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Breaking Through the Silence of Children’s Mental Health

Source – Huffington Post On February 17, the Duchess of Cambridge will guest edit Huffington Post UK, and we’re delighted that the Duchess has chosen to focus her public service on behavioral and emotional problems in children. She has spoken eloquently about the need to bring down the barriers of stigma and misunderstanding that prevent kids from getting help. Another obstacle to life-changing attention is all around us:

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Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig review – one man’s battle with depression

Source – The Guardian With one in five people now suffering from depression at some point in their lives, the miasma that lingers over public discussions of mental health seems increasingly anachronistic, and makes books like Matt Haig’s anatomy of the depression and anxiety from which he suffered between the ages of 24 and 32 all the more timely. A self-confessed “party person” in his youth, Haig was blindsided by his first bout of depression while pursuing a hedonistic lifestyle in Ibiza. He describes the physical onset of his symptoms as an “intense flickering” in his head, “as though a butterfly was trapped”; by the time he returned home, even a trip to the cornershop had become a source of paralysing terror.

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South London and Maudsley NHS Trust launches 24-hour mental health support line

People living in the London boroughs of Lambeth, Southwark, Lewisham and Croydon who are experiencing mental distress now have access to a 24-hour mental health telephone support line. South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) launched the mental health helpline on December 18. It is staffed by a team of six nurses covering 24 hours a day who provide a single point of contact for people experiencing crisis or facing difficulties dealing with mental illness.

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The NHS is failing people with mental health and substance use problems

Source – The Guardian.com People who have mental health along with substance use problems (known as dual diagnosis) have multiple needs, and yet struggle to find services to help them. Those with complex needs have often experienced a great deal of adversity in their lives, including childhood abuse and deprivation, loss of close family, and poverty.

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The Collins Foundation Meets – Norman Lamb MP

Today (4/12/15) was a great day for the foundation. Founder (Shawn Collins) met with Norman Lamb MP at his constituency office in North Norfolk with the intention of an Introduction to the foundation’s plans for the future. Shawn discussed various issues around mental health including his own experiences with Alcohol, Drugs and acute anxiety disorder.

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Should You Take an App For That?

Mental health apps may be promising, but they sorely lack regulation and quality reviews Mobile health care apps now number in the thousands on the Apple and Google online stores, and many of these are targeted toward mental health. The need is real: in both the U.

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Is the spending review good news for mental health?

Yesterday George Osborne delivered the government’s spending review. This is an important update about what the government will spend money on in the next few years, and often has big implications for people with health issues of any kind, and people who use a whole range of public services. Tom Miller, our Public Affairs Officer, explains what it means for mental health…

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Australia Have The Right Idea With Mental Health

Sweeping changes to mental health provision aim to foster personalised care – Australia People living with mental illness will soon be able to access personalised care through the government’s primary health networks under sweeping changes to be announced on Thursday. People who are identified by healthcare professionals as having complex needs will be able to access a range of services to manage their illness, including psychiatric care, drug and alcohol rehabilitation services and community and peer support systems. The health minister, Sussan Ley, said the changes would move Australia away from a “one-size-fits-all” mentality towards a “more modern, flexible model of care”.

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