mental health and mental health care

This review investigates the impact of parental separation and divorce on children’s well-being and development. The review incorporates evidence concerning family breakdown, and its consequences, in the context of understandings of ‘the family’, ‘breakdown’ and the ‘well-being’ of children and young people, and includes research relating to both married and cohabiting parents. ‘Well-being’ is defined as incorporating children’s mental, emotional and physical health.

Following the launch of the Scottish Government’s new policy and action plan for mental health improvement (MHI) for 2009-11, Towards a Mentally Flourishing Scotland an event was held to support the implementation. The meeting brought together key national agencies and partners with responsibility for mental health improvement, together with senior officials from the Scottish Government, local government and the NHS.

More than half a million people in Britain have autism, and the numbers of diagnosed cases is rising rapidly. Yet we know very little about this puzzling condition. In a month-long series of programmes and features, Radio 4 attempt to separate fact from theory, and to find out what is available to help autistic children and adults, and their families.

This review on indicated prevention adds to the current knowledge and understanding of risk factors in the development of later drug problems and dependence, focusing on the mental health and behavioural problems that develop during childhood. Indicated prevention is a relatively new branch of drug prevention and can be seen as the third part of the ‘prevention chain’, after universal and selective prevention.

This practical toolkit sets standards for mental health professionals working with young people placed on adult mental health wards. The criteria have been developed in conjunction with young service users, parents, commissioners and practitioners in both Adult Mental Health Services (AMHS) and CAMHS, and complement the Adult Inpatient Mental Health Services (AIMS) standard.

This report begins by asking why there should be investment in promotion and prevention. It then summarises what is known and gives examples of study findings on wellbeing, early intervention,, depression, suicide and workplace health promotion. Ongoing and future evaluations are noted and the need for more European assessments emphasised.

The importance of employment and its links with mental health are summarised and the European policy context described. The report then asks what the consequences of poor mental health for economic activity are, if a trend in productivity losses over time can be seen and what we know about employment rates for people with mental health problems. Barriers to employment, the economic case for helping such people remain in the workforce, assessing the cost effectiveness of interventions to this end, legislative and policy actions, and the way forward are discussed.

An introduction gives the history of how in most European countries for many decades large institutions dominated provision for people with severe and chronic disabilities, including those with mental health problems, and how this changed. Trends in the balance of care, changes in provision, and policies to develop community care and the allocation of resources are described, challenges listed and opportunities outlined, ending with a conclusion that research on progress in this area in Europe has been limited.

Dignity in Care is a campaign being run by the Department of Health's website in the UK. It "aims to eliminate tolerance of indignity in health and social care services through raising awareness and inspiring people to take action." The focus of the campaign has mainly been on older people but has now been extended to include people with mental health needs. The website provides further information on the different aspects of the campaign, including relevant publications.

In general, the pain relief needs of older people with dementia are not adequately met. The aim of this research was to determine whether the same unsatisfactory treatment also applies to people with learning difficulties who have dementia and, if so, to make recommendations for improving practice. The research team was based at the Centre for Research on Families and Relationships, University of Edinburgh, and the Dementia Services Development Centre, University of Stirling.