March 2008 Archives

Is there a link between climate change and mental health?

It's a mixed Mad World bag today - we've got psychologists, Roget's Thesaurus and schizophrenia. How's that for you?

There are two things I draw your attention to today - anger and computer games. For me, there is a link.

by Keith Sellick

What's your earliest memory is a standard question in therapy. It can also help reveal the processes by which we recognise ourselves and develop a sense of self. BBC's Horizon examined memory and how important it is for making us human.
Apparently, the part of the brain we use for remembering is also used for
imagining: the past and the future are inextricably linked heightening our
ability for social interaction.

What can you learn from people's luggage?

Did anyone see that programme on BBC2 last night about reflexology? It turns out that there isn't any science to back up its claims on affecting particular parts of the body, but there is growing evidence on the overall benefits of massage in general.

Sex and football - what could be better than that?

Well apparently the link between sex and mental health is more complex than you might expect, according a story in the Sidney Morning Herald.

"Internet addiction" is a common "compulsive-impulsive disorder" according to an editorial on the American Journal of Psychiatry, according to this report.

How effective are alternative therapies in treating mental health problems? Given the doubts raised over the efficacy of antidepressants it could be an increasingly important issue.

Is Tony Blair mentally ill? This appears to be the subject under consideration in a new book by David Owen, which is reviewed in the Independent.

What makes good mental health? Here are 8 spokes in the mental health wheel, according to the Spo-reflections blog.

I did a feature in this month's edition of Community Care about antidepressants - what the current research tells us and what the experts think.

Are you a philosophical sort of person? Then you might want to check out Metapsychology Online... No really. They've reviewed an interesting sounding book attempts to tread a path between a medical and social definition of mental health.

I put a post on CareSpace today voicing my opinion on the government's hare-brained scheme to get everyone to pledge allegiance to the Queen.

The Daily Telegraph has a piece on the legacy of "sicknote Britain" and the three generations of families that have now never worked. Apparently, the government will publish a report on the issue later this week:

Not much around today but I spotted something on Mind Hacks which is quite funny...

GlaxoSmithKline has been criticised for not raising the alarm quicker over the suicide risk associated with its antidepressant Seroxat, when used by young people.

The fallout from last month's study by Kirsch et al into antidepressants continues.

Well neither really, as it's not that simple, according to Ron Pies, writing in the Psych Central blog.

The “Angel or Devil” dichotomy does nobody any favors, and certainly does not help patients with serious emotional disturbances.

Now the usefulness of antidepressants has been challenged it seems we may begin to look increasingly to online therapy to tackle depression and anxiety, according to a story in the Times.