Open letter to government from experts and politicians says rising usage ‘is a clear example of over-medicalisation’
Medical experts and politicians have called for the amount of antidepressants being prescribed to people across the UK to be reduced in an open letter to the government.
The letter coincides with the launch of the all-party parliamentary group Beyond Pills, which aims to reduce what it calls the UK healthcare system’s over-reliance on prescription medication.
Continue reading...New study which tracks changes in mental health over 20 years finds cohort born in 90s worse off compared to older generations at similar ages
Each successive generation of Australians since the 1950s is suffering worse mental health than the generation which came before them, new research has shown.
A study led by the University of Sydney has found that people born in the 1990s have poorer mental health for their age than any previous generation and are not experiencing better mental health as they age, as earlier generations have.
Continue reading...The government may increase premiums paid by businesses if Labor’s WorkCover bill is defeated, Jacinta Allan says
The Victorian premier has threatened to further hike premiums paid by businesses to fund the state’s workers’ compensation scheme if parliament does not pass proposed reforms she says will secure its financial future.
The Coalition party room on Tuesday voted to oppose the WorkCover bill in its current form, joining the Greens and several other crossbenchers in effectively denying Labor the numbers it needs to pass the legislation in the upper house.
Continue reading...Labour party leader criticises speech as ‘admission that government has no faith in Britain’s ability to avert decline’
Here is Ben Quinn’s guide to what will be in the king’s speech.
In a statement about the king’s speech issued overnight, Keir Starmer said:
Britain is crying out for the long-term change that harnesses the ambition of our young people, the innovative drive of our businesses, and the ordinary hope and optimism that exists around every kitchen table.
A government acting in the national interest would deliver a big build programme to kickstart growth in every region and begin to turn around 13 years of decline with a plan for a decade of national renewal.
Continue reading...Ombudsman orders UK housing association Clarion to apologise to family in ‘deeply distressing’ case
A tenant killed himself after his landlord dismissed his pleas for help with a noisy neighbour as “whining” and told him he could not expect silence if he lived in London.
Clarion, the UK’s largest housing association, had been warned by the vulnerable resident’s doctor that the effect of noise from the upstairs flat on the tenant’s mental health was such that he had already attempted suicide twice.
Continue reading...Concern over Robert Card’s mental health dated back to last summer after a training facility episode sparked an evaluation
Five months before the deadliest mass shooting in the history of the New England state of Maine, the gunman’s family alerted the local sheriff that they were becoming concerned about his deteriorating mental health while he had access to firearms, according to authorities.
After the alert, the Sagadohoc county sheriff’s office reached out to officials of Robert Card’s army reserve unit, which assured deputies that they would speak to Card and make sure he got medical attention, sheriff Joel Merry said.
Continue reading...Inquest finds death of Duangphet Phromthep, 17, could not have been foreseen or prevented
The captain of the Thai football team who were trapped in a cave for several days in 2018 took his own life while at school in the UK, a coroner has ruled.
Duangphet Phromthep died at Kettering general hospital on 14 February, two days after being found unconscious at Brooke House College in Market Harborough, Leicestershire.
Continue reading...Decision to discharge ‘low risk’ Anthony O’Donohue from mental health service in 2016 found to be ‘not satisfactory’
The firebombing death of a young bus driver “might not have occurred” if different decisions had been made about the care of the mental health patient who had been deemed “low risk” before killing him, Queensland’s state coroner has found.
Terry Ryan handed down his findings a day before the seventh anniversary of the death of Manmeet Sharma, a 29-year-old from India who had been working as a bus driver for the Brisbane city council for just three months.
Continue reading...Figure is 42% higher than previous estimates and would pose ‘enormous threat’ to healthcare systems
Dementia poses an “enormous threat” to healthcare systems and the general public in England and Wales, experts have warned, as data suggests 1.7 million people will have the condition by 2040.
It is already known to be among the most serious health and social care threats and a new analysis shows the total number affected could be 42% higher than previously estimated.
Continue reading...Complaint filed in California accuses company of knowingly inducing children and teenagers into addictive social media use
The attorneys general of dozens of US states are suing Instagram and its parent company Meta over their impact on young users, accusing them of contributing to a youth mental health crisis through the addictive nature of their social media platforms.
Filed in federal court in Oakland, California, on Tuesday, the lawsuit claims Meta, which also operates Facebook, has repeatedly misled the public about the substantial dangers of its platforms and knowingly induced young children and teenagers into addictive and compulsive social media use.
Continue reading...Exclusive: New figures show on average 10 people in mental health distress die each year during interactions with state police
The stepfather of a man shot and killed by New South Wales police while suffering from psychosis says the current system is “as useless as udders on a bull” as the Guardian reveals officers aren’t allowed to talk with mental health workers during high-risk callouts – even on the phone.
