Public mental health leadership and workforce development framework

This framework can inform and influence the development of public health leadership and the workforce in relation to mental health. Read government framework here

Why looking up at the stars is good for your mental health

Stephen Hawking said many inspiring things, but one of the most memorable for me was what he once said during an address at Cambridge University in 2012. Talking there, he encouraged his rapt audience to to ‘look up at the stars and not down at your feet'. Read newspaper article here

Why do we get old and sick?

Why do we get old and sick? Raj Persaud talks to Professor Volter Longo about his new book 'The Longevity Diet.' Listen to RCPsych podcast here

Sensitivity to How Others See You May Emerge by Toddler Years

Toddlers appear to be sensitive to the opinions of others and will modify their behavior accordingly when others are watching, according to a new study published in the journal Developmental Psychology. Read PsychCentral article here

How our brain and personality provide protection against emotional distress

Researchers recently examined a sample of 85 healthy college students to see how a number of personality traits can protect an individual's brain against symptoms of emotional distress, namely depression and anxiety. Click here to read ScienceDaily article

Breakthrough sensor to help people with bipolar disorder monitor lithium levels

Patients living with bipolar disorder and depression will soon be able to use a unique wearable sensor to safely monitor their lithium drug levels. Read ScienceDaily article here

The Brexit White Paper on future relations and alternative proposals

This briefing paper looks at some of the proposals in the White Paper, their reception in the UK and EU, and any corresponding provisions in the DExEU ‘alternative white paper’. It discusses medicine and access to health care. View King's Fund blog here

Flexi-working, less box filling and more time with adults – how one council is liberating its social workers and OTs

Flexi-working, less box filling and more time with adults – how one council is liberating its social workers and OTs - Click here for article

Guidance On Co-Locating Mental Health Therapists In Primary Care

This guidance document has been created to assist GPs, practice managers and commissioners who are integrating mental health therapists into primary care pathways by providing information on how to do this. Click here for see King's Fund blog

New resource offers help for people with mental health issues to move forward

A new resource to help people experiencing mental health issues to be make decisions about the support they want and need to achieve their goals has been published by the Mental Health Foundation Scotland. Click here access Mental Health Foundation page

CQC now examining mental health care in acute hospitals

The Care Quality Commission is now targeting the care of mental health patients in acute hospitals during routine inspections. Subscription needed to access - please ask library for article

I had mental health issues until my cat Arthur changed my life - and now he's won an award'

Arthur was recognised after transforming the life of Emily Hatton since he arrived in her life last September, just after she had just been discharged from a three-and-a-half year stay at a mental health unit. Read news story here

Peer Support for Mental Illness Shown to Reduce Acute Care Readmission

A new study shows that care and support from peers who have also experienced mental health problems reduces readmission rates for people who have recently left acute mental health care.
Published in The Lancet, the randomized controlled trial of 400 people in England found that fewer people who received this type of support were readmitted to acute care a year after the study began, compared to people who only received a workbook.
Click here for the PsychCentral article
Click here for the Lancet article

Older Adults May Be Less Likely to Notice Their Mistakes

A new study suggests that as we get older, we become much less likely to notice our mistakes.The study involved a simple, computerized test designed to determine how readily both younger and older adults were able to detect when they’d made an error. Click here to read PsychCentral article

9 in 10 Family Caregivers of Dementia Patients Suffer from Lack of Sleep

A new study finds that nine in 10 individuals caring for a family member with dementia experience poor sleep. Researchers from the University at Buffalo (UB) School of Nursing found that most caregivers in the study got less than six hours of sleep each night, exacerbated by frequent awakenings as often as four times per hour. Click here for PsychCentral article

Mental Health Act Review offers way forward for more humane and modern legislation

The interim report of the independent Mental Health Act Review offers a welcome way forward for the prospect of more humane and responsive legislation fit for the twenty-first century, Centre for Mental Health chief executive Sarah Hughes said today. Read response here