Latest figures show 90.48 per cent (14,362) of the 15,873 due to revalidate in April 2016 have successfully renewed their registration through revalidation and only 1,401 have left the register. This is in line with the number of registrants we would normally expect to leave the register in any given April.
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) has gained traction as a therapy for the many people whose lives are blighted by recurrent depression. As a potential alternative to antidepressants or other proven talking therapies, MBCT has the dual attractions of apparent clinical efficacy and cost effectiveness (Kuyken et al, 2015).
As a therapy that has really developed over the last twenty years or so, a time during which momentum has gathered behind proving through research the evidence base for therapies, MBCT has a considerable number of research papers (especially well-conducted randomised trials) behind it in comparison to other models of therapy.
Yesterday the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) published the latest in a series of major reports on tobacco and nicotine, a series that first began in 1962. This report assesses the public health controversies surrounding low risk non-combustible nicotine products (“nicotine without smoke”), such as e-cigarettes.
Controversies centre around:
How harmful e-cigarettes and other non-combustible products are, when compared to smoking tobacco
Whether these products somehow encourage smoking through gateway effects, ‘renormalising’ smoking or reducing the rate at which smokers quit
The role of the tobacco industry
This paper (Fusar-Poli et al, 2016) is one of a series of meta-analyses by this group looking at the prognostic significance of differing types of “At Risk Mental States (of Psychosis)” or ARMS for short.
This particular paper looks at the prognostic significance of some subtypes of ARMS compared to different types of brief psychotic illnesses compared to First Episode Schizophrenia.
Given the high prevalence and considerable disease burden associated with depression, attention has been shifting more and more to its prevention, with recent meta-analyses suggesting that a potentially fruitful avenue to explore might involve targeting individuals with sub-threshold symptomatology (van Zoonen et al., 2014).
In a new large randomised controlled trial (RCT) published yesterday in JAMA, Buntrock and co-authors investigated whether a web-based guided self-help intervention could help prevent the onset of major depressive disorder (MDD) in a German adult population with sub-threshold depression.
Risk assessment and safety planning are a core aspect of the role of the mental health nurse.
Conflicting views exist on the value of risk assessment tools.
Few studies have examined mental health nurses' attitudes towards risk, including use of tools and the role of positive risk in recovery. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - request a copy of the article from the library - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
Various expert opinions reported relational benefits and tranquilizing effects of therapeutic body wraps (TBW) in adults experiencing high anxiety in the context of psychosis. Yet, this tranquilizing effect was never investigated in larger samples and in the context of modern psychopharmacology.
What this paper adds to existing knowledge?
This is the first study to establish descriptive statistics of this mind-body therapy in French-speaking Switzerland where TBWs are routinely used in two public psychiatric hospitals. It brings knowledge on patients nowadays treated with TBW. Moreover, it opens a new area of investigation on the potential of this nursing technique, which may contribute to reduce anxiolytic medication in severely ill patients. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - request a copy of the article from the library - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
Estimates of the proportion of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who are minimally verbal vary from 25%to 35%. However, there is a lack of consensus in defining minimally verbal and few detailed reports of communication outcomes for these children following intervention. The aim of this study was to explore how minimally verbal children have been defined and to document the proportion of minimally verbal children in a group of children with ASD receiving a community based early intervention programme. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - request a copy of the article from the library - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
Although spoken-language deficits are not core to an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis, many children with ASD do present with delays in this area. Previous meta-analyses have assessed the effects of intervention on reducing autism symptomatology, but have not determined if intervention improves spoken language. This analysis examines the effects of early interventions on spoken-language in children with ASD. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - request a copy of the article from the library - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
Open access. The aim of this study was to test the usefulness of the Cognitive and Language scales Bayley-III in the early assessment of cognitive and language functions in the context of an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis. This paper focuses on the application of the Bayley-III and studies the predictive value of the test result in children with ASD with different levels of verbal ability.
Compared to parents of adults with other types of disabilities, parents of adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience worse well-being. Thus, it is crucial to identify the individual, parent and social–environmental correlates of caregiving experiences among parents of adults with ASD. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - request a copy of the article from the library - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
Participation in social and physical activities has a number of benefits for children with or without disabilities. However, individuals with disabilities are often excluded from taking part in social activities. Most of the research on activity participation has focused on adults or youth with milder disabilities. However, children and adolescents with severe and complex needs, including those with autism, are often excluded from this type of research because of their complexities and level of functioning. Thus, we examined the social participation and friendships of children and adolescents with severe developmental disabilities, with and without autism, compared with peers without developmental disabilities. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - request a copy of the article from the library - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
Identification of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in persons with intellectual disability (ID) is challenging but essential to allow adequate treatment to be given. This study examines whether the combination of two ASD screening instruments specifically developed for persons with ID, namely, the Diagnostic Behavioral Assessment for ASD—Revised (DiBAS-R) and the Autism Checklist (ACL), improves diagnostic accuracy when used in combination compared to the application of the single instrument. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - request a copy of the article from the library - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
Many children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) demonstrate verbal communication disorders reflected in lower verbal than non-verbal abilities. The present study examined the extent to which this discrepancy is associated with atypical speech sound differentiation. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - request a copy of the article from the library - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai