Counselling Directory Blog

Teenagers drinking up to 20 units a week

Catriona — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 08:00:05 +0000

Under-age binge drinkers are consuming up to 20 units of alcohol a week, reports the Independent.

A new survey that looked at the drinking habits of 13,000 14-17 year olds in the north west of England revealed that half drink to get drunk and that one in 20 drink alone. The survey was published by the Trading Standards Institute (TSI), and carried out on their behalf.

However it also found that the number of teenagers drinking alcohol at least once a week had dropped by 12% since 2005.

Phil Woolas MP, regional minister for the North West, said: “Although the number of our teenagers regularly drinking alcohol has fallen since the last survey was carried out, the amount that some of them are drinking is worrying.

“The Government’s youth action plan set out a range of commitments including stronger powers to tackle unsupervised drinking in public places and also stressed the important role that the alcohol industry has to play in refusing to sell it to under 18s and marketing their products responsibly.”

New research shows gene link to schizophrenia

Catriona — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 08:55:21 +0000

New research has shown that there may be a link between a genetic variation and developing schizophrenia, reports the BBC.

Three separate teams analysed thousands of DNA samples in the biggest study ever into the genetics of schizophrenia, and the findings showed that the illness can come from common as well as rare genetic forms. It’s thought that this could count for around a third of the inherited risk of schizophrenia.

There were around 30,000 tiny genetic variations identified as being more common in those who had schizophrenia, and similar results were also found in those who had bipolar disease, linking the two illnesses.

Paul Corry, of the mental health charity Rethink, said: “This exciting research brings us one step closer to understanding the causes of schizophrenia, but we are still a long way from a full explanation.

“Most of the genetic contribution to this illness is still unknown and it is crucial to realise that genes are only part of the picture - environmental and social factors, such as drug use or trauma, can exacerbate or even trigger schizophrenia.”

Children to get texts to help lose weight

Catriona — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 08:00:53 +0000

Whilst technology has been blamed for the rise in childhood obesity - the lure of video games mean children are exercising less - it is now being used to help obese children in American lose weight, reports the Times.

In a trial being carried out by the University of Southern California, 50 teenagers are to be hooked up to a “mobile body area network” that will monitor their vital statistics, including heart rate and blood glucose levels. This information will then be sent back to computers at the university to be processed, to determine what the child is doing. If the data shows that the child is inactive or lethargic they will be sent a text, encouraging them to take some exercise.

It’s hoped the technology could eventually be rolled out as a commercial venture to help people lose weight.

Depression sufferers not given enough access to exercise

Catriona — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 08:58:49 +0000

People suffering from depression are not getting enough access to exercise on prescription, which can be helped to treat depression, reports the BBC.

Research carried out by the Mental Health Foundation showed that only half of GPs are able to refer patients to exercise schemes due to availability. The schemes have proved to be as successful at treating depression as anti-depressants. It’s thought there is not enough funding, and that many GPs are not aware the schemes exist.

Andrew McCulloch, Chief Executive of the Mental Health Foundation, said: “This is not about knocking antidepressants, they can be incredibly helpful for some people but the truth is that their side-effects can be unpleasant.”

“People experiencing mild or moderate depression are currently being denied access to a clinically recommended, medication-free treatment that could help them.”

Exercise is best used to treat mild or moderate depression, and patients should have up to three structured and supervised sessions a week, lasting around 45-60 minutes each.

The cost of the recession on mental health

Catriona — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 08:00:39 +0000

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 many people turning to the bottle to help forget their problems. A survey of those who had recently become unemployment or made redundant, one in ten admitted to drinking more to cope with stress.

Relationships are also under pressure due to the recession. Extra stress causes more arguments, and in some cases couples who have broken up and forced to continue living together because neither can afford
to move out.

It’s feared that the psychological stress is only beginning to show in people, and could continue to increase. It seems that it is fear and worry that is causing the most problems - people are most stressed whilst waiting for a decision, rather than when the announcement is made.

