Professor Lord Richard Layard and includes some of the country's most eminent mental health experts.

You can read more on this story here.

5 tips on how to start a conversation about mental health

New research commissioned by Time To Change, the mental health anti-stigma programme run by Mind and Rethink Mental Illness reveals that talking in cliches does nothing to help sufferers to talk openly about their problems.

“Pull Yourself Together” tops the cliche chart but in this new video individuals who've experienced such awkward and demoralising conversations explain that mental health doesn’t have to be a scary or difficult subject.

Social workers 'may need powers of entry to stop abuse' - 6/6/2012 - Community Care

Action on Elder Abuse has launched a consultation on whether professionals need powers to enter homes and intervene where they suspect a vulnerable adult is being abused and access to them is blocked.

Existing powers in England may be inadequate for tackling cases where an adult with mental capacity, who does not have a mental disorder, is suspected of being abused in their own home by a family member who is preventing professionals from talking to the alleged victim, and coercing or unduly influencing the victim into staying quiet.

"Even if such situations are limited, the challenge for safeguarding remians as to how a situation can be assessed or judged if it is not possible to physically gain access to the alleged victim," said the consultation paper.

You can read the full news item on the Community Care website here:

Social workers 'may need powers of entry to stop abuse' - 6/6/2012 - Community Care

Knowledge gap puts social workers at risk of breaking law - 5/23/2012 - Community Care

Children's social workers lack knowledge of the Mental Capacity Act 2005, meaning they could be breaching the legislation in child protection cases involving parents with learning disabilities, warn experts. You can read more on this story here:
Knowledge gap puts social workers at risk of breaking law - 5/23/2012 - Community Care

Creating Services & Welfare To Combat Perinatal Depression

A new report by Family Action argues that welfare cuts and poor quality housing are having a negative impact on mothers’ mental health and their ability to bond with their babies. It suggests that early intervention should mean intervening before at-risk babies are born, by providing services that support vulnerable mothers emotionally and help develop parenting skills, alongside financial support. Whilst there are services for severe maternal mental health problems there is very little for women suffering moderate to mild difficulties. The report also argues that the troubled families programme, although much needed, is not suitable for preventing problems before they cause damage.

The report is available to read here: http://www.family-action.org.uk/standard.aspx?id=19802

Calls For Greater Use Of Mental Health Treatment For Offenders With Mental Health Problems

More news from the Centre for Mental Health. They have published a new briefing paper which looks at the provision of mental health care for adults in the criminal justice system.

The paper states "Despite the fact that we know that as many as a quarter of offenders have a mental illness its disappointing to discover that since its introduction in 2005 the mental health treatment requirement still represents well-under 1 per cent of all requirements issued."

Sean Duggan, Centre for Mental Health chief executive said, commenting on recent figures from the Ministry of Justice that show a fall in the number of Mental Health Treatment Requirements (MHTRs) issued as part of a Community Order or Suspended Sentence Order "Our research has shown that the MHTR has unfilled potential as an option for community sentences. By engaging offenders with mental health problems in effective treatment in the community, the MHTR has to potential to improve an individual's mental health and wellbeing and reduce the chances of reoffending.

You can read more about this briefing paper here: http://www.centreformentalhealth.org.uk/news/2012_MHTR.aspx

Mental Health Issues & Alcohol Abuse: How The Families Of Those In The Armed Forces Are Affected

Matt Fossey of the Centre for Mental Health spoke to Jenni Murray on Radio 4's Woman's Hour just over a week ago about the impact of alcohol abuse and mental health problems on the partners and children of Service personnel and veterans. The programme is still available to listen to online here: http://bbc.in/K1wi6h

The Centre has also published a report which calls for more research is urgently needed into the emotional needs of the families of those in the armed forces. It argues that a lack of research into domestic violence, alcohol abuse and mental health problems and there impact on the families of those in the UK armed forces means that their needs are going unmet.

The full report is available to read here: http://www.centreformentalhealth.org.uk/news/2012_unsung_heroes.aspx

Response To The Cross-Government Consultation On The Definition Of Domestic Violence

The Office of the Children's Commissioner has published a response to the cross-government consultation on the definition of domestic violence.

The response is based on: Emerging evidence from the Inquiry into Child Sexual Exploitation in Gangs and Groups; Research into children’s experience of risk and child protection; Research into the mental health needs of children in the youth justice system; Internal expertise across safeguarding, child abuse, domestic violence, health and serious youth violence, held at the Office of the Children’s Commissioner.

The response is freely available to download here: http://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/content/publications/content_568

Tonight: The Trouble With Men

On TV Next Week: Tonight: The Trouble With Men, Thursday 3rd May, ITV1 7.30-8.00pm

Depression is something that one in five people will experience at some point in their lives and figures suggest more females than males suffer from it. In this programme Penny Marshall takes a closer look at the condition among men and asks if the stigma that still surrounds it makes some of them keep quiet about the illness.