Ten communities around the UK will be receiving a share of £1 million to help reduce underage and binge drinking. The money, which is provided by Baroness Newlove and the Government Champion for Active Safer Communities, will be given out over the next two years to fund a number of local initiatives. These include:

•    The City of Lincoln’s proposal to develop social media to links between evening safety wardens, street pastors and local police to better address weekday problem drinking and anti-social behaviour in the city centre. They will tackle the repercussion of the rapid expansion of students and visitors to the city centre.

•    The local community in Moseley, Birmingham wants to establish a lasting solution to the stubborn issue of street drinking and its associated problems of begging, littering and rough sleeping by giving local people a direct say in deciding how their project develops and how the budget is spent.

•    Newcastle wants to work with young people and their families to address crime and anti-social behaviour in two inner suburbs: Elswick; and Benwell and Scotswood, where local surveys suggest that a third of people polled, consider drunk and rowdy behaviour to be a problem.

•    Shropshire, whose project will focus on five of the county’s public parks which experience seasonal summertime issues around underage drinking and anti-social behaviour. The Shropshire Safer Stronger Communities Board will work with local police, trading standards and retailers to confiscate alcohol from minors, tackle proxy buying and work with young people on developing positive park-based activities.

The effectiveness of these programs will be measured in several different ways including, any reductions in the number of anti-social behaviour incidents involving alcohol, the number of A&E admissions and ambulance call outs involving drinking, the alcohol consumption levels of young people and the amount of alcohol purchased on behalf of people under 18. To insure these criteria are met, Baroness Newlove has promised to work closely with each of the 10 areas.

“I am delighted that the Fund was 10-times oversubscribed, but not really surprised. I have always believed there is a seam of active citizens prepared and willing to work at creating safer, happier communities together with the agencies there to help them. This response proves it. We shall mine these wonderful examples of fresh ideas and local solutions to tackle alcohol misuse and the crime and blight that follows. In two years these areas will be transformed. I intend to support them all the way and ensure others follow their trail blazing progress.”

The 10 communities selected to receive funding are Bury, Greater Manchester, Chelmsford, Essex, Cornwall, County Durham, Lincoln, Lincolnshire, Maidstone, Kent, Moseley, Birmingham, Newcastle, Shropshire and Wakefield, West Yorkshire. Each of these projects will receive around £45,000 per year for two years. The projects will also have the backing of local authorities, police and retailers to help make this two year plan a success.

A minimum price of 50p has been agreed upon by the ruling SNP and all other political parties except Labour. The announcement was made recently by Health secretary Nicola Sturgeon during a visit to the Glasgow Royal Infirmary. She said, “Cheap alcohol comes at a price and now is the time to tackle the toll that Scotland’s unhealthy relationship with alcohol is taking on our society.”

Under the new regulations supermarkets and off licenses would no longer be able to sell alcohol at discount prices. For instance the minimum price for a bottle of red wine would be £4.69. Similarly the cheapest a bottle of 40% strength whisky could be priced at is £14. The Scottish Government claims the new regulations will save five hundred lives per year from alcohol-related deaths.

The Scottish Parliament has discussed such regulations in the past. Only two years ago the same Alcohol Minimum Pricing Bill was defeated, but during that vote the now ruling SNP was the minority administration. This second attempt to pass the bill is expected to be successful. The bill also contains what is known as a “sunset clause” that will allow it to be repealed in six years if the policy proves to be ineffective.

Many doctors have come out in support of the new regulation. Chairman of the British Medical Association in Scotland, Dr. Brian Keighley, has said, “Despite efforts to encourage responsible retailing by supermarkets, they continue to sell high-alcohol products such as vodka and ciders at ridiculously cheap prices to entice customers to their store.”

Dr. Keighley continued, “The trend for cheap alcohol and excessive consumption has a human cost. Alcohol related illness causes one death every three hours in Scotland and the total healthcare costs are more than £268 million. This increasing cost could cripple the NHS with a financial burden that is no longer sustainable, especially in the current financial climate.”

England’s politicians are following in the footsteps of their Scottish counterparts. In the coalition government’s new alcohol strategy, minimum alcohol pricing is among a number of proposed methods to tackle alcoholism and binge drinking. In fact, a number of counties are already considering their own minimum alcohol pricing regulations. Any proposals that look to tackle the massive human and financial costs imposed upon the UK by alcohol abuse should be welcomed by all.

