Brandon Marshall Diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder

Monday, August 1, 2011

The Sun Sentinel reported today that previous Broncos receiver and latest Dolphin Brandon Marshall has become diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder.

After three months of treatment method and therapy, psychological and neurological exams at Boston’s McLean Hospital, the teaching floor for Harvard University medical students, Marshall believes he’s eventually on the root of his struggles.

He continues to be diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, or BPD.

Read more detail at:

What is Borderline Personality Disorder?

According to Mayoclinic, Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is an emotional disorder that causes emotional instability, leading to stress and other problems.

Borderline Personality Disorder Symptoms

Borderline personality disorder symptoms may include:

• Impulsive and risky behavior, such as risky driving, unsafe sex, gambling sprees or illegal drug use


• Strong emotions that wax and wane frequently


• Intense but short episodes of anxiety or depression


• Inappropriate anger, sometimes escalating into physical confrontations


• Difficulty controlling emotions or impulses


• Suicidal behavior


• Fear of being alone

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Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Monday, June 27, 2011

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, OCD, is an anxiety disorder and is characterized by recurrent, unwanted ideas (obsessions) and/or repetitive behaviors (compulsions). Repetitive behaviors for example handwashing, counting, checking, or cleaning in many cases are performed with the hope of stopping obsessive thoughts or creating them go away. Performing these so-called "rituals," nevertheless, supplies only temporary relief, and not performing them markedly will increase anxiety.

Men and women with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) have persistent, upsetting thoughts (obsessions) and use rituals (compulsions) to manage the anxiety these ideas produce. Nearly all of time, the rituals end up controlling them. (Read more on NIMH)

OCD Symptoms

According to WebMD, The symptoms of OCD, which are the obsessions and compulsions, may vary. Common obsessions include:

• Fear of dirt or contamination by germs.
• Fear of causing harm to another.
• Fear of making a mistake.
• Fear of being embarrassed or behaving in a socially unacceptable manner.
• Fear of thinking evil or sinful thoughts.
• Need for order, symmetry, or exactness.
• Excessive doubt and the need for constant reassurance.

Common compulsions include:

• Repeatedly bathing, showering, or washing hands.
• Refusing to shake hands or touch doorknobs.
• Repeatedly checking things, such as locks or stoves.
• Constant counting, mentally or aloud, while performing routine tasks.
• Constantly arranging things in a certain way.
• Eating foods in a specific order.
• Being stuck on words, images or thoughts, usually disturbing, that won't go away and can interfere with sleep.
• Repeating specific words, phrases, or prayers.
• Needing to perform tasks a certain number of times.
• Collecting or hoarding items with no apparent value.

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Sexual Trauma Might Spark Mental Health Problems

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Traumatic sexual incidents may cause serious mental health problems inside the years after the events, investigation at the University of Ulster has shown.

Using a distinctive investigative approach, researchers on the University's Psychology Research Institute examined the mental health of women who had visited rape crisis centres and it showed that sexual trauma plays a role in the development of psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia.

The propensity for trauma victims to move away from the region in which the traumatic incident took location thus disrupting their social support networks might also expose them to further mental health risks.

Outcomes with the analysis have recently been published within the prestigious journal Schizophrenia Bulletin.

The collaborative analyze saw the University of Ulster link up while using University of Southern Denmark to examine the information gathered from the Danish Civil Registration System (CRS), which is really a database of official details held on Danish citizens since 1968.

Professor Mark Shevlin, from Ulster's School of Psychology, said that using the CRS was a distinctive sort of investigation by no means undertaken in this area just before.

Professor Shevlin said: "Trauma research is fraught with methodological difficulties. The use of the CRS has allowed us to conduct case-control prospective studies in a very efficient way. Our most recent study identified an association between rape and subsequent diagnosis of a psychotic disorder over a 10-year period. This study would have been virtually impossible without the use of CRS data."

Professor Shevlin has been working alongside Professor Ask Elklit in the University of Southern Denmark, and he mentioned that the investigation has essential implications on treatment and developing therapies for those with schizophrenia.

Professor Elklit said: "The CRS provides researchers with information on a large number of variables related to physical and psychological health, education, employment, income, and housing. Collaborating with Ulster has provided us with the skills and expertise to link separate databases and conduct statistical analyses to help answer important psychological questions.

"For example, this has allowed us to identify social factors that increase the risk of rape or sexual victimization, and estimate the costs in terms of physical and psychological problems."

Professors Elklit and Shevlin are planning to continue and extend their CRS research. They have commenced a project that aims to model multiple traumatic childhood experiences and subsequent psychological and behavioural problems.

