Readers on the government’s plans to move away from financial support for those with mental health conditions given through personal independence payment Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised that the government has continued to attack “mental health culture” (Mentally ill people being used as ‘political football’, campaigners say, 29 April). The publication of its disability green paper, in which the government says it wants to move away from financial support for those with mental health conditions given through personal independence payment (Pip), is greatly concerning. It comes after the prime ..read more

While men are disproportionally affected by conditions that cause early death, women are left with higher levels of illness and disability Women live longer than men but experience more years in poor health, according to a global gender health gap analysis that experts say underlines an urgent need for action to boost women’s health. Globally, there are substantial differences between women and men when it comes to health, with limited progress in bridging health gaps over the past three decades, according to the study examining the impact of the world’s 20 leading causes of disease ..read more

Researchers examined data from seven studies involving more than 9,000 women around the world Perimenopausal women have a 40% higher risk of experiencing depression than premenopausal women, a global analysis of research suggests. Experts from University College London (UCL) found women could be vulnerable to depression in the run-up to their periods stopping, with the development of new cases or existing symptoms worsening. The research underlines the need to provide support and screening to effectively address women’s mental health needs ..read more

Mel Stride says therapy or respite could be offered instead of Pip payments to those with ‘milder’ mental health issues UK politics – latest updates People with depression or anxiety could lose access to sickness benefits, the work and pensions secretary has said, as part of major welfare changes that have been described as a “full-on assault on disabled people”. On Monday morning, Mel Stride announced the plans to overhaul the way disability benefits work and was due to address the Commons on the issue later in the day ..read more

More consensual touch helps ease or buffer against mental and physical complaints, meta-analysis shows Whether it is a hug from a friend or the caress of a weighted blanket, the sensation of touch appears to bring benefits for the body and mind, researchers say. The sense of touch is the first to develop in babies and is crucial in allowing us to experience the environment around us as well as communicate. Indeed, the loss of touch from others during the Covid pandemic hit many hard ..read more

I have sympathy for him, but I’m concerned by the pressure on you. You deserve to be happy, and cannot do all the emotional work for both of you • Every week Annalisa Barbieri addresses a family-related problem sent in by a reader I am in my mid-30s and have been with my husband, who is 10 years older than me, since I was a teenager. I felt very loved, at least for much of our time together. A couple of years ago, however, things changed ..read more

Vicky Knight plays a nurse injured in a fire who falls in love with a patient in Sacha Polak’s sombre, thoughtful drama Here is a tough drama of damaged lives which reunites director Sacha Polak with lead performer Vicky Knight, the star of her 2019 film Dirty God. Knight has spoken with courage about her own childhood experiences of being scarred in a pub fire in London and this film draws on her life, both in terms of her survivor’s story and her adult existence; like her character, she has worked in healthcare. Knight plays Franky, a nurse haunted by memories of the blaze that injured her ..read more

It’s thought that about 15% of us are affected by tinnitus, and despite its potentially debilitating impact on mental health and quality of life, there isn’t any cure for the condition. Madeleine Finlay speaks to John, who has used CBT techniques to learn to live well with his tinnitus, and Dr Lucy Handscomb, a tinnitus researcher who is involved in trialling a new app that could hold promise for sufferers. • In the UK, the charity Mind is available on 0300 123 3393 and Childline on 0800 1111. In the US, call or text Mental Health America at 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. In Australia, support i ..read more

Resolution Foundation report calls for action as number of young people experiencing poor mental health increases Young people are more likely to be out of work because of ill health than people in their early 40s, a report calling for action on Britain’s mental wellbeing crisis has found. People in their early 20s with mental health problems may have not had access to a steady education and can end up out of work or in low-paid jobs, the Resolution Foundation research revealed ..read more

It is now often known as the ‘world’s happiest country’, but Finland used to have one of the highest suicide rates in the world. From alcohol to antidepressants, here are the changes that made the difference “Now he’s died,” said his mother’s voice down the phone. Instantly, Jaakko Teittinen knew that what he had feared for years had happened: his older brother, Tuomas, had taken his own life. He was 33. In a state of shock, Jaakko left work to join his mother at Linnanmäki, a theme park in Helsinki, where she was spending the day with Tuomas’s two children, who lived in foster care and had no ..read more