Mad World

Mad World is on holiday

2008-07-18T11:45:00Z

I am taking a few days off, so will not be posting again until 28 July at the earliest. Read More......(read more)

Antidepressants, children and safety

2008-07-15T11:44:46Z

There's an article in the Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings about the efficacy and safety of treating children with antidepressants. Read More......(read more)

Self harm, narcissists and doormats

2008-07-14T15:40:08Z

Some young girls consider self-harming to be normal teenage behaviour, according to a story in the Times. Read More......(read more)

Henderson hospital campaign latest

2008-07-11T10:32:36Z

Henderson Hospital campaigner Penny Macoustra is interviewed on the latest Ivory Tower podcast about the current position of the campaign to save the therapeutic community. Read More......(read more)

UK Centre for mental health, video games and booze

2008-07-10T15:09:27Z

Does anyone know anything about the new UK Centre for Mental Health in Birmingham? It was opened today by Jo Brand. It sounds very promising, with single en-suite rooms, relaxation and activity areas and library. Almost a prototype for what mental health Read More......(read more)

Schizophrenia book

2008-07-08T16:19:18Z

I've not got a lot to say today. I went to a festival over the weekend and now I'm feeling rather tired. I did spot this video clip on the BBC about a man with schizophrenia who has written a book about his experiences. Read More......(read more)

Fair Deal manifesto, skunk and depressing Wednesdays

2008-07-02T16:16:35Z

The Royal College of Psychiatrists has been busy this week. Firstly, it has launched it's new three-year Fair Deal campaign to tackle inequalities in the mental health system. Read More......(read more)

Henderson hospital, Dinesh Bhugra and acting

2008-07-01T12:27:24Z

Former patients at Henderson Hospital are hoping to get the therapeutic community re-opened as part of a public consultation into its future. Read More......(read more)

Our NHS, our future: mental health perspective on Lord Darzi's review

2008-06-30T16:17:44Z

The government today launched its long awaited NHS review report. I've had a quick look through it to see what it might mean for mental health services. Read More......(read more)

Medicalisation and mental health

2008-06-27T15:01:47Z

There's an illuminating piece in the Times today , based on a letter published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, claiming that too many people with a mental illness are being "jollied along" rather than receiving treatment. Read More......(read more)

Stuttering and happiness

2008-06-24T13:34:13Z

There's a great article in the Guardian by Ewan Morrisson about his family's history of stuttering and "fear of words". "Even to this day, the science of stuttering is caught up in the false idea that it is a biological condition Read More......(read more)

On feeling trapped

2008-06-23T15:09:11Z

There's a really interesting post on Spo-Reflections about feeling trapped - worth a quick look. Read More......(read more)

Ruby Wax, depression and mobile phone masts

2008-06-23T10:57:51Z

Comedian Ruby Wax is doing an Edinburgh show this year focusing solely on mental health issues. Like many comedians, she has suffered from depression. Read More......(read more)

Depression, diabetes and cannabis

2008-06-18T16:13:04Z

Here's something I didn't know but maybe should have - diabetes and depression are linked, according to research. Read More......(read more)

Mobile phone madness

2008-06-17T11:26:25Z

I think I'm becoming a campaigner (albeit a rather inactive one) against the general drift towards considering more things mental health problems, especially if they involve kids. Read More......(read more)

Iris Robinson, vitamin D and working your hours

2008-06-16T12:05:29Z

Mind Hacks have done a very good job of rubbishing comments made by the head of Northern Ireland's health committee Iris Robinson MP, that homosexuality was an "abomination" and something that can be treated by psychiatrists. Read More......(read more)

2008-06-16T11:18:39Z

ADHD, depression and drugs

2008-06-12T16:23:23Z

ADHD, depression, bipolar disorder, antidepressants and sex. Mad World has it all today. Read More......(read more)

Mindfulness and St John's Wort

2008-06-11T11:35:30Z

Mindfulness seems an increasingly important topic in mental health. Now, I'm not too sure I really understand the implications of this study , which focuses on the differences between self-esteem and "unconditional self acceptance" but it Read More......(read more)

Political blogging and children on drugs

2008-06-10T13:26:39Z

There's an interesting piece on political blogging on Liberal Conspiracy. Apparently former soviet leader Yuri Andropov thought personal computers would be the end of socialism and the number of right wing bloggers seems to bear that out. Read More......(read more)

Smoking in locked mental health wards - court judgement

2008-06-05T11:57:54Z

There's been a lot of debate, not least on CareSpace about the merits of the smoking ban in locked mental health wards. Read More......(read more)

Is schizophrenia a real condition?

