News
Exploring trends in recording anxiety symptoms in UK primary care
The way GPs record anxiety in patient records could be leading to a reduction in formal anxiety diagnoses, new research from the University of Bristol has found. Anxiety disorders are common in the UK, with the level of anxiety symptoms being recorded by GPs increasing between 1998 and 2008. However,…
No evidence of a significant increase in risk of suicide in first months of the pandemic, but continued monitoring needed
A new observational study is the first to examine suicides occurring during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in multiple countries and finds that suicide numbers largely remained unchanged or declined in the pandemic’s early months. The study, led by an international team including University of Bristol researchers, is…
Warning over effects of pandemic on young people’s mental health
A warning about the effects of the pandemic on children’s and young people’s mental health is published today (11 March) in The BMJ. Professor David Gunnell, co-lead of Bristol BRC’s Mental Health theme, has co-authored an editorial ‘Mental health of children and young people during pandemic’, which argues that…
GPs need training to spot patients at risk of psychosis
GPs are in a good position to identify patients who are at risk of developing psychosis. However, it is not always easy for them to do so. In a recent study of the possible barriers, researchers at the University of Bristol’s Centre for Academic Primary Care and Centre…
Risk of self-harm increases for boys and girls who experience earlier puberty
Boys and girls who experience puberty earlier than their peers have an increased risk of self-harm in adolescence, a study funded by the National Institute for Health Research Bristol Biomedical Research Centre (NIHR Bristol BRC) and published in the journal Epidemiology & Psychiatric Sciences has found. This is the…
NIHR Bristol BRC contributing to ground-breaking national study into long-term health impacts of coronavirus
A major UK research study into the long-term health impacts of COVID-19 on hospitalised patients has been launched. The PHOSP-COVID study has been awarded £8.4million jointly by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). This study is one of a number of COVID-19…
People more likely to choose a non-alcoholic drink when availability is greater
People are more likely to choose non-alcoholic drinks if more of those drinks are available than alcoholic alternatives, a University of Bristol-led online experiment published today (6 May 2020) in BMC Public Health has shown. These results could pave the way for increasing the availability of non-alcoholic options in…
Governments urged to act now to prevent coronavirus suicide risk
Governments need to give ‘urgent consideration’ to their public health response to prevent any possible impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the number of suicides, experts warn. There is growing concern about the far-reaching impact COVID-19 may have on people’s mental health across the globe, with the consequences likely to…
Are non-smoking young adults who use e-cigarettes more likely to smoke in the future?
Young people who have tried e-cigarettes but have never smoked before are nearly five times more likely to go on to try smoking, a new study has found. However, the findings do not provide clear support for the claim that e-cigarettes cause young people to start smoking (the so-called possible…