Category: Mental Health

Mental health in later life

Minds that matter

This report looks at the life events and circumstances that can affect people’s mental health in later life, including bereavement, loneliness, ill health and caring responsibilities. Focusing mainly on anxiety and depression, the report also describes people’s mixed experiences of seeking support from GPs, therapists and other services. It highlights the common barriers and makes recommendations for what needs to change to improve support for older people and ensure they can live a mentally healthy later life.

To find out more click here.

Mental health

Current awareness updates

Pushed from pillar to post: improving the availability and quality of support after self-harm in England

Samaritans, October 2020 (This report finds that there is no consistently effective support available to people who self-harm. The research identified four key support needs for people who self-harm, which are seen as essential to providing effective care: distraction from immediate self-harm urges; emotional relief in times of stress; developing alternative coping strategies; and addressing the underlying reasons for self-harm. The report makes several recommendations for how the needs of people who self-harm can be met more effectively.)

Adaptation of evidence-based suicide prevention strategies during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Wasserman D. World Psychiatry 2020;19(3):294-306.
[While there is evidence indicating that suicide rates decrease during times of crises, they are expected to increase once the immediate crisis has passed. The scientific community, health care professionals, politicians and decision-makers will find in this paper a systematic description of the effects of the pandemic on suicide risk at the society, community, family and individual levels, and an overview of how evidence-based suicide preventive interventions should be adapted.]


The COVID-19 anxiety syndrome scale: Development and psychometric properties.
Nikčević AV. Psychiatry Research 2020;292:113322.
[In Study 1, a community sample of 292 participants completed the newly developed COVID-19 Anxiety Syndrome Scale (C-19ASS) and results were subjected to a Principal Components Analysis. In Study 2, a community sample of 426 participants completed a battery of questionnaires including the C-19ASS. The C-19ASS appears to be a reliable and valid measure of the COVID-19 anxiety syndrome. The implications of these findings are discussed.]

What should be done to support the mental health of healthcare staff treating COVID-19 patients? Tracy DK, Tarn M, Eldridge R, Cooke J, Calder JDF, Greenberg N.Br J Psychiatry. 2020 Oct;217(4):537-539

(There is an urgent need to provide evidence-based well-being and mental health support for front-line clinical staff managing the COVID-19 pandemic who are at risk of moral injury and mental illness. This article describes the evidence base for a tiered model of care, and practical steps on its implementation.)

Covid 19 mental health research

Funding boost

Six new research projects have been awarded a share of £2m funding by NIHR and UKRI to investigate and reduce the impacts of Covid-19 and the pandemic on mental health.

The projects will focus on reducing the negative effects of the pandemic on the mental health of three at-risk groups: healthcare workers, children and younger people, and those with serious mental health problems.

To find out more click here.

Mental Health

Current Awareness Updates

Inquiry into the support available for young people who self-harm  This inquiry, led by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Suicide and Self-Harm Prevention and supported by Samaritans, explored the experiences of young people who self-harm in accessing support services. In particular, it examined: support services currently available in both clinical and the wider community settings (including schools); plans for improving and expanding this support; and the changes needed to ensure that support is made more effective and widely available. It concludes that young people who self-harm are often made to wait until they reach crisis point before receiving support.

How are UK adults managing stress during the pandemic? A survey from the Mental Health Foundation looks at how people are managing their stress during the pandemic. The most popular coping mechanisms were walking, visiting green spaces and contacting family and friends.

Laying foundations: attitudes and access to mental health nurse education Mental health nurses account for over a third of the mental health workforce in England and work across a wide range of health and care settings. However, this report finds that the pipeline of people choosing to study and qualify to become a mental health nurse is unable to meet sharply rising demand for this service. It looks at ways more people might be attracted to apply to study mental health nursing – and reasons why numbers are currently limited.

Digital interventions for suicidal thinking: a tale of two reviews.
In his debut blog, Wouter van Ballegooijen summarises two recent systematic reviews on digital interventions for suicidal thinking, which include more or less the same research, but come to quite different conclusions.

Reducing demand for inpatient mental health beds evidence review
This evidence review explores the evidence for initiatives and interventions which aim to avoid mental health inpatient admissions and re-admissions and reduce inpatient length of stay.

Should European cities be going green for our mental health?
Eleana Frisira summarises a recent scoping review on the impact that green spaces can have on the mental health of people living in urban settings.

To sign up to KnowledgeShare and receive personalised research for your field of work, complete the form and send it to academic.library@lscft.nhs.uk

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Mental Health Day

10th October 2020

This year’s theme is; ‘Mental health for all’

Mental health can affect anybody at any time. Mental health day is about showing support for better mental health. Why not take some time today for your own wellbeing.

Mind offers some top tips to improve your mental health and wellbeing:

  • only try what feels comfortable
  • give yourself time to figure out what works for you, going at your own pace
  • take small steps. Pick one or two things that feel achievable at first, before moving on to try other ideas.

So why not get involved:

  • have a virtual tea and chat with a friend
  • talk about your and your family’s wellbeing and create plans to involve everyone’s ideas
  • get moving for mental health
  • celebrate your differences

To read some personal stories about World Mental Health Day click here.

For more ideas or to find out more visit the Mental Health Foundation.

Mental Health and Wellbeing

Support resources for challenging times

More than six months after the Covid-19 pandemic began many of us are feeling exhausted, anxious and overwhelmed. Now, more than ever, it’s so important to take some time to look after your wellbeing. King’s Fund have put together some useful resources, from ‘wellbeing plans’ to useful toolkits.

Click here to access.

They also offer some top tips for dealing with anxiety and encourage you to think about your breathing:

  • Notice your breathing.  
  • In noticing your breathing connect with how you are feeling physically. 
  • Take a moment to take some deep and slow breaths in and out and count them as you do this. 
  • Ask yourself how aware you are of your breathing patterns.   
  • Our breathing helps inform us of how stressed and/or anxious we might be if we allow ourselves to notice it.  
  • A greater awareness of our breathing can help anchor ourselves in our roles as leaders in these difficult to navigate times.   

Managing anxiety: breathing | The King’s Fund

Mental Health Campaign

Every Mind Matters campaign launched

Public Health England have launched a new campaign – Every Mind Matters, to support the well being of children, young people and their carers. The Covid pandemic has impacted everyone and research shows that children are more anxious, worried and lonely than ever before. These new stresses could cause harm to the mental health of the young generation.

This new advice supports parents and carers to recognise signs that their child may be struggling with their mental health and provides support to help them maintain good quality well being.

https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/childrens-mental-health/