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Record Reveals Substance Abuse And Mental Illness Issue Information In Each US State

Saturday, June 12, 2010

A new report providing state-by-state analyses of substance abuse and mental illness patterns reveals that despite broad variations amongst the states inside the sorts and levels of behavioral health problems they encounter -- every state suffers from these difficulties. As an example, amongst those aged 12 and older, Iowa had less than a single third the current illicit drug use rate of Rhode Island (4.1 % vs. 13.3 percent) - yet Iowa's population aged 12 and older was among the group of states with the nation's highest levels of individuals participating in binge drinking in the past month (27.2 %).

The statement gives talk about public health authorities and service providers with useful details on a wide range of substance use and mental illness issues affecting their states. The report is component of SAMHSA's strategic initiative on information, outcomes, and quality - an effort to inform policy makers and support providers on the nature and scope of behavioral health concerns.

Among the report's other notable findings:

• Cigarette use by adolescents has decreased in 35 states since 2002 -- no increases in cigarette smoking were observed in any state during this period.
• Minnesota had the nation's highest rate of past year dependence on, or abuse of, alcohol among those age 12 or older (10 percent), while Kentucky had the lowest (5.7 percent).
• Nine of the ten states having the highest levels of past month illicit drug use among persons age 12 or older also had the highest levels of past month marijuana use (in alphabetical order -- Alaska, Colorado, District of Columbia, Montana, New Hampshire, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington).
• Thirteen states showed significant declines in past year cocaine use among persons age 12 or older from 2006-2007 (in alphabetical order -- Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming).
• Wyoming had the nation's highest rate of adolescents aged 12 to 17 experiencing a major depressive episode in the past year (10.0 percent) while Maryland had the lowest (7.0 percent).

"This report provides valuable insight into the exact nature and scope of the behavioral health problems affecting each state, and should help state public health authorities determine the most effective ways of addressing them," said SAMHSA Administrator Pamela S. Hyde, J.D. "These findings remind us that reducing the impact of substance abuse and mental illness is a national challenge and as we work to reform health care behavioral health services are part of the solution in every state."

The report was developed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration based on the 2007 and 2008 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). Using data drawn from interviews with 136,606 persons from throughout the country the report provides a state-by-state breakdown along 22 different measures of substance abuse and mental health problems including illicit drug use, binge drinking, alcohol and illicit drug dependence, tobacco use, and major depressive episode. The full report is available online at http://oas.samhsa.gov/2k8state/toc.cfm.

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What is Asperger's Syndrome?

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Asperger's syndrome, also called Asperger's disorder, is a type of pervasive development disorder (PDD). PDDs are a group of conditions that involve delays in the development of many basic skills, most notably the ability to socialize with others, to communicate, and to use imagination.

Although Asperger's syndrome is similar in some ways to autism -- another, more severe type of PDD -- there are some important differences. Children with Asperger's syndrome typically function better than do those with autism. In addition, children with Asperger's syndrome generally have normal intelligence and near-normal language development, although they may develop problems communicating as they get older.

Asperger's syndrome was named for the Austrian doctor, Hans Asperger, who first described the disorder in 1944. However, Asperger's syndrome was not recognized as a unique disorder until much later.

What Are the Symptoms of Asperger's Syndrome?

The symptoms of Asperger's syndrome vary and can range from mild to severe. Common symptoms include:

• Problems with social skills: Children with Asperger's syndrome generally have difficulty interacting with others and often are awkward in social situations. They generally do not make friends easily.
• Eccentric or repetitive behaviors: Children with this condition may develop odd, repetitive movements, such as hand wringing or finger twisting.
• Unusual preoccupations or rituals: A child with Asperger's syndrome may develop rituals that he or she refuses to alter, such as getting dressed in a specific order.
• Communication difficulties: People with Asperger's syndrome may not make eye contact when speaking with someone. They may have trouble using facial expressions and gestures, and understanding body language. They also tend to have problems understanding language in context.
• Limited range of interests: A child with Asperger's syndrome may develop an intense, almost obsessive, interest in a few areas, such as sports schedules, weather, or maps.
• Coordination problems: The movements of children with Asperger's syndrome may seem clumsy or awkward.
• Skilled or talented: Many children with Asperger's syndrome are exceptionally talented or skilled in a particular area, such as music or math.
  

What Causes Asperger's Syndrome?

The exact cause of Asperger's syndrome is not known. However, the fact that it tends to run in families suggests that a tendency to develop the disorder may be inherited (passed on from parent to child).

How Common Is Asperger's Syndrome?

Asperger's syndrome has only recently been recognized as a unique disorder. For that reason, the exact number of people with the disorder is unknown, although it is more common than autism. Estimates suggest Asperger's syndrome affects from 0.024% to 0.36% of children. It is more common in males than in females, and usually is first diagnosed in children between the ages of 2 and 6 years.

