According to the Office for National Statistics, the amount of men drinking over the ‘sensible’ daily limit has fallen from 39% in 2004 to 35% last year, and the official figures show the amount of women has fallen from 24% to 22%.

As to whether the licensing laws being relaxed towards the end of last year have had an effect on these figures remains unclear, however another ONS survey did reveal that public knowledge of recommended limits and measurements continues to increase.

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Research suggests that those from broken homes may be more prone to psychotic illnesses. Separation was associated with a 2.5 fold increased risk in developing psychosis: “Separation from one or both parents for more than a year before the age of 16, as a consequence of family breakdown, was associated with a 2.5 fold increased risk of developing psychosis in adulthood”.

Researcher Dr Craig Morgan said, “These findings provide evidence that early social adversity may increase the risk of later psychosis”, however he also stressed that more work was needed to fully understand this.

Another researcher, Professor Robin Murray, said, “For the last 30 years the traditional view has been that psychosis is largely a genetic brain disease, and most psychiatrists have thrown out the view that social factors can have a major impact”

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According to an article on BBC News, more than 80,000 people in Scotland are believed to be suffering from eating disorders. This has prompted NHS Quality Improvement Scotland to set out treatment plans for conditions such as anorexia and bulimia. The guidelines are welcomed by campaigners, but greater funding has been called for.

Mark Reilly from EDA agreed that treatment in Scotland was “sadly lacking” compared to the rest of the UK, and also welcomed the new guidelines. The guidelines made “recommendations for treating teenagers and warned about inaccurate information on the internet.”

Laws allowing those with untreatable personality disorders to be detained, even if they have not committed a crime, are to be revived according to an article on BBC News.

Jane Harris from Rethink mental health charity, said “If the government pushes ahead with this it will mean people with mental health problems have fewer rights than someone suspected of burglaries”.

Detailed proposals are expected in the next few weeks …

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Alcohol-related death rates have almost doubled since 1991 in the UK according to an article on the BBC website. Apparently the ONS (Office for National Statistics) reported 8,386 alcohol related deaths in 2005, compared to 4,144 in 1991.

The statistics also revealed the death rates were much higher for men than women. A Department of Health spokesperson said, ‘Already annually some £217m is spent locally on alcohol treatment interventions and PCTs have also been notified that a total of £15m of additional investment will be provided for alcohol treatment services from 2007-08.’

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According to an article in The Guardian, scientists have discovered a variation in a gene in people at risk of schizophrenia. This provides strong evidence of a key genetic link, which gives hope to schizophrenia victims of finding a cure. Apparently, the mental health charity Sane described the research as “exciting” and referred to the possibility of a breakthrough.

Brain scans of young people more prone to schizophrenia show that “those who go on to develop the symptoms of the disorder have the mutated gene.” The researchers made their discovery after following 163 young people at risk of developing the disease from their late teens for 10 years.

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There is new hope for Alzheimer sufferers today – an article on the BBC has revealed that trials are being carried out in mid Wales to find out if daffodils can be farmed there. What has this got to do with Alzheimer’s? The trials should conclude whether or not the daffodils farmed there produce a compound used to fight Alzheimer’s disease.

The compound is called galantamine and has previously been collected from plants and “has been found to slow down the progress of the disease”. A sixth month trial is currently under way and Professor Trevor Walker, who is heading the research said “The compound that we’re getting from the daffodils will help, if its supplied properly and monitored properly, slow down the development of the disease.”