Mental health features

Although eating disorders present challenging psychological issues for professionals, short-term and long-term physical complications are also commonplace. Here, the author looks at some of these physical health risks

In the second part of his review, Professor Safiullah Afghan looks at how to manage depression in a primary care setting

In the first part of a new series, the authors consider the role GPs can play in the diagnosis and treatment of a variety of eating disorders.

Bariatric surgery is increasingly recognised as a viable approach to effective weight-loss management. In part one of a new series the authors discuss the different types of bariatric surgery.

Recognising and managing depressive disorders in pregnant women presents specific challenges for both the patient and her GP – particularly in terms of understanding and communicating the risks and benefits of antidepressant treatment. Here, the authors discuss the sometimes complex issues.

In our last issue, sleep specialist Professor Gaby Badre looked at the various types of insomnia and described best practice in assessment and diagnosis. Here, he explores the various approaches to treatment and discusses how this should be tailored to the patient.

Sleep disturbance is a common but complex presentation in general practice. Underlying causes are numerous and often elusive to the GP. In the first of a two-part feature on assessment and treatment of insomnia, sleep specialist Professor Gaby Badre looks at the types of insomnia and discusses assessment and diagnosis.

Dr Jane Roberts, RCGP Youth Mental Health Champion, looks at the implications of a recent report highlighting unmet needs in the primary care of people with mental health issues.

With over two thirds of young people saying that putting mental health services online would be an effective way to tackle mental health issues, charity Mindfull has designed the following infographic to illustrate the current state of youth mental health in the UK. a survey by YouGov of over 2000 young people*. It reveals that 1 in 5 children* have symptoms of depression, and almost a third (32%) have thought about or attempted suicide before they were 16. Emma-Jane Cross, CEO and founder of MindFull (part of The BB Group) said: “MindFull is a direct result of the feedback that we have been given by thousands of young people in the UK, who tell us they want the flexibility and convenience of an online service.” “Too many children who try to speak out about the way they’re feeling are being let down or simply ignored. It’s unacceptable that so many are having to resort to harming themselves on purpose in order to cope, or worse still are thinking about ending their own lives.”  

The recent NICE quality standards for managing depression in children and young people included a call for GPs to have a more pivotal role in setting affected patients on the care pathway. Here, Jane Roberts, RCGP Clinical Champion for Youth Mental Health, looks at the issues.