How Is Asperger's Syndrome Diagnosed?

If symptoms are present, the doctor will begin an evaluation by performing a complete medical history and physical exam. Although there are no tests for Asperger's syndrome, the doctor may use various tests -- such as X-rays and blood tests -- to determine if there is a physical disorder causing the symptoms.

If no physical disorder is found, the child may be referred to a specialist in childhood development disorders, such as a child and adolescent psychiatrist or psychologist, pediatric neurologist, developmental pediatrician, or another health professional who is specially trained to diagnose and treat Asperger's syndrome. The doctor bases his or her diagnosis on the child's level of development, and the doctor's observation of the child's speech and behavior, including his or her play and ability to socialize with others. The doctor often seeks input from the child's parents, teachers, and other adults who are familiar with the child's symptoms.

How Is Asperger's Syndrome Treated?

There currently is no cure for Asperger's syndrome, but treatment may improve functioning and reduce undesirable behaviors. Treatment may include a combination of the following:

• Special education: Education that is structured to meet the child's unique educational needs.
• Behavior modification: This includes strategies for supporting positive behavior and decreasing problem behavior by the child.
• Speech, physical, or occupational therapy: These therapies are designed to increase the child's functional abilities.
• Medication : There are no medications to treat Asperger's syndrome itself, but drugs may be used to treat specific symptoms, such as anxiety, depression, hyperactivity, and obsessive-compulsive behavior.
  

What Is the Outlook for People With Asperger's Syndrome?

Children with Asperger's syndrome are at risk for developing other mental illnesses, such as depression, ADHD, schizophrenia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. But, there are various treatment options available for these conditions.

Because the level of intelligence often is average or higher than average, many people with Asperger's syndrome are able to function very well. They may, however, continue to have problems socializing with others through adulthood.
Can Asperger's Syndrome Be Prevented?

Asperger's syndrome cannot be prevented or cured. However, early diagnosis and treatment can improve function and quality of life.

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APA Reminds Congress Of Its Priorities In Health Care Reform Legislation

Saturday, January 23, 2010

The American Psychiatric Association sent a letter to congressional leadership this week emphasizing the importance of including mental health parity and a basic benefit package requirement in all qualified health insurance plans in the legislation that reforms our nation's health insurance system.

"As you continue to work toward passage of health care reform, we urge you to include House language protecting advances in mental health 'parity' and extending health benefit coverage requirements to all health insurance plans, regardless of plan size, within five years of health reform passage" said APA President Alan F. Schatzberg, M.D., in the letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

Schatzberg explained that the Affordable Health Care for America Act, H.R. 3962, includes the following two provisions that are urgent for the practice of psychiatry and the treatment of our patients.

• Preserving in whole the recent advances for parity in mental health and substance-use disorder treatment.
• Requiring a basic benefit package for all qualified health benefit plans in the Health Insurance Exchange, including mental health and substance-use disorder treatment, and extending this coverage requirement to all health insurance plans within five years.
  

"We urge you to regard these provisions as essential to reforming our nation's health insurance system. We recognize the continuing challenges for developing a comprehensive health reform plan and appreciate all of your efforts to secure enactment of this crucial legislation," Schatzberg concluded in the letter.

Source
American Psychiatric Association

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New Federal Law Expands Mental Health Coverage

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

The Los Angeles Times reports on the federal Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, which went into effect on Jan. 1. "Passed as part of the federal stimulus package, the act requires that insurers provide mental health coverage that's no less restrictive than traditional medical coverage. In theory, the act should enable patients needing lengthier therapy to receive it. But skeptics point to several loopholes -- chiefly, that insurance companies are not required to cover mental health care at all. The new law affects 113 million Americans whose states did not already have mental health parity provisions in place. California has followed a mental health parity law since 2000 and so will not be affected." The law may change the balance between psychodynamic therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy in mental health treatment (Jaffe, 1/11).

This information was reprinted from kaiserhealthnews.org with kind permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives and sign up for email delivery at kaiserhealthnews.org.

© Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

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Mental Health In The Media, UK

Monday, January 11, 2010

Mind's Open Up project is proud to be supporting the free One in Four conference 'Talking about mental health - getting it right' - in London on 1 February. One in Four is a national magazine written by people with mental health difficulties. Open Up is supporting them to deliver the conference as part of their Open Up Initiatives Scheme.

