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7th September
Suicide prevention Week 2009
Choose Life's 'Suicide. Don't hide it. Talk about it.' campaign kick starts Suicide Prevention Week in Scotland.

10th August
Scottish suicide research
A new research project has been commissioned to investigate the disparity between Scottish and English suicide rates.

21st July
The Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Conference
The ACAMH is hosting a one-day conference on the 17th September looking a suicide and self-harm in today's youth.

7th July
Young People and Mental Wellbeing Conference
Holrood Magazine is hosting a conference on the 8th September discussing the mental health and wellbeing of young people in Scotland.

26th June
National Forum on Drug Related Deaths in Scotland
The National Forum on Drug Related Deaths has published it's annual report for 2008/09.

18th June
The Big Issue
As part of National Depression Week in Scotland, Choose Life has contributed to an advertising feature in The Big Issue to raise awareness of depression as a risk factor for suicide and promote suicide prevention training.

25th May
Towards A Mentally Flourishing Scotland
The Scottish Government has published Towards a Mentally Florishing Scotland: Policy and Action Plan 2009-2011.

8th April
Bereavement in the Secured Setting Seminar
Children in Scotland, in association with the Childhood Bereavement Network, are hosting a one-day seminar regarding support for young people in custody.

26th March
Choose Life Summit 2009 presentations
The main presentations from the 2009 Choose Life Annual Summit, held on the 18th and 19th March, are now available for view and download.

5th March
'See Me' launches second national survey
'See Me', the national campaign to end stigma and discrimination around mental ill health, has launched it second national survey 'Hear Me 2'.

5th March
Mental Health awareness workshops available at The Cairn
The Cairn is offering Mental Health awareness workshops to wide variety of audiences.  

5th March
Scotland's Mental Health and its Context
ScotPHO has published the first systematic assessment of adult mental health and associated contextual factors.

20th January 2009
Risk and Protective Factors seminar reports
The reports and presentations from the SIREN seminar on Risk and Protective Factors are now available.

15th January
See Me Volunteer Recruitment
See Me, the national campaign to end stigma and discrimination around mental ill health, is looking for volunteer speakers.

9th January
YouthHealthTalk (YHT) needs young people
YHT are looking for young people to help create a website about young people and depression.

5th January
Press Complaints Commission censures 12 newspapers
The Press Complaints Commission has censured 12 national and local newspapers due to excessive reporting of suicide.

4th December
Risk and Protective Factors for Suicide and Suicidal Behaviour A Literature Review
The Scottish Government has published a systematic international literature review of review-level data on suicide risk factors and primary evidence of protective factors against suicide.

17th November
Evaluation of Phase Two of Choose Life
An evaluation of the second phase of Choose Life (2006-2008), commissioned by the Scottish Government, is to be undertaken in 2009. As such, the Scottish Government is now calling for expressions of interest from researchers and contractors with the relevant level of knowledge and experience to carry out the evaluation.

12th November
Voices of Male Survivors Conference
Funded by the Big Lottery Fund, the Centre for Research on Families and Relationships (CRFR), University of Edinburgh and Health in Mind are holding a conference looking at the findings of the research project 'Care and Support Needs of Male Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse'.

4th November
The Welsh Assembly Government launches Talk to Me
The Welsh Assembly Government has launched a national plan to reduce suicide and self-harm in Wales.

3rd November
Right Here Initiative
The Right Here initiative, run by the Mental Health Foundation and the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, will explore new ways of providing mental health services for young adults through a series of pilot projects across the UK.

1st October
Samaritans To Undertake Two Focus Groups In Scotland
Kinbank Independent Social Research has been commissioned by Samaritans to undertake two Focus Groups in Scotland, to help them in their strategic development and delivery of services.

16th September
Press Complaints Commission (PCC) Condemns Daily Sport 'Suicide Guide'
The Press Complaints Commission has criticised the Daily Sport for publishing an article that contained excessive information about suicide methods after a complaint by Choose Life.

8th September
Suicide Prevention Week 2008
Monday 8th September saw the lauch of the national 'Don't hide it. Talk about it.' camapaign calling on people to talk more openly about suicide and suicidal thoughts to help save lives.

26th August
Scottish Public Health Observatory (ScotPHO) Scottish Suicide Statistics 2007
26th August saw ScotPHO release the Scottish statistics for death by intentional self harm and of undetermined intent in 2007.

2nd July
Understanding Depression and its Treatment
The University of Glasgow, Division of Developmental Medicine, is holding a one day conference on 25th September regarding depression and its treatment.

2nd July
Independant Evaluation of Samaritans
Samaritans have commissioned an independent evaluation to improve the quality of their helpline services and are inviting anyone that has used the Samaritans telephone, email or text messaging services to take part in the research.

28th June
Positive Mental Attitudes
Positive Mental Attitudes (PMA) showcased their sucess in Easterhouse, Glasgow, on Wednesday 25th June 2008 on the back of the successful launch of their new website.

23rd June
European Pact for Mental Health and Wellbeing
Commissioner for Health Androulla Vassiliou launched the European Pact for Mental Health and Wellbeing at the High Level Conference on Mental Health in Brussels on 13 June 2008.

16th June
The National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide by People with Mental Illness (NCISH)

Monday 16th June 2008 saw the publication of the second 5 year report on Scottish data gathered by the UK Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide by People with Mental Illness.

