Horror over Alesha MacPhail murder ‘must not obscure lessons’

Posted on April 11, 2019 by Admin

Experts say Alesha’s killer, Aaron Campbell, is ‘not a one-off’ – and more can be done to prevent similar crimes

Since Aaron Campbell received a life sentence last month for the brutal rape and murder of six-year-old Alesha MacPhail, the reverberations from his crimes have continued as the public and professionals struggle to come to terms with what the trial judge, Lord Matthews, described as “some of the wickedest, most evil crimes this court has ever heard”.

Mental health service should be expanded to an opt-out model, expert says

Posted on April 7, 2019 by Admin

Many people receiving compulsory mental health treatment are not even aware the advocacy service exists

An advocacy service for people who have been involuntarily detained in mental health wards should be expanded to an opt-out model so patients do not slip through the cracks, an independent evaluation has found.

The Independent Mental Health Advocacy service (IMHA) was established in 2015 to support people receiving compulsory mental health treatment in Victoria and ensure they are aware of their right to object to treatment.

New drug raises hopes of reversing memory loss in old age

Posted on February 14, 2019 by Admin

Toronto researchers believe the drug can also help those with depression, schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s

An experimental drug that bolsters ailing brain cells has raised hopes of a treatment for memory loss, poor decision making and other mental impairments that often strike in old age.

The drug could be taken as a daily pill by over-55s if clinical trials, which are expected to start within two years, show that the medicine is safe and effective at preventing memory lapses.

Austerity causing stress and trauma to officers, say police

Posted on February 12, 2019 by Admin

Call for more government funding as survey finds 80% of officers felt stress in past year

Police officers have reported being driven to breaking point by the dual pressures of staffing cuts and rising demands, with a survey finding eight out of 10 had felt stressed in the past year.

The survey by the Police Federation is part of a campaign to pressure the government to fund more officers on the beat after years of cuts.

‘You will have an emotional reboot’: the ultimate guide to stress at every age

Posted on February 3, 2019 by Admin

Every life stage brings its own pressures, from worrying about exams to juggling the needs of family. Here are the best coping tactics for each generation

Triggers
“Children are really the canaries in the mineshaft of human society. They are the individuals within our cultures that are the most sensitive to the difficulties – and stresses – that societies experience,” Tom Boyce tells me. Professor of pediatrics and psychiatry at the University of California, he specialises in the treatment of three- to eight-year-olds. Major stressors in this age group include marital conflict, violence in the home, violence in the community, problems with parental mental health – a mum or dad who is depressed – maltreatment and disciplinary behaviours that become punitive.

‘Getting out of bed is the first hurdle’: how I cope with my anxiety

Posted on February 2, 2019 by Admin

Dread and despair have been a part of my life since childhood – and then I started writing about politics ...

The anxiety is ever-present. Sometimes only as a form of background noise; a voice that tells me I’ve failed at the day before it’s even begun. At other times it’s more insistent. An almost physical presence. A heart-pounding feeling of dread that makes it a struggle to get out of bed. A longed for desire to go back to sleep, to rewind the clock, in the desperate hope that I could start the day again.

I stare at the clock, calculating how long I can leave it before I have to get out of bed and engage with the day. Another 10 minutes maybe? Twenty if I choose to skip breakfast. Hoping that the anxiety will have passed by the time I do get up, while knowing that every delay merely makes it worse. I know it’s a kind of madness. But it’s one to which I invariably succumb.

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Category Archives: Mental health

Horror over Alesha MacPhail murder ‘must not obscure lessons’

Mental health service should be expanded to an opt-out model, expert says

New drug raises hopes of reversing memory loss in old age

Austerity causing stress and trauma to officers, say police

‘You will have an emotional reboot’: the ultimate guide to stress at every age

‘Getting out of bed is the first hurdle’: how I cope with my anxiety