2008-06-02T16:06:09Z

There's a good thread in CareSpace about whether schizophrenia is an accurate diagnostic category. Read More......(read more)

Postnatal depression, masculinity and recovery

2008-05-30T14:29:58Z

Postnatal depression is not just for mums, says a post by Brain Blogger. Up to 10% of dads also suffer. Read More......(read more)

Meditation, ADHD and computer games

2008-05-29T15:44:44Z

There's a very good piece in the Huffington Post about the potential of meditation in treating ADHD and other mental health problems. Read More......(read more)

King's Fund, dementia, tax rises, ECT and placebos

2008-05-28T11:01:23Z

The King's Fund have published a report this morning suggesting investment in mental health services must increase massively to cope with a rise in the number of people with dementia. Read More......(read more)

The gadget approach to mental health

2008-05-23T16:53:31Z

It seems there is a gadget for everything these days - we can do pretty much anything with technology. But I've been wondering how much scope there is to use technology in the field of mental health. Read More......(read more)

Edwyn Collins: Home Again

2008-05-21T10:09:33Z

By Keith Sellick An uplifting look at one man's struggle to overcome severe brain injury and return to his previous life - of being a pop star (well, not quite star). Read More......(read more)

Autism and insecticides

2008-05-19T16:16:48Z

Interesting piece in New Scientist about the link between insecticides in pet shampoo and autism. Read More......(read more)

What do you think of ECT?

2008-05-19T12:18:15Z

What are your views on ECT? The Telegraph has published an article today from someone who is clearly very much a fan, claiming it can save lives in cases of severe depression. Read More......(read more)

Thinking allowed: hearing voices

2008-05-15T13:11:09Z

By Keith Sellick I know I have posted on hearing voices before but BBC Radio's Thinking Allowed recently featured a sociological study about the subject. Read More......(read more)

Cannabis reclassification

2008-05-08T16:04:46Z

It seems the government has decided that cannabis should be reclassified as a class B drug, ignoring the advice of its expert committee. Read More......(read more)

Am I Normal: Spirituality

2008-05-08T11:16:22Z

By Keith Sellick BBC's look into personalities focused on spirituality this week. What was particularly interesting was a discussion on the hearing of voices. People who hear the voices of God/Jesus/Mary are deemed to be blessed and sane; those hearing Read More......(read more)

Psychiatry handbook and the drugs industry

2008-05-07T16:37:18Z

The New York Times has a very interesting story about the links between some of the people who oversee one of the most important psychiatry handbooks. Read More......(read more)

BBC psychology tests, vitamin D and the CIA

2008-05-06T12:30:01Z

The BBC has a load of psychology tests on its site, which seem a relatively untaxing way of spending the day after a bank holiday. Read More......(read more)

Happiness, money and computer consoles

2008-04-29T13:32:33Z

Is happiness wanting what you have or having what you want? This question has been tackled in a scientific test apparently. Read More......(read more)

Anti-addiction pills, autism, smoking and depression

2008-04-25T17:04:29Z

Here's a round up of a few mental healthy type things. Sensory integration therapy has had some promising results in children with autism, according to a study. Read More......(read more)

Electromagnetism and mental health

2008-04-24T17:02:43Z

There's an interesting story in New Scientist about research linking geomagnetism in the earth and suicide rates. Read More......(read more)

Gordon Brown and the 10p tax rate

2008-04-24T11:12:36Z

Just a very quick thought about Gordon Brown and the 10p tax "affair". Read More......(read more)

Henderson Hospital to close today

2008-04-23T16:22:50Z

Henderson Hospital is expected to close today. Community Care has reported that residents face a "shambolic transfer" to alternative placements. Read More......(read more)

Chemistry of Addiction

2008-04-22T10:56:00Z

By Keith Sellick Last week, I posted about TV's Am I Normal , which looked at addictions such as drugs and alcohol but also computer gaming and gambling. Radio Four is also covering the subject with the Chemistry of Addiction series . Read More......(read more)