Read the feature here…

New drug to help drug addict families deal with over doses

Catriona — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 08:51:24 +0000

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 ambulance, and hoping that it arrives in time. It’s hoped it will save hundreds of lives.

The drug, naxolone, is being trialled over 16 different areas by 950 families, with plans to then roll it out to a quarter of a million people. It works by reviving people from unconsciousness quickly, and is administered by injecting it into muscle. The families will be given a kit containing the drug and full training on how to use it.

Scotland urged to set minimum alcohol pricing

Catriona — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 08:00:56 +0000

Speakers at an alcohol summit held in Edinburgh have called for a minimum pricing on alcohol to be put into action in Scotland, reports the BBC.

Alcohol abuse is a major problem in Scotland, with over 42,000 people being admitted to hospital between 2007 and 2008 for alcohol related problems, and nearly half of prisoners claiming they were drunk at the time of committing their offence.

Dr Harry Burns, Scotland’s chief medical officer said: “The health profession is seeing the fall-out of alcohol misuse every year in hundreds of thousands of GP consultations, thousands of hospital admissions and increased rates of chronic illness and deaths.”

The World Health Organization urged Scotland to become the first country to impose a minimum price on alcohol to help reduce excessive drinking.

Dr Peter Anderson, a consultant to the World Health Organisation said at the conference: “Outside of governments which own retail stores for the sale of alcohol, no jurisdiction has set a minimum price of alcohol. Internationally, Scotland is seen as a public health leader.

“You had the courage to introduce smoke free pubs; let us hope that you have the same courage to introduce a minimum price for alcohol.”

Recession preventing people giving up smoking

Catriona — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 08:47:45 +0000

Instead of encouraging smokers to quit the habit and save money, the recession has meant many are continuing to smoke to help deal with stress, reports the BBC.

A survey of 877 smokers and ex-smokers by Ipsos Mori revealed that nearly a quarter of smokers had abandoned plans to try and kick the habit, and 28% said they had simply been too stressed to attempt it.

Around three quarters of those surveyed said they would smoke during times of stress as they found it comforting, and a quarter said they had been smoking more due to stress caused by the recession.

Despite the financial burden of smoking, many smokers had instead given up other items such as cutting back on clothes or food in order to fund their habit.

Jennifer Percival, tobacco policy advisor at the Royal College of Nursing, said:” We know that the earlier people quit, the better, so we need to make sure that those who are delaying quit plans are being offered effective options and support to help them to stop smoking successfully.”

Dementia carers do not receive proper training

Catriona — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 08:00:25 +0000

Many dementia sufferers are not receiving appropriate treatment due to poor staff training, reports the Guardian.

A new report, called Prepared To Care, revealed that less than half of those who carried out home visits to dementia patients, to help with dressing and washing, were trained to do so. One in three care homes who had residents with dementia also admitted that they did not give staff training on dealing with sufferers.

There are around 700,000 people in the UK with dementia, with 244,000 in care homes and 424,000 living in the community.

Neil Hunt, chief executive of the Alzheimer’s Society, said: “What sort of society do we live in when the people who deliver care to thousands of vulnerable people with dementia have no training or support? The situation is a disgrace. Staff turnover is high and the quality of care in some areas is very poor. There is a lot of work to be done if we are to drag the standard of dementia care in the UK from its position in the bottom third of Europe.”

Young girls drinking more

Catriona — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 08:00:24 +0000

A new survey shows that there has been a significant increase in young girls drinking, reports the Guardian.

11 to 15 year-olds in London alone consume around 180,000 bottles of lager a week, and girls now drink as much as girls. Hospital admissions, however, are twice as high for girls than boys, due to their lower tolerance levels.

There has also been an increase in alcohol consumption in communities in London that previously abstained from drinking, such as Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities, but that children would often keep their drinking habits from their parents.

Chris Sorek, chief executive of charity Drinkaware, said: “Many young people see drinking alcohol as a rite of passage and an ordinary part of growing up, but rather than being ‘cool’, drinking too much can put young Londoners at risk of violence, health harms and unwanted pregnancies. The reality is that many young people don’t actually drink – but those that do can increasingly get themselves into tricky situations.”

