Category: Mental Health

Men’s Health Forum

Levelling up men’s health: the case for a men’s health strategy

Across the UK, men’s mental and physical health is unacceptably poor – with around one man in five dying before the age of 65. Covid has worsened the situation with completely disproportionate effects among men. Many services are failing to reach men in time, especially working-age men, even though there are ever more examples of how services can be designed to reach and engage men more effectively. The lesson from other countries is that introducing a men’s health strategy alongside the government’s planned women’s health strategy can change this. This document lays out the case for change.

Covid 19

Current awareness updates

How many care home staff in England have received two Covid-19 vaccine doses? Nuffield Trust chart.
Nuffield Trust; 2021.
[After the deadline passed, care home staff in England now need to have received two Covid-19 jabs to carry on working. Nina Hemmings looks at how many had been vaccinated twice only a few weeks before the deadline.]

Effects of COVID-19 pandemic on mental health outcomes in a cohort of early psychosis patients.[Abstract]
Szmulewicz AG. Early Intervention in Psychiatry 2021;15(6):1799-1802.
[AIM: To evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on clinical outcomes, we used data from Electronic Health Records from 128 patients receiving care at a First Episode Psychosis clinic. CONCLUSIONS: We report that patients have avoided accessing higher levels of care, except in extreme cases. We argue that this is not a sustainable trajectory and that public health actions are required.]

Provider collaboration review: Mental health care of children and young people during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Care Quality Commission (CQC); 2021.
[Review of care in 7 areas of England in June and July 2021 found COVID-19 pandemic has had an enormous impact on the mental health of children and young people, and has led to an increased demand on services, particularly eating disorder services.]

Effectiveness of public health measures in reducing the incidence of covid-19, SARS-CoV-2 transmission, and covid-19 mortality: systematic review and meta-analysis.
BMJ; 2021.
[This systematic review and meta-analysis suggests that several personal protective and social measures, including handwashing, mask wearing, and physical distancing are associated with reductions in the incidence covid-19. Public health efforts to implement public health measures should consider community health and sociocultural needs.]

COVID-19 Young people and vaccines Toolkit.
Cabinet Office; 2021.
[An updated vaccines toolkit for younger people has been launched by the Cabinet Office. The toolkit includes links to assets and videos designed to encourage vaccine uptake among young people aged 18 to 29.]

Emotional Support

Online resources – Shout 85258

Shout 85258 is a free, confidential, 24/7 text messaging support service for anyone who is struggling to cope. It was launched publicly in May 2019 and has had more than 900,000 conversations with people who are anxious, stressed, depressed, suicidal or overwhelmed and who need immediate support. As a digital service, Shout 85258 has become increasingly critical since Covid-19, being one of the few mental health support services able to operate as normal at this time.

For more information visit the website here.

Emotional Support

Online resources – Wot Wud U Do?

Wot Wud U Do is an interactive and thought provoking resource, designed to help professionals to educate the younger generation on topics that impact them daily, such as mental health, relationships and sex. 

Their vision is simple; to change how young people think when confronted with day to day challenges on mental health, relationships and/or sex. They support their vision with three main aims, which are:

  • To educate young people to think critically when it comes to making decisions
  • To raise their awareness of how their level of self-esteem affects their ability to make decisions
  • To stimulate a lively debate within the classroom by simply asking ‘Wot Wud U Do’.

For more information visit the website or watch the video below.

Emotional Support

Online resources – Mental Health Family Hour

Today’s resource is the hugely popular Mental Health Family Hour with Sam Tyrer (Change Talks) and Dave Cottrell (Mindset by Dave) and this episode is about social media and self image.

Emotional Support

Online resources – Healthier LSC

Sign-posting to mental health resources resources in Lancashire and South Cumbria.

This webpage contains resources, information, support organisations and websites to help support your own mental health or if you are worried about someone else. 

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Emotional Support

Online resources – SAM self-help app

SAM is an app to help you understand and manage anxiety. The app has been developed in collaboration with a research team from UWE, Bristol.

SAM will help you to understand what causes your anxiety, monitor your anxious thoughts and behaviour over time and manage your anxiety through self-help exercises and private reflection.

Download the app here.

Public Health

Current awareness updates

Influenza season 2021–22: what healthcare managers need to know.
Clough I. British Journal of Healthcare Management 2021;27(10):1-4.
[With the influenza season approaching and COVID-19 case numbers remaining high, this article highlights key points for healthcare managers and leaders going into this potentially challenging period.]

The vicious cycle of tobacco use and mental illness – a double burden on health.
World Health Organization (WHO); 2021.
[This new factsheet examines the intricate connections between tobacco use and mental illness. 2 in 3 people with severe mental health conditions are current smokers, which has an enormous impact on health. Reducing smoking among people with mental illness is identified as the single most effective action for reducing the gap in life expectancy.]

British HIV Association guidelines for the management of HIV-2 2021.
British HIV Association (BHIVA); 2021.
[The overall purpose of these guidelines is to provide guidance on best clinical practice in the treatment and management of adults with HIV-2.]

Promoting the sexual health and wellbeing of people from a Black Caribbean background: an evidence-based resource.
Public Health England (PHE); 2021.
[Provides information on developing interventions for improved sexual health and wellbeing in people from a Black Caribbean background.]

Sexually transmitted infections: promoting the sexual health and wellbeing of gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men.
Public Health England (PHE); 2021.
[Provides information on developing interventions for improved sexual health and wellbeing among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men.]

Sexual and Reproductive Health Services, England (Contraception) 2020/21.
NHS Digital; 2021.
[This publication primarily covers contraceptive activity taking place at dedicated Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) services in England, as recorded in the Sexual and Reproductive Health Activity Dataset (SRHAD), a mandated collection for all providers of NHS SRH services. The main focus of this report is contraception.]

Overlooked: why we should be doing more to support families and friends affected by someone else’s drinking, drug use or gambling.
Adfam; 2021.
[This report examines Adfam’s latest research with YouGov on the prevalence of people currently negatively affected by the drinking, drug use or gambling of a family member or friend in 2021, and the different challenges and impacts these families currently face. The report’s findings highlight the need for more recognition of the impacts on families and friends, and it includes recommendations on how to better support this overlooked group.]

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs): annual data tables.
Public Health England (PHE); 2021.
[Information on STI diagnoses and sexual health services provided in England by demographic characteristics and geographical region.]

Emotional Support

Online resources – Master the Mind Master Anything podcast – Kids’ Mental Health Special

Source: Mindset by Dave podcast

Today’s resource is the Master the Mind Master Anything podcast presented by Dave Cottrell (Mindset by Dave). In this episode Dave talks, from one parent to another, about some of the things he has learned as a parent and how these can be applied in your relationships with your own kids.

Listen to the podcast here.