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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Benzodiazepines and Z drugs may increase the risk of death and cancer, according to new cohort study

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The prescribing of benzodiazepines and ‘Z drugs’ in general practice in England has stayed pretty consistent or increased slightly over the last 5 years, despite safety warnings about the risks of these drugs. I blogged about this back in May last year when the Department of Health highlighted two new studies by National Addiction Centre [read the full story…]

Insufficient evidence to recommend tricyclic antidepressants as a treatment for autism spectrum disorders

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Young people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are usually given some kind of behavioural or educational intervention to help improve their overall functioning. However, in some cases, those individuals who have high levels of repetitive, obsessive-compulsive type behaviours and mood disorders are treated with drug interventions, although there is little high quality evidence to support [read the full story…]

NICE launch mobile app and announce new quality standards

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The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence have launched a mobile app for iPhone and Android users.  The free app contains full text of all NICE guidance (currently 760 items), organised by conditions, diseases and public health topics. I’ve had a quick play this morning on my ElfPhone and the app looks quite nice. [read the full story…]

Pharmacists can significantly improve patient adherence to antidepressants, according to new systematic review

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Observational studies (Vergouwen et al) have reported alarmingly high discontinuation rates for patients taking antidepressant medication (28% at 1 month and 44-52% at 3 months). One group of health professionals who can potentially have a major impact on this issue are pharmacists. This new systematic review conducted by researchers from Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, set [read the full story…]

Are we under-reporting suicide rates? Findings of a new systematic review

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World Health Organization statistics estimate the global annual suicide rate to be 16 per 100,000 people or about one million people per year. The rate of suicide attempts is about 10-15 times higher than the actual suicide rate. There is considerable variation between countries, with some national mortality statistics reporting no suicides per 100,000 people [read the full story…]

Improving mental healthcare for deaf people: new review in the Lancet

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Research shows that rates of emotional and behavioural problems in deaf children are about twice as high as they are for hearing children. Depression and anxiety are common in deaf people and they face significant barriers to accessing mental heath services according to a new review in the Lancet. The review was carried out by [read the full story…]

NHS Atlas for children and young people highlights sevenfold variation in mental heath inpatient admissions

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Following on from the recent publication of the DH Atlas of Variation in Healthcare, Right Care have now released the equivalent atlas for children and young people. The document and the online interactive atlas present variations across the breadth of child health services provided by NHS England. The aim is to highlight unwarranted variations that [read the full story…]

Web-based CBT is equal to face-to-face CBT at reducing anxiety in adolescents, accordingly to randomised controlled trial

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I’ve blogged about computerised cognitive behavioural therapy (CCBT) a few times over recent months and highlighted research that shows it is effective in treating a range of mental health conditions. Research shows that most young people do not seek treatment for anxiety problems. There are lots of good quality reviews and trials that support the [read the full story…]

Systematic review finds limited evidence for the use of omega-3 fatty acids in autism spectrum disorders

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Previous research has highlighted that people with autism spectrum disorders may be deficit in omega-3 fatty acids and that taking supplements may help to improve the symptoms of the condition. This new Cochrane systematic review set out to review the efficacy of omega-3 fatty acids for improving core features of autism spectrum disorder (e.g. social [read the full story…]

No robust evidence that formal mentoring programmes help adolescents resist drugs and alcohol

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Picture the scene: adolescent boy with an absentee father, trying to fend off a large crowd of men who occupy his house, cost him a lot in food and drink and are all determined to marry his mother. He is young, inexperienced, lacking in confidence and besieged by problems. In short, he needs a mentor. [read the full story…]