Last week the UK Government’s Child Mental Health Taskforce published a report: Future In Mind – Promoting, protecting and improving our children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing. Continue reading
The British Psychological Society have published their strategic plan for 2015-2020 and it’s good to see that it includes the aim to maximise the impact of psychology on public policy. A great example of psychology influencing policy was the collaboration between psychologists and government after the London terrorist attacks on July 7th 2005, when psychological research and clinical expertise informed the crisis response. Continue reading
Recent outcry from authors about the new stricter rules on what prisoners can receive in jail, highlighted that prisoners would no longer be able to be sent books. This is, of course, outrageous, but in my mind just as outrageous is that there is a blanket ban on all parcels, including birthday presents. Continue reading
Healthcare services have come under fire in 2013 for their lack of compassionate care, particularly post-mid-Staffs scandal. Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust was found to have serious failings in provision of care which resulted in patient distress and deaths. Continue reading
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) Edition V is in the limelight again. This new version of the American Psychological Association’s dictionary of mental illnesses is being released on May 18th. In the build up to this the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) have released a statement announcing their intention to move away from the DSM diagnostic criteria. Continue reading
I am feeling a sense of learned helplessness about what the coalition government are doing to the NHS.
Learned helplessness is a phenomenon associated with depression. A classic animal model of depression, learned helplessness occurs when an animal is repeatedly hurt or subjected to a nasty situation that it has no power to change. Continue reading
Psychology magpie 