A recent study has revealed that young people who smoke cannabis stand an increased risk of developing psychosis. A study conducted by a research team from Germany, the Institute of Psychiatry London and the Netherlands has investigated the effects of smoking cannabis on 1,900 volunteers in Germany aged between 14 to 24, before following up read more »

A new campaign launched by Roehampton University is hoping to warn students about the dangers of ‘legal highs’ which could often be even more dangerous than illegal drugs. At the launch of the Crazy Chemist campaign, crime prevention minister James Brokenshire warned that the market for these drugs is changing and despite the fact many read more »

Mental health charity Mind is continuing to work alongside the BBC’s Eastenders to ensure the story focussing on Stacey Slaters bipolar remains accurate and helpful. The episodes which took place last week saw Stacey being persuaded to stop taking the medication which she was prescribed to help manage her bipolar disorder. Though Stacey feels uncomfortable read more »

A recent study conducted by the UK Drug Policy Commission has found certain services unable to effectively cope with specific areas of society. The study found the services had ”little relevance” to minority groups such as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender groups as well as disabled servicemen and those from mixed ethnic backgrounds. All of read more »

A staggering amount of young children and teenagers are forced to look after parents who have problems with drink or drugs. BBC Newsbeat spoke to a number of leading charities and found that there are at least 520,000 under 18s who are currently working as unpaid carers for their parents. Most children in this position read more »

A programme aired on BBC2 yesterday evening aimed to highlight how the authorities are playing down the number of murders committed by the mentally ill, reports The Independent. The head of the National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide by People with Mental Health Problems (NCISH) has said that approximately 50 people a year who read more »

A commonly used antidepressant has been found to block the effects of a drug used to treat breast cancer. Doctors have been advised not to prescribe the two drugs together until more information has been found, reports The Guardian. Being diagnosed with breast cancer is a distressing ordeal and it is no wonder that about read more »

Recent research has found there could be a link between viral infection in the womb and unborn offspring being predisposed to schizophrenia, reports The Times. Previous research has suggested that women who contract flu during pregnancy are at higher risk of giving birth to a baby likely to develop schizophrenia later on in life. The read more »

A recent article featured in The Guardian has exposed fears that taking antidepressants may change aspects of a persons personality. The personality traits we inherit from our parents often have a huge bearing on our chances of becoming depressed. Neuroticism means that a person has a strong tendency towards negative emotions and emotional instability and read more »

According to The Times, the number of young women in their teens or early twenties requiring treatment for cocaine addiction is on the increase. Despite heroin addiction declining, the number of women under 35 who are entering treatment has increased by 60 per cent in the past four years. A survey undertaken by the National read more »