Neil Wilkins, whose stepson Todd McKenzie was shot at his Taree home in 2019, has written to the state’s mental health minister, Rose Jackson, urging Labor to scrap the ban on mental health workers assisting police when weapons are involved.
Continue reading...Exclusive: Premier says an inquiry into use of force against vulnerable people isn’t necessary, despite four fatalities in as many months
The families of vulnerable people fatally shot by New South Wales police have united to call for an independent inquiry into the way officers use force when responding to mental health emergencies.
Their call has been backed by a former coroner and leading lawyers after four fatal police interactions in as many months.
Continue reading...Gavin Newsom vetoes measure, saying state must set up thorough guidelines for treatment before he is willing to sign
California will have to put more work into decriminalizing hallucinogens before Governor Gavin Newsom will sign a bill, said a statement from the governor on Saturday, announcing that the bill had been vetoed.
The rejected law, which was anticipated to take effect in 2025, would have done away with criminal penalties for people possessing natural psychedelics for personal use. It also would have required the state to form a group to study and make recommendations about the drugs’ therapeutic use.
Continue reading...Exclusive: Without action, a ‘generation of young people’ could be addicted to gambling, says independent MP pushing for government to urgently intervene
MPs have called for an urgent parliamentary inquiry into the impact of advertising on children and young people by harmful industries after revelations by Guardian Australia of a 16% rise in young people seeking help for gambling in the last financial year.
The call, led by Dr Sophie Scamps, has been supported by the Greens and fellow Independent MPs including Andrew Wilkie, Monique Ryan, Zoe Daniel and Kate Chaney. Scamps said without action, advertising targeting children “at this vulnerable stage of life could create a generation of young people addicted to gambling”.
Continue reading...Coroner examining five suicide deaths says tertiary sector faces difficult challenge in encouraging students to get help
International students in crisis are not accessing mental health support services they need, a Victorian coronial inquest into suicide deaths has found.
The inquest examined the deaths of five international students who took their own lives in 2020. The students were born in different nations, attended four institutions in the state and had various living circumstances.
Continue reading...Coalition of experts publish action points including tackling inequality, poor housing and child poverty
Ministers must tackle poverty, poor housing and air pollution to improve England’s worsening mental health, a coalition of charities, thinktanks and staff groups has urged ministers.
Their blueprint for better mental health also includes a crackdown on racism, reforms to the benefits system and action to end the stark inequality whereby people with severe psychiatric conditions die up to 20 years sooner than the general population.
A new Child Poverty Act to banish child poverty by 2030.
The creation of a minimum income guarantee and reforming sick pay.
Action against junk food, smoking, alcohol and gambling.
The end of “hostile environment” immigration policies.
Continue reading...Exclusive: Fears findings will represent only white population if too few people of colour take part
A major study into the effects of cannabis on the human brain is at risk of being partially thwarted because too few black users have agreed to take part.
White people have come forward in large numbers offering to get involved in King’s College London’s £2.5m study of how the drug may contribute to paranoia and psychosis in some users but not others. It is hoped the project will pave the way for wider medicinal use and make illegal recreational use safer.
Continue reading...Exclusive: Force considering alternatives to Pacer program that has seen 48% reduction in people detained by police under Mental Health Act
New South Wales police are looking to replace a program designed to provide “person-centred, trauma-informed care” to people with severe mental health challenges despite the police minister describing it as “so successful”.
Under the Police, Ambulance, Clinical, Early, Response (Pacer) program, mental health clinicians employed by NSW Health are stationed with police to ensure police powers are only used when necessary in responding to mental health crises.
Continue reading...‘It’s not my fight, it is everyone’s fight and everyone has to work together so this doesn’t happen again’, says Judy Deacon
Judy Deacon didn’t shut herself away after her son, Jesse, was shot and killed by New South Wales police two months ago.
Instead, the 79-year-old harnessed her anger. She started lobbying politicians, health professionals and the force itself.
Continue reading...Campaigners criticise ‘tokenistic’ initiative started after polling showed almost all students experience bouts of loneliness
Millions of teenagers across Britain will arrive at university for the first time on Monday as freshers’ week begins.
Almost all will experience bouts of loneliness with nearly half being worried they will be judged if they admit to it, according to a sample of 1,000 students, collected by YouGov for the government.
Spend time helping other people, such as volunteering with student groups or by offering a regular conversation to someone feeling isolated
Keep in touch with friends and family over the phone
Arrange something fun to do with your current friends
Join a club or society at university to connect with others who have similar interests
Do things you enjoy, such as playing sport, reading or listening to music
Be open to everyone, as university is a great place to meet people from all different backgrounds
Remember some people only share the good things happening to them on social media so try and avoid comparison
Talk to someone you trust about how you feel
Get in touch with the university’s student services about the welfare and support it can provide
Remember that others may be feeling similar, so you are not alone
Continue reading...