August 2010 Archives

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This post is a homage to 70s and 80s kids TV programme Why Don't You, which exhorted viewers to "switch off their television sets and do something less boring instead" (after the programme had finished obviously).

I mention it because the Mail today reports that a psychologist has called for television to be banned for toddlers and severely rationed for other youngsters, to help protect their physical and mental health. Governments get involved in all sorts of other health advice, so why not advise on telly, he says. In principle I agree, but sitting the kids down in front of the TV can give parents a few precious moments of peace.

Once you've switched off the telly, you should get out there and take a walk. New research suggests regular walks can increase brain function.

(Pic courtesy of videocrab on Flickr)


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Well, it turns out that the role played by serotonin in the brain is not as simple as was first supposed. Researchers have now discovered that depression and anxiety are associated with high levels of serotonin in certain parts of the brain. It had been assumed that serotonin boosts mood but the new discovery is prompting a rethink, argues New Scientist.

While high serotonin levels in some parts of the brain are mood enhancing in other parts they have negative effects. Tricky stuff but scientists hope better treatments will result.

Still with New Scientist and humans are capable of that old Klingon technique of mind melding apparently. Sort of, anyway.

A new study finds a connection between yoga and enhanced mood. It may be more effective than other forms of exercise apparently.

The Telegraph has a good piece by a psychiatrist about the mental health of service personnel and why more specialist support is needed.

And finally, psychotherapy is often accused of not having a solid evidence base but a study in American Psychologist (PDF) suggests this is not the case. With a few caveats, the authors says:

"the available evidence indicates that effect sizes for psychodynamic therapies are as large as those reported for other treatments that have been actively promoted as "empirically supported" and "evidence based."
He continues:

"...the evidence indicates that the benefits of psychodynamic treatment are lasting and not just transitory and appear to extend well beyond symptom remission."
cash.jpgThe good people of Britain have been happily contributing to the government's spending cuts challenge, posting 44,000 suggestions so far, which we can now all vote on.

But are there any suggestions which relate to social care? There certainly are. For starters I searched for "social work" and it returned 57 results.

Interesting suggestions include:

Well those are the ones that caught my attention. If you find any good suggestions please do let me know.

The whole project seems to have generated a predictably varied selection of ideas and general rants. I suspect it might lead to a handful of short-lived initiatives which shave a little bit of money off the edges of the budget deficit but not a lot more.

(Photo courtesy of HowardLake on Flickr)
iphone lse.pngIf you happen to be one of those iPhone owners you might want to check out a new app by the London School of Economics which helps measure your happiness on a daily basis. The free mappiness app will anonymously collate all the information to build a national picture of happiness and how it is affected by environmental factors. Sounds like a good use of technology.

Elsewhere, have you thought of leaving your job recently? If the evidence on CareSpace is anything to go by, lots of social workers find themselves in rather unhappy working situations. Psychology Today has come up with eight good reasons to quit your job - although a recession is perhaps not the ideal time to be looking for another one.

Also today, NICE is consulting on draft recommendations for psychosis and co-existing substance misuse.

And achieving goals can help people in the early stages of dementia manage their condition, research has found.

Finally, there's a new blog out there dedicated to fostering wellbeing.
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Today's superheroes are not presenting a very useful role model for boys, US psychologists have argued. They are essentially gun-toting thugs who don't have the more rounded personalities of the superheroes of old.

I'm not sure about that - while most mainstream films are constantly striving to be "tougher" and more cynical what about the recent Spider Man films? Anyway, must move on.

Psychology Today have launched a new borderline personality disorder blog, which looks like it might be interesting. It will draw from social cognitive and affective neuroscience (SCAN) which aims to break down the Cartesian dualism between mind and body.

Finally, there is a rare story in the press where people talk about how they benefited from mental health services. Not quite sure the line "Mention the words "psychiatric unit" and many people use unkind phrases such as "nutters" and "psychos" was completely necessary though!

(Photo courtesy of nestor galina on flickr)


instant social worker.pngThere's some great stuff on our social work forum CareSpace at the moment. Here are some examples:

(The image is a social worker magnet from CafePress.co.uk)

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Faced with a dramatic cut in funding, one care home has resorted to hiring a donkey to provide support for residents.

I'm only joking of course. What's really happening here is the result of savage cuts at the Care Quality Commission which has recruited a team of donkeys to carry out inspections as part of a desperate bid to save money.

Sorry, I'm joking again. This is actually a rather nice story about Rusty the donkey, who paid a visit to Hurst Hall care centre in Ashton. Apparently residents very much enjoyed stroking and petting the donkey, from the Elizabeth Svensden Trust. Pictured with Rusty is Hurst Hall resident Lillian Davis.
I forgot to include this in the morning's round-up but I thought it was quite interesting. Psych Central examines our destructive mind habits.
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Scientists have developed a spinal-fluid test which could prove very accurate in predicting Alzheimer's disease, according to the New York Times. It also says the field of Alzheimer's research has suddenly woken up, which has to be good news.

