Scientists in Switzerland are exploring how psychedelic drugs may be used to treat the likes of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and depression. The Guardian (12 August 2008) report provides an interesting video clip from Pamela Sakuda who took part in another study, where people with terminal illness were given psilocybin, a chemical substance found in magic mushrooms.
Vanda Taylor of Cancer Research UK is quoted in the Daily Mail: "Research into the use of a variety of drugs to help with pain, anxiety and quality of life, may lead to better treatments and help patients cope better with their illness."
www.therapyme.com
Monday, 25 August 2008
Thursday, 7 August 2008
News: Move over Freud: Psychiatrists embrace pill power - Reuters
Could financial considerations be getting in the way of appropriate psychiatric care? Office-based psychiatrists in the United States are increasingly turning to pills for a quick fix replacement for psychotherapy, according to research published in the Archives of General Psychiatry (and reported by Reuters, 4 August 2008 and the LA Times, 5 August 2008).
Comparing the percentage of patients who received psychotherapy in 2004-2005 and 1996-1997, researchers discovered a fall of 15.5%.
Dr Ramin Mojtabai, of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, who conducted the research whilst at the Beth Israel Medical Center in New York, comments: "Psychiatrists get more for three, 15-minute medication management visits than for one 45 minute psychotherapy visit."
Commenting on the research, Dr Eric Plakun, of the American Psychiatric Association, voiced concerns: "I'm worried about our patients. Patients need the best help we can give them...If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail."
Comparing the percentage of patients who received psychotherapy in 2004-2005 and 1996-1997, researchers discovered a fall of 15.5%.
Dr Ramin Mojtabai, of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, who conducted the research whilst at the Beth Israel Medical Center in New York, comments: "Psychiatrists get more for three, 15-minute medication management visits than for one 45 minute psychotherapy visit."
Commenting on the research, Dr Eric Plakun, of the American Psychiatric Association, voiced concerns: "I'm worried about our patients. Patients need the best help we can give them...If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail."
News: Mental illness sufferers barred from Olympics - Stuff
People suffering from mental illness are banned from entering China, according to a report on the Stuff website (7 August 2008).
In New Zealand, the Foundation for Mental Health has urged the Chinese government to change their policy.
The Foundation's chief executive, Judi Clements, comments: "The Olympic spirit is all about taking part. It is a cruel blow for sportspeople and spectators to be excluded purely because they experience mental illness, which affects around one in five people in New Zealand alone."
You can read the Foundation's press release on their website.
In New Zealand, the Foundation for Mental Health has urged the Chinese government to change their policy.
The Foundation's chief executive, Judi Clements, comments: "The Olympic spirit is all about taking part. It is a cruel blow for sportspeople and spectators to be excluded purely because they experience mental illness, which affects around one in five people in New Zealand alone."
You can read the Foundation's press release on their website.
Wednesday, 30 July 2008
News: Genes for schizophrenia uncovered - BBC News
Genetic mutations may increase the likelihood of schizophrenia, according to findings from three research projects published in Nature (30/7/08) and Nature Genetics. Research suggests the risk of schizophrenia is influenced by genetic make-up although scientists believe they are a long way off from really understanding the causes of the condition.
The BBC report (30/7/08) quotes Professor Michael O'Donovan of Cardiff University School of Medicine: "It's very dangerous to say never, but to me, there are so many genes involved, that the idea of predicting whether someone will develop schizophrenia doesn't seem to me very likely."
Quoted also in The Independent (31/7/08), Professor O'Donovan comments: "These findings are impressive leaps towards understanding the origins of schizophrenia. But since only a small amount of the genetic risk of schizophrenia has been accounted for, they are not ready to be applied to genetic testing, an area that has seen fierce controversy as a number of biotech companies have begun offering genetic tests for psychiatric disorders."
www.therapyme.com
The BBC report (30/7/08) quotes Professor Michael O'Donovan of Cardiff University School of Medicine: "It's very dangerous to say never, but to me, there are so many genes involved, that the idea of predicting whether someone will develop schizophrenia doesn't seem to me very likely."
