Mental health articles
OF mental health care and mentally ill
What is homeopathy?
Homeopathy is a school of medicine founded by Dr Samuel Hahnemann (1755–1843). The term homeopathy is derived from the Greek for ‘like suffering’. It is based on the principle of ‘let likes be treated with likes’ or similia similibus curentur. This principle was known to Hippocrates but it was Hahnemann who coined the term ‘homeopathy’ […]
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Acupuncture in smoking cessation
Acupuncture and related techniques are promoted as a treatment for smoking cessation in the belief that they may reduce nicotine withdrawal symptoms. White et al. conducted a review determining the effectiveness of acupuncture and the allied therapies of acupressure, laser therapy and electrostimulation, in smoking cessation in comparison with: (a) sham treatment, (b) other interventions, […]
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Is there a role for acupuncture in mental illness?
There are Chinese studies on the treatment of mental illness with acupuncture. Unfortunately, the methodological quality of these studies is very poor. The majority are uncontrolled and do not meet the ‘gold standard’ of research for evaluating treatments, which is the randomized control trial. In the West, there have been a number of studies in […]
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Is acupuncture safe?
A review by Rampes and James revealed that serious adverse effects of acupuncture have been reported ranging from trauma to underlying organs (for example pneumothorax: puncture of the lung cavity) to infections (hepatitis B). Most serious adverse effects are preventable by appropriate practitioner training. In the past, practitioners used reusable needles, which required careful sterilization. […]
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What is acupuncture?
Acupuncture encompasses differing philosophies and techniques. Acupuncture is the stimulation of special points on the body, usually by insertion of fine needles. How the points to be treated are selected depends on the teaching and background of the practitioner. At one end of the spectrum is the Traditional Chinese Medicine acupuncturist, who operates from a […]
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What is complementary and alternative therapy?
What is considered complementary and alternative therapy in one country may be considered conventional medicine in another. The Cochrane Collaboration defines complementary and alternative therapy as a ‘broad domain of healing resources that encompasses all health systems, modalities, and practices and their accompanying theories and beliefs, other than those intrinsic to the politically dominant health […]
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Anti-anxiety and sedative-hypnotic drugs
Benzodiazepines are the most widely prescribed group of drugs in the world although in recent years their popularity has waned because of their potential to cause tolerance and dependence. Benzodiazepines have a wide range of uses including anxiety, anxiety-related phobias, alcohol withdrawal and sleep disorders. They are also widely used in the treatment of acute […]
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Promoting collaborative speaking styles
Friendliness, confidence and attentiveness can encourage the development of a trusting relationship (McQueen 2000) but there is also a need to ascertain the extent to which clients want to participate in their care. Be aware that some clients may find initial approaches overwhelming especially if they have been used to being patronized by traditional methods […]
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Finding ways to promote positive attitudes
Stereotypes and prejudices pervade society’s perceptions of schizophrenia. Users with this diagnosis, in particular, are continually bombarded with oldfashioned attitudes and assumptions that do nothing to promote optimism for the future; indeed it can leave a person believing they are stuck in the murkiest cul-de-sac of certified insanity (James 2001). Turning pessimism into optimism is […]
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What about risk management plans?
Clinical practice is fraught with demands on the practitioner’s time, and the emphasis of many clinical tools is on the assessment of need, with a commensurate neglect of the management of the risks identified. In many instances, the design of clinical tools stops short at simply offering a final box headed ‘management plan’, lacking the […]
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