Hello everyone! Its been quite a while since I last posted. I went off to USA for road trip during my vacation. Now that I am back in Saudi, I will get back to our regular schedule after this article with Best 5 Reads, Guest Blogs and Weekend Quotes.
Its great to be back and I am looking forward to discuss current mental health issues with you all! With that said, lets dive into our Best 5 Reads!
Self-harm is very common and affects more people than you might think. 10% of young people self-harm.
This means it’s likely that at least two young people in every secondary school classroom have self-harmed at some time. If you are self-harming, you are not alone – lots of information and support is available.
Remember, self-harm isn’t a suicide attempt or a cry for attention. However, it can be a way for some people to cope with overwhelming and distressing thoughts or feelings. Self-harm should be taken seriously, whatever the reason behind it.
It is possible to live without self-harm. It is important to know that you won’t always feel the way you do now.
With the right help and support most people who self-harm can and do fully recover.
This booklet aims to help you understand more about self-harm and what to do if you are worried about yourself or someone else. It explains what self-harm is, what to do if you or someone you know is self-harming, and how to get help.
2) Fifth of 14-year-old girls in UK ‘have self-harmed’
More than a fifth of 14-year-old girls in the UK said they had self-harmed, a report suggests.
A survey of 11,000 children found 22% of the girls and 9% of the boys said they had hurt themselves on purpose in the year prior to the questionnaire.
Rates of self-harm were worst (46%) among those who were attracted to people of the same or both genders.
The Children’s Society report said gender stereotypes and worries about looks were contributing to unhappiness.
3) Top 10 Research Questions For Digital Mental Health
The potential of digital health solutions like online therapy or smartphone apps often belies their complexity. Even as digital health first emerged into the healthcare landscape around 2011, a NIMH sponsored workshop astutely noted “Although these technologies may be appealing and seemingly innocuous, research is needed to assess when, where, and for whom mHealth devices, apps, and systems are efficacious.” (Kumar et al, 2013). Now seven years later these same questions remain and are especially pressing for digital mental health.
A new paper, entitled “Identifying research priorities for digital technology in mental healthcare: Results of the James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnership” in Lancet Psychiatry (Hollis et al, 2018) provides an update on the current state and next steps necessary for realising the true potential of digital mental health.
4) How Cinema Stigmatises Mental Illness
That depictions of ‘madness’ have been dominated by horror films is revealing of the film industry’s historic insensitivity about mental health, writes Arwa Haider.
5) Horrific deaths, brutal treatment: Mental illness in America’s jails
People with mental illnesses in jails around the country are routinely dying in horrific ways and under preventable circumstances, a Virginian-Pilot investigation has found.
Thank you again and see you tomorrow for another edition of Best 5 Reads.
Best Regards,
Vikram
PsiHub 