Read the survey results…

Depression costing the economy £8.6 billion a year

Catriona — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 08:55:17 +0000

New figures show the that depression is costing £8.6 billion a year, reports The Independent.

Over the last decade the figure has risen by £3 billion. The figure does not include the impact on the NHS, just the cost on the economy caused by people taking time off work. Those who become unemployed due to mental illness are 70% less likely to ever go back to work.

The Mental Health Foundation is calling for better awareness and education about mental health issues, and more measures to help people prevent them, such as dealing with work related stress.

Andrew McCulloch, chief executive of the Mental Health Foundation said: “Depression can be a debilitating illness, affecting a person’s ability to function.

“All people, whether or not they have experience of mental ill health, should be helped to protect themselves against the most common mental health disorders – depression and anxiety. Currently, only £4m of the £4.5bn of NHS adult mental health investment is spent on promoting good mental health – less than 0.1 per cent. Greater investment in promotion would be advantageous for both the economy and society.”

New cocaine trend causing more health risks

Catriona — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 08:00:44 +0000

New patterns in cocaine use could put younger users at even more risk, reports the Guardian.

A new trend amongst cocaine users of mixing the drug in with other substances to allow them to drink for longer is causing health problems for 20 to 30 year olds. However, it is resulting in many users being admitted to hospital with liver and heart problems due to the substances the cocaine is being cut with.

The average purity of cocaine has fallen dramatically over the last 25 years, from 63% in 1984 to 45% in 2005 and 26% towards the end of 2007, but users were not aware of this, and could potentially need to use more of the drug in order to get the same high.

New figures show that over the last year 730,000 people in England and Wales have taken cocaine.

Bereaved children need more support

Catriona — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 09:07:47 +0000

An article on The Independent website highlights the importance of encourage children to talk if they’ve experienced a bereavement.

There is a lack of statistics about how many children suffer a bereavement, but in Britain a child loses a parent every half hour.

Sir Al Aynsley-Green, the Children’s Commissioner has been discussing the issue, particularly as he himself experienced a bereavement at a young age, and said: “I can relate to these children very closely because I was a bereaved child when my dad died unexpectedly when I was 10. I won’t go into the personal circumstances but he died unexpectedly when I was 10 and the impact on me, looking back on it, was very considerable indeed”.

The article recommends that children are told the truth, and that parents do not use euphemisms, but explain death in a honest and age appropriate way.

Read the article…

More methods to detect OCD needed

Catriona — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 08:00:30 +0000

Concerns at the difficulty of diagnosing Obsessive Compulsive Disorder have been address, with new methods of identifying those at risk, reports The Times.

There are calls for more research to be undertaken to monitor those in high-risk groups, such as pregnant women and young people leaving home, to ascertain triggers and and help prevent the illness.

One method to help recognise the symptoms early on may be to screen women in ante-natal classes.

Cognitive Beheavioural Therapy is currently thought to be the only way to help treat the condition.

Ashley Fulwood, chief executive of OCD-UK said: “Misdiagnosis and delays in diagnosis remain a real problem because there isn’t sufficient expertise at a local level. If we can get to the root of the initial trigger for OCD, that will improve awareness and help reduce the burden of this hugely disruptive condition.”

Read more here…

Smoking costs NHS five times more predicted

Catriona — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 08:47:21 +0000

New research from Oxford University has shown that smoking is costing the NHS five times more than previously anticipated, reports the BBC.

The cost of treating illnesses and diseases caused by smoking is around £5 billion a year, whereas previous estimates put the figure at around £1.4 billion.

One if five deaths are the result of smoking, at the figure accounts for more than 5% of the NHS’s annual budget.

Dr Steven Allender who led the research said: “The story is not so much the five-fold increase but that £5bn is an enormous number regardless.

“There’s two different ways of looking at this - one is if nobody smoked we would save £5bn but the alternative view is this is an enormous health problem and should be moved back up the policy agenda.”