Mental health
NHS art therapy for schizophrenia
Emma Wilkinson, Health reporter, BBC News.
Doing what they always do
The BBC is pandering to prejudice in its portrayal of the risks psychiatric patients pose to the public
Louis Appleby, Friday September 12 2008, guardian.co.uk.
Family matters: Trescothick revels in life beyond England
Depression cut short his international career but the former Test batsman is now at peace with himself
David Hopps, Friday September 12 2008, The Guardian.
Parents from ethnic minorities with mental health problems and their children
The Social Care Institute for Excellence's analysis of research findings behind specific social work practices.
Wednesday 10 September 2008, communitycare.co.uk.
Mental health care 'still flawed'
Wednesday, 10 September 2008, BBC News.
Call for happiness lessons as teenage depression increases
Carlene Thomas-Bailey, Wednesday September 10 2008, Society Guardian.
Mentally ill kept in police cells
Wednesday, 10 September 2008, BBC News.
Total success
Children dealing with the fallout from mentally ill parents are benefiting from family-wide treatment
Arj Singh, Wednesday September 10 2008, The Guardian.
Why the drugs never meant for dementia don't work
Christopher Manthorp, Wednesday September 10 2008, The Guardian.
Man who raped schoolgirl after fleeing hospital sent to Broadmoor
Peter Walker, Tuesday September 9 2008, The Guardian.
A quick fix for the soul
The government is promoting cognitive behavioural therapy as a cost-effective, no-nonsense remedy for our psychological ills. It's the triumph of a market-driven view of the human psyche, says Darian Leader
Darian Leader, Tuesday September 9 2008, The Guardian. ★★★★★
Mad pride and prejudices
The radical service user groups that sprung up in the 1970s helped change attitudes to mental health. Now their history is being written
Catherine Jackson, Wednesday September 3 2008, The Guardian.
A mindless oversight
Titan jails could have a devastating effect on the already precarious mental health of many prisoners
Mary O'Hara, Wednesday September 3 2008, 'Joe Public', Guardian Blogs.
Dementia: Blood pressure drugs may cut risk of Alzheimer's by 40%
Ian Sample, science correspondent, Monday July 28 2008, The Guardian.
Why smiles are better than Prozac
Denis Campbell, health correspondent, Sunday July 27 2008, The Observer.
Publish waiting times to improve therapy access, say campaigners
Mental health campaigners want waiting lists published
Mithran Samuel, Thursday 24 July 2008, communitycare.co.uk.
Psychiatric wards: Mental health inquiry reveals security failures
John Carvel, social affairs editor, Wednesday July 23, 2008, The Guardian.
Many mental health wards 'poor'
Tuesday, 22 July 2008, BBC News.
Nine out of 10 people with mental illness suffer discrimination, says report
David Batty and agencies, Monday July 21, 2008, guardian.co.uk.
'Being rejected doesn't get easier'
Monday, 21 July 2008, BBC News.
Mental health poll reveals stigma
Sunday, 20 July 2008, BBC News.
Why are MPs silent on mental ill health?
A new survey shows that one in five MPs has experienced mental health problems. So why isn't there more openness on the subject, asks Jonathan Naess
July 16, 2008, Guardian Blogs.
Manchester mental health trust chief quits ahead of damning report
Corin Williams, 11 July 2008, communitycare.co.uk.
Psychiatry on the couch
Psychiatry within the NHS is being devalued just at a time when exciting discoveries are being made, says Dr Paul Keedwell
Thursday July 10, 2008, Society Guardian.
Challenge to the 'team' ethic
NHS reforms have transformed mental health services and been broadly popular. Now a group of psychiatrists says patients are being put at risk, reigniting the debate about what works. Mary O'Hara reports
Mary O'Hara, Wednesday July 9, 2008, The Guardian.
What psychiatry is really for
Jonathan Naess says the proposed new NHS consititution offers the opportunity to remodel mental health services
July 9, 2008, Guardian Blogs.