The conference will look at the ways in which mental health and wellbeing is represented in the media and think about how we can all get better at discussing it. It bring together professionals, people who experience mental health difficulties, and people with a foot in both camps, to set a new agenda for how the media, companies and public bodies talk about mental health. Speakers and panellists include: Alastair Campbell, former Director of Communications for Tony Blair, journalist and mental health awareness campaigner, Debra Allcock Tyler CEO, Directory of Social Change, Sue Caro, Senior Diversity Manager, BBC, Jacqui Thornton, former Health Editor The Sun, Shaun Crowe, Regional Co-ordinator, London Mental Health and Employment Partnership and Heather Payne, Media Action Worker at South Warwickshire User Forum.

Places must be booked in advance. For more information and to book a place, go to http://www.oneinfourmag.org. Open Up is part of Time to Change and funded by the Big Lottery Fund.

Source
MIND

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Gene Linked To Mental Health Has Different Effects

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Scientists have long eyed mutations in a gene known as DISC1 as a possible contributor to schizophrenia and mood disorders, including depression and bipolar disorder. Now, new research led by Johns Hopkins researchers suggests that perturbing this gene during prenatal periods, postnatal periods or both may have different effects in mice, leading to separate types of brain alterations and behaviors with resemblance to schizophrenia or mood disorders. Withdrawing doxycycline turned this gene on. When the mice were about 2 months old, the researchers put the animals through a battery of behavioral tests designed to measure characteristics similar to schizophrenia and depression in humans, such as abnormal social interactions and heightened aggression under stress, comparing these animals with "control" animals that didn't express the mutant gene.

Because previous studies have shown that male mice with mutant DISC1 have such altered traits, the researchers tested male mice in each of the groups by placing them in a cage with a normal male mouse and allowing them to mingle for 10 minutes. Pletnikov and his colleagues found that the Pre+Post and Post groups spent significantly less time in non-aggressive social interaction with their partners than the mice of the NO group. Those in the Pre+Post group also demonstrated significantly more aggressive attacks on their partners than control mice that did not express mutant DISC1. Mice thought to exhibit depression-like behavior spend more time immobile than non-depressed mice.

Pletnikov's team found that only female mice of the Post group spent significantly more time immobile in the forced swim test than mice that did not express mutant DISC1. Female mice in the Pre+Post group spent significantly more time immobile in the tail suspension test than control mice . Male mice in each of the groups displayed similar behavior in these tests.

Finally, when the researchers examined the brains of the mice, they found significant differences between animals in different groups. Those in the Pre group had significantly smaller brain volume than the other mice. Both female and male mice in the Pre, Post and Pre+Post groups had fewer neurons that produce GABA, a brain chemical that regulates nerve cell firing, than mice in the NO group.

While selective prenatal expression led to smaller brain volumes but mild behavioral effects, pre- and postnatal expression led to behaviors and brain alterations in male mice similar to schizophrenic humans, and postnatal expression produced abnormalities in female mice similar to depression.

The researchers aren't sure why the animals varied according to sex. However, Pletnikov notes, schizophrenia and depression also vary between the sexes in humans, with schizophrenia more prevalent in males and depression more prevalent in females. He and his team plan to study these sex-related differences in future studies.

Source
Johns Hopkins Medicine

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New Family Care Model Aids At-Risk Families

Monday, September 7, 2009

Many families struggle on a day-to-day basis with insufficient in-home care or problematic out-of-home care for their emotionally or behaviorally troubled children and adolescents. Researchers have recently shown that an integrative family care model, which incorporates the strengths of external agencies and care providers, may be the answer. The latest issue of Family Process features this new model.

The I-FAST system was developed specifically to assist families dealing with a diversity of ongoing, severe, emotional and behavioral issues. Its foundational techniques are based on evidence-based practices found within the mental health and psychotherapy communities.

I-FAST allows clinicians, therapists, case managers, and agencies working with at-risk children, adolescents, and families to modify and creatively tailor their approach to meet the needs of their clients. These measures can not only improve the child's and family's situation and overall functioning level, but can also reduce frequent out-of-home placements and train parents to directly care for their children's problems at the home with less difficulty.

The model empowers agencies such as community mental health centers to further utilize their therapists' strengths, skills and expertise. This practice in turn leads to a less costly operation. It encourages agencies to develop and cater their own home-based treatment and protocol rather than continually depend on external clinical support and monitoring. It also reduces the need for families to rely on out-of-home support at psychiatric hospitals or residential treatment facilities to handle the problems in their children.

This study is published in the September 2009 issue of Family Process.

Mo Yee Lee, PhD is a Professor at the College of Social Work at Ohio State University and has led several studies on integrative and creative social care for families.

