News: People With ADHD Do One Month's Less Work Per Year, Study Finds - Science Daily

More than 7,000 workers were screened for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) for the WHO World Mental Health Survey. This article in Science Daily (28 May 2008) reports on the research findings: 3.5 per cent had an ADHD diagnosis. People with ADHD worked 22.1 less days than those people without ADHD.

This story is also covered by the BBC. In response to the research findings, Professor Philip Asherson, of the Institute of Psychiatry in London, said: "It's important that ADHD isn't stigmatised as many people with the condition can hold down jobs, or may be particularly good at certain tasks."

News: Peer group pressure is what ultimately forces people to quit smoking, say US researchers - ABC Australia

Did you know it's World No Tobacco Day on Saturday (31 May 2008)?

Giving up addictions, whether it's alcohol, drugs or tobacco is never easy.

Researchers at Harvard University have found that peer group pressure, from friends, family and work colleagues helps smokers who want to stop. This article on the ABC website explores how group support (and pressure) helps smokers give up.

For more in-depth coverage of this report, try the New York Times.

The Harvard University Gazette Online is worth a read too. The title of David Cameron's piece sums it up nicely: Smoking is addictive, quitting is contagious.

News: Mental health bill 'will spiral' - BBC News

Mental health costs in the UK are due to 'spiral' according to a report from the King's Fund. This BBC story quotes Niall Dickson of the King's Fund: "The fact that we are living longer is cause for celebration, but it will mean that the health and social care systems will have to cope with a dramatic increase in the number of people suffering from dementia."

The Paying the Price research reveals that mental illness in England cost £50 billion in 2007.

Co-author of the report, Professor Martin Knapp, is quoted on the King's Fund website: "We found that paying for more people to be treated would create net savings as reductions in lost employment costs would outweigh treatment costs. With a third of adults with depression and a half with anxiety disorders not in touch with services there is significant potential to treat more people with those illnesses and make savings because of the boost to the workforce. The problem is that the costs of care fall largely to the health service whereas the economic benefits mostly accrue elsewhere - to employers, the taxman, the benefits system and the criminal justice system. The government, the NHS, social services and employers need to extend efforts to help people with mental health needs who are of working age but not in employment to get back to work."

News: 'I've got kids who sleep with knives under their pillows' - Independent

The Independent interview Camila Batmanghelidjh about Kids Company, an organisation she set up to offer practical and emotional support to vulnerable inner city children.

As news of yet another killing in London hits the headlines, this piece makes salutary reading.

Batmanghelidjh tells the Independent: "The most dangerous children are those who have experienced violence first-hand, behind closed doors. Other children, who have been well cared-for at home, can come across these very violent children and have to mimic their behaviour to protect themselves from it. It's those children who are more likely to be influenced by violence in films, video games and rap music."

"The fundamental issue is how much quality attachment you had to a parent figure as a child. If you have had good care as a child, you can survive almost anything. Emotional deprivation is a lethal weapon."

Batmanghelidjh has used her psychotherapy and counselling training to provide a much-needed resource for vulnerable children in London.

You can find out more about Kids Company by visiting their website.

News: Experts now push for counselling of chaos victims - NationMedia

Victims of Kenya's post election violence should be given counselling, according to Dr Gladys Mwiti, CEO of Oasis Africa. As people return to their homes, where they witnessed horrendous scenes of violence, they may need support to cope with after effects of trauma. "If all these people are not assisted to heal, the hatred witnessed in January could be rekindled. That is why providing food for the body and ignoring the soul for emotional healing is not wholly helpful," she told NationMedia.

News: Soldiers with combat experience wanted as counsellors and therapists - Canadian Press

The Canadian Defence Department is launching a pilot scheme to encourage soldiers to take up 'mental-health counselling' the Canadian Press reports (23 May 2008).

The Canadian government has allocated $98 million to improve post-traumatic care for soldiers returning from the battlefields of Afghanistan.

