Andre Tomlin

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André Tomlin is an Information Scientist with 20 years experience working in evidence-based healthcare. He's worked in the NHS, for Oxford University and since 2002 as Managing Director of Minervation Ltd, a consultancy company who do clever digital stuff for charities, universities and the public sector. Most recently André has been the driving force behind the Mental Elf and the National Elf Service; an innovative digital platform that helps professionals keep up to date with simple, clear and engaging summaries of evidence-based research. André is a Trustee at the Centre for Mental Health and an Honorary Research Fellow at University College London Division of Psychiatry. He lives in Bristol, surrounded by dogs, elflings and lots of woodland!

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Low birth weight or preterm babies have an increased risk of personality disorders

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Events that occur immediately before and after birth (perinatal factors) can often have a significant impact later in life. Research has shown that the risk of many mental health and neurological conditions (schizophrenia, ADHD, depression, autism and eating disorders) increases when complications occur around this time. However, there have been relatively few studies to date [read the full story…]

Maternal mental health pathway published by the Department of Health

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A number of mental health issues can affect mothers, their babies and their families. This new guidance from the DH provides a pathway to help professionals support mental health and wellbeing, from pregnancy through the early months after birth. The pathway is primarily aimed at health visitors but will also be useful for midwives, mental [read the full story…]

Psychosis and schizophrenia in children and young people: NICE starts consultation

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The two month consultation period for the new NICE guideline on psychosis and schizophrenia in children and young people has now begun. You must be registered as a stakeholder to comment on the guideline and you have until 27th September 2012 to make your views known. The guideline is aimed at clinicians and service commissioners [read the full story…]

Modular psychotherapy may be the answer for young people with comorbid depression, anxiety and conduct problems

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Young people with mental health problems often suffer from comorbidity, i.e. a complex mix of different conditions like depression, anxiety and conduct problems. Clinical research very often investigates specific treatments (e.g. CBT) for single disorders (e.g. depression) and guidelines and manuals are then developed for clinicians to help them treat these individual conditions. The problem [read the full story…]

The risks of benzodiazepines, antidepressants and antipsychotics in adults with schizophrenia

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Polypharmacy is the simultaneous use of two or more drugs to treat a single health condition. Polypharmacy is often used in the treatment of schizophrenia where people are regularly prescribed two or more antipsychotics, as well as antidepressants and/or benzodiazepines, although there is little evidence to prove that these combinations are more effective than monotherapy. [read the full story…]

More research needed before polyunsaturated fatty acids can be recommended for ADHD in children and adolescents

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Drug treatments are commonly used to treat children and young people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Methylphenidate and amphetamine are two of the most popular, but these are not effective for all patients and sometimes cause problematic side effects. Children and adolescents with ADHD have been shown to have significantly lower plasma and blood [read the full story…]

Losing weight on antipsychotics. New systematic review looks at diet and exercise

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Weight gain is one of the side effects that people who take antipsychotic drugs complain of the most. Obesity is common in this population and this can often lead to cardiovascular problems and a far shorter life expectancy than the rest of the population. As a result, there is a great deal of interest in [read the full story…]

Haloperidol reduces mania a little faster than second-generation antipsychotics, according to systematic review

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There are a range of treatment options for people with bipolar disorder who are experiencing a manic episode. An important part of this treatment is to reduce the symptoms of mania and provide the individual with some level of normality. I blogged this time last year about a meta-analysis in the Lancet that showed that [read the full story…]

The cost of antidepressant prescribing has risen by nearly a quarter in the last year, according to new NHS figures

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The largest annual rise in prescriptions was seen in antidepressants according to figures published this week by the NHS Information Centre. 46.7 million prescriptions for antidepressants were dispensed in 2011, a rise of 3.9 million on 2010. This equates to a rise of 9.1% in the 12 month period, which is similar to that seen [read the full story…]

The dose-response association between psychological distress and mortality, new BMJ meta-analysis shows the link

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There is an increasing body of evidence showing that depression and anxiety are linked with other health conditions like cancer and cardiovascular disease. I’ve blogged about the link between depression and stroke, and there are a number of other studies that show an association between psychological distress (the symptoms of depression and anxiety) and mortality, [read the full story…]