People should discuss mental health, say campaigners

People in England need to overcome the clumsiness and fear associated with talking about mental health issues, it has been claimed. According to anti-stigma campaign Time to Change, mental health affects everyone and should be talked about more candidly in everyday discussion.

The organisation has launched a new crusade, entitled It's Time to Talk, It's Time to Change, which hopes to address this reluctance after a survey found two-thirds of workers are scared to tell colleagues about their mental health problems. In contrast, 88 per cent of respondents said they would feel comfortable telling work mates they had been missing from work due to physical illness. Time to Change Director Sue Baker said: "Talking can strengthen friendships, aid recovery and break down stereotypes. It's often a few small words that can make a big difference and get the conversation started. You don't have to be a specialist - just a friend."

Government 'to expend £400m on mental health'

The government is planning to spend a large sum of money on tackling mental health problems in the UK, aiming to get additional people back to work. The government is to spend £400 million on tackling the way mental health is treated on the NHS, according to reports. Deputy prime minister Nick Clegg is to announce the move in the new few days, which aims to end the stigma surrounding mental health, treating it as equal to physical sickness or injury.

One target is to "cure" up to one million wounded in the next four years, in an effort to get those signed off work for mental health issues back in jobs. There will also be an emphasis on ending the "Prozac nation", in which doctors apparently just prescribe pills to patients with a variety of different conditions. This comes after findings reported by the Alzheimer's Society said that a quarter of a million individuals with dementia are being let down by their home care. Fifty per cent of carers claimed the patient was not receiving sufficient care and support.

Mental health risk elevated among pregnant war veterans

The risk of mental health issues is higher among pregnant women who earlier served in war. This is according to recent research published in the Journal of Women's Health, which looked at veterans from the conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan. They discovered that the chances of mental health problems including depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and concern are higher among the veterans than their civilian peers.

Susan Kornstein, executive director of the Virginia Commonwealth University Institute for Women's Health, commented: "With the increased number of women helping in the military it is important that we understand their unique health issues such as mental health problems during pregnancy."The authors reviewed the records of more than 43,000 female veterans who completed their military service in Iraq or Afghanistan between 2001 and 2008.The team, from the Yale School of Medicine, wished-for that the risk of mental health issues was increased by pregnancy due to the hormonal and physiological changes happening in the woman's body

Youth fake mental health issues

Youth are faking serious conditions such as bipolar disorder, depression and self-harming in an attempt to look cool and copy celebrity sufferers. The teens said stars such as Kerry Katona and Britney Spears, who have spoken about their problems, have been an influence. An alarming 34% admitted lying about having a mental illness in the past, according to online treatment service mentaline.com.

The website’s founder Jesper Buch said: “It’s shocking that so many young people think mental health problems are trendy. “It’s a very sensitive topic, so to see that many teenagers are blasé about the whole thing isn’t good at all. “Many young people are too quick to say ‘I’m depressed’ or try to gain attention by pretending to have some kind of personal issue. Your teenage years should be spent enjoying life, not persuasive people that you have issues that should be taken extremely seriously.”

Mental health targets 'help get better care'

The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy in Edinburgh welcomes the Scottish Government's decision to introduce waiting times goals for a range of conditions, saying it would end the "postcode lottery" for care. However, the organisation said there was possible for other, less common psychological conditions to be included.

Adding mental conditions to the list of health improvement, competence, access and treatment targets - which include the likes of cancer and A&E wards - would also make health boards more accountable for the punctual treatment of mental health, the organisation said. Its lead adviser for Scotland, Shane Buckeridge, said: "It is estimated that at any one time there are some 850,000 Scottish people with mental health problems and until now it has been a postcode draw in terms of what is available, leading to a huge disparity in service provision across Scotland."The new targets will hopefully ensure that all patients have access to the services they need in a timely method.

New mental health part to be built

Hundreds of jobs are to be created with the construction of a new mental health facility. The building of the confidential 200-bed care unit in Whitehall, north Dublin, will create 300 jobs immediately. It will take 18 months to complete and will then employ a further 150 people when finished. Health Minister Mary Harney said the scheme will help meet the future needs of older people and those with mental health problems."When this project is complete the quality of the services provided will have a real impact on the lives of populace," Ms Harney said.

"I am familiar with many of the facilities in the Highfield Hospital Group and am confident that the strong commitment to the stipulation of quality person centred services which the Eustace family promote will be continued in this new unit in Whitehall."The 37 million euro facility will be located next to the site of the existing hospital on the Swords Road and Highfield Hospital and Alzheimer Centre will continue to operate during the construction stage. The two-floor new building will have a mix of 100 mental health beds and 90 nursing home beds. There will also be a 10 bed unit built to provide acute psychiatric care for both the mature and older population.

Youth Wants More Admittance to Mental Health Services

The forum was participated by young people aged 15-25. They demanded more access to youth mental health services and spread of more awareness to eliminate the disgrace associated with mental health problems. There was discussion on topics including suicide prevention and psychologist waiting lists. One of the participants from Sydney uttered that he was never aware of what mental disorders were till the time his father got affected with depression and eventually committed suicide. He himself developed depression later on; while, his school had a support network, but they were not well-informed about the mental health problems.

“The main concerns he heard from the participants were negative perceptions of mental illness and a lack of education in schools”, said Mr. Butler. He added that young people were more anxious about stigma associated with mental health problems that they had to face in schools. At the forum, the young children expressed that the mental health needed to be a part of the school curriculum. Experts advise that three-fourth of mental illness commences before the age of 25 and just one in four such young people have access to mental health services.

Researchers Review Gay Youths' Mental Health

One third of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth have attempted suicide in their lifetime, but most of them are mentally strong, new U.S. research suggests. A team at the University of Illinois at Chicago conducted psychiatric interviews with 246 ethnically diverse LGBT youth, aged 16-20, to tax them for major depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), conduct disorder and suicide attempts.

About 70 percent of the youth met no criteria for any mental disorders, but 15 percent met criteria for major despair and nearly 10 percent met criteria for PTSD. The study found that one-third of the youths had made a suicide attempt at some point in their life, and 6 percent had made a suicide attempt in the last year. The occurrence of mental disorders among LGBT youth was higher than that in the general population, but comparable to that of urban and alternative youth, the researchers noted."One of the most important findings from our work is that most of these [LGBT] youth are doing very well and are not experiencing mental health problems,

More than 60 Percent Of Afghans Suffer Stress and Mental Disorders

Scarred by decades of war, social problems and poverty, more than 60 percent of Afghans suffer from pressure disorders and mental health problems, officials warned Sunday. "This is a major problem," Suraya Dalil, Afghanistan's stand-in public health minister, told a ceremony in Kabul on World Mental Health Day.

"More than 60 percent of Afghans are suffering from stress disorders and mental problems."

The population of Afghanistan is estimated at roughly 28 million. "Extreme poverty, insecurity, violence and gender disparities are the major factors contributing to worsening mental health in Afghanistan." The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that more than 60 percent of Afghans, mostly women, suffered from psychosocial problems or mental disordersPublic health ministry spokesman Ghulam Sakhi Kargar Noryghli said the 60 percent estimate dated from a study passed out with the WHO in 2004.

"Since war has continued, poverty or economic problems have increased in some parts of the country. We believe that the number of those suffering from mental illnesses has increased and now it is more than 60 percent,"