Prevention concordat for better mental health: consensus statement

Describes the consensus statement of the prevention concordat for better mental health and lists the signatories. Read Government policy paper here

Mid-point mental health: why are we all feeling so flat?

Our increasingly busy worlds can leave us in an uneasy in-between stage when it comes to mental health. Click here for article piece

Everything seemed perfect - then my dad took his own life

Paul McGregor says showing vulnerability is a strength and that conversations about mental health should be far more common. Click here to read news piece

Prior eating disorders linked to long-term depression risk for mothers

A history of eating disorders and body image concerns before or during pregnancy are associated with future depressive symptoms among mothers, finds a new study. Click here for link to ScienceDaily

The Social Impact Of Participation In Culture And Sport

House of Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee - This report finds that opportunities to reap major benefits in criminal justice, education and health are being missed by the failure of government to recognise and harness social impact. Click here for link to King's blog

Death of Close Friend May Hit Harder Than Once Thought

The trauma and grief resulting from the death of a close friend lasts four times longer than previously believed, according to a new study from The Australian National University. Click here to read PsychCentral article

People fail to recognize male postnatal depression

A new study shows that people are almost twice as likely to correctly identify signs of postnatal depression in women than in men. Click here to read ScienceDaily article

Funding released to help rough sleepers living with mental illness

Adults who are sleeping rough and living with mental illness or substance misuse will benefit from £1.9 million funding to improve their access to vital healthcare. Read Government news item here

Stress in early life could make people more likely to develop depression

New research has found that early life adversity could make an individual more at risk of developing negative thinking, which could lead to major depressive disorder (MDD). The findings provide biological and psychological evidence to support work first proposed in the 1960s. read ScienceDaily article here

Electroconvulsive Therapy May Reboot Visual Brain Networks in Depressed Patients

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) appears to fight severe depression by “pushing the reset button” on brain networks involved in creating a mental picture, according to a new study published in the journal NeuroImage: Clinical. Click here to read PsychCentral article

Are strangers' mental health 'recovery narratives' helpful?

Researchers at the University of Nottingham in United Kingdom have reviewed dozens of articles analyzing the helpfulness of other people's "recovery narratives" and found that they can help people overcome their own mental health problems. Read news article here

Most depressed English communities 'in north and Midlands'

The most depressed neighbourhoods in England are all in the north and the Midlands, with almost a quarter of patients at some GP surgeries seeking help for the condition, research by the Guardian shows. Read newspaper article here

Student Bullying Can Harm Both Victims and Perpetrators

A new study finds surprising consistency in teen bullying rates across the globe and shows that it harms both victim and perpetrator suffer in similar ways. Click here to read PsychCentral article

Children's mental health: The story books bringing help

Scott Cranfield has written a series of books with the aim of helping children talk about their mental health. Click here to read news article. Also click here for Worcestershire Books On Prescriptions link to Children's books

Sleep Myths Hinder Good Sleep Habits, May Harm Health

New research suggests that many people have poor sleep health because of misinformation about sleep. Click here to read PsychCentral article

Many See Empathy as Requiring Too Much Mental Effort

Empathy, the ability to understand the feelings of others, has long been hailed as a virtue that encourages helping behaviors. But a new study finds that many people don’t want to feel empathy, primarily because they believe it requires too much mental effort. Read PsychCentral article here

Teaching happiness to dementia caregivers reduces their depression, anxiety

Simple positive emotion skills yield benefits in physical and emotional health. Read ScienceDaily article here

Perseverance toward life goals can fend off depression, anxiety, panic disorders

People who don't give up on their goals (or who get better over time at not giving up on their goals) and who have a positive outlook appear to have less anxiety and depression and fewer panic attacks, according to a study of thousands of Americans over the course of 18 years. To read ScienceDaily article click here

Adverse events during first years of life may have greatest effect on future mental health

A new study has found evidence that children under 3 years old are most the vulnerable to the effects of adversity -- experiences including poverty, family and financial instability, and abuse -- on their epigenetic profiles, chemical tags that alter gene expression and may have consequences for future mental health. Read ScienceDaily article here

Interventions to improve mental wellbeing and resilience in children and young people living in poverty: an Evidence Synthesis

This evidence-synthesis report aims to investigate the effectiveness of family- and community-based interventions in promoting mental wellbeing and resilience in children and young people (CYP) aged 7-18 years living in poverty. This rapid review was produced by the Risk Factors Intelligence’s Evidence Synthesis Team. Click here to link to full text (look for online resource in catalogue record)

NHS hospitals and GP practices to get fibre optic internet

All NHS organisations will get the fastest broadband available, which will improve the range and quality of digital healthcare services offered to patients. Read Department of Health news here