Prescribing antipsychotics in primary care: new study highlights frequent off-label use

shutterstock_146973512

Josephine Neale reports on a recent cohort study that finds less than half of UK prescriptions for antipsychotics are issued for main licensed conditions (e.g. psychosis or bipolar disorder). The research provides a reminder about the dangers of prescribing antipsychotics to people with dementia.

[read the full story...]

Online social networking and psychosis

shutterstock_175661117

Nikki Newhouse reports on a recent systematic review of online social networking and psychosis. Her blog explores the potential benefits and harms of online social networking for people with psychosis, and reflects on some of the challenges facing researchers working in the field.

[read the full story...]

Family experiences of help seeking in first episode psychosis

shutterstock_99085316

Andrew Shepherd explores the complex issue of families seeking help for first episode psychosis, investigated by researchers in a recent family narrative study, which concludes that help seeking attempts are often derailed by complex family responses to illness.

[read the full story...]

Joint Crisis Plans: empowering service users with psychotic disorders

shutterstock_223838977

Raphael Underwood reports on a thematic analysis of joint crisis plans, which explores what service users with psychotic disorders want in a mental health crisis or relapse.

[read the full story...]

Reflections on #UnderstandingPsychosis

shutterstock_122673418

Something a bit different today; a reflective blog from André Tomlin who has spent most of the last week discussing the new DCP #UnderstandingPsychosis report on Twitter. He considers the pros and cons of social media and what this whole discussion means for the future of the Mental Elf.

[read the full story...]

Understanding Psychosis and Schizophrenia: a critique by Laws, Langford and Huda

Screen Shot 2014-11-25 at 17.36.49

Keith Laws, Alex Langford and Samei Huda provide a critique of the British Psychological Society Division of Clinical Psychology report published today.

[read the full story...]

Major barriers implementing family involvement for patients with psychosis

shutterstock_46154587

Raphael Underwood summarises a recent systematic review looking at implementing family involvement in the treatment of patients with psychosis.

[read the full story...]

Long duration of untreated psychosis is associated with a range of poor outcomes

shutterstock_111899612

Joe Judge appraises a recent systematic review and meta-analysis looking at the duration of untreated psychosis as a predictor of long-term outcomes in schizophrenia.

[read the full story...]

Helping young people with psychosis return to work: early intervention services need to do more

shutterstock_165697589-150x150

Stephen Wood summarises a recent cluster RCT of vocational rehabilitation in early psychosis, which finds that early intervention services need to do more to help young people with psychosis return to work.

[read the full story...]

Homelessness and mental illness in children and young people

shutterstock_177426335

This study explores the prevalence of psychiatric disorder and comorbidity among a UK sample of young people with experience of homelessness. It finds an extremely high prevalence of mental illness, combined with low levels of mental health service use.

[read the full story...]