Category: Uncategorized

Is CBD the future of antipsychotic drugs? A new global study investigates

The Wellcome Trust is funding a new study and clinical trial that will further investigate the effectiveness of cannabidiol (CBD) in treating people with psychosis. Work carried out by Oxford University and King’s College London will look at whether CBD can be used not only to treat established psychosis, but also to prevent the onset of psychosis in people at high risk of developing it.

Is CBD the future of antipsychotic drugs? | News | Wellcome

Credit: Anastassiya Bezhekeneva
Licence: All Rights Reserved

Lancs and South Cumbria doctor publishes research

Lancashire and South Cumbria FT older adults psychiatrist Dr Qutub Jamali has recently published an article on biomarkers for vascular dementia. For more work published by Dr Jamali and other LSCFT staff, look out for the forthcoming LSCFT Research Bulletin, compiled by LSCFT Library staff.

Identification of biomarkers for vascular dementia: a literature review | BJPsych Advances | Cambridge Core

Cultural change needed to improve medicines safety, Patient Safety Commissioner says

In a review of her first 100 days in the role, England’s Patient Safety Commissioner Dr Henrietta Hughes outlines how Dr Hughes has heard from patients, families, healthcare professionals and senior leaders on what needs to change to improve the safety of medicines and medical devices.  In it, she calls for a cultural change throughout the health system and sets out her plans for the future.

Electronic prescriptions have become the norm, new figures confirm

Electronic prescriptions have become the default method for prescribing and dispensing in primary care in England, new figures from NHS Digital have confirmed.

The number of items issued electronically to community pharmacies has almost doubled in the past five years – from 532 million in 2016-17 to 996 million in 2021-22, NHS Digital said. In the latest year, 95% of items were prescribed and dispensed via the electronic prescription service (EPS).

Keep vapes put of the sight of children, local government urges

The Local Government Association (LGA) is calling for strict new measures to regulate the display and marketing of vaping products in the same way as tobacco, in plain packaging and with age-of-sale signage.

Councils are especially concerned by the marketing of vapes with fruity and bubble gum flavours and colourful child-friendly packaging.

The LGA says there has been a sharp increase in incidents where shops have been caught selling vapes to youngsters and councils have had to step in. It adds there should be a ban on free samples of vaping products being given out to people of any age.

Image: Courtesy of Adobe

Millions of people with mental health needs still not accessing services, NAO finds

Despite funding and staffing levels for mental health services increasing and more patients being treated, millions of people with mental health needs are still not accessing services, with some facing lengthy waits for treatment, according to a new National Audit Office (NAO) report, Progress in improving mental health services in England.

The report says it is unclear how far current government commitments take the NHS towards its end goal, and what else is needed to achieve it. While funding and the workforce for mental health services have increased and more people have been treated, many people still cannot access services or have lengthy waits for treatment. Staff shortages continue and data that would demonstrate the results of service developments are limited.

Nature not nurture to blame for OCD, research claims

Research published in JAMA Psychiatry has suggested Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is transmitted from parent to child mostly through genetics and not the way a child is raised.

The population register–based study found OCD was transmitted from parents to children largely through a genetic relationship, while rearing appeared to play a minor role. OCD and anxiety disorders were moderately genetically correlated, with the genetic correlation being strongest between OCD and generalized anxiety disorder, intermediate with social phobia and weakest for panic disorder.