Fibromyalgia is a syndrome causing chronic muscle pain and fatigue with associated symptoms of sleep problems, headaches, memory problems and tingling or numbing sensations.

Previous studies into the condition have concluded that a combination of medication, exercise and coping skills are the most effective treatments but this latest research focused on whether Yoga should be considered as a prescribed treatment.

The study involved 53 female participants diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Assigned to two research groups, the first took part in an eight-week program of Yoga with the second group receiving standard medication treatment.

Comparing the data between the two groups, researchers found that Yoga significantly assisted in combating symptoms such as pain, fatigue, muscle stiffness, sleep problems, depression, anxiety, memory problems and balance issues. Pain reduced in the Yoga group by an average of 24 per cent, fatigue by 30 per cent and depression by 42 per cent.

The study appeared in the online version of the journal ‘Pain’ on October 14th.

Findings from a study by University Laval in Canada found there to be a 36 per cent increase in mortality risk when people took medications to help treat sleeping disorders or anxiety.

Researchers analysed 12 years of data on more than 14,000 Canadians including information on social demographics, lifestyle and health.

Those who reported taking medications for insomnia or anxiety at least once a month had a mortality rate of 15.7 per cent while those who reported not taking anything had a rate of 10.5 per cent.

Once factors such as alcohol consumption, tobacco smoking, physical health, activity levels and depressive symptoms were taken into account, consuming sleeping pills or anti-anxiety meds had a 36 per cent increase in mortality risk.

Publishing the findings in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, lead researcher Dr Genevieve Belleville wrote:

‘Given that cognitive behavioural therapies have shown good results in treating insomnia and anxiety, doctors should systematically discuss such therapies with their patients as an option.’

The research, conducted by McGill University, also reports that the effects on mental health when working a temporary job become more severe with time.

Researchers analysed data over a 10 year period (1992-2002) and found that temporary workers exhibited, on average, two more symptoms of depression than full-time employees.

Those who continued in temporary employment four years on had an “..increased depression risk…suggesting a cumulative effect.”

Reports in the US and Canada show that temporary employment increased twice as rapidly as permanent employment growth and short-term contract workers typically earned 16 per cent less per hour.

The research suggests that employing workers on temporary contracts isn’t cost-effective for businesses as the effects of a workforce suffering anxiety and depression increases levels of absenteeism and lowers levels of productivity.

According to a leading psychiatrist, the NHS will not tackle the problem due to a strange financial incentive that would see them lose out on funding.

Hypochondria – or health anxiety disorder – is often a bigger problem than the suspected ailment and one in ten patients who attend hospital is said to have it. Chest pains are the most common problem with patients becoming so concerned they are having a heart attack that they seek emergency medical treatment (usually by calling an ambulance).

Experts believe half of all health anxiety disorder patients could be helped with Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT).

Professor Peter Tyrer, head of the Centre for Mental Health at Imperial College, London, said in a report published last week:

“We have got excellent evidence that our approach – cognitive behaviour therapy for health anxiety – can reduce anxiety and hospital visits by over 40 per cent.”

However, due to a perverse ruling, any successes in preventing unnecessary hospital admissions are bad for trust finances because they are not paid for patients they do not admit.

Professor Tyrer added:

“We have trusts telling us that they like our treatment as it gets people better and makes them more satisfied with their care, but they are worried that they may suffer a loss of income from reduced attendances so it may not pay them to support our service. And this in spite of evidence that there would be financial gains to the NHS overall.”

“Dozens of patients say they have been ill for a decade and nothing has helped but now they feel better than ever. We had one patient who had had a stent [a metal tube to hold a blood vessel open] fitted for heart trouble. He had been so petrified of another heart attack he had not been out of the house for a year and only went for his hospital appointment by specially arranged taxi. After therapy he went on holiday and climbed Snowdon.”

Troops serving in Afghanistan and Iraq are 22 per cent more likely to consume hazardous levels of alcohol than those who are not deployed into action.

Research carried out by King’s College London has identified mental health problems and PTSD rates to be roughly the same as in 2003. However, one in ten respondents to a survey claimed they were drinking alcohol at a level that is described by the World Health Organisation as ‘hazardous’.

The study by the college’s Academic Centre for Defence Mental Health also stated that reservists sent to war zones are more vulnerable to mental health problems than regular troops who were more likely to abuse alcohol.

Nearly 10,000 personnel participated in the study with one in five reporting signs of mental health problems such as anxiety, depression or insomnia.

New Defence Secretary Liam Fox has promised a compulsory psychiatric test for troops discharged from the Armed Forces but authors of this latest study believe there should be a focus on the culture of binge drinking that is developing for servicemen and women before and after deployment.

Combat Stress, a charity that helps Armed Forces personnel with mental health problems, said it had seen a 66 per cent rise in the demand for its service over the last five years.

