News

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.

The increases in prescribing could be down to better detection of anxiety, according to academics from the University of Bristol.

But they could also be due to people suffering more severe symptoms or a previously “unmet need”.

The study, published in the British Journal of General Practice, looked at prescriptions for anti-anxiety medications (called anxiolytics) across 176 GP surgeries in the UK caring for more than 2.5 million patients.

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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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Mental health: Bedford petrolheads 'we've been through it'

Posted on 8th February 2022 by Dan Price

A group of car enthusiasts have created their own online series to help open up conversations around mental health.

The Petrolheadonism series aims to discuss depression, stress, racial discrimination and bullying, something they have all experienced.

Josh Scoot, 20, from Bedford, whose idea it was, said he was bullied at school for creating his own brand, Scootsupercars, aged 13.

"We're creating this because of what we've been through," he said.

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Roman Kemp calls for mental health to be discussed more in schools.

Posted on 31st January 2022 by Dan Price

Roman Kemp says his mental health struggles make him feel as if he's battling Mike Tyson 'in a boxing ring and not had one boxing lesson'.

The radio host, 28, appeared on Steph's Packed Lunch on Channel 4 on Wednesday to discuss the importance of talking about mental health in schools at an early age after experiencing his own difficulties and after losing his producer friend Joe Lyons to suicide in August 2020.

On his personal experiences, Roman explained: 'I’ve had a lot of troubles of my own, I’ve dealt with suicidal thoughts, I’ve been on anti-depressants for 15 years of my life.

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