The Health News United Kingdom December 13 2017
- In an attempt to make more organs available for transplant, ministers are proposing a radical change by moving to a system of “presumed consent”. Current rules in England mean those willing to donate their organs, should they die, sign up to a donor register. A consultation on the new system, which would see opting out of organ donation replacing opting in, starts on Tuesday. About 6,500 people in the UK are waiting for an organ transplant. Every year, 450 of those on the waiting list die before the right donor is found.
- The festive season of Christmas might seem to fill everyone else might be full of excitement and anticipation, but you can’t shake the nagging feeling that your mental health is about to take a turn for the worse. A 2015 survey by Mind found that 20% of people have felt lonely during Christmas as not everyone has family or friends to spend it with, and those of us who have experienced the loss of a loved one may find Christmas particularly difficult.
- A new survey revealed that postpartum depression is largely affecting new mothers and, to a much smaller degree, fathers in the UK. In a BBC Radio 5 and YouGov survey, one-third of mothers in the UK reported mental health challenges related to parenting, while only 17% of fathers did.
News on Health Professional Radio. Today is the 13th of December 2017. Read by Tabetha Moreto.
http://www.bbc.com/news/health-42282409
In an attempt to make more organs available for transplant, ministers are proposing a radical change by moving to a system of “presumed consent”. Current rules in England mean those willing to donate their organs, should they die, sign up to a donor register. A consultation on the new system, which would see opting out of organ donation replacing opting in, starts on Tuesday. Wales has already adopted an approach of presumed consent. Scotland plans to introduce a similar scheme. Northern Ireland has also expressed an interest in doing likewise.
About six thousand five hundred people in the UK are waiting for an organ transplant.
Every year, four hundred fifty of those on the waiting list die before the right donor is found.
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It is still too early to say what impact the change in Wales has had, but so far about two hundred five thousand people have signed the opt-out register, six percent of the population.
The Health Secretary for England, Jeremy Hunt, says: “The issue here is really we know the vast majority of people are willing for their organs to be used but the vast majority of people are not on the organ donor register.
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The percentage of all families who, if approached after their relative’s death, consent to donation has remained stubbornly at sixty to sixty five percent. It is rare for the family of a registered donor to object, but it is more common when people have not signed up or discussed it with their family. There were seven hundred ninety three deceased donors in two thousand seven, and ten years later that number had risen seventy eight percent, to one thousand four hundred thirteen.
The festive season of Christmas might seem to fill everyone else might be full of excitement and anticipation, but you can’t shake the nagging feeling that your mental health is about to take a turn for the worse. So HuffPost UK spoke to experts who specialise in anxiety, depression, and more general mental health to ask why these things can be triggered at this time of year.
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A spokesperson for Anxiety UK says: “Financial difficulties may cause a great deal of anxiety at Christmas with presents to buy, outfits to pick out and all the festive ‘essentials’, such as tree decorations and gift-wrapping that need to be considered.”
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A two thousand fifteen survey by Mind found that twenty percent of people have felt lonely during Christmas as not everyone has family or friends to spend it with, and those of us who have experienced the loss of a loved one may find Christmas particularly difficult.
Stephen Buckley, head of information at Mind, says: “At Christmas existing problems can seem even bigger – if you are lonely, it can highlight how lonely you are and make you feel that you should be socialising.
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The Mind survey also found that nineteen percent of people had pretended to be sick to get out of staff Christmas parties and twenty five percent of adults in the UK feel anxious about social gatherings during the Christmas season.
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The Anxiety UK spokesperson added: “Those of us with Facebook, Twitter and Instagram may feel even more pressure to have a ‘perfect holiday’ as our feeds continually update us on the developments of other peoples’ lives.” Of course bad weather isn’t exclusive to Christmas, but coming right in the middle of the winter months, as many as one in three people in the UK might already be struggling with some degree of seasonal affective disorder.
https://www.thefix.com/mental-health-issues-affect-major-portion-new-mothers-uk
A new survey revealed that postpartum depression is largely affecting new mothers and, to a much smaller degree, fathers in the UK. Postpartum mental health struggles are finally entering mainstream discussions, especially with celebrities like Ivanka Trump, Chrissy Teigen, and Adele opening up about their experiences.
The warning signs of postpartum depression, in particular, have been discussed widely and most practitioners discuss those signs at prenatal and postnatal appointments. But the BBC reports that suicide is the leading cause of maternal death in the United Kingdom. According to the American Psychological Association, up to one in seven women will experience symptoms of postpartum depression (PPD), and for half of those who do experience symptoms, it’s the first time they have ever struggled with depression. Symptoms of PPD can include irritability, fatigue, overwhelming sadness, feelings of hopelessness, and an inability to find pleasure in things you used to enjoy. In a BBC Radio five and YouGov survey, one-third of mothers in the UK reported mental health challenges related to parenting, while only seventeen percent of fathers did.
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And while PPD is most commonly diagnosed in women who have given birth, it can present in all kinds of parents—fathers, adoptive parents, and non biological mothers. According to Postpartum Support International, postpartum anxiety affects up to ten percent of new moms. Symptoms can include racing thoughts and uncontrollable worry or panic.
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