Top mental health blogs in 2015

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André Tomlin presents his review of 2015, the year when the Mental Elf came of age. He highlights our top mental health blogs, showcases the #WeCATS and #ElfCampfire activities and explains how the new National Elf Service website can help you engage more with relevant and reliable research.

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CBT plus mother-child interaction for anxiety disorder

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Paul Ramchandani considers an RCT of treatment for childhood anxiety disorder in the context of maternal anxiety disorder, which finds that mother-child interaction might be of value for childhood anxiety disorder.

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IPT and CBT best for depression in children and young people, says network meta-analysis

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Laura Hemming summarises a recent network meta-analysis of psychotherapies for depression in children and young people, which finds that Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) were significantly more efficacious than other psychotherapies at post-treatment and follow-up.

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CBT for insomnia in people with active psychotic symptoms

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Sarah McDonald appraises the Better Sleep Trial (BEST), a pilot RCT which shows that CBT may be a promising treatment for insomnia in people with active psychotic symptoms.

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CBT plus taper may help reduce short-term benzodiazepine use

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John Baker summarises a recent Cochrane systematic review of psychosocial interventions for benzodiazepine harmful use, abuse or dependence.

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Should we recommend CBT for depression in people with learning disabilities?

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Leen Vereenooghe summarises a systematic review of the use of CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) to treat depression in people with learning disabilities.

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Psychotherapies for depression and anxiety in dementia

The study highlighted a lack of evidence about what CMHT services work for older people.

Clarissa Giebel summarises a recent systematic review that investigates the effectiveness of various psychotherapies (CBT, interpersonal therapy, counselling) for depression and anxiety in people with dementia or mild cognitive impairment.

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The PACE Trial for chronic fatigue syndrome: choppy seas but a prosperous voyage

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Simon Wessely responds to the huge amount of recent criticism that has surrounded the publication of a follow-up paper of the PACE trial into chronic fatigue syndrome. This extended blog presents the PACE trial and its main results, but also reminds us what makes a good RCT, as well as exploring how well PACE measures up.

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Can psychotherapy reduce suicide and self-harm in young people?

A young woman suffering from depression is consoled by her friend.

Mark Smith presents the findings of a recent systematic review and meta analysis of therapeutic interventions for suicide and self-harm in young people.

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Faith based CBT for depression and anxiety: review highlights a lack of good quality evidence

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Alan Underwood considers a new systematic review and meta analysis, which highlights the lack of evidence for faith based CBT in treating people with depression or anxiety disorders.

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