Easy mood-boosting meals to make when you feel low

Posted on 5th April 2022 by Dan Price

When you are feeling low and anxious, making dinner is the last thing on your mind – but we still need to fuel ourselves. 

Food can be key in shaping our mental health, and it is possible that certain foods may actually help in making us feel happier, says registered nutritionist Natasha Evans.

‘We rely on the food we eat to give us the nutrients we need to power functions in the body,’ she explains.

‘Research has shown that mental health issues like low mood, anxiety and depression can correlate with low levels of nutrients such as magnesium, iron, zinc, and vitamins B6, B12, and D.’

Serotonin, a chemical found in the brain, is known to impact our mood and is a must for overall health and wellbeing.

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Social media may affect girls’ mental health earlier than boys’, study finds

Posted on 29th March 2022 by Dan Price

Social media may affect the wellbeing of girls and boys at different ages, according to research that raises the prospect of windows of vulnerability in adolescence.

Psychologists found that girls who increased their time on social media between the ages of 11 and 13 were less satisfied with their lives one year later, with the same trend playing out in boys aged 14 to 15.

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Prescriptions of anti-anxiety medication have risen sharply

Posted on 22nd March 2022 by Dan Price

Prescriptions of anti-anxiety medication have risen “sharply” in recent years, a new study suggests.

There has also been a “substantial” increase in the prescription of antidepressants to combat anxiety in adults under the age of 25, researchers found.

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Mental health issues in the workplace

Posted on 14th March 2022 by Dan Price

In a recent case, whilst the Traffic Commissioner for the East of England, Richard Turfitt, found William Morris of Linline Transport to have lost his good repute, he took account of some wider health issues, facing the industry.

The operator and Transport Manager had encountered mental health challenges for some time, made worse by the challenging conditions of the pandemic. Like many operators and drivers contributing to the national effort, he continued to work as a ‘key worker’ during the first lock down. The uncertainty of the pandemic and the lack of understanding about how the virus was transmitted, coupled with issues around container haulage, further impacted on his health

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Mental health in the climate crisis spotlight

Posted on 7th March 2022 by Dan Price

Today the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published its ‘Sixth Assessment Report’ on the impacts of climate change worldwide.

For the first time, the IPCC includes a focus on the mental health impacts of the crisis as well as the better established impacts on the physical environment and sustainability. In its chapter on health and wellbeing it reviews evidence from around the world on the direct and indirect harms to mental health. These include the direct impacts of extreme weather events (including flooding, wildfires, heatwaves and erosion) as well as the indirect, but equally if not more significant, effects of displacement, conflict and impoverishment on mental health. And for children and young people in particular, the report notes that anxiety and distress relating to the climate crisis are a further pressure on mental health.

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Normalising Medication for Mental Health – Everything You Need to Know About Antidepressants

Posted on 14th February 2022 by Dan Price

Popping pain relief to manage physical ailments, no biggy, but taking medication to make your mind feel better, thus keeping you (drum roll please) *alive* … stigma has entered the chat. 

Despite recent strides in attitudes towards mental health, taking antidepressants to treat mental health problems is still widely misunderstood. This can result in devastating consequences, not only by perpetuating shame but by preventing people from seeking much-needed support or leading them to believe they’re ‘not sick enough’ to get help. 

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