Please feel free to send us any of your own suggestions via our Facebook or Twitter. Thank you and enjoy.

If effective, olanzapine may also be an easier pill for ED patients to swallow. One of the problems with current prescription drugs used for anorexia is their side effects.

The studies Co-author, Daniel Le Grange, professor of psychiatry and behavioral neuroscience and director of the Eating Disorders Clinic at the University of Chicago Medicine, said one challenge was finding a medication patients with anorexia would agree to take. “Patients are almost uniformly very skeptical and very reluctant to take any medication that could lower their resolve to refrain from eating,” he said. “There are long-standing resistances, and I think researchers and clinicians have been reluctant to embark on that course, since it’s just littered with obstacles.”

With anorexia affecting around 1.6 million people in the UK alone, finding a treatment sufferers are willing to take would be a huge victory both for individuals and treatment centers battling the disease.

“I think the clinical field is certainly very ready for something that is going to make a difference,” Le Grange said. “I’m not saying there’s a ‘magic pill’ for anorexia nervosa, but we have been lacking any pharmacological agent that clearly contributes to the recovery of our patients. Many parents and many clinicians are looking for that, because it would make our job so much easier if there was something that could turn symptoms around and speed up recovery.”

Scientists are hopeful that they will be able to identify the ingredient in olanzapine that helps treat anorexic behaviors. This would allow them to do more than produce a chemical treatment. By identifying which substance is acting on the brain, it may be possible to isolate the chemical receptors affected by ED and target them more specifically. That means patients would be prescribed a new drug that is designed to for their condition.

That would be a huge leap in the treatment of ED. Currently, most medications used to treat anorexia are ant-psychotics that were designed for other diseases. A new and more targeted drug would not only be more effective, it would lack the stigma of taking an ant-psychotic.

Better still, olanzapine has already been used clinically to supplement interventions and therapies. While its direct effect on anorexic behavior in people or animals has not been sufficiently studied, the fact that it has already been approved for use in humans makes it easier to test. This could speed up the development process and help bring an effective anorexia treatment to market more quickly.

These babies face more than just a bit of colic, they have a condition called neonatal abstinence syndrome or NAS. Infants with NAS show symptoms of drug withdrawal. They are also more likely to have respiratory problems, low birth weight, difficulty feeding and seizures.

The studies lead researcher and neonatal-perinatal fellow at the University of Michigan, Dr. Stephen Patrick said, “I take care of babies in the intensive care unit, and it felt like we were seeing an increase of babies with NAS in our ICU. I see these babies on a regular basis. You hear them crying down the hall – it’s easy to identify them.”

While the newborns struggle with the symptoms of their addiction, a new CDC report shows opiate use has quadrupled in the US. In his study, Patrick found that babies from lower income families were more likely to have NAS despite the rise in opiate abuse spanning all income levels.

“It’s important to know these families come from all different walks of life,” Patrick said. “This problem doesn’t discriminate. There should be more attention brought to this—researchers need to find ways to treat opiate addiction, and on a state and federal level, we need to think of ways of reducing opiate use.”

While treating opiate addiction may seem like an obvious answer, it can be very difficult to put into practice. Street drugs like heroin are easy to find and pain killers are some of the most prescribed medications on the market. More importantly, without screening, it is difficult to know if someone even has an opiate addiction. It is often the case that women could have been addicted long before they got pregnant. By the time they go in for blood work and tests for their pregnancy, the addiction may have already affected the baby and made treatment more complex.

Some doctors are calling for better opiate monitoring programs and drug screening for pregnant women but this could encourage addicted mothers to avoid the hospital completely. That could have disastrous effects, as babies with NAS can be very vulnerable. Other suggested solutions include better education around opiate use. Many addicts start taking pain killers for a legitimate problem but become addicted later. In any case, opiate addiction is becoming a greater problem world wide. It is important to find a solution before this becomes a greater burden on the healthcare system and society as a whole.

A study recently published in the April edition of the Archives of General Psychiatry aimed to answer this exact question. They found that amongst US teens a majority have used alcohol or drugs recently and a worryingly high number reported having struggled with abusing said substances. These results, when viewed with the understanding that drug and alcohol use early in life can be a strong indicator of abuse later in life, should raise alarm amongst both parents and policy-makers.

The study was conducted by a team led by Joel Swendsen Ph.D of the University of Bordeaux. They surveyed over 10,000 teen aged between 13 and 18 in the USA. The focus of their research was to determine the age of onset, prevalence and sociodemographic factors that influenced alcohol and drug use by teens.

