A small research study at Ohio University has looked at whether “hope therapy” can help treat depression.   This therapy aims to teach people behaviour common to “hopeful people”. 

People with high hope, according to researchers writing in background information published with the results, possess these “components of hope”:

• Goals: They have long- and short-term meaningful goals.
• Ways to reach those goals: A plan or pathway to get there and the ability to seek alternative routes, if needed.
• Positive self-talk,  telling themselves things like “I think I can.”

Researchers add that these three traits are related to each other and can be taught.

The study looked at 32 people who attended hope therapy sessions for two hours a week for eight weeks and compared them to people who did not go to therapy.  They found that the therapy participants improved in terms of self-esteem and anxiety symptoms.  Their depression improved too, but this was not statistically significant. 

WebMD (USA) 19/08/08 

Research at the Univesity of North Dakota in the USA have found that, out of 60 people who were tested on a driving stimulation,  those on high-dose anti-depressants had poorer driving skills.    The participants were put through a test that recreated a series of driving situations such as reacting to brake lights, stop signs and traffic signals.    

This is a very small study and does not necessarily prove that people on anti-depressants cannot drive.     A much larger study would be needed to show if there is a definite link.  The BBC quote Alison Kerry of English mental health charity Mind who pointed out that:

“Depression can affect people in many different ways, but one of the common symptoms is experiencing difficulty concentrating.

“However, it’s important to state that everyone has highs and lows in concentration and reaction times, and a period of depression doesn’t mean that you’re a danger on the roads.”

BBC 18th August 2008

Scotland’s first post natal depression telephone helpline “Bluebell at ParentLine Scotland” has been launched. The initiative is a joint venture between CHILDREN 1ST and CrossReach, the social care arm of the Church of Scotland. The freephone helpline telephone number is 0800 3457 457. Lines are open from 9am to 5pm Monday, Wednesday and Friday and from 9am to 9pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

The Scottish Intercollegiate Guideline Network (SIGN) has been working on guidelines on alternatives to medication for treating depression.  A draft has been prepared, which will be available in August and there will be a national meeting on 10th September which will give people a chance to give their views and comments.

SIGN and DAS would very much like to have feedback on the guideline from people affected by Depression and carers, friends and family.

If you would like to give your opinion; to be on the list to review the draft and attend the National Meeting, please contact Ruth at Depression Alliance Scotland on 0131 226 1803 or ruthl@dascot.org. If you can’t attend the meeting but would like an opportunity to view and comment on the draft guideline, let us know and a copy can be forwarded to you. Alternatively, the draft will be available on the SIGN website www.sign.ac.uk for a short period immediately before and after the meeting on 10th September.

YouthHealthTalk is part of a national charity that produces the award-winning website www.dipex.org. They told us: 

On our young people’s site www.YouthHealthTalk.org you can watch, listen to or read interviews with young people about their experiences of health, illness and lifestyles and find reliable information about different health conditions and links to other websites, support groups, books and videos.

We are looking for young people help us put together a new site on Young people & Depression. We’d like to hear from people aged 16-21 with experiences of depression or ongoing low mood. Young people taking part can either share their experiences through an interview with an experienced researcher or can make a video or photo diary. Every individual can choose whether we use a video, audio or text version of the interview. They can even have an actor speak their words!

For more information about the project, please contact our researcher Ulla. If you then decide you don’t want to take part - no problem!

Sharing your experiences can help others in a similar situation to know they are not alone.

• Ulla.Raisanen@dphpc.ox.ac.uk
  01865 289324
  07805 828792

Days Like This will give people across Scotland the chance to be a part of the nation’s history by writing about a special day in their life which made a strong impression on them. The project aims to gather thousands of extraordinary tales, from born-and-bred Scots to newly-arrived immigrants, from Moffat to Orkney.

To take part in Days Like This, all people need to do is write about a day in their life that was a bit extraordinary: It could be the day they didn’t get married, or the day they got lost in a supermarket. It could be a childhood memory or something that happened yesterday. It could have happened in Scotland or anywhere else in the world.

Author Irvine Welsh, broadcaster Hardeep Singh Kohli, mountaineer Jamie Andrew, actress Siobhan Redmond, percussionist Evelyn Glennie and Idlewild frontman Roddy Woomble have joined the project as celebrity curators, writing and recording their own story as an inspiration for people to do the same.

Anyone can send a story - content is what matters! Stories should be no longer than 1,000 words and can be about anything as long as it’s true! All stories will appear on the BBC website for everyone to read. The celebrity panel will choose their favourites to be recorded and discussed in a series of radio programmes and published in a book in 2009. The deadline is: 1 November 2008

For more details (including all stories sent), click on http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/node/20540

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) have launched an online “benefits adviser” service via the Directgov website. The new service is designed to give customers quicker information about their records, and their potential entitlements, by providing a signposting service on benefits that may be relevant to the customer’s circumstances. For more information see http://benefitsadviser.direct.gov.uk/

A website called Lift Depression – The Human Givens Approach has been launched. The site aims to give depressed people information about the Human Givens Approach.  This approach takes the view that, when innate physical and emotional needs – the human givens – are met well, people cannot help but be mentally healthy.  The site aims to educate people about the link between worrying, dreaming and depression.   www.lift-depression.com

A  telephone counselling service called `Your Call’ has been launched by Lothian Council for Integrated Living (LCIL)  for disabled people from all over Scotland.  The `Your Call’ counsellors are all disabled people themselves, providing them with an understanding of what it means to live as a disabled person in Scotland.   The counsellors work as volunteers, and are trained to a professional standard in counselling.

The number is 08088010362 (free from landlines) and it is open to disabled people in Scotland over the age of 18 and their immediate family.

Working overtime was associated with higher anxiety and depression scores among both men and women, particularly among workers on lower incomes and less-skilled workers, according to a Norwegian study published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.  Even moderate overtime hours appear to raise the risk of mental distress.

Bloomberg.com 15 June 2008