9th June
Choose Life Summit 2008 Report and Presentations Available
The Choose Life Summit 2008 Report and presentations are now available to download from the website. The two day event, held in Dundee, brought together key people tasked with reducing Scotland's suicide rate. 

6th June
Evaluation of Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) in Scotland
May 2008 saw the publication of Use and Impact of Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) in Scotland: an Evaluation. This explores the development and implementation of ASIST in Scotland and evaluates its impact and effectiveness.

6th June
Samaritans - A Very Public Death: Working Together for Better Reporting
On Wednesday 27th August 2008 Samaritans will be holding a meeting, regarding the reporting of suicide, at the Thistle Hotel in Glasgow prior to the start of the 12th European Symposium on Suicide and Suicidal Behaviour.

3rd April
Towards a Mentally Flourishing Scotland Consultation Responses
A web only version of the consolidated responses from key stakeholders is now available  

25th March
Evaluation Summer School 2008 
The Evaluation Programme at RUHBC and NHS Health Scotland will be running a 3rd Evaluation Summer School held between 19th-21st May and 26th-28th May 2008

19th March
Walk the Talk National Primary Care Conference Report
Two hundred delegates from across Primary Care gathered together to discuss how to create 'youth-friendly health services' and to open up conversation on young people's issues and health care. Read the report here.

13th March 
Reporting Mental Health and Suicide
A useful handbook, What's the Story? Reporting Mental Health and Suicide, has been launched which tackles how the media handle such sensitive issues.

10th March
Reduction in young male suicides in Scotland
A new report lead by Dr Cameron Stark NHS Highland, shows a dramatic reduction in young male suicide in Scotland.

7th March
Abstract Deadline Extension for ESSSB12
Due to unexpected demand, the Oral Submission Deadline has been extended to 17th March 2008 and the Poster Submission Deadline has been extended to 28th April 2008.

20th February
Reporting of Suicide Media Guidelines 
Please refer to our practical guide (see media section) which has been compiled with the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) and the National Programme for Improving Mental Health and Wellbeing. It is crucial to educate the public with regards to this sensitive subject matter in a considerate manner, and as a result we strongly recommend this resource for your reference.

14th February
Mentally Flourishing Scotland
HeadsUp Scotland will be hosting a discussion event involving organisations working in the Children & Young People's field. Discussion will focus on the paper - Towards a Mentally Flourishing Scotland: The Future of Mental Health Improvement in Scotland, 2008-2011.

14th February
Podcast on Mental WellBeing 
Listen to Dr Corey Keyes, a public health expert, giving a talk on How Scotland can Flourish: Improving the Mental Well Being of People Living in Scotland on the Well Scotland website.

13th February
Mental Health Policy Review
A review conducted by an independent panel and coordinated by Health Scotland evaluating the National Programme for Improving Mental Health & Well-being in Scotland.

11th February
Final Deadline for Abstracts
The final deadline looms for abstract submissions for ESSSB12. The European symposium on Suicide and Suicidal Behaviour, being held in Glasgow in August this year.

4th February
Work Place Stress Rife in Scotland
Shocking new figures from Samaritans have revealed that Scotland's workers are so stressed a quarter of them dream of quitting the country for a life abroad.

30th January
Feeding Young Minds 
Date: 5 March 2008
Venue: The Carlton Hotel, Edinburgh
h
ear from leading experts the latest evidence on links between diet, brains and behaviour – and the implications for policy and practice – at this one day conference.

Bullying...Whose Responsibility is it Anyway?
Date: 21 February 2008
Venue: Mitchell Theatre, Glasgow
Places are still available for respectme's first national conference, 'Bullying...whose responsibility is it anyway?'.

25th January
New Resource on Male Prostitution Launched
The Open Road Project is a service within the NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde area for men of any age who perform sexual acts in exchange for some form of payment. The project is currently based in the LGBT Centre in Bell Street, Glasgow.

24th January
PAPYRUS Release Guide to Internet Safety 
Following high profile coverage linking teenage suicides and the internet, PAPYRUS, a voluntary organisation who are committed to the prevention of young suicide, has developed a guide to online safety.

23rd January
SafeTALK Pilot a Success
More Scots than ever will be equipped with the skills to help save lives as safeTALK, a dynamic new suicide prevention course which is accessible to all, is introduced to Scotland.

22nd January
Scotland Leading the Way in Suicide Prevention and Research
World-leading experts in suicide prevention are to gather in Scotland this year, to share international perspectives on how suicide can be reduced.

15th January
“Don’t Hide it. Talk about it” Campaign
A suite of awareness campaign materials have been developed that will assist in promoting a greater public awareness of suicide and how it can be prevented.

Don’t Forget to Take Some Breathing Space
Breathing Space Scotland's annual event 'Breathing Space Day (BS08)' takes place on 1st February 2008.

14th January
Effectiveness of Interventions to Prevent Suicide and Suicidal Behaviour: A Systematic Review
The review (published 11 January 2008) provides a comprehensive overview of the known effectiveness of interventions aimed preventing suicide, suicidal behaviour and suicidal ideation, both in key risk groups and in the general population.

10th January
Mental Health in Scotland - One year on: A Better Tomorrow
On 10 December 2007 over 150 service users, carers, and mental health professionals gathered together to review progress on the 14 committments, three HEAT targets and support programme that make up the current priorities in mental health.

 

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