Still in the US, the Washington Post considers some possible responses to an ageing population. Maybe some lessons for the UK?  I particularly like the idea of college campus living.

And do you remember the early 90s TV programme The Word? Of course you do. Well, according to The Guardian, Geordie skinhead presenter "Hufty" returned to social work after her brief stint on the programme. Don't say I don't bring you all the important stories.

(Photo by: dierk schaefer on flickr)
Check out this social work job advert posted on CareSpace. 
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I really like this photo - it's from Dominic's Pics on Flickr and I'm using it to represent "choice". I chose to do that. Anyway, perhaps I should just get on with some interesting links:

Choice has been a big idea in public services for some time but I think it's a bit of a nonsense. If you have a spare 30 minutes you might want to check out this video - a presentation by academic Renata Salecl, who looks at choice from a sociological and psychoanalytical angle. She suggests choice leads to dissatisfaction as we are always trying to make the ideal choice and it also involves loss as if we are choosing something we are losing something else. She also suggests the idea of personal choice has undermined social change. People have been pacified because they focus on critiquing the implications of their own choices rather than the state of society as a whole.

I spotted it first on the Situationist blog.




Meanwhile, Mind Hacks suggests some new blogs on the psychology of children.

A new study casts doubt on the efficacy of antidepressants for people with autism.

And finally there's a really touching post on Fighting Monsters blog about being a foster carer and saying goodbye.
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Scientists have come up with theories about the evolutionary purpose of depression, some suggesting it was useful as a means for some people to withdraw from society and ruminate on difficult problems. However, an article in the Psychiatric Times questions this theory.

Meanwhile, if you have a bit of time on your hands, check out an account in the New York Times about a life in psychotherapy and how useful or not it might have been.

And finally, news of a thought-controlled prosthetic limb set to be tested on humans.

(Photo: by travlinman43 on flickr)
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Charity YoungMinds has combined two of the things closest to my heart: mental health and comics in a new set of online comic strips designed to help parents deal with their children's behaviour over the summer.

Check them out - they're good.
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World of Psychology today considers how swimming reduces depression. As well as the endorphins created by the exercise, the breathing patters apparently have a yoga-like relaxation effect.

If only they didn't put so much chlorine in the pool...

Meanwhile US researchers believe gum inflammation may contribute to Alzheimer's disease. Get flossing everyone.

(Photo from: Man vyi on flickr)
I must urge you to check out our interactive guide to mental capacity assessments.

It's a kind of flow chart and is a most pleasing way of working your way round this potentially tricky topic.
flowers.jpgHere's today's round-up of mental health items and other assorted stuff:

Research Digest Blog reports on a very small-scale study which found possible benefits in the use of flower arranging to help with the cognitive deficits associated with schizophrenia.

Brain Blogger considers the effect of violent video games on the player and suggests kids should get out more.

Scientists ponder the way culture may shape our brains.

And the latest in a long line of articles about the psychological impact of Twitter, from the New York Times. It's the latest manifestation of Erving Goffman's life as perfomance, the author suggests.

(Photo by Tony the Misfit on Flickr)
Four things I've noticed today:

Obsessive internet use linked to depression, but is there a causal link? Researchers investigate.

What you say about others is apparently a reflection of your mental health.

Why it's getting more difficult to come up with a snapshot of a generation, like we did in the past with Generation X or the Baby Boomers. (Perhaps we're just less prone to lazy generalisations).

And a rather fantastic social enterprise based around knitting, which, brilliantly, is called Biddy Bags.
astronaut.jpgCase load getting you down? Taking too much work home?

Why not leave all the stress behind and opt for a simpler career - as an astronaut?

New Scientist has a handy guide to getting your foot on the galactic career ladder. I mean, how hard can it be?

Advantages: adulation in the media, probably less paperwork, you get to go into space.

Disadvantages: you'll lose your local authority pension, that whole weightlessness thing might get a bit annoying after a while and what about all those nice biscuits you eat at the morning meeting? I bet you're not allowed those in NASA.

(Pic courtesy of: NASA Goddard on flickr)
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Which of these pairs of shoes, so artfully modelled by my colleagues, is more suitable for a social worker?

According to the Mail, Southampton City Council believes it certainly isn't the pair on the right. It has apparently sent out a memo to workers in the children's services department instructing men to wear "dress shoes" and collars and banning female staff from wearing mini skirts.

Such an inflexible policy doesn't make sense to me - it should be horses for courses when it comes to clothes. There is likely to be some lively debate down on CareSpace about this issue.

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 Andy McNicoll.

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