And you thought the public perception of social work in the UK was poor...
Continue reading Social work as punishment.
January 2009 Archives
Community Care has written a few pieces over the last few months about Karen Reissman, a Manchester mental health nurse sacked for speaking to the media. Her dismissal provoked a series of strikes. The latest news is that she has abandoned her unfair dismissal case in favour of an out-of-court settlement.
Continue reading Karen Reissman settles case.
I won't pretend I understand much of what this article was going on about - but it did seem to suggest there may be a link between serotonin and iron levels.
Continue reading Is there a link between serotonin and iron?.
Shocking story about a man with mental health problems who had his ear bitten off but found the case against his attacker dropped because the prosecutors felt they could not rely on his evidence because of his condition. Thankfully the High Court has reversed the decision and awarded the man compensation.
Continue reading High Court mental health reverse.
Nice has just published guidelines on the treatment of people with borderline or anti-social personality disorder.
Continue reading New NICE guidelines on personality disorder.
Unsurprisingly, social workers aren't exactly dancing with delight at the appointment of the Sun's agony aunt to the forthcoming social work taskforce. You can read some of their comments on CareSpace.
Continue reading Social workers' view of Deidre appointment.
Psych Central has picked up some of the latest examples of photoshopped celebs in glossy mags. A most unhealthy practice.
Continue reading Photoshopped celebrities, padded trams and Deidre.
Hello again - tis a new week and a good one I'll warrant.
Here's a couple of things I spotted this morning. In The Guardian, novelist Clare Allan points out that the same-sex wards issue is more complex than it sounds when it comes to mental health care.
Here's a couple of things I spotted this morning. In The Guardian, novelist Clare Allan points out that the same-sex wards issue is more complex than it sounds when it comes to mental health care.
But the fact is that when patients still eat meals together, still queue up in pyjamas for their meds together, still share the same TV room and so on, there will continue to be incidents of a sexual nature which can be profoundly disturbing for vulnerable patients from a wide range of cultural backgrounds
Continue reading Mixed sex wards and vitamin D.
There's a post over on Lake Cocytus detailing the reality of some of the care on offer in actue wards.
Continue reading The reality of some hospital care.
After raising the important issue of Mariah Carey playing a social worker in a new film I feel I just have to keep you posted on all the latest developments.
Continue reading Mariah Carey the social worker: update.
A new study demonstrates why the anti-stigma campaign I mentioned this morning is so necessary.
Continue reading Why mental health anti-stigma campaign is needed.
Time to Change, the UK's biggest campaign yet to tackle mental health stigma launched its TV ad campaign this week.
Continue reading Time to Change ad campaign launch.
Been busy today putting together Community Care's e-newsletter and our weekly podcast, but I have noticed a couple of items.
Scientists are examining what may be an emerging association between osteoporosis and depression.
Scientists are examining what may be an emerging association between osteoporosis and depression.
Continue reading Osteoporosis, depression and dementia.
Here's a few bits and bobs I was hoping to add some explanation or context to but just haven't had the time. So here they are in unadulterated form.
Continue reading Serotonin, video games and talking therapies.
by Andrew Mickel
Woop woop! Nonsense alert! As has been documented by my colleague Mark Drinkwater earlier, today is the most depressing day of the year, thanks to a cunning equation that takes account of the bad weather, the number of days until the next bank holiday, your star sign, and how many Weetabix Robert Peston had for breakfast.
Woop woop! Nonsense alert! As has been documented by my colleague Mark Drinkwater earlier, today is the most depressing day of the year, thanks to a cunning equation that takes account of the bad weather, the number of days until the next bank holiday, your star sign, and how many Weetabix Robert Peston had for breakfast.
Continue reading Beat Blue Monday: nonsense alert.
The FT today reviews a book by "immersion journalist" Norah Vincent about the year she spent undercover in various mental health wards in the US.
Continue reading Reporter goes undercover on locked mental health wards.
I don't have an answer to this question by the way, but I felt sure someone out there would have a view on it.
Continue reading Who would make the best social worker - Pink or Mariah Carey?.
by Mark Drinkwater
It's Blue Monday today, Monday 19th January - the most depressing day of the year. At least, it is if you believe psychologist Cliff Arnall's unconvincing equation - which we first mentioned in Mad World a couple of weeks ago.