Quoted also in The Independent (31/7/08), Professor O'Donovan comments: "These findings are impressive leaps towards understanding the origins of schizophrenia. But since only a small amount of the genetic risk of schizophrenia has been accounted for, they are not ready to be applied to genetic testing, an area that has seen fierce controversy as a number of biotech companies have begun offering genetic tests for psychiatric disorders."
www.therapyme.com
Tuesday, 22 July 2008
News: National schizophrenia awareness week launched - Irish Times
Access to talking therapies should be improved in Ireland, says John Saunders, director of Schizophrenia Ireland.
He tells the Irish Times (22/7/08) that provision for counselling and psychotherapy across the country is inconsistent.
Launching National Schizophrenia Awareness Week, John Saunders comments: "The demand for psychological and social therapies and the evidence for their effectiveness has been growing in recent years, and the consensus among users and service providers is that they should be regarded as a routine component of basic mental healthcare services."
He tells the Irish Times (22/7/08) that provision for counselling and psychotherapy across the country is inconsistent.
Launching National Schizophrenia Awareness Week, John Saunders comments: "The demand for psychological and social therapies and the evidence for their effectiveness has been growing in recent years, and the consensus among users and service providers is that they should be regarded as a routine component of basic mental healthcare services."
Sunday, 20 July 2008
News: Therapy requires the right type of regulation - Times Online
A recent article in The Times about the UK government's intention to regulate the psychotherapy and counselling industry provokes contributions to the letters page (18/7/08).
Andrew Samuels, of the Centre for Psychoanalytic Studies at Essex University, says it's time for the government to rethink how it conducts its review.
He concedes that psychotherapists may have brought this on themselves: "We psychotherapists probably do have ourselves to blame for not presenting ourselves well. Caught between unnecessary mystification and bogus science, ravaged by ideological splits and the narcissism of small differences, a profession seemingly open to anyone to practise — it can seem to those who don’t follow these things closely that it has become only too necessary for the Government to act. But the total shambles of the exercises being carried out by Skills for Health and the Health Professions Council mean that it is timely to call a halt."
Andrew Samuels, of the Centre for Psychoanalytic Studies at Essex University, says it's time for the government to rethink how it conducts its review.
He concedes that psychotherapists may have brought this on themselves: "We psychotherapists probably do have ourselves to blame for not presenting ourselves well. Caught between unnecessary mystification and bogus science, ravaged by ideological splits and the narcissism of small differences, a profession seemingly open to anyone to practise — it can seem to those who don’t follow these things closely that it has become only too necessary for the Government to act. But the total shambles of the exercises being carried out by Skills for Health and the Health Professions Council mean that it is timely to call a halt."
Wednesday, 16 July 2008
News: MPs reveal mental health problems - BBC News
Nearly one-fifth of UK MPs have experienced some form of mental health problem, according to a survey published by the All-Party Parliamentary Group of Mental Health.
Widely reported in the press today (16/7/08), this piece on the BBC website quotes joint chairman and Liberal Democrat MP Sandra Gidley: "Greater openness at Westminster about mental health problems would have a significant impact in challenging stigma and discrimination.
"When the former Norwegian prime minister Kjell Magne Bondevik publicly disclosed his experience of depression, it did not affect his popularity.
"He went on to be re-elected and proved that people who have experienced mental health problems can recover and manage a challenging job."
Widely reported in the press today (16/7/08), this piece on the BBC website quotes joint chairman and Liberal Democrat MP Sandra Gidley: "Greater openness at Westminster about mental health problems would have a significant impact in challenging stigma and discrimination.
"When the former Norwegian prime minister Kjell Magne Bondevik publicly disclosed his experience of depression, it did not affect his popularity.
"He went on to be re-elected and proved that people who have experienced mental health problems can recover and manage a challenging job."
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