Archive for the ‘Drugs/medication’ Category

Mental health homicides are higher than authorities admit

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

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 »

Breast cancer drug blocked by common antidepressant

Thursday, February 11th, 2010

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 »

Flu during pregnancy linked to schizophrenia in adulthood

Thursday, February 4th, 2010

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 »

Can Antidepressants alter the personality?

Monday, December 14th, 2009

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 »

Women seeking treatment for drug addiction is increasing

Friday, December 4th, 2009

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 »

Experimental drug could help prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s

Friday, November 27th, 2009

A year long clinical trial is about to begin to test a treatment which could help to prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s, reports The Times.
Glasgow Memory Clinic is about to begin a year long trial to test the effectiveness of experimental drug Dimebon. It is hoped that this new drug will help by improving read more »

Over prescribed dementia drug causes 1,800 deaths a year

Thursday, November 26th, 2009

A recent report featured in The Times has discussed a Goverment investigation, looking into the misuse of a drug used to treat dementia symptoms.
The Government recently ordered an investigation looking into the prescription of a powerful anti-psychotic drug used to treat dementia. The findings were shocking, showing that around 145,000 people suffering with dementia read more »

Chronic patients to be screened for depression

Monday, November 9th, 2009

A recent report in The Times discusses the new recommended guidelines given by the NHS, regarding screening patients with chronic illnesses for depression.
According to the NHS those suffering with a chronic illness are two or three times more likely to be depressed than those who are healthy.
With Britain’s rate of depression soaring in its read more »

NHS gambling centre reveals a new typical addict

Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009

Male, white-collar, mid thirties is the new typical gambling addict according to the NHS.
The typical patient now seen in the National Problem Gambling Clinic (NPGC) is a white-collar male in his mid 30’s who has one or sometimes two jobs to further his addiction.
Psychiatrists reported an alarming number of city workers and graduates who read more »

Psychiatric drugs could cause weight gain in children

Friday, October 30th, 2009

A recent report in The Guardian has explored new research which suggests that children taking certain psychiatric drugs could be at risk of becoming overweight or obese.
The study, which was compiled by doctors at several hospitals in New York, USA and was published in the journal of the American Medical Association, found that one of read more »