News: Boffins sound exam cheat warning on brain enhancing pills - The Register

The Brain Science, Addiction and Drugs report from the Academy of Medical Sciences has been covered by most of the UK papers today (22/5/08).

Professor Sir Gabriel Horn warns: "The use of psychoactive drugs by patients and healthy individuals will become an increasing feature in all our lives. Society must be prepared to respond to these developments. We must act now to harness the opportunities offered by advances in brain science to treat and prevent disease, but also to reduce the harms associated with drug misuse and addiction."

Links: The Register, BBC News, Guardian

News: China sends 800,000 counselling books to child quake survivors - China View

The China View site reports (20 May 2008) on the Chinese government's actions to help those affected by last week's devastating earthquake in Sichuan, which resulted in the death of more than 40,000 people. Five million people have been left homeless following the quake.

News: Boozed-up boy, ten, is given drink counselling - Evening News

A ten-year-old boy has been referred for counselling after being picked up by police in South Edinburgh, the Evening News reports (20 May 2008).

Police have been working with the NCH children's charity to help children who have become habitual alcohol users.

Ian Murray, from the local council, is quoted as saying: "The referral system has been hugely successful, and it's good that the police are doing something about this. But a ten-year-old [being referred] is utterly extraordinary – this child will have gone to alcohol counselling, which is severe. It's a worry for everyone, but these are the extreme cases. There is still an issue with underage drinking in south Edinburgh. The vast majority of youngsters who drink get their alcohol from off-licences, get someone to buy them it, or get it from their parents."

News: Silvio Berlusconi 'needs counselling over his bad attitude to women' - Telegraph

Spanish equality minister Bibiana Aido offers advice to Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, as reported in the Telegraph (20 May 2008). Berlusconi had previously commented that the Spanish government was 'too pink' with nine women appointed to cabinet roles.

News: Victims of rape turn to web for help - ABC News

Emily Friedman, for ABC News, reports on the increasing number of women turning to the web for support when they have suffered a sexual assault. Young women who have been raped are looking for online support says the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN).

The news story, also featured in USA Today, highlights RAINN's new online support line.

Scott Berkowitz, president of RAINN, comments: "The National Sexual Assault Online Hotline provides the services these young victims need, using the technology they embrace. The Online Hotline provides a safe way to begin recovery by using extensive security measures to guarantee that the visitor remains completely anonymous."

News: 'Stiff upper lip' culture blamed as British men top Euro depression league - Mail on Sunday

This news piece in the Mail on Sunday (1 May 2008) marks the publication of a study in the British Journal of Psychiatry that found that men are most likely to suffer depression between the ages of 30 and 50, and panic attacks most frequently occur between the ages of 40 and 50. Males in the UK were more likely to experience depression and panic attacks than in the five other countries included in the study.

News: Why men are telling wives 'not tonight' - The Observer

Marriage counsellors from Relate report a 40% increase in men who say they can't be bothered to have sex. Although a headline grabber, this news piece in The Observer (4 May 2008) doesn't explore in depth why this situation has occurred. Professor Michael King of the Royal Free and University College Medical School in London says the reported drop in male libido could be due to depression. Professor Cary Cooper at Lancaster University says men "are less emotionally intelligent than women" and they have less social support to be able to work through emotional difficulties.

News: Why are women better than men at dealing with redundancy? - The Guardian

In these unsettled economic times following the so-called 'credit crunch', it's likely that some firms will be laying people off. In this article in the Guardian (19 April 2008), Laura Marcus reviews a piece of research conducted a few years ago, which suggested that women are better than men at coping with redundancy.

Philip Hodson of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy is quoted in the piece: "It is a generalisation, and many women are breadwinners, but I do think more often than not a man's career is central to his identity. Men are more invested in work status - perks, cars, titles, privileges - so losing these things can be devastating."

Our work and personal identities are not conveniently separate entities even though they may feel like two different worlds. Redundancy and other 'life shock' events can throw us off course, leaving us feeling vulnerable and rudderless.