The simple numbers that came as a result of their survey are as follows. Just over 78% reported having consumed alcohol with 47% having drunk at least twelve drinks in the past year. Of these 15.1% met the criteria for potential for lifetime abuse. Regarding drug use, 42.5% reported having used drugs and of these 16.4% indicated drug abuse.

The study also concluded that 14 is the median age for frequent alcohol use and that 15 is the similar age for drugs. As the age of the survey respondents increased so did the likelihood of using drugs and/or alcohol. Simply put, an 18 year old was more likely to have used alcohol or drugs than a 14 year old.

While it should not come as a surprise to anyone that teenagers are prone to experimenting with drugs and alcohol the fact that these numbers are so high should be a warning sign. One should note that not all of these kids are going to grow up to become alcoholics or drug addicts. Many will mature with time and move away naturally from the dangerous experimentation of youth. That said, it is important for parents and educators to reinforce the dangers that alcohol and illegal substances can have towards a kids health and future prospects.

The researchers explained their findings by saying, “Because the early onset of substance use is a significant predictor of substance use behaviour and disorders in a lifespan, the public health implications of the current findings are far reaching… The prevention of both alcohol and illicit drug abuse requires strategies that target early adolescence and take into account the highly differential influence that population-based factors may exert by stage of substance use.”

Leptin is a hormone produced naturally by the body when it ingests fat. Too much and it can lead to multiple sclerosis, cancer and heart disease, too little can cause infertility, immunodeficiency and other problems.

By mapping the receptor, scientists can begin to design drugs to block, regulate or even stimulate leptin production. This could alleviate the symptoms of some eating disorders and help speed recovery.

“This pioneering research gives us the potential to generate new drugs that could treat conditions and diseases associated with obesity,” says Richard Ross, professor of endocrinology.

“Modulating the actions of the obesity receptor provides a novel approach to the treatment of conditions associated with both obesity and anorexia and has the potential to make a massive difference to millions of people whose quality of life and health is hindered by obesity or malnutrition.”

Overall, Leptin is involved in moderating appetite, but it is also tied to fertility and immunity. That means this new research could produce a host of treatments for other diseases.

Pete Artymiuk, a professor in the molecular biology and biotechnology department said, “Because we now know the precise atomic structure of the receptor we can begin to design drug molecules that can alter its activity. This can be useful in the treatment of a variety of diseases ranging from obesity to autoimmune diseases including multiple sclerosis.”

While there is still a great deal of work to be done, researchers are excited by the new possibilities. Controlling leptin may make it easier for people undergoing treatment for eating disorders by easing symptoms and helping to prevent some of the worse side effects of ED. Leptin control could even increase the quality of life for those who have a long term disordered relationship with food.

As a primary counselor and the Clinical manager at Life Works Community, Jill Fowler knows all to well how difficult that first step can be. She has some tips for anyone who is thinking of starting the first conversation with a loved one.

 
DO:

Pick your moment

Show concern

Be compassionate

Offer evidence

Suggest help

Fowler said these are the most important things to keep in mind when confronting someone about a problem like an eating disorder, depression or addiction. Picking your moment will insure that the person is in the right frame of mind to discuss a serious issue. A good example of this is talking to an alcoholic when they are hung over rather than drunk. When the time is right, make sure to show the person you are concerned and compassionate. It can be very easy to get annoyed or angry at someone’s problem but Fowler said it is important to make it clear that you are worried about them, understand they have a problem and want to help. This prevents the discussion from devolving into an argument. Finally it is important to provide evidence of the problem to combat denial and then suggest some options for help or treatment.

“What I would want to say is ‘I am concerned about you and this is why I am concerned about you and here is the evidence.’ If we can do that in a way that is not to threatening, then I hope we can have a conversation about this,” Fowler said.

Along with these tips, there are also a few things she recommends avoiding in any such discussion.

Don’t

Be confrontation

Get angry

Threaten

Place blame

Any of these behaviors is likely to place the person in need of help on the defensive. They may deny they have a problem, withdraw from the conversation, or become ashamed and sink further into their original problem. It may be hard to stay calm and not try to push them into recovery but the initial conversation is so important and it is in everyone’s best interest to get it right so the healing process can begin.

