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For the first time ever in the U.K, the year 2007 saw the population of those over 65, rise above the population of under 16’s. This figure is expected to rise by up to 15% over the next 10 years.

Despite the over 65’s making up an increasingly large percentage of our population, figures show that for every 1 million older people suffering with depression, 850,000 receive no treatment. This shocking figure highlights findings from a Royal College of Psychiatrists report which revealed that thousands of over 65’s are missing out on treatment.

The Healthcare commissions recent audit found that out of every 1300 referrals, only 49 were over 65 and whilst 50% of young adults are referred to mental health...

As part of the Research Mental Health initiative, leading scientists and public figures including Alistair Campbell, Jo Brand, Ruby Wax, Tracey Emin, Stephen Fry, Melanie C and Mercury award winner Speech Debelle, have signed a declaration that is calling for more investment in mental health research.

The Mental Health Foundation are calling for a trebling of investment. Mental illness makes up 15 percent of the countries disease yet...

Researchers have found that the situations in which children watch T.V in late into the night could actually lead to depression. Artificial light from room lights and blue light from the T.V screen can alter mood and cause similar symptoms to depression such as lack of energy and enthusiasm.

According to scientists, the blue light from televisions could be especially disruptive and the rise in depression seems to correlate with the rise in use of electric lights. Suggesting that more research is needed on how artificial lighting affects emotional health in humans.

We are all aware the sunlight is good for us, especially in these winter months when there is a plethora of information about how to beat the winter blues. Sun light seems to equal happy healthy people and murky weather and artificial light seems to equal gloomy...

Friends are great, but the trouble with friends is that in difficult situations a friend will always attempt to comfort you, not tell you uncomfortable truths. What you really need to hear is advice from someone who is emotionally unattached and objective and though therapy can certainly make you feel a little out of your comfort zone, it is sure to provide you with emotional honesty and a willingness to take responsibility for your own behavior.

Not all therapy is going to work for you. What might work miracles for one person, might make...

It would be delusional for new parents to expect an unbroken nights sleep, but post natal insomnia comes into play when you are unable to fall back asleep after those midnight bottle feeds and two in the morning nappy changes. Recent research has shown that new mothers spend around 20% more time awake during the first six weeks after childbirth than is the average. In addition to this, portpartum women have less dream sleep and wake more frequently than non-postpartum. Jenny Smith is a senior NHS midwife and author of Your Body, Your Baby, Your Birth, and she explains how if the lack of sleep becomes constant it can lead to postnatal depression.

Most women are able to return to...

The scheme, which was created up by the Department of Health, wants all adults in England to be given the money to manage and pay for their own care by 2011, generating more choice for those who would like it.

However, public sector union Unison says that this approach will only put some people at risk of abuse and exploitation.

Personal budgets are a new way of administering social care which builds on the previous direct payments scheme. Now people will be ale to claim the cost of their care in cash, instead of receiving care directly from the local authority. This means that those who do opt into the cash for care will have the responsibility of finding and employing their own care staff.

Unisons Helga Pile warned that she...

Not only does being surrounded by greenery give you the opportunity to relax but it also cuts stress and increases our chances of exercising. After who would want to go for an early morning run around a built up housing estate if there was a lush green park on offer?

Research shows that those living in a residential area containing 90 per cent gardens and parks are two thirds less likely to suffer from depression than those living in residential areas with only 10 per cent green space.

The study also showed that those living near extensive areas of green space suffered with significantly less “disease clusters” such as heart...

The idea of the film festival is to challenge perceptions of mental health and also to stimulate debate between the arts and the mental health professions.

Often there is a stigma attached to mental health and the festival directors hope to address these problems with the public as a whole.

When the festival was first in the pipe line the organisers ( Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival )were planning it on a fairly small scale, with just films in and around Glasgow over the space of a weekend. Three years later and it has grown into the world’s largest festival of it’s kind with more than 200 events up and down the country, from music to dance and film, comedy and theatre.

On top of the exploration of gender and mental health, the festival also broaches subjects and themes such as community cohesion,...