The biodiversity of our planet sustains us. From the air we breathe and the water we drink, to the soil we sow and the fuel we use. But Earth does more than provide the basic necessities that allow humans…
It is still not clear how the experience of being bullied in childhood translates into long-lasting health problems. A new US study has found that victims of bullying have high levels of a protein in their…
Our use of anti-depressants continues to rise. Figures from the Health and Social Care Information Centre revealed that in just three years – between 2010 and 2013 – prescribing in England rose by 25…
Imagine your partner experiences extreme mood swings: you’ve seen them at their lowest, you’ve seen them at their highest, you’ve seen them when they are well. You’ve “monitored” their mood, checked they’ve…
A 20-year decline in suicide in the UK came to an end in 2007. Since then the suicide rate has been rising, especially among men, who are three times more likely than women to take their own lives. The…
While The Shock of the Fall, Nathan Filer’s recent Costa book winner, portrayed a system in which mental health staff spend too much time talking to other professionals rather than to patients, a report…
This year some people might consider the idea of a digital detox vacation. Perhaps a trip to the Scottish Highlands, where communities deprived of decent broadband are wondering whether to market themselves…
Research shows exposure to nature can relieve symptoms of ADHD in children.
Tatters:)/Flickr
We know that trees have many benefits. In forests they provide habitat, wood, biodiversity and ecosystem services. In cities, they can mitigate the urban heat island effect by cooling the air and reducing…
Police officers encounter people with mental illnesses every day, whether they are perpetrators, victims, or witnesses of crime. In 2013 alone, NSW police responded to more than 40,000 mental health incidents…
Rosie Batty responded to the death of her son, Luke Batty, at his father’s hands with a brave public plea for understanding of the difficult reality they all faced.
Supplied
The violent and senseless death of 11-year-old Luke Batty in Victoria has not only drawn attention to the serious problem of family violence but has also raised questions about the role that undiagnosed…
The benefits of forced treatment at home are not clear cut.
PhotographPhil
The principle that people with mental health problems can be given treatment against their will while detained in hospital is well established. In the UK the Mental Health Act 2007 extended this principle…
The research debunks the ‘smoking makes you relaxed’ myth.
ydhsu/Flickr
Quitting smoking is associated with reduced depression and anxiety, and has a similar effect to antidepressant drugs for mood disorders, British researchers have found. Published today in the journal BMJ…
Past failures cannot detract from the significance of documenting current abuses of children
Stephen Mitchell
The 1,000-plus children currently detained in immigration detention facilities in Australia and Nauru are at risk of serious mental health and developmental problems. The Human Rights Commission this week…
Mental health problems beset prisoners at very high rates.
v1ctor Casale
Nick Clegg has launched the Department of Health’s latest action plan for mental health services, Closing the Gap: priorities for essential change in mental health. While the report was overshadowed by…
Research into the complex causes of schizophrenia continues.
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An international team of researchers has found that the cause of schizophrenia is even more complex than already believed, with rare gene mutations contributing to the disorder. In two studies published…
Teen mental health problems are not a ‘life sentence’.
Image from shutterstock.com
Around half of teens who experience a brief episode of depression or anxiety do not go on to have a mental illness in adulthood, according to a study from the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. Half…
Professor, Canada Research Chair in Determinants of Child Development, Owerko Centre at the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary