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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People with psychosis are more likely to be convicted of arson

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Existing studies have identified associations between psychosis and serious crimes such as homicide, but to date it has been unclear to what extent psychotic disorders are associated with arson (the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to buildings or the natural environment). This study conducted by researchers at Oxford University used data from the Swedish [read the full story…]

The mental health impact of involuntary unemployment: the recession and the people of Bradford

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The Joseph Rowntree Foundation have today published five reports focusing on the impact of the recession on the people of Bradford. One study looked at the impact that involuntary unemployment can have on people’s mental health and well-being by investigating the coping strategies and emotional support that people require when they experience stressful life events [read the full story…]

More research needed for medical and psychological treatments for people who commit sexual offences against children

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This systematic literature review, conducted by the Swedish Council on Health Technology Assessment, scrutinises the scientific evidence for preventive medical and psychological interventions directed at sex offenders. The review found major weaknesses in the evidence base and concluded that: In the absence of findings from reliable research, a reasonable treatment and follow-up strategy might be [read the full story…]

Inhaled loxapine is an effective acute treatment for agitation in schizophrenia

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There is a need for a rapid-acting, non-injection, acute treatment for agitation in people with schizophrenia. This randomised (double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group) controlled trial set out to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of inhaled loxapine for acute treatment of agitation in schizophrenia. The researchers recruited 344 adults with DSM-IV schizophrenia who were in good general health [read the full story…]

Pacing is not necessary when delivering bibliotherapy for panic disorder, as long as treatment is guided by a therapist

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A research team from Umeå University in Sweden have published a randomised controlled trial that investigates the importance of pacing when delivering bibliotherapy for people with panic disorder, i.e. should patients be ‘prescribed’ a full book as therapy all at once, or should they be given separate chapters each week? The small trial randomised 28 [read the full story…]

Why can’t people with mental illness stop smoking too?

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There’s an interesting article in the New England Journal of Medicine today, all about the relationship between mental health and smoking cessation. The author provides some historical perspective and also highlights the recommended treatments for tobacco dependence and the evidence base for use in smokers with mental illness. Judith J. Prochaska, Ph.D., M.P.H. Smoking and [read the full story…]

Dementia commissioning pack launched by Department of Health

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The Dementia Commissioning Pack provides practical resources for health and social care commissioners to work together to improve the quality of both specialist dementia services and general health and care services for people with dementia and their carers. The pack has been developed in consultation with a range of health and social care experts, including [read the full story…]

Adding group psychotherapy to routine care does not improve outcomes in adolescents who repeatedly self-harm

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Researchers from Manchester University have conducted one of the largest randomised controlled trials ever undertaken to investigate self-harm in adolescents. The trial published in the BMJ examined the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of group therapy for self harm in young people by randomising 366 patients to: Manual based developmental group therapy programme specifically designed for adolescents [read the full story…]

Adolescents with SSRI-resistant depression benefit from combined treatment of antidepressants and cognitive behaviour therapy

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Teenagers with depression sometimes do not respond to treatment with SSRI antidepressants and this inevitably leads to a higher cost of treatment.  This randomised controlled trial (conducted by researchers from Kaiser Permanente Northwest in Portland, Oregon) set out to evaluate the incremental cost-effectiveness over 24 weeks of combined cognitive behavior therapy plus switch to a different antidepressant [read the full story…]

Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards: new data published by the NHS Information Centre

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The Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards, which were introduced as amendments to the Mental Capacity Act 2005 on 1 April 2009, are designed to protect vulnerable people against overly restrictive care while they are in hospitals or care homes. This second annual report on Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards uses data provided every three months by English [read the full story…]