Anxiety disorders are on the increase.  New research by the Mental Health Foundation for Mental Health Action Week in April 2009 found that people in the UK believe that the world is a more frightening place than it was 10 years ago and 37% feel more frightened and anxious than they used to. Fear is often a driver in many common mental health problems including Depression

Visit the Mental Health Foundation’s website for more information about the report and about how you can tackle fear and anxiety in your life.

Antidepressants can help mild to moderate depression and should not just be used in bad cases, researchers in England say.

Current guidelines in England suggest doctors should avoid antidepressants as an initial treatment in mild depression.

But an English NHS-funded study of 200 patients from across the country found the class of antidepressants called SSRIs, were more effective than GP advice and support alone.

Study leader Professor Tony Kendrick, a GP and researcher at the University of Southampton, said although the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence wants doctors to restrict SSRIs to the most severe cases, GPs frequently prescribe them for milder cases.

“Just because someone has mild depression does not mean it is a mild illness, because it can cause them to be off work for months,” he said.

“And often you don’t have psychological treatments to offer because they’re not available so you end up prescribing quite frequently.”

BBC News 2nd May 2009

A ground-breaking website aimed at reaching young adults (aged 18-35) in Scotland with depression and low mood, who may not otherwise seek help for fear of stigma, is to receive £193,000 funding from the Scottish Government to develop it into a major national online resource. The funding will also enable a related, targeted, local campaign and life-skills courses to be rolled out in the Highlands & Islands – an area where the suicide rate in young adults remains high and there are significant rural challenges in offering support opportunities for young adults. [Read more →]

Mental health charities are finding that the economic downturn is affecting Scotland’s mental health and causing high rates of Depression and Anxiety.

The Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH) surveyed 376 visitors to their website and describe the results as “surprising and worrying”. They found that those who had been affected by the credit crunch were eight times as likely to have sought help for Depression for the first time as those who were not affected and four times as likely to have sought help for Anxiety for the first time as those who were not affected . [Read more →]

Over 80% of visitors to our Look OK… Feel Crap? microsite feel lower in the winter according to a survey on the site.

If you’ve visited www.lookokfeelcrap.org over the past two months, chances are you would agree that you feel worse in the winter. Out of 219 site visitors who completed the online poll, 80% agreed that winter is the worst time of year for feeling bad. [Read more →]

Breathing Space Day 2009 (BS09) takes place on Sunday 1st February and will focus on the theme ‘What’s the point?’. BS09 includes the ‘Breathing Space Hour’ hosted by TV’s Kaye Adams in the main foyer of Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum from 1pm – 2pm on Sunday 1st February.

Tony McLaren, National Coordinator of Breathing Space Scotland said “What’s the point? - it’s a question that many of us have asked ourselves at some stage and is particularly relevant in these current credit crunch times.

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There have been some news stories recently suggesting that a bout of Depression is good for you and can make you more able to face life challenges (the Mail, the BBC, ) and some celebrities like Alistair Campbell, Tony Blair’s former press secretary and author, thinks Depression was the best thing that ever happened to him. The Daily Mail asked six writers who had been affected by Depression whether they agree it is a good thing. Three said yes while the other three said no. The actual source of these stories is a New Scientist article which says normal human sadness is usual but that ‘everyone agrees that clinical depression is not’.

But what do you think? Can Depression ever be a good thing? Leave us a comment!

Many people feel low in January and February. Debts from Christmas, no money, broken New Year’s resolutions, miserable weather and the lack of light can all leave you feeling blue and lacking in motivation and energy.

Here are a few tips for beating the winter blues: [Read more →]

One in 10 young people in Scotland find life meaningless, according to a survey by The Prince’s Trust.

23% of 16 to 25-year-olds said they are “often” or “always” down or depressed.

[Read more →]

The Scottish Government is introducing a Patients’ Rights Bill which aims to place patients at the very heart of the NHS in Scotland.

[Read more →]