July 2004 Archives

The new NICE report on self-harm has been published, with recommendations for care, assessment and treatment for people in the first 48 hours after they have self harmed.
Recommendations include the following:
* People who have self-harmed should be treated with the same care, respect and privacy as any patient and that healthcare professionals should take into account the distress associated with self-harm.

* Appropriate training should be provided for staff coming into contact with people who self-harm.
A&E staff who may be involved in the care of people who have self-poisoned should ensure that activated charcoal is immediately available at all times.

* All people who have self-harmed should be offered a preliminary psychosocial assessment at triage (or at the initial assessment in primary or community settings) following an episode of self-harm. Assessment should determine a person

There's been a flurry of media interest in self-harm coming up to the publication of the NICE report which will be published tomorrow. Amongst several items I came across are several articles and a leader in the Independent and an item on The World Tonight on Radio 4 this evening discussing the problem. This media attention will doubtless raise awareness of this relatively common problem, and, hopefully lead to more sympathetic and supportive care of people who self-harm in medical services such as A&E. But I wonder if some of the media coverage is less helpful, tending to glamorise the problem or to use shock tactics to draw the reader in.

Anyway, it will be interesting to see what the NICE report has to say - I'll write about this once it's out, and would be interested in readers comments.

For more self harm resources, including books and website, have a look at my earlier post on this subject.

I've just heard an interesting item on Woman's Hour (BBC Radio 4) concerning the links between eating disorders and shoplifting. A young woman tells her story and then Jenni Murray talks to Dr Jill Wellbourne, patron of the Eating Disorders Association and Lucy Russell, Director of Smart Justice about the issues raised. You can listen to the programme for the next seven days via the Radio 4 website and the item will also be on Weekend Woman's Hour this Saturday 31st July from 4-5pm. There's also discussion of the item on the Woman's Hour discussion board.

The Sheffield Eating Disorders in Primary Care Project has been nominated for an Innovation in Primary Care Award by Dr Alison James, GP. The project has already won

The 7th London International Conference on Eating Disorders will be held at Imperial College, London from 4th to 6th April 2005.

Abstracts are also invited for conference presentations. The closing date for these is 28th Sept 2004.

Further information is available from the conference website.

I just heard an interesting programme on Radio 4 about a weight loss camp for overweight kids which is apparently the first in the UK. You can listen to the programme via the BBC website for the next week.

Some good news for a change. I have just returned from 2 weeks leave to the news that Governor George Pataki has committed New York state to $1 million a year to help fund three centres to care for patients with eating disorders. The centers will create the first government-supported public centers in New York for the treatment of anorexia, bulimia and binge eating. The treatment will be covered under Medicaid for those with insufficient medical insurance cover. Interestingly, the eating disorder centers will be funded from the state's settlement fund with major tobacco companies.

Read the full report on the ABC news site.

The National Institute of Mental Health in the USA is sponsoring a
multicenter, international study seeking to determine whether a gene or
genes might predispose individuals to develop anorexia nervosa. They need
families with at least two members who have or had anorexia nervosa, and
who would be willing to participate. The study involves the completion of
interviews, questionnaires, and a blood sample. Participants do not need to
travel and will be reimbursed for any expenses upon completion of the
study. For more information in the USA, call 1-888-895-3886 or email EdResearch@msx.upmc.edu. For more information in the UK, call 020 718 80190 or email edu@iop.kcl.ac.uk. You can also visit the study website for more details.