Monthly prescription
A recent report suggests that more and more women are being offered antidepressants for the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome. Is this really the solution for a complex condition? Luisa Dillner reports
Tuesday July 8, 2008, The Guardian.
Mental health care is failing our society
Sunday July 6, 2008, The Observer.
Mother accuses mental health trust of signing her son's death warrant
Matthew Taylor, Thursday July 3, 2008, The Guardian.
The gain in Spain means looking on the sunny side
Clare Allan, Wednesday July 2, 2008, The Guardian.
Former patients make bid to reopen psychiatric hospital
Sara Gaines, Tuesday July 1, 2008, Society Guardian.
Get away from statistics. Trust the doctor
Dr Mark Salter is a consultant psychiatrist working in Hackney, east London
Tuesday July 1, 2008, The Guardian.
Psychiatric patients 'feel lost and unsafe'
Amelia Hill, social affairs correspondent, Sunday June 29, 2008, The Observer.
Will this man make you happy?
The government's 'happiness tsar', Richard Layard, thinks he knows why we're all so miserable - we're overpaid, over-materialistic and lonely. But, he tells Stuart Jeffries, he has a plan to banish the blues in Britain, once and for all
Tuesday June 24, 2008, The Guardian.
New Vision for Mental Health would see DH role diminish
Charities call for more emphasis on public mental health
Daniel Lombard, 23 June 2008, communitycare.co.uk.
Britain's child victims of the chemical cosh
Powerful anti-psychotic drugs designed for adults are being used to treat children, including those with learning difficulties. Brian Brady and Nina Lakhani report
Sunday, 15 June 2008, The Independent. ★★★★★
Adass demands end to councils' 'retreat' from mental health
Mithran Samuel, 6 June 2008, communitycare.co.uk.
'I make it look like they died in their sleep'
Jon Ronson, Monday May 12 2008, The Guardian.
Banks urged to ease debt worries of people with mental health problems
Mary O'Hara, Monday May 12 2008, Society Guardian.
Sheffield's Pakistani community helped with mental illnes by Enhanced Pathways In Care project
Natalie Valios, 7 May 2008, communitycare.co.uk.
Appeal court ruling gives hope to NHS Alzheimer's patients denied drugs
James Meikle, Friday May 2 2008, The Guardian.
We need more places of safety
It's positive that new laws will help those detained under the Mental Health Act be assessed in appropriate settings, says Angela Greatley - but the infrastructure just isn't there
May 1 2008, The Guardian.
'Lackadaisical approach' led to bus killing by schizophrenic man freed on bail, inquiry finds
Alan Travis, Home affairs editor, Tuesday April 29 2008, The Guardian.
A mental block in policy
Marcel Berlins, Monday April 28 2008, The Guardian.
Depression study reveals workplace prejudice
Sara Gaines, Monday April 21 2008, Society Guardian.
Helping cope with depression at work
Emer O'Neill, April 21, 2008, The Guardian.
IoS Mental Health Campaign: Campbell calls for end to stigma of depression in the workplace
Nina Lakhani, Sunday, 20 April 2008, The Independent.
Psychiatric hospital closes its doors
Debbie Andalo, Wednesday April 16 2008, The Guardian.
Mental care 'must protect young
The government's overhaul of the mental health system must give more protection to children, a charity has warned.
Saturday, 14 April 2007, BBC News.
Big rise in rate of self-harm in jail, says charity
Press Association, Monday April 14 2008, The Guardian.
Lack of staff training puts mentally ill at risk on wards
Nina Lakhani, Sunday, 13 April 2008, The Independent.
Vulnerable people troubled by funding changes
Henderson hospital provides unique care for people with personality disorders. So why is it being threatened with closure, asks former patient Marilyn Ruttley
April 10, 2008, Guardian Blogs.