Source:
Bethany Carland-Adams
Wiley-Blackwell

MedicalNewsToday.Com

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American Soldiers Mental Toughness Training

Friday, August 21, 2009

American soldiers are to undergo training in mental toughness or "resiliency" as part of the Army's larger "Comprehensive Soldier Fitness" program, that aims to ensure troops' mental toughness matches their physical toughness.


According to a bulletin posted on 19 August, the first part of the program has already started: some 100 unit leaders and drill sergeants have just completed the first of two classes in learning to teach "master resilience training" to their units. The classes are taught at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, where Martin Seligman, renowned for his work on optimism and positive thinking, heads the Positive Psychology Center.

According to an AFP news agency report, the classes draw on over 20 years of Seligman's research and teach soldiers how to change the way they think learn to apply optimism to problems and avoid getting trapped in self-defeating thoughts.

Brigadier General Rhonda Cornum, director of Comprehensive Soldier Fitness told the press that the solider trainers are:

"Learning all the different thinking skills, and how to impart them to other people."

She said resiliency training will help soldiers put worries about money, relationships, health and even tragedy on the battlefield into perspective.

Another part of the program is self-guided learning, and soldiers will also undergo online assessments during the basic training and then every two years afterwards.

Mental fitness is like physical fitness: life-long and ongoing, said Cornum.

"Resilience is a way of thinking -- you apply optimistic thinking to a problem," said Cornum. "It teaches you to remember that problems are temporary, that they are local," said Cornum explaining that while some people are naturally resistant thinkers, others can become so with training.

Cornum said every platoon sergeant and drill sergeant will undergo the master training.

"It's tools, thinking tools, how not to fall into thinking traps or catastrophic thinking," said Cornum.

Summarized from "American Soldiers To Undergo Mental Toughness Training"
by: Catharine Paddock, PhD
Copyright: Medical News Today

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What kind of mental health, foster children

Friday, January 16, 2009

Of the approximately half a million children and adolescents in foster care in the United States, experts believe that 42 to 60 per cent of them have emotional and behavioral disorders. Despite the prevalence of mental disorders in foster children, very little is known about how pre-existing mental health affects their effectiveness in operation.

A new study co-author Jung-Min Park and Joseph P. Ryan, a professor at the College of Social Work at the University of Illinois, since 5978 children in foster care in Illinois for several years to determine whether these children in permanent placement and the results were presented at the intensity of their stories about mental health care. State of all children and adolescents, 3-18-year-olds, in caring for the first time from 1997 to 2001. They were in June 2005.

Based on children's rights and reports Medicaid, the study on behalf of children receive mental health care in the hospital because it is easy to identify a marker of severe emotional and behavioral disorders, and it is very demanding of mental health. Five per cent (296) children, at least one episode of hospitalization for mental health care before you enter.

"According to my previous study, children who received inpatient psychiatric care ended up in foster care within two years of their first inpatient episode," Park said.

"Children who receive inpatient psychiatric care have a substantially greater risk for parent-child separation. Our current study shows that when those children enter the child-welfare system, they are more likely to suffer poor outcomes and be left behind in the system."

The study showed that children with episodes of psychiatric hospitalization are at increased risk of frequent accidents and accommodation were less likely to return to their families of origin or adoption.

About half of the sample for more than three changes in his first placement in care. The cases of hospitalization for mental health among white children increases the risk of instability for the transfer of 75 per cent, while those events, accommodation of 24 percent among black children.

The study also indicated that access was restricted, and the use of psychiatric care in the African-American children.

"Children with a history of inpatient mental health treatment, especially when placed in foster care, benefit from continued follow-up and referrals to community mental health agencies to reduce placement disruptions and facilitate timely permanence," Park said.

Care places, significant cost to taxpayers: placement in a therapeutic aid worth $ 30,000 or more a year, as well as placement in a residential mental health care a lot.

"Early identification of service needs and related interventions for children and youth with intensive mental health needs can be cost-efficient by helping them achieve placement stability and permanence," Park said.

During the observation period, approximately 70 percent of children in the study, the durability of return to their families or through adoption or guardianship.

The study appears in the January 2009 issue of Journal of Research on Social Work Practice.

Source: Sharita Forrest
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (http://www.uiuc.edu/)

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The tendency to hallucinations and consumption of coffee link found

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Increased consumption of caffeine may be associated with a greater tendency to have hallucinations, a new study suggests. People with higher levels of consumption of caffeine from sources such as coffee, tea and energy drinks containing caffeine are more likely to report the experience of hallucinations, such as hearing voices and seeing things that are not present, according to a study by the University of Durham .

"An increase in caffeine users - those who have more than the equivalent of seven cups of coffee a day - three times more likely to have heard the voice of man, if there is none, compared with the low-caffeine users consume less than the equivalent cup of coffee in day.

