February 8, 2008
Mental Health Service
'Psychiatric drugs overprescribed in kids'
Irish Health (Tue, 12 Feb 2008)
Many doctors are overprescribing medication to children and adolescents with mental health problems, a leading child psychiatrist has claimed. Dr Gerard Byrne, child and adolescent psychiatrist with the Lucena Clinic in Dublin, said there is a growing trend among doctors to overprescribe psychiatric drugs to children and adolescents.
Children waiting a year for mental health treatment
Irish Independent (Fri, 8 Feb 2008)
Children with serious psychiatric problems are being forced to wait for a year or more before they are seen in mental health clinics, social workers warned yesterday. And there is still no proper 24-hour service in place for families in crisis, leaving vulnerable people at risk.
Suicide Prevention
Suicide rise linked to closure of rural pubs
Irish Examiner (Thu, 14 Feb 2008)
Suicide in elderly people has been linked to the demise of rural pubs, according to several leading mental health and public health experts. Adding his voice to growing suggestions that rising suicide rates are directly attributable to the closures, consultant psychiatrist Dr Mosajee Bhamjee said pubs, like churches, had been a focal point in rural communities, and their demise left many feeling increasingly isolated.
Vulnerable young people click to their deaths
Irish Examiner (Wed, 13 Feb 2008)
Websites glorifying suicide and even offering ways to carry it out are on the rise. Internet suicide pacts and copycat suicides are also rising. Education is key to tackling the issue, writes Dr John Connolly
Suicide due to characteristics and not location — study
Medicine Weekly (Tue, 12 Feb 2008)
A new study has shown that varying suicide rates across Northern Ireland are due to the types and characteristics of local people and not differences between each location. Led by Dr Dermot O’Reilly, the research indicated that once individual and household characteristics were taken into account, the higher suicide rates in the more deprived and socially fragmented areas disappeared.
Psychosis
Psychosis – the perils of delayed intervention
Forum (Thu, 7 Feb 2008)
Avoiding delays in treatment can greatly enhance outcomes. Farhan Haq presents guidelines on early detection in psychosis.
