Depression

The Guardian reported on planned tests which will be carried out next year in order to find out if psychedelic drugs could be used to help treat depression. There is tentative evidence that drugs such as LSD and magic mushrooms might be able to ‘reset’ abnormal brain functions if given in a controlled environment.

Mental health in the workplace has also been in the news this week, with a new survey showing that two in five people could have suffered from depression, anxiety or stress and not told their boss. One possible explanation for the statistics is that there is still a perceived stigma attached to having mental health problem.

Drugs and mental health

In drugs-related news from this week, the Telegraph outlined the findings of a 20 year study into cannabis use. The study, conducted by Professor Wayne Hall, showed that cannabis doubles the risk of psychosis and schizophrenia and found that one in six teenagers who regularly smoke cannabis become dependent on it.

Schizophrenia is also the theme of world mental health day today – you can find out more about the condition on the Mental Health Foundation website.

Sleep

Findings of a study revealed this week in the journal Sleep revealed that those with non-optimal sleep duration were more likely to take an increased number of sick days. If you need advice on sleep, then look at Dr Nerina’s HuffPost blog from this week on tips to break the cycle of waking too early.

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“When you have a problem and you drink, take drugs or gamble, the problem won’t go away. Stay and tackle the problem”
#TherapistTipoftheWeek