It's Blue Monday today, Monday 19th January - the most depressing day of the year. At least, it is if you believe psychologist Cliff Arnall's unconvincing equation - which we first mentioned in Mad World a couple of weeks ago.
Continue reading Blue Monday Baloney? .
Thought I would alert you good people to some research suggesting that even small amounts of exercise can improve the mood of people with severe mental health problems.
Continue reading Exercise helps with severe mental illness.
In case anyone missed it, there's new research out today saying that postnatal depression can be successfully treated without drugs.
Continue reading Drug free help for postnatal depression.
First up - it's not necessarily bad to be sad, according to a piece in New Scientist.
Continue reading Being sad and talking to strangers.
Everyone hates Sunday evenings right? They're depressing and have been ever since school, pretty much whatever job you do.
Continue reading Sunday night syndrome and guilt.
Is blogging a type of therapy? Writing down your thoughts is often seen as a therapeutic device, writes Shrink Talk, so it's not new in that sense.
Continue reading Blogging, therapy and enjoying the present.
There's a piece in Time on the "mystery of borderline personality disorder".
Continue reading Borderline personality disorder.
It seems there is something of a kerfuffle (I love that word) going on in relation to Beat Blue Monday - the annual campaign to get people thinking about their mental health by postulating that a certain date - this year Monday 19 January - is the most depressing day of the year.
Continue reading Kerfuffle over Beat Blue Monday.
By Keith SellickTurns out that the map of children's happiness that I wrote about yesterday may be the result of another governmental statistical cock-up (no, surely not). While the Ofsted data is correct, the Department for Children, Schools and Families made the wrong extrapolations. We have to wait until the 14 January for the true picture of young people's happiness.
No wonder the Kids are confused, troubled and rebellious. One minute they are being told how happy or sad they are, the next their state of well-being or ennui is being dashed by government incompetence.
by Keith SellickThe North/South divide has raised its head again - this time in relation to children's happiness and well-being. Countering the stereotypes, the research from Ofsted and the Department of Children Schools and Families finds young people in some of the most deprived areas of the North are happier and more emotionally secure than those in the south.
Continue reading Ofsted research: Are the Kids all right?.
2008 was a significant year for antidepressants, with major studies suggesting their effect had been exaggerated by selective reporting of trials or that for all but the most severe cases they were little better than placebo. However, such research findings are now being questioned by psychiatrists.
Continue reading Antidepressants - psychiatrists question research findings.
So says the British Psychological Society in its latest research post.
Continue reading Playing Tetris could help prevent flashbacks.
I've been getting quite into the microblogging site twitter recently. If you're already on it, you can look me up at http://twitter.com/sim89
There are lots of tips out there for how to be happier. I read a lot of them because I find them quite interesting. But do they have any impact on my life? And are they useful for mental health or social work practitioners?
Continue reading Happiness tips - do they work for you?.
The British Journal of Psychiatry comes out today and there are a couple of interesting pieces of research.
Continue reading Terrorism, suicide and self-harm in Scotland.
The New York Times has a good piece on the apparently fairly common phenomenon of people protecting themselves from failure by sabotaging their own efforts.
Continue reading When people sabotage their own efforts.
Christmas is long gone, the New Year festivities seem a distant memory and it's bloody freezing outside. January is not the most uplifting time of year.
Continue reading Surviving the January blues.
I noticed this story on the BBC about a text message service that allows people to give mental health workers feedback on how they are feeling.
Continue reading Monitoring mental health by text message.
I was quite interested when I saw this news story last year, which claimed that strategic video games may improve memory and other mental skills in older people.
Continue reading Video games, young people and mental health.
That's what mental health charity Mind says anyway, pointing out that they encourage us to focus on perceived imperfections and make us feel down when, like the vast majority of people, we fail to live up to them.
Continue reading New year's resolutions bad for your mental health.
About Mad World
Mad World highlights the latest research, policy and debate about all things mental health along with some social work stuff and the odd piece of random nonsense, just to keep you on your toes. It is written by community editor Simeon Brody. |
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