A study found that one in twenty people experienced reduced anxiety while sitting in the dentist chair when acupuncture was performed by the dentist themselves.

Using the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) questionnaire, researchers found anxiety scores reduced from the average of 26.5 to 11.5. Of the twenty participants (16 men and 4 women), all were able to continue with their dental treatment after acupuncture was performed.

Two specific acupuncture points were targeted during the study (GV20 and EX6). The top of the head was found to require less effort and was more effective for reducing anxiety within five minutes of treatment.

The findings could help people who have previously used medications, hypnosis or behavioural therapy to reduce anxiety about visiting the dentist. While effective, these treatments can be time consuming as opposed to acupuncture which can produce immediate results.

Authors of the study concluded that “acupuncture may offer a simple and inexpensive method of treatment for anxiety from dental treatment.”

Depression is set to be the biggest health problem alongside heart disease and Ministers vowed to improve access to ‘talking therapies’ in an effort to reduce the £12 billion cost of sickness absence caused by conditions such as depression and anxiety.

This latest ‘vision’ comes after a £170 million programme was promised to train more psychological therapist to ease GPs reliance on prescribing anti-depressant medication.

However, a dozen local health authorities in England report a six-month waiting list to see a trained counsellor while a course of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy can take up to three years.

Date supplied by 90 primary care trusts showed that a third had a wait of three months for counselling of patients suffering mild to moderate depression. However, a quarter guaranteed a counselling session in under six weeks.

Clinical guidelines recommend counselling or CBT before anti-depressants are prescribed but long waits for therapy increase the risk that people will not attend when finally offered treatment. More people are now seeking private therapy in an effort to help combat their illness.

Workers who feel obliged to work long hours even though they may be unproductive are damaging small business, say the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).

The annual cost of mental health problems to a business with 1,000 employees is £835,355. However, reducing absenteeism and increasing performance could save up to £250,000.

At current pay levels, the overall cost to employers from conditions such as stress, depression and anxiety is £28.3 billion per year (13.7 million working days).

New working guidelines created by NICE hope to reduce those numbers and are already mandatory within the NHS. Small businesses could benefit from the same measures by allowing people to work part-time or from home whenever possible.

An improvement in mental health wellbeing provides clear benefits, according to Professor Mike Kelly of NICE.

‘Today’s guidance explains how employers can make simple changes that will improve the management of mental health in the workplace, including prevention and early identification of problems,’ he said.

The multi-million pound strategy should boost the number of cognitive behavioural therapists in England practising within the NHS.

The government pledged £173m back in 2007 in the hope of reducing the numbers off work and those requiring benefits to support themselves because of mental illness.

An estimated six million people in the UK are suffering with depression and/or anxiety causing over 91 million lost working days each year.

The scheme called ‘Improving Access to Psychological Therapies’ (IAPT) aims to treat 900,000 people by 2010/11 and by March of 2010, 115 NHS trusts will have a programme in place.

Care services minister Phil Hope said: “The talking therapy services that are already up and running have been very successful, with 73,000 people entering treatment and 1,500 more therapists being employed under the scheme”.

Sophie Corlett, director of external relations at mental health charity ‘Mind’, was confident that the scheme was on track but warned against complacency.

“There’s still a lot more work to be done and any changes in funding could seriously jeopardise the programme’s future,” she said.

The NHS is under financial pressure and there being no ring-fence around IAPT funding could leave mental health budgets vulnerable to being raided by local health trusts, to plug the gaps elsewhere.”

Long waiting lists and delays were still apparent outside of the CBT course offered through the NHS.

Research from the National Problem Gambling Clinic found addicts were typically educated and middle class and having to hold down one or two jobs to fuel their gambling problem. Many had developed the habit while studying at University.

The findings go against the usual sociological patterns of gambling addiction which tend to be among working class individuals. Money pressures caused by the financial crisis may have triggered the psychological problem as well as increasing the likelihood of people seeking help.

The audit of 260 patients found the average age of those seeking treatment was 36 and two thirds were in employment. Only 3 per cent were women.

Consultant psychiatrist Henrietta Bowden-Jones who set up the NHS first gambling clinic stated that overall the group of people seeking help were highly functioning individuals who are both skilled and trusted in their jobs. Their debts ranged from £2,000 to £500,000.

Dr Bowden-Jones emphasised the importance of NHS intervention as until now gambling addiction treatment could only be found within self-help groups, private clinics and charities.

Depression and anxiety among those seeking help was higher than expected at 93 per cent and 91 per cent respectively.

People signing up for the clinic from GP recommendation or self-referral receive nine weeks of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) to understand what triggers their addiction and discover ways to control spending and temptation.

Industry watchdog ‘The Gambling Commission’ estimates there are 250,000-300,000 problem gamblers in Britain.