Bringing together physical and mental health: King’s Fund report on integrated care

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Kirsten Lawson takes us through the key messages from the recent King’s Fund report on bringing together physical and mental health.

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What impact are psychotropic drugs having on our physical health?

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John Baker summarises the findings of a recent review of people with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression. The study looks at the adverse effects on physical health of psychotropic drugs (antipsychotics, antidepressants and mood stabilisers).

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What influences physical and mental health-related quality of life for LGBT older people?

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Sarah Carr explores a US study on what is associated with physical and mental health-related quality of life for older LGBT people.

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Quality of life and mental health: What questions should we ask?

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In his debut blog, Martin Webber, Reader in Social Work at the University of York, asks how we can meaningfully measure quality of life with and for people living with mental health problems.

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Second National Audit of Schizophrenia highlights lack of progress for service users and carers

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André Tomlin summarises the second National Audit of Schizophrenia, which highlights that many people with schizophrenia are still not getting the high quality psychological and medical treatment they deserve.

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We don’t know if general health advice improves physical health for patients with serious mental illness

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For me, one of the most infuriating aspects of health care is the relegation of mental health problems, and mental health services, as secondary to physical health. There are a myriad of examples of this, from the classic stigma that people with mental health problems receive compared to those with physical health problems (fantastically illustrated [read the full story…]

The cost-effectiveness of liaison psychiatry: the case of RAID

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Liaison psychiatry brings together medical and psychiatric staff in hospital wards and emergency departments, with the aim of more adequately addressing comorbidities between physical and mental health. It’s something that’s been discussed in the Woodland before, with recommendations for wider implementation. The Guardian recently published an article discussing the findings of a recent study and [read the full story…]

Vitamin D deficiency in psychosis: our current (limited) understanding according to the latest meta-analysis.

Get ready to amend your dopamine hypothesis and stop trying to wrap your neurons around the role of glutamate in the brain.  The rising star of the neurobiological schizophrenia literature is…. Vitamin D.  Yes, really. The more sceptical amongst you (including me) may feel that finding a vitamin deficiency in psychosis patients is perhaps not [read the full story…]