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The Mental Health & Social Care Current Awareness Bulletin is produced at
Essex Public Health Resource Unit Library

on behalf of the
East of England Health Libraries Group: EoEHLG

Click on headings to navigate to your chosen subject

The bulletin is
also available R
C Reesseeaarrcchh
online at the Coonntteenntt
sites below
Addictions
Department of Health
Anxiety
EoEHLG
WEBSITE National News
Dementia
International News
Depression
EPHRU
WEBSITE Dual Diagnosis

Eating Disorders

TIN Learning Disabilities

WEBSITE FFuurrtthheerr C
Coonntteenntt
O/C Disorders
New Publications Post Traumatic Stress
EPHRU
Mental Conferences
Health Blog Psychology
Useful Websites Schizophrenia
MENTAL HEALTH
BLOG Journal TOCs Social Work
Minding Matters

For further information on the bulletin contact:

mary.edmans@midessexpct.nhs.uk

EoEHLG/MHCA/No.264/23.8.10 1
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News from all corners of
the world

Department of Health

No DH news this week

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National News

ChildLine calls prompted by parents' drink and drugs

More than 100 children a week are contacting the ChildLine helpline with worries about their
parents' drinking or drug use, according to the NSPCC

More social workers using the web in adoption services

Social workers are increasingly using the web to place children with adopters and foster carers

Legalise heroin and cocaine to cut crime and improve health, top doctor says
Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, the outgoing president of the Royal College of Physicians, suggested
that relaxing the law on possessing substances such as heroin, cocaine and cannabis would not
increase the number of addicts.

I'm no political stooge, says care funding commission head

The commission on adult care funding will be fully independent, its chair has insisted, despite
the government blocking any recommendation to introduce a compulsory "death tax"

Royal College of Psychiatrists CPD Online e-newsletter August 2010

Government officials form social enterprise to protect learning disabled

Government officials at risk of redundancy are setting up a social enterprise to ensure vital work
to support people with learning disabilities is not lost

Mental health patients should be spared jail, say public

Mental health patients who offend but pose no risk should be spared short-term jail terms and
receive treatment instead, according to two-thirds of the public

Drug addict benefit withdrawal considered

People dependent on drugs and alcohol who refuse treatment could have their welfare benefits
withdrawn under plans being considered by the Home Office

'More funding needed' for dementia research

EoEHLG/MHCA/No.264/23.8.10 2
 An increased level of funding needs to be made available to allow biomedical researchers to
learn more about dementia and potentially develop new treatments, it has been stated

Reforming the welfare system

The coalition government's benefit reforms could have a lasting impact for people with a
learning disability

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International News

American Psychiatric Association Calls For Payment Of Oil Spill Mental Health Claims
The American Psychiatric Association is urging BP claims administrator Kenneth Feinberg to
treat requests for reimbursement for mental health care the same as other health claims related
to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill

End Unnecessary Restraint Of People With Intellectual Disabilities

Thousands of Australians with an intellectual disability, including children and young people, are
being unnecessarily restrained in violation of their human rights and contrary to the best
practice evidence

Lilly Halts Development Of Semagacestat For Alzheimer's Disease Based On Preliminary

Results Of Phase III Clinical Trials

Army Misdiagnoses Hundreds with Personality Disorders Instead of PTSD

A new Associated Press article out this week suggests that the U.S. Army may have
misdiagnosed hundreds of soldiers with a personality disorder, rather than PTSD

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R
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Mental illness during young adulthood linked to poor socioeconomic outcomes

Study results show that individuals who experience mental illness in young adulthood are at
increased risk for poor socioeconomic outcomes by the age of 30 years

GPs 'could spot patients at risk of benefit dependency'

GPs could spot patients who might go on incapacity benefit for mental health issues three years
before they stop working, research has suggested

Early Life Influences Risk For Psychiatric Disorders

For more than a century, clinical investigators have focused on early life as a source of adult
psychopathology

EoEHLG/MHCA/No.264/23.8.10 3
 More mental disorders treated with drugs only
More Americans with psychiatric conditions are being treated with drugs alone compared with a
decade ago, while "talk therapy" -- either by itself or in combination with medication -- is on the
decline

Addictions
Substance abuse, alcoholism,

Researchers Uncover Step In Brain Events Leading Up To Addiction

A regulatory protein best known for its role in a rare genetic brain disorder also may play a
critical role in cocaine addiction

Mutation Sheds Light On Addiction And A Birth Defect

When a certain protein is mutated or missing, symptoms of the neurodevelopmental disorder
Rett syndrome arise, causing a gradual loss of brain function during early development

Disadvantaged Adolescents Prone To Adult Crime And Substance Abuse Problems

A new article concludes that early intervention among young adolescents with delinquency
problems may help prevent the development of long-term crime, alcohol use disorders and risky
sex behaviors, especially among disadvantaged youth

Amphetamines could damage heart artery: U.S. study

Young adults who abuse amphetamines may be more likely to suffer an often fatal tear in the
body's main artery, the aorta