The kindness of strangers
After more than 20 years with depression, Zoe Lewis thought she would simply have to put up with her illness. But a friend persuaded her to try group therapy. What happened next changed her life
Monday April 7, 2008, The Guardian.
'My death might be seen as a cost saving'
Mental health service users fear moves to reduce the numbers on incapacity benefit will make life intolerable, writes Peter Beresford
March 18, 2008, Guardian. ★★★★★
'It's worse than a criminal record'
Laura Marcus was hospitalised after a serious nervous breakdown. But that was more than 30 years ago - so why do so many people still make a big deal of it?
Laura Marcus, The Guardian, Monday February 11 2008.
Richer but less happy, we are now a pill-popping people
It will take more than a change in prescription rules to break Britain's growing dependence on antidepressants
Jackie Ashley, The Guardian, Monday February 11 2008.
Star turn helps bring an end to negativity
David Brindle, The Guardian, Wednesday January 30 2008.
Psychiatric wards are frightening, says watchdog
David Brindle, The Guardian, Wednesday January 30 2008.
Mental Health Campaign: Families demand full inquests for deaths in secure hospitals
Nina Lakhani, Sunday, 27 January 2008, The Independent.
2007
A life in limbo
Mary O'Hara, Wednesday December 19 2007, The GuardianAlice, who first came to the attention of social workers as a toddler, is the subject of a public inquiry next month into the system's failings when dealing with young people with mental illness. Mary O'Hara reports
The real cost of presenteeism
Jonathan Naess hopes that publication of a new report on the cost of mental ill health will spur employers and the government into action
Jonathan Naess, December 13, 2007, The Guardian
High cost of staff mental illness
Navtej Johal, Thursday December 13 2007, Society Guardian
Patients in mental crisis not getting help promised
John Carvel, social affairs editor, Friday December 7 2007, The Guardian.
Loose-talking psychophobes show nothing but contempt
Clare Allan, Wednesday December 5 2007, The Guardian. ★★★★★
The benefits of the learning curve
Adult education classes for people with mental health problems have come a long way since the days of "Craft for the Depressed" sessions, says Alan Tuckett. It's a shame that so many courses face the axe.
Alan Tuckett, Thursday November 29 2007, Society Guardian.
'We couldn't just turn him away'
Margaret Robertson had grown used to phone calls from her son's mentally ill friend. Then he arrived at her home, claiming to be Jimi Hendrix and asking for a bed. A minor inconvenience soon turned to tragedy ...
Margaret Robertson, Monday November 26, 2007,The Guardian.
US police shoot dead teenager wielding hairbrush
Press Association,Tuesday November 13, 2007, Guardian Unlimited.
Muddy thinking
The term schizophrenia was coined more than 100 years ago as a provisional category covering a wide range of psychiatric disorders. Isn't it time we retired this vague and stigmatised label
Kate Hilpern, Tuesday October 9, 2007, The Guardian.
Our mentally ill older people are languishing at the bottom of the list
Gordon Lishman, Wednesday August 22 2007, The Guardian.
A different shade of blue
When doctors diagnose a bad patch as clinical depression, there are serious human costs
Nick Johnstone, Saturday August 18 2007, The Guardian. ★★★★★
Government extends dignity campaign to mental health patients
Paul Vaughan, Wednesday August 15 2007, Society Guardian.
Mental health services are failing the elderly
Tania Branigan, political correspondent, The Guardian, Monday August 13, 2007.
Bedlam artists challenge mental health myths
Mark Drinkwater, Wednesday July 4, 2007, Society Guardian.
Do the drug companies takes us all for mugs?
Clare Allan, Wednesday July 4, 2007, The Guardian.
A new act, but mental health battles remain
David Brindle, Wednesday July 11, 2007, The Guardian.
Scots show Brown how to tame the dementia spectre
Christopher Manthorp, Wednesday July 11, 2007, The Guardian.
Note: ★★★★★ = highly recommended