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Large Study Adds New Evidence to Genetic Map of Psychiatric Disorders

A new international study of approximately 230,000 patients has identified 109 genetic variants associated with eight psychiatric disorders: autism, attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and Tourette Syndrome.
Read PsychCentral article here
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Mental health crisis services rolled out across england

Mental health crisis teams will be strengthened and new alternative forms of provision such as safe havens and crisis cafes will open across the country as part of the NHS Long Term Plan. Read NHS news here

7 Ways Traveling Can Be Good For Your Mental Health

Read article from The Science Times here

Cognitive function in people with mental illness

A study has shown few differences in the profiles of genes that influence cognition between people with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and the general population. This surprising finding could provide new insights into therapies designed to improve cognition.Read ScienceDaily article here

MRI Study Finds Brain Structure Differences in Teens with Mental Health Issues

A new Canadian study has found brain structure differences between adolescents struggling with mental health issues and their healthy peers. Read PsychCentral article here

Use of out-of-area rehabilitation placements for adults with complex psychosis should be curtailed says NICE

A new draft NICE guideline published today (20 December 2019) on the rehabilitation of adults with complex psychosis and related mental health conditions says they should have access to rehabilitation services in their local area and the use of out-of-area placements limited. Click here to read NICE news piece

Mental Health Foundation's reaction to the Queen's Speech

Commenting on the Queen’s Speech today, Mark Rowland, Chief Executive of the Mental Health Foundation said: click here to find out what Mark said

Implementing routine outcome monitoring in specialist perinatal mental health services

This document focuses on good practice examples, tools, tips and information to help perinatal mental health (PMH) services embed appropriate perinatal mental health outcomes measures at a local level, using outcome measures that are already part of the Mental Health Services Dataset. Click here for link to government site

Experts review evidence yoga is good for the brain

Scientists have known for decades that aerobic exercise strengthens the brain and contributes to the growth of new neurons, but few studies have examined how yoga affects the brain. A review of the science finds evidence that yoga enhances many of the same brain structures and functions that benefit from aerobic exercise. Click here to read ScienceDaily article

‘Safety Signals’ May Help Reduce Anxiety

For those struggling with anxiety disorders, using a “safety signal” — a symbol or sound never identified with a negative event — may help relieve some of their fear, according to new research in both humans and mice at Yale University and Weill Cornell Medicine. Click here to read PsychCentral article

Study reveals increased cannabis use in individuals with depression

New findings reveal the prevalence of cannabis, or marijuana, use in the United States increased from 2005 to 2017 among persons with and without depression and was approximately twice as common among those with depression in 2017. Click here for ScienceDaily article

Bullying Can Undermine Mental Health of Both Parties

New research suggests there is a two-way relationship between bullying perpetration and mental health problems among youth in the United States. Investigators discovered that bullying perpetration increased the risk of developing internalizing problems, and having internalizing problems increased the probability of bullying others. Click here to read PsychCentral article

Mental health trusts to share chair

Two mental health trusts in the East Midlands will share a joint chair from next year.  Click here for link. To access Health Service Journal and the full text of the article you will need a password. Please contact the library on 01905 760601

State of a generation: Preventing mental health problems in children and young people

As part of the Mental Health Foundation’s 70th anniversary, we have commissioned three reports, each looking at a different stage in life and the key things that both challenge and support mental health at these stages. Click here to go to website

Profiting from the bed shortage

HSJ’s fortnightly briefing covering safety, quality, performance and finances in the mental health sector. Click here to read briefing

Millions of men in the UK affected by body image issues – Mental Health Foundation survey

Millions of men in the UK have struggled with body image issues according to findings published by the Mental Health Foundation. Click here to read article

What Is The Evidence On The Role Of The Arts In Improving Health And Well-Being? A Scoping Review

This comprehensive review of evidence on arts and health concludes that engaging with the arts can be beneficial for both mental and physical health. Click here to for WHO report from the King's Fund blog

How education shapes young people’s mental health

Good mental health is vital in allowing young people to learn, build resilience and develop the skills they need to grow into well-rounded, healthy adults. But how can we ensure that schools, colleges and universities are nurturing environments which promote their wellbeing? Read Centre for Mental Health report here

Exploring Mental Health Inpatient Capacity

This report says that hundreds more NHS mental health beds are needed in England to help end the practice, known as out-of-area placements (OAPs), of sending severely ill patients far from home for treatment. Click here to access King's Fund blog