Scientists suggest fresh look at psychedelic drugs

Mind-altering drugs like LSD, ketamine or magic mushrooms could be combined with
psychotherapy to treat people suffering from depression, compulsive disorders or chronic pain,
Swiss scientists suggested on Wednesday

Heavy Drug-Use Among Bad Boys Can Be Curbed By Parents And Peers
Aggressive and hyperactive boys with low parental monitoring are more likely to befriend
deviant peers and become heavy drug users as teens

DocGuide TopAbstracts in Addictions

Anxiety Disorders

Walking to School Could Ease Classroom Stress

In study, kids 'commuting' by feet had better heart rate, blood pressure during test

DocGuide TopAbstracts in Anxiety

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for 4- to 7-Year-Old Children With Anxiety Disorders: A

Randomized Clinical Trial
Results suggest that developmentally modified parent–child CBT may show promise in 4- to 7-

EoEHLG/MHCA/No.264/23.8.10 4
 year-old children

Dementia
Alzheimer’s

Deep Brain Stimulation Studied for Alzheimer's

Small study shows "no clear clinical benefit" but warrants further research, scientists say

Research Adds Weight To New Thinking On Alzheimer's Disease

New research in worms raises questions about whether solid clumps or plaques that form in the
brains of people with Alzheimer's disease are part of disease progression or a natural part of
ageing

Achieving Goals Empowers People With Dementia

Achieving personal goals can help people in the early stages of dementia manage their
condition

Stress In Middle Age Could Contribute To Late Life Dementia

Psychological stress in middle age could lead to the development of dementia later in life,
especially Alzheimer's disease

Study Explains Why Alzheimer's Drug Is Both Safe And Effective

Alzheimer's disease destroys brain cells and their connections (called synapses), causing
memory loss and other cognitive problems that disrupt work, hobbies and daily life

Carers Need Help Before Dementia Diagnosis

One of the most difficult times when caring for a friend or family member with dementia is the
period before diagnosis

DocGuide TopAbstracts in Alzheimer’s

Depression
Bipolar disorders

Culture a Big Influence on Suicidal Behavior: Expert

Efforts at prevention should take societal patterns into account, research suggests

Daughters Caring for a Parent Recovering from Stroke More Prone to Depression Than
Sons
Caring for a parent who has experienced a stroke results in a dramatic shift from the usual
parent-child relationship

Antidepressant Helps Depression In Menopause

An antidepressant can alleviate symptoms of major depression in women experiencing or about
to experience menopause

EoEHLG/MHCA/No.264/23.8.10 5
 Emerging Bipolar Treatments And New Research Are Causing An Upsurge In Interest In
The Disorder, Australia
Interest and awareness about bipolar disorder are slowly shifting, largely due to emerging
treatments and research

Many Depressed People Have Mild, Brief Episodes of Mania

Researchers say these individuals might be at raised risk for bipolar disorder

Detecting Depression In Caretakers Of Mentally Ill Adults

A diagnostic test of eight short questions can be used to detect depressive thinking patterns that
lead to clinical depression in women who care for an adult family member with a serious mental
illness

Health visitors can halt depression in new mothers

Training health visitors to assess and support mothers psychologically after childbirth can
prevent the development of depression over the following year

Skin Condition Associated With Depression, Anxiety and Suicidal Feelings

Individuals with psoriasis appear to have an increased risk of depression, anxiety and suicidality

DocGuide TopAbstracts in Depression

Transient manic symptoms predict bipolar conversion in depressed children

Transient manic symptoms are associated with an increased risk for conversion to bipolar
spectrum disorder in children with depressive spectrum disorders

Bipolar disorder common in fibromyalgia patients

Around a quarter of patients with fibromyalgia also suffer from bipolar disorder

Bipolar risk variant linked to brain function deficits

Results from a German study show that a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the calcium
channel, voltage-dependent, L-type, alpha 1C subunit (CACNA1C) gene is associated with
brain-function deficits in mentally healthy volunteers

Dual Diagnosis

Attention to social threat as a vulnerability to the development of comorbid social

anxiety disorder and alcohol use disorders: An Avoidance-Coping Cognitive Model
Despite the frequent comorbidity of social anxiety disorder and alcohol use disorders, no
theoretical model currently exists to explain the specific mechanisms underlying the comorbidity
between these two disorders

Effect of Comorbid Depression on Substance Use Disorders

The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of depression on pattern of substance use
disorders

Modified Therapeutic Community for Co-Occurring Disorders: Single Investigator Meta

Analysis
This paper presents the results of a meta-analysis for a single investigator examining the

EoEHLG/MHCA/No.264/23.8.10 6
 effectiveness of the modified therapeutic community for clients with co-occurring substance use
and mental disorders

Eating Disorders

A Body-Related Dot-Probe Task Reveals Distinct Attentional Patterns for Bulimia

Nervosa and Anorexia Nervosa
We investigated body-related attentional biases in eating disorders by testing whether
individuals with anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa differ from healthy controls