There's an old article on the BBC website called Coping With Redundancy, which may be worth a read.

News: Teens using marijuana to 'self medicate' for depression risk more serious mental illness - ONDCP

On Wednesday, 9 May 2008, the US Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) published its report on teenage marijuana use.

The press release makes gloomy reading:

"The new report, "Teen Marijuana Use Worsens Depression: An Analysis of Recent Data Shows 'Self-Medicating' Could Actually Make Things Worse," shows the following:

* Teens who smoke marijuana at least once a month are three times more likely to have suicidal thoughts than non-users;
* Using marijuana can cause depression and other mental illnesses;
* The percentage of depressed teens is equal to the percentage of depressed adults, but depressed teens are more likely than depressed adults to use marijuana and other illicit drugs;
* Teen girls who use marijuana daily are more likely to develop depression than girls who do not use marijuana;
* Depressed teens are also more likely than non-depressed teens to engage in other risky behaviors such as daily cigarette use and heavy alcohol use."

The Talk to Frank website is a good UK resource with lots of background information about the effects and risks of drug use.

News: Can talking make you better - New Statesman

Simon Wessely, of the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London, writes about the UK Government's 'therapy of choice', CBT. This article in the New Statesman suggests that 'CBT does not cure cancer, schizophrenia or arthritis, but it does improve mood, coping and quality of life.'

He comments that there is a good evidence base for supporting the use of CBT. Of course, other talking therapies, that take a more holistic approach, don't tend to favour the randomised controlled trials approach, which has its roots (some would argue) in the commercial considerations of the pharmaceutical industry. Within the psychotherapy community, there is a preponderance of heated discussions about the efficacy of one type of therapy over another.

News: Talk Therapy Proves Effective for Terminal Cancer Patients - Washington Post

This Washington Post article is about research suggesting that talking therapy is effective in treating depression in patients with terminal cancer. Japanese researchers consulted six studies featuring interviews with 517 patients.

News: Ecstasy is the key to treating PTSD - Times Online

An interesting news feature from The Times about how a South Carolina psychiatrist is using the club drug, Ecstacy, to help people with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. For a more academic treatment about the possible therapeutic use of MDMA, see AC Parrot's work Psychopharmacology.

News: Banks urged to ease debt worries of people with mental health problems - Society Guardian

Mental health charity, Mind, surveyed 1,800 people about the impact of financial worries on their mental health. A good overview of this research has been written by Society Guardian journalist, Mary O'Hara. The Mind report reveals that people with mental health problems are three times more like to be in debt compared to the national average. You can see more about the In the Red report on the Mind website.

News: Rise of a treatment that works

This article in the Guardian explores the UK Government's plans to improve access to psychological therapy within the NHS. With a bias on promoting cognitive behavioural therapy, there is much debate amongst psychotherapy and counselling professionals about whether the plans are well formed.

News: Does sex addiction exist?

Addictive behaviours can ruin lives. This magazine piece on the BBC website makes interesting reading.

News: 1 in 12 American Teens May Suffer from Depression

Concerning statistics about teen depression in America have just been published - see PsychCentral. In the UK we have 11 million children with an estimated 1.1 million children experiencing mental health issues according to the Office of National Statistics. Did you know that 80% of youngsters who display behavioural problems by the age of five go on to develop other anti-social behaviours as adults.

News: Sick days in the UK costs billions of pounds

This survey from the CBI reveals that companies are paying out on average £476 per employee for sick days. Public sector workers take more sick days than private sector workers. Bare-bones research like this hides the real human story of how work stress is affecting us all.

News: Ex-Monty Python John Cleese's divorce 'worth every penny'

This news item in the Telegraph highlights some of the obvious costs to divorce, which John Cleese typically greets with humour. Emotionally divorce presents a huge life change for both parties, leading to a sense of new-found freedom for some and deep loneliness for others. Therapy can be useful in negotiating this transition.