May 18, 2007
Mental Health
Empowering communities to tackle mental health
Irish Times Subscription (Tue, 15 May 2007)
A unique initiative aims to empower communities to create care, employment and include those with mental health illnesses in society in Ghana. Tony Bates visited there to see what lessons can be learned.
Teenagers find it hard to discuss mental health
Eircom.net (Mon, 14 May 2007)
Irish College of General Practitioners: Less than 20 per cent of secondary school students who responded to a survey said they felt they could discuss mental health issues with their family doctor. And one in three teenagers who visit a general practitioner with a medical problem leave the surgery without discussing the issue which concerns them, the study suggests.
Admitting mental health problems bad for career
Irish Examiner, (Fri, 18 May 2007)
One in six employees who admitted having experienced mental ill-health in the past two years may be jeopardising their career prospects, research shows. Employers are less likely to promote them, it reveals. Nearly two-thirds of employers said if they knew an employee had a mental health difficulty they would probably reduce the level of responsibility given. But despite the risk to their careers, the study found that employees are more likely to tell their employer rather than a colleague that they are suffering from mental ill-health. The results of the Millward Brown IMS Workplace and Mental Health Surveys and commissioned by the National Economic and Social Forum underline the need for initiatives to improve the employment situation for people recovering from mental ill-health.
Conference on offenders' mental health
Irish Times Subscription (Fri, 18 May 2007)
Eight out of 10 young people in detention centres suffer with psychiatric problems, a new report revealed today. One fifth of boys who offend have also had suicidal thoughts and attempted to take their lives, while more than half were abusing alcohol and drugs. The study found teenagers being detained experience very high rates of psychiatric disorders, engage in serious criminality, and have significant deficits in emotional intelligence and in cognitive ability. Emotional Intelligence, Mental Health and Juvenile Delinquency was carried out by two academics from University College Dublin and is the first research of its kind in the world.
Mental Health Services
'Discrimination in mental services'
Irish Health (Tue, 15 May 2007)
Psychiatrists have criticised the HSE for the lack of progress in developing appropriate mental health services for people with intellectual disability. The Irish College of Psychiatrists has pointed to the recent findings of the Mental Health Commission, which said patients with intellectual disability and mental health problems are still being treated in inappropriate substandard facilities.
Suicide Prevention
Health Minister to launch suicide support service
The Galway Independent (Wed, 16 May 2007)
The Minister for Health and Children, Mary Harney, officially launches the Console Galway Service today (Wednesday) at 2pm, at 26, Bowling Green. Console is the charity that supports people bereaved through suicide. It has branches in Galway, Limerick and Dublin. In addition to counselling and support for adults bereaved through suicide, Console Galway is hoping to introduce the Seasons for Growth programme into schools and colleges.
Pharmacist calls for disposal of unwanted medicine
Meath Chronicle, (Fri, 19 May 2007)
Kathy Maher, a pharmacist from Duleek, explained that the figure for accidental poisonings came from the Poisons Information Centre, where 70 per cent of the calls received each year related to medicines. At their Annual General Meeting, which took place last weekend, the Irish Pharmaceutical Union called on the Health Service Executive to roll out a nationwide campaign to encourage people to dispose of their unwanted medicines at their local pharmacy. Ms. Maher said that 8,000 people present at A&E departments each year due to deliberate drug overdose, according to the National Suicide Research Foundation.
Health Service
'No need' for more acute hospital beds
Irish Times Subscription (Wed, 16 May 2007)
A review of hospital bed capacity for the Health Service Executive has found there is no need to increase the number of acute hospit
al beds. However, the study has concluded there is "a definite capacity gap" in non-acute beds. These would include beds for convalescing and long-term care. The report compiled following the review, states that many hospital beds are currently inappropriately used.
'Nurse peace plan will not be easy'
Irish Health (Wed, 16 May 2007)
HSE CEO Prof Brendan Drumm has said delivering on the new proposals which have halted the nurse industrial action will not be easy for either the HSE or the nursing unions. The proposals provide for the nurse working week to be reduced to 37.5 hours from June of next year, and for a commission, chaired by an eminent person, and including two international experts, to produce an independent assessment of how the 35-hour week can be achieved.
Depression
Country walks help depression
Irish Health (Mon, 14 May 2007)
A walk in the country is an effective treatment for depression, according to British research. The mental health charity, Mind, commissioned research to support its claim that 'ecotherapy' should be used more widely. Mind says that patients are prescribed outdoors activities such as farm work in six European countries including the Netherlands, Italy and Germany.
Eating Disorders
Students bring plight of child soldiers and Size Zero epidemic to national attention
Nationalist & Munster Advertiser (Sat, 12 May 2007)
Students from a Clonmel school are highlighting on the national stage this week the pressure on teenage girls to be dangerously skinny. This issue has been studied by a group of Transition Year students from Loreto Secondary School, who have spent the past few months raising public awareness about it. Their campaigning has so impressed the organisers of the 2007 Young Social Innovators (YSI) scheme that they have been invited to showcase their work at the YSI Showcase in the RDS in Dublin.
Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety disorders explained
Nationalist & Munster Advertiser (Sat, 12 May 2007)
Many of the symptoms of anxiety are common to the different anxiety disorders. The following categories may be helpful in trying to understand the type of anxiety disorder you may be suffering from. Doctors use these categories because they are helpful in pin pointing the best treatment for those who have anxiety disorders.