Co-Occurrence of Avoidant Personality Disorder and Child Sexual Abuse Predicts Poor
Outcome in Long-Standing Eating Disorder
Few consistent predictive factors for eating disorder have been identified across studies

Learning Disabilities

Disturbances In Certain Genes Play A Role In Autism

A researcher has found in a new study that autism can be partially explained by abnormalities in
certain genes. The group's results could, in the long run, pave the way for more appropriate
treatments for autism

ADHD Could Be Misdiagnosed In Nearly 1 Million US Kids Say Researchers

Two studies published recently suggest there could be something wrong with the way ADHD is
diagnosed in young children in the US

Study links pesticides to attention problems

Children whose mothers were exposed to certain types of pesticides while pregnant were more
likely to have attention problems as they grew up

Measuring Anxiety in Youth with Learning Disabilities: Reliability and Validity of the
Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC)
Youth with learning disabilities are at an increased risk for anxiety disorders and valid measures
of anxiety are necessary for assessing this population

Obsessive Compulsive
Disorders

Double conflicts model and anxiety ratification therapy hypotheses of obsessive-

compulsive disorder
In-depth researches on the psychopathology of obsessive-compulsive disorder have been
made in the cognitive-behavioral domain

A Case of Mania following Deep Brain Stimulation for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

EoEHLG/MHCA/No.264/23.8.10 7
 Deep brain stimulation of the basal ganglia is an effective treatment for select movement
disorders, including Parkinson's disease, essential tremor and dystonia

Post Traumatic
Stress Disorder

The use of alcohol and drugs to self-medicate symptoms of posttraumatic stress

disorder
Self-medication has been proposed as an explanation for the high rates of comorbidity between
posttraumatic stress disorder and substance use disorders; however, knowledge of self-
medication in PTSD is scarce

Impact of Race on Early Treatment Termination and Outcomes in Posttraumatic Stress

Disorder Treatment
The present study investigated the influence of race on posttraumatic stress disorder treatment
among 94 African American and 214 Caucasian female victims of interpersonal violence

Psychology

Trauma, Abuse In Childhood Linked To Shorter Lifespan, Weaker Immune Response

Later In Life
New research f suggests that trauma in childhood such as experiencing abuse or a serious
stressful event like losing a parent is linked to a shorter lifespan and weaker immune system
later in life

Being an Only Child Won't Harm Social Skills: Study

Kids without siblings just as popular as others, U.S. research shows

Schizophrenia

Verbal self-monitoring impaired in people at high risk for psychosis

Results from a UK study show that individuals who are at high risk for developing psychosis
have impairments in verbal self-monitoring (VSM)

Intervention has sustained benefits for schizophrenia patients with diabetes

A 6-month 'healthy-lifestyle' intervention results in sustained improvements in body mass index
(BMI) and weight, as well as diabetes knowledge, in schizophrenia patients with Type 2
diabetes

Untreated psychosis duration predicts non-remission

Duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) predicts short- and long-term failure to achieve
remission in first-episode psychosis patients

EoEHLG/MHCA/No.264/23.8.10 8
 DocGuide TopAbstracts in Schizophrenia

Subjective QOL ‘favorable’ in schizophrenia patients

Schizophrenia patients have better subjective quality of life than those with other mental health
conditions, researchers have found

Social Work

Help-Seeking by Foster-Carers for their ‘Looked After’ Children: The Role of Mental
Health Literacy and Treatment Attitudes
Factors that influence the help-seeking steps for looked after children with mental health
problems were explored within the context of a help-seeking model, as were foster-carers'
Mental Health Literacy (MHL) and help-seeking attitudes

Mental Health and Older Women: The Challenges for Social Perspectives and Community
Capacity Building
Older women tend to be either rendered invisible in relation to considerations of mental health
or, conversely, constructed as potential mental health problems

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FFU
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Books, Conferences,
Websites & Journal Tocs

NEW PUBLICATIONS
Books and reports hot of the press
Click the title to connect to the website entry

Child-centered Play Therapy: A Practical Guide to Developing Therapeutic Relationships

with Children

Mental Health, Psychiatry and The Arts: A Teaching Handbook

Space, Place and Mental Health

Clinical Psychology: Science, Practice, and Culture: 2nd Revised edition

Psychological Well-being

A Clinician's Guide to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Safeguarding Children: A Shared Responsibility

Social Protection for The Poor and Poorest: Concepts, Policies and Politics

EoEHLG/MHCA/No.264/23.8.10 9
 back to CONTENTS LINKS

CONFERENCES
Follow the link to a list, new conferences in green

CONFERENCES

WEBSITES
Follow the link below to a list of useful websites

USEFUL WEBSITES

JOURNAL TOC PAGES

New links in orange Follow the link below to a list of Journal TOC pages

JOURNAL TOCs

back to CONTENTS LINKS

DISCLAIMER
And list of websites used Follow the link to Disclaimer
DISCLAIMER

EoEHLG/MHCA/No.264/23.8.10 10
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