NEWS

Announcing Online Self-Help

WorkLife Essentials has begun expanding its online offerings for its users by partnering with a range of external Cognitive Behaviour Therapy resources. Recent research has shown that online tools can be effective in helping people change their behaviours and thinking patterns through CBT training.

In a new article 'Online Self-Help', we are introducing users to CBT tools for Depression, Emotional Distress, Anxiety, Relationships, Parenting, and Addiction. These external resources are extensively researched and developed by leading institutions, often tied to national universities' research programs so that the latest data can be incorporated into the tools. They are all designed to supplement the information resources that we already provide with a more interactive approach. While not designed to replace traditional counseling, many users find that the interacting with the tool provides a more supportive experience.

In some cases, where the tools aren't free, we have negotiated with the provider to allow us to offer it free of charge to our users. These are available now, simply by reading the 'Online Self-Help' article, accessed through the relevant Topics as well as the Tool Box in WorkLife Essentials.

NEWS

October is WorkLife Month

The month of October is now widely recognised as Work and Family Month both in the US and UK. As an expansive education campaign, Work and Family Month aims to raise awareness among employers about the value of the work-life balance as a business imperative.

This October, IPS' CEO Robin Smith and Michelle Waters, VP were at the Working Mothers Conference in New York to spread the word.

NEWS

Reduced fertility linked to high stress

A recent study conducted by Oxford University and the U.S. National Institutes of Health provides first time evidence that high levels of stress can lead to a woman’s reduced chances of conceiving naturally.

Other factors such as smoking, obesity and alcohol consumption can affect the chances of becoming pregnant; these factors have been supported by research in the area of fertility. Stress on the other hand has also been linked to infertility, but only as a result of anecdotal or indirect evidence, that is until the Oxford University findings.

Published in the journal Fertility and Sterility, the study suggests that relaxation techniques may benefit some couples faced with difficulties of falling pregnant.

Dr. Cecilia Pyper of the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit at the University of Oxford explains: “We looked at a group of healthy women aged between 18 and 40 who were all planning a pregnancy. We found that those women with high levels of a marker for stress were less likely to succeed in conceiving. The findings support the idea that couples should aim to stay as relaxed as they can about trying for a baby. In some people’s cases, it might be relevant to look at relaxation techniques, counselling and even approaches like yoga and meditation.”

“More work is required to understand the size of the effect of stress on the chances of becoming pregnant and how it compares to the effects of factors like smoking, obesity and alcohol,” says Dr. Pyper of Oxford University.

“Further studies would also be needed to determine whether relaxation and stress- reduction techniques could have beneficial effects and improve couples’ chances of conceiving.”

Source: University of Oxford

NEWS

Growing trend of drugs only approach to mental disorders

As reported in the American Journal of Psychiatry, more Americans with psychiatric conditions are being treated with drugs only compared to ten years ago. The trend sees the reduction in the use of “talk therapy” used on its own or in conjunction with medication.

The study based on data from two government health surveys carried out in 1998 and 2007. showed clear trends between them the two periods flagged.

Results indicated that while the proportion of those suffering from one psychotherapy session remained steady, the proportion of those being treated with drugs alone rose from 44 percent in 1998 to 57 percent in 2007. Meanwhile, the use of psychotherapy alone reduced from 16 percent in 1998 to about 10 percent in 2007, and the combined treatment of drugs and psychotherapy declined from 40 percent to 32 percent.

Another factor suggesting the increase of drug therapies is the allocation of government spending in the mental health arena. Spending on psychotherapy declined from an estimated $11 billion in 1998 to $7 billion in 2007. At the same time however overall spending on mental health care remained fairly steady at $15.4 billion in 1998 and $16 billion in 2007. These figures indicate a shift in the proportion of spending away from psychotherapy towards more drug based therapies.

While the implications of the trend, as well as its underlying causes, are not fully clear, researchers say the findings indicate that outpatient mental health care in the U.S. is being redefined.

Dr. Mark Olfson, a professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University in New York and one of the study's authors said of mental health care that it “is evolving in a way that means more people are receiving treatment, but are not necessarily getting the most effective therapy."

Although the study was not designed to weed out the reasons for these trends, Dr Olfson cites one of the factors as the increased marketing of psychiatric drugs not only to doctors, but to the public as well.

Other factors, he speculated, could include patients' increased acceptance that mental health disorders have biological origins and, for some people, there is a perception that medication may be a faster and more effective approach.

In addition, prescription of psychiatric medications can be given by the primary care doctors while psychotherapy requires a referral to a mental health specialist -- a psychiatrist, psychologist, social worker or mental health counsellor.

Dr Olfson, recommends that people who are newly prescribed a psychiatric medication ask their doctors if any alternative treatments are available for their particular condition.

This is especially relevant for people with milder symptoms. For those with more sever cases, Dr Olfson believes the psychiatric drugs have been shown to be more effective.

Source: American Journal of Psychiatry, online August 4, 2010