Researchers say the results will contribute to a better understanding of the principles of nutrition for the hallucinations. Changes in consumption of food and beverages, including caffeine consumption may be people in a better position to evaluate the influence of hallucinations or, perhaps, on how often they occur, say scientists.

The study, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and the Council for Medical Research, 200 students asked about their normal consumption of caffeine-containing products such as coffee, tea, energy drinks, chocolate and caffeine pills. His tendency to experience hallucinations, as well as the tension is also evaluated. Things that are not there, I hear voices, and to detect the presence of the dead belonged to the experience of some participants.

The researchers, whose work in the science journal Personality and individual differences, for example, could be the conclusion of a convention that caffeine aggravates the physiological effects of stress. When under stress, your body makes the stress hormone called cortisol. Most of the stress hormones in response to stress, when people caffeine. This will give additional impetus to cortisol may link caffeine consumption with increased tendency to hallucinate, say scientists.

Lead author, Simon Jones, a PhD student at Durham University's Psychology Department, said: "This is a first step towards looking at the wider factors associated with hallucinations. Previous research has highlighted a number of important factors, such as childhood trauma, which may lead to clinically relevant hallucinations. Many such factors are thought to be linked to hallucinations in part because of their impact on the body's reaction to stress. Given the link between food and mood, and particularly between caffeine and the body's response to stress, it seems sensible to examine what a nutritional perspective may add."

Co - author Dr Charles Fernyhough, also from Durham University's Psychology Department, noted "Our study shows an association between caffeine intake and hallucination-proneness in students. However, one interpretation may be that those students who were more prone to hallucinations used caffeine to help cope with their experiences. More work is needed to establish whether caffeine consumption, and nutrition in general, has an impact on those kinds of hallucination that cause distress."

Mr Jones added: "Hallucinations are not necessarily a sign of mental illness. Most people will have had brief experiences of hearing voices when there is no one there, and around three per cent of people regularly hear such voices. Many of these people cope well with this and live normal lives. There are, however, a number of organisations, such as the Hearing Voices Network, who can offer support and advice to those distressed by these experiences."

Research in this area continues and the public can take part in studies at www.dur.ac.uk/s.r.jones

Facts about caffeine (Source: Wikipedia)

• Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant, having the effect of temporarily warding off drowsiness and restoring alertness.
• With ninety per cent of North Americans consuming some of form caffeine every day, it is the world's most widely used drug.
• In its pure state, caffeine is a crystalline white powder.
• Caffeine is completely absorbed by the stomach and small intestine within 45 minutes of ingestion.
  

When taken in moderation, studies have shown that caffeine can increase the capacity for mental or physical labour.

• Caffeine use can lead to a condition called caffeine intoxication. Symptoms include nervousness, irritability, anxiety, muscle twitching, insomnia, headaches, and heart palpitations. This is not commonly seen when daily caffeine intake is less than 250mg.

http://www.dur.ac.uk

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Mind Said On The Indignity Of Mixed Sex Wards

Saturday, January 10, 2009

The report of the Conservative Party, showed that patients with mental disorders suffer from the humiliation that the hybrid plants.

In this regard, the new findings, the Chief Executive Paul Farmer said:

"In the mental health sites, responsible for services at the lowest and most vulnerable populations, and treatment of patients of both sexes, were committed in the sense of privacy, dignity and security."

"Despite repeated commitments by the Government to abolish the Board of the mixture of sex, there has been little progress, in real terms. What looks like a split in the document, he may still be a mixed environment in practice. Patients are often separated by nothing more than a curtain, partition or weak are forced to opposite floor bathroom apartment. live and same-sex stations in the area of mental health should mean exactly that. "

"In patients with mental disorders are entitled to treatment in an environment that offers them a better chance of recovery, and this can not be achieved in a mixed sex. It is simply unacceptable that this situation continues."

MIND
http://www.mind.org.uk/

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New Year's resolution can be detrimental to your mental health

Friday, January 2, 2009

"New year, new you" is a popular phrase, but in early 2009, the mental health charity Mind called on leaders of the people do not feel obliged to New Year resolution as harmful to your mental health.

About 7 million people in the UK, now New Year's Resolution (1), many of the negative approach, that people are focused on the alleged shortcomings, such as obesity. This creates a negative picture, which in turn can lead to feelings of hopelessness, low self-esteem and mild depression.

For others, a sense of failure and inadequacy may be replaced by non-compliance with resolutions of the new year. Studies have shown that only one out of ten people, their resolution for a full year (2). Often, they run for the disruption, creating an unrealistic goal. Depriving yourself, either alone or pressing too far, and felt as low "resignation" or "surrender." This is a blow to the self-esteem, and began what is considered the resolution on improving the well-being does not end badly for our mental health.

