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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Young people recently in contact with psychiatric services are 12 times more likely than other young people to attempt suicide

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Driving down suicidal behaviour in young people has long been a major target for public health professionals. This new study from researchers in Denmark will help inform this important work. The case control study used data from the Danish national register (403,431 in total) to assess the risk of suicide attempts after contact with a [read the full story…]

New guidance on domestic violence and information sharing from the Department of Health

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The Department of Health have published a new piece of best practice guidance, which they hope will assist those who need to share information about individuals involved in domestic violence, for example at a MARAC (Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conference) – a local, multi agency victim-focused meeting where information is shared on the highest risk [read the full story…]

Non-directive supportive therapy is effective for adult depression, according to new meta-analysis

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We know that various psychotherapies are effective in treating adult depression, but there remains quite a bit of uncertainty about which specific therapies work best and what factors within the treatments contribute most to the improvement. This new meta analysis from a mixed group of researchers from the Netherlands, USA, Switzerland and Sweden, looks at [read the full story…]

Young people with psychotic symptoms should be offered CBT before antipsychotics, according to new RCT

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Antipsychotic drugs are currently prescribed to a significant proportion of young people who are diagnosed with psychosis. Past research has estimated that up to half of people at risk of developing psychosis at a young age will progress to a full blown psychotic illness such as schizophrenia. A new landmark randomised controlled trial has been [read the full story…]

New systematic review shows how the incidence of schizophrenia and other psychoses has changed since 1950

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This is one in a series of 5 systematic reviews commissioned by the Department of Health, which seek to establish a comprehensive understanding of the distribution and pattern of psychotic disorders in England, between 1950 and 2009. All mental health professionals, commissioners and health planners will find this research relevant to their work. It’s well [read the full story…]

Cholinesterase inhibitors are an effective treatment for patients with Parkinson’s disease with dementia

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People with Alzheimer’s disease experience a loss of nerve cells that use a chemical called acetylcholine as a chemical messenger. Dementia symptoms become more severe as more nerve cells are lost. Cholinesterase inhibitors are a group of drugs (including donepezil, rivastigmine and galantamine) that prevent the enzyme acetylcholinesterase from breaking down acetylcholine in the brain. [read the full story…]

Targeted psychotherapies work best for children and adolescents with anxiety disorders, according to major new meta-analysis

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Around 10% of children are diagnosed with anxiety disorders before the age of 16 and for many this can be a long lasting problem that has a major impact on their development. There’s lots of research in this field and many systematic reviews have been conducted to assess the effectiveness of talking treatments for this [read the full story…]

Insufficient evidence to recommend first line treatment for depression in cancer patients

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Depression is at least three times as common in patients with cancer compared to the rest of the population. Studies show that major depression occurs in 16% of cancer patients, with combined minor depression and dysthymia reported in 22% of people with cancer. Depression also appears to be more prevalent amongst people with certain cancers (pancreatic, [read the full story…]

Life skills programmes are no better than standard care or support groups for people with chronic mental illness

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People with chronic mental illnesses such as schizophrenia often struggle to cope with the basic tasks that life throws at them. Their health condition and the often debilitating effects of medication can make simple things like going to the shop or cleaning the house almost insurmountable hurdles. Various rehabilitation therapies are used to help people [read the full story…]