Researchers have set out to investigate how these life changing events can affect our mental and physical health. A new study to be published in the Journal of Clinical Nursing this May establishes that there may be a link between key life events and how they can trigger an eating disorder. Dr Jerica M Berge of the University of Minnesota who was involved with the study explained the focus of their enquiry, “The aim of our study was to find out if there was any link between transitional events in family life and the onset of eating disorders.”

Their study involved interviewing 26 women and one man who had all struggled with eating disorders. The subjects aged between 17 and 64 years old had a median age of 27. They had been involved with treatment for their eating disorder between 10 months and 18 years. Nine of the interviewees had anorexia, three had bulimia, fourteen had various eating disorders that met no specific criteria and one subject had both anorexia and bulimia.

After speaking with the 27 subjects the researchers noticed six recurring themes that led to the onset of an eating disorder. I will list them here in no particular order.

1. School transition. This could involve either the move from one primary/secondary school to another or the big jump away from home into a university.
2. Relationships: The divorce of parents could affect a child as can the breakdown of a romantic relationship.
3. Death of a loved one: This could include either a family member or close friend. Greif can cause people to change their habits and behaviours.
4. Moving house or changing jobs: These changes can lead to people feeling vulnerable in their new environments.
5. Major Illness: Weight loss caused by illness could prompt people to continue to lose weight or begin bingeing in order to gain back the lost weight.
6. Physical, sexual or incestuous abuse

Also emerging from the interviews was the common thread of how those who developed an eating disorder did not receive necessary support from their family and friends during these difficult moments. People need support, especially during trying periods. When that support does not materialise then some people can look for comfort in actions that can be damaging and addictive. Dr Jerica Birge said, “We hope that our findings will be of interest to parents as well as health professionals as they underline the need for greater awareness and support at times of change and stress.”

Many may be surprised to learn that the average “gamer” is not a young male parked on his parent’s sofa playing games when they should be engaging in a more productive pass-time. Surveys out of America show that the typical “gamer” is 37 years old and has been playing computer games for the past 12 years. Perhaps more fascinating is the fact that forty-two percent of players are female.

Due to this explosion in popularity surrounding video games researchers have begun to investigate how they could be used to positively affect a person’s mental health. The question they have asked is whether games can be as successful in therapy as they have in general entertainment.

Researchers from the University of Auckland in New Zealand believe this can be the case. In a study recently published in the British Medical Journal (that can be read in full here) they have found that specialised computer games can be just as successful as conventional therapy when it comes to treating adolescent depression,

The randomised controlled study conducted by the research team involved 187 adolescents aged between 12 and 19. All of the participants in the study had displayed mild to moderate depression. These young people who agreed to take part were randomly assigned into either standard one-on-one therapy or instructed to use what the researchers termed the specially designed computerized cognitive behavioural therapy intervention. Simply referred to as SPARX (meaning: Smart Positive Active Realistic X-factor thoughts).

The SPARX program involved placing the adolescent in a classic interactive fantasy world similar to the Lord of the Rings. The goal of player is to bring balance to the in-game world by eliminating what are termed GNATs (Gloomy Negative Automatic Thoughts). To use typical game terminology, SPARX requires that the player complete seven differently themed “levels” that are based around accepted methods used in traditional therapy to treat depression. For a complete description of what the computer program entailed please refer to the link above or click here to link to SPARX’s own webpage.

The researchers conducted three months of follow up on the participants of the study and used a number of accepted mental health scales to base their findings. They found that the adolescents that underwent treatment via SPARX saw their overall symptoms of depression and anxiety decrease by a third. This figure is comparable to rates of traditional therapy. On top of this 44% of those who completed at least four of the seven “levels” of SPARX fully recovered from their depression.  Only 26% of participants had a full recovery using standard therapy.

SPARX also appeared to be popular with the adolescents assigned to trial its effectiveness. Of those who used SPARX 95% thought it would appeal to other teenagers. Also 81% of the participants recommended the program to their friends.

With around a quarter of young people experiencing some form a depression by the age of 19 the development of effective treatments is clearly vital. While one-on-one therapy has proven itself to be successful it can also be an expensive undertaking. Some kids will also not be responsive or forthcoming to a therapist. In such cases a program such as SPARX could be crucial to improve the mental wellbeing of distressed young people. Due to the high levels of depression in our society compared to other mental health issues it is important to encourage any non-traditional therapy that has shown the potential for positive results. SPARX and similar examples of computer-based therapy could yet alter how we treat mental health issues in the future.