Mind believes that instead of New Year resolutions There are a few simple steps that everyone can be in a whole year for our spiritual well-being, including:

• Be active - Exercise releases endorphins, and has proved beneficial for their psychological well-being. You do not have an athlete - the study showed that attention only after a walk in the countryside 71% of the population feel diminished by depression (3).
• Go-green - the use of natural ecotherapy to your door. The results show that the connection to nature contributes to the spirit and lifts depression. Things like gardening or hiking.
• Try something new for your kind encourage and give you confidence in their abilities. Why not a document, or learning a new language?
• Turn your community can be as a reward, as well as for those who are using. Why not volunteer their time at the local Union of mind and the spirit of charity shop in 2009, or, if you register with adventurous spirit means of events?
  

Mind's Chief Executive Paul Farmer said:
"New year's resolutions can sometimes focus on our problems or insecurities such as being overweight, feeling unhappy in our jobs or feeling guilty about not devoting enough time to friends and family throughout the year. We chastise ourselves for our perceived shortcomings and set unrealistic goals to change our behaviour, so it's not surprising that when we fail to keep resolutions, we end up feeling worse than when we started. In 2009, instead of making a New Year's resolution, think positively about the year to come and what you can achieve."

MIND
http://www.mind.org.uk/

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A new scoring system IQ tests are useful for children with mental disabilities

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Researchers are developing a procedure for more accurate capacity of children. Parents of children with mental disabilities, were disappointed with IQ tests, they said virtually nothing about their children in the long-term training opportunities. This is because the tests are conducted in accordance with the average performance of children without disabilities, so that the raw scores of many children with intellectual disabilities at a low level of output: as a rule, no.

"We send back these reports that don't tell parents anything about their child," explained David Hessl, associate professor of clinical psychiatry at the University of California Davis M.I.N.D. Institute.

Well, Hessle, and a team from the new system, points IQ tests, the number of children with fragile X syndrome, genetic disorder that causes mental retardation, including autism. His studies were in-line Springer in the journal Neuro-development disorders.

"If this new method becomes widely available, we will be able to tell parents something more useful and more accurately diagnose and treat young children who are learning disabled," said Hessl, a physician who cares for children with fragile X syndrome.

According to Hessler, "There are many differences in the performance of children with mental disabilities in IQ tests. IQ tests are frustrated by "lack of sensitivity, Hessle develop scoring method to assess the advantages and disadvantages of each child.

"I knew a more accurate estimation of the potential of these children would make a big difference in their lives," he said.

In collaboration with researchers from the MIND Institute and Stanford University, as well as statistics from the National University of Pennsylvania, the group came with the new standardized scores of 217 children with fragile X syndrome, IQ test.

"The new scores tell us more precisely how a child with fragile X syndrome deviates from the normal population in every sub-test area," Hessl said.

Treatment of fragile X syndrome depends on its manifestation in each of the behavioral therapy to medication. The widespread use of new skills at a higher level will be the doctors treat their patients.

Hessl concluded, "In the future, the publishers of IQ tests should include lower functioning individuals in their standardization studies. This might mean over-sampling those with intellectual disability in order to get more sensitivity, but it would help so many children."

Springer Science+Business Media
http://www.springer.com

READ MORE - A new scoring system IQ tests are useful for children with mental disabilities

Neuroscience 2008

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

What: "Neuroscience 2008," the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting - Find out the latest news about the brain and its complexity from the world's top experts. Several Institute Directors and program leaders from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will be available to discuss success stories and new directions in neuroscience research during this year's Society for Neuroscience meeting. This is a rare opportunity to meet and interact with several NIH directors and other leading neuroscientists. Topics include mental health, substance abuse, brain issues related to aging, eye health, and stroke and neurological disorders.

When: Sunday, November 16, 2008 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Where: Walter E. Washington Convention Center 801 Mount Vernon Place, NW Washington, DC 20001

The following NIH Institute Directors and program leaders will discuss recent advances and directions in neurological research:

• National Institute on Drug Abuse - Dr. Nora Volkow, Director
  
  
• National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke - Dr. Story Landis, Director
  
  
• National Institute of Mental Health - Dr. Thomas Insel, Director
  
  
• National Eye Institute - Dr. Paul Sieving, Director
  
  
• National Institute on Aging - Dr. Marcelle Morrison-Bogorad, Director, Division of Neuroscience
  
  
• National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders - Dr. Christopher Platt, Director, Hearing and Balance Program

Source: Dorie Hightower
NIH/National Institute on Drug Abuse

READ MORE - Neuroscience 2008

Mental health charity musical point of Mind, UK

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Get your kind of local charity shop Monday through Saturday, 3 November 8 November at the bottom. Mind celebrates the return of music in their tents after they are forced to turn off the music this year, because he risked the appearance of a heavy fine from the implementation of human society (PSO). To celebrate reaching an agreement with the PRS in the cost of a license, mental health charity is a celebration of music in the minds of a week, which aims to more than £ 7000 to cover the annual quota for the sale of all holidays, from old records and sheet music of classical guitar.


