With the Government in the midst of its £173m overhaul of mental health services in order to improve access for people suffering from common mental health problems, will the new NHS scheme created for couples and families with depression be a success or is it to all rest on more funding?
For the first time read more »

The Big Lottery Fund’s Young People’s Fund has awarded Terrence Higgins Trust £432,000 to offer sexual health counselling to those between 10 and 18 years old in London.
Support will be offered through a variety of mediums that young people feel comfortable with. They can receive counselling online, over the phone, via text or of read more »

Going through a divorce can have permanent detrimental affects on health, reports the BBC.
A study in Chicago of over 8,000 people aged between 51 and 61 showed those who had been divorced had 20% more chronic illnesses than those who had never been married. Whilst those that go on to re marry suffer less from read more »

New research has shown that many brides are experiencing ‘post-nuptial depression’ after their wedding, reports the Times.
Carried out by a psychologist in California, the research revealed that 10% of newly married American couples seek counselling after experiencing feelings of depression, remorse, or frustration after getting married. It’s expected British couples also suffer from such feelings, read more »

A feature on the Independent website today highlights the emotional cost of the recession.
The Samaritans are reporting a rise in the number of calls, mainly from people worried about money. One in ten calls are related to financial worries, with over half of these being from people worried about job security.
Drinking has also risen, with read more »

Families of drug addicts are to be given a drug that can help reverse the affects of an overdose as part of a new trial, reports the Guardian.
In a quarter of over dose cases, a family member is present, but they are left feeling helpless and unable to help the addict, apart from calling an read more »

An article over at the Guardian website highlights how children can be affected by using social networking sites such as Facebook.
Children see their profile on such sites as ‘advertising’ for themselves, aiming to get as many friends as possible, rather than a few close friends. The child’s self-esteem may be affected by comments read more »

Post-natal depression is a familiar condition, however antenatal depression is far more unheard of, reports The Times.
One in four women experience an episode of depression in their life, and it’s most likely to occur during the reproductive years.
Symptoms during pregnancy such as tearfullness, anxiety, and being irritable are often put down to hormones, but could read more »

A new survey carried out by mental health charity Mind has found that nearly half of men are suffering from ‘recession blues’, reports the BBC.
In a survey of 2000 men, 40% said they feel low due to job and money worries. However, the survey also found that men are less willing to talk about their read more »

Research shows that children whose fathers suffer from mental health problems are more likely to suffer themselves, reports the BBC.
Reviewing previous research, the team from Oxford University said too much emphasis had been placed on mothers’ mental health rather than fathers, as mothers are considered to provide the most childcare. However, with shifting roles within read more »