Thursday, February 10, 2005

NICE guidelines for the management of depression (UK) Editorial in the British Medical Journal - " Guidelines from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) focus on clinical conditions that have a substantial impact on public health and aim to improve standards of care and reduce variations in provision. Depression is a common condition, contributing 12% of the total burden of nonfatal global disease. Variations in its treatment within the NHS are striking and perplexing.We welcome these guidelines and recent advice from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) concerning the prescription of antidepressants. The methods underpinning the guidelines were rigorous and produced a definitive summary of current evidence. However, the uncertainty of many recommendations is disappointing. The guidelines advocate a stepped care approach, but the weakness of evidence supporting structured interventions for mild to moderate depression limits the value of recommendations referring to initial steps." See also the NICE Guidelines (Adobe Acrobat format).  
  

Redefining mental health (UK) BBC story Harplands Hospital in north Staffordshire - "Health chiefs explain how they aim to break the mould and become one of the first mental health trusts to achieve foundation status.  ...  The hospital, sandwiched in between two schools, replaced a Victorian asylum situated 10 miles away in a small rural community three years ago. North Staffordshire medical director Dr Roger Bloor said the trust purposely cited the hospital in a residential area to show the local community that mental health was not something that needed to be hidden away. "