In July, the music died when he was a spirit to ask their shops to resume playing on the radio in his room as a gift rating for fear of penalty for the PRS. There is also concern that they will be fined retroactively for the past five years, the cost of hundreds of thousands of pounds. Philanthropy can not afford to create huge amounts of money from their jobs and so had to ask their shops to their radios to rob the music staff and volunteers and the community that they exist.

Reason, with the Association of Charity Shops, beaten has an agreement with the PRS, which means that they are exempt from taxes and last year agreed to pay the amount in each of the 100 branches from today.

Bob Monteath, managing director of Mind stores, said:

"It's great news that once again our staff, volunteers and customers can enjoy having music on in the background as they work or browse. We are really pleased that the Association of Charity Shops has managed to negotiate a reasonable price for a license and hopefully we can raise enough money during Music in Mind week to cover the expense of this so that funds are not diverted away from our work supporting those with mental health problems."

While the music week in the minds of the public are invited to contact the local store for the mind to see what treasures they find music. There must be something that is proposed for all tastes from rock and pop-reggae, and blues, so why not look.

Source :
Mind is the leading mental health charity in England and Wales. We work to create a better life for everyone with experience of mental distress. http://www.mind.org.uk

READ MORE - Mental health charity musical point of Mind, UK

Health Commission bar for mental health service users, Britain

Saturday, October 18, 2008

With regard to the annual review of health, Lisa Rodriguez, president of the Network for Mental Health NHS Confederation, as well as the executive director of Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, said:

"This is the second year running that NHS mental health trusts have been rated as one of the best performing parts of the NHS, the strong performance in the areas of quality and the effective management of resources is particularly pleasing.

"As a mental health trust chief executive myself, I know how hard our staff have worked not only to offer excellent services, but also to provide the evidence for doing so.

"Members of the network will continue to work with the Health commission and its successor the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to develop indicators which more effectively measure outcomes for service users."

"Mental health services are coming increasingly under the public spotlight, and we welcome more scrutiny. We are not complacent, and we know that improvements must continue. The public should be reassured that mental health services are getting better year on year. There is no health without mental health."

Mental Health Network represents the majority of mental health trusts. It was the spring of 2007, the voice of NHS service providers in mental health.

NHS Confederation represents more than 95% of organizations that are members of the NHS. Its members are the most acute NHS trusts, ambulance trusts, the Fund hopes, mental health trusts, primary care trusts, special health authorities and strategic health authorities in England and hopes that local health authorities in Wales, as well as medical and social services trusts and boards in Northern Ireland.

source : NHS Confederation [www.nhsconfed.org]

READ MORE - Health Commission bar for mental health service users, Britain

Consultation on new ways to provide services in the field of mental health, the British Psychological Society

Thursday, October 16, 2008

The British Psychological Society launches online public consultation on its proposals for access to mental health, on Thursday, 16 October. These proposals were developed as part of the company in response to negotiations with the Ministry of Health (MOH) on future plans for mental health. Psychologists call for stronger emphasis on the psychological well-being through the NHS. They call services, taking into account the people of the broader social needs, as well as his medical diagnosis.

The company also supports the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) provides guidelines for psychological therapy and offers a new national network of health centers and psychological well-being.

The centers, services in the field of mental health through the NHS. In addition, similar services are currently separated from the other agencies - including the Social Welfare Education, Job Center Plus and services offender management.

* Professor Peter Kindermann, president of the Society of Psychologists in the Commission of Health and Human Services, said: "Our report serves to illustrate some of the ways in which the psychologist can help put the latest government policies. We welcome the Government continues to invest in services in the field of mental health. But demand is growing as professionals and members of the public benefits of psychological therapy.

"Psychologists are now an important contribution in many areas of life, including health, employment, education and sports. Our proposals for the declaration of trust in science and psychological therapy can help people come back from mental problems, better performance and to improve their welfare.

"Mental health problems covers four adults in their lives. We have this advice because I think it is important to the audience the opportunity to express their opinion."

source : The British Psychological Society [http://www.bps.org.uk ]

READ MORE - Consultation on new ways to provide services in the field of mental health, the British Psychological Society