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Insomnia significantly affects 29% of children seen by child psychiatrists, according to a national survey. Roughly one-quarter of these patients with insomnia as a "major problem symptom" receive sleep medications, although none are FDA approved for pediatric use, found Judith A. Owens, MD, of Rhode Island Hospital and Brown University in Providence, R.I., and colleagues. Daytime functioning concerns drive sleep medication use, whereas concerns about side effects and lack of empirical support for efficacy in the pediatric setting constituted the biggest barriers to use, they reported. Results from the survey of 1,273 members of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry appeared in the August issue of Sleep Medicine. Bipolar Answers for Kids Tough to Find
I get a lot of reader questions on bipolar disorder, particularly bipolar in children. In fact in May we had quite an interesting conversation about whether bipolar disorder can really be diagnosed in young children and the stress and guilt that parents feel in these situations. A new study touches upon this very issue: How reliably bipolar disorder can be diagnosed in young people before the development of clear-cut disease symptoms (for example a full-blown mania). Mental Health America Launches Online Support CommunityMental Health America today announced it has launched the Mental Health America Support Community—a new online community that connects families, friends, and caregivers for support and inspiration. 1 in 12 Adolescent ER Visits Linked to Suicide Attempts
According to a study conducted by SAMHSA’s Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN), more than one in every twelve (8.8 percent) drug-related hospital emergency department visits made by an adolescent (ages 12 to 17) in 2008 was a suicide attempt. This was double the rate found among cases involving those age 25 and older (4.4 percent). Almost three of every four visits for drug-related suicide attempts among adolescents were made by females. While there was evidence of follow-up care in 77% of these cases, there were significant differences in the level of such care. DAWN is a public health surveillance system that monitors drug-related hospital emergency department visits reported throughout the nation.
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1 in 5 US preschoolers displays mental health issues when starting kindergarten
A study has found that 1 in 5 preschoolers in the US display mental health issues when transition from preschool to formal schooling takes place.
Dr. Alice S. Carter and colleagues conducted the study on 1,329 healthy children born between July 1995 and September 1997 in the New Haven-Meriden Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area of the 1990 Census.
The researchers sought to determine the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in the early elementary school years and to examine the relationship between the sociodemographic and psychosocial risk factors and these disorders.
Mental Health Woes Plague 'Cyberbullies' and Their Victims
Teens who "cyberbully" others via the Internet or cell phones are more likely to suffer from both physical and psychiatric troubles, and their victims are at heightened risk, too, a Finnish study finds.
The survey of almost 2,500 teens found that more than 7 percent of teens bullied other teens online, about 5 percent were targets of this aggressive behavior, and 5.4 percent said they were both bullies and bullied.
Eating Disorders, Addictions Tough to Treat in Teens
When it comes to treating eating disorders and addictions, the path to recovery may be even harder -- and less straightforward -- for children and teens than it is for adults, experts say.
"Disorders that start when you're young, in adolescence, no matter what the disorder, are always harder to treat and harder to recover from," said Dr. David Schlager, a clinical assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral science at Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine.
Early pot smoking, depression may be linked
Children and teenagers who smoke marijuana may have a somewhat heightened risk of developing depression, a new study suggests -- though whether the drug itself is to blame is not clear.
Several studies have found an association between marijuana use and increased risks of depression and anxiety disorders, but some others have failed to confirm such a link. Moreover, it has been unclear whether marijuana use itself, or some other factor, accounts for the connection seen in some studies.
Pesticides Linked to ADHD in Kids
Exposure to pesticides used on common kid-friendly foods — including frozen blueberries, fresh strawberries and celery — appears to boost the chances that children will be diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, new research shows.
Youngsters with high levels of pesticide residue in their urine, particularly from widely used types of insecticide such as malathion, were more likely to have ADHD, the behavior disorder that often disrupts school and social life, scientists in the United States and Canada found.
Kids with higher-than-average levels of one pesticide marker were nearly twice as likely to be diagnosed with ADHD as children who showed no traces of the poison.
Wheat-Free Diet No Help for Autism
A popular diet that eliminates wheat and milk protein does not appear to help children with autism, but early behavioral treatments do, researchers reported on Wednesday.
The findings are sure to disappoint many parents who have been trying to manage autism, which affects as many as 1 in 100 U.S. children.
"It would have been wonderful for children with autism and their families if we found that the gluten-free, casein-free diet could really help, but this small study didn't show significant benefits," said Dr. Susan Hyman of the University of Rochester in New York, who led the study.
According to a new report released today by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), behavioral and emotional problems decreased among nearly one-third (31 percent) of young children with mental health challenges within the first 6 months after entering services through systems of care program. The report, Addressing the Mental Health Needs of Young Children and Their Families, describes the academic, social, and emotional performance outcomes of children ages 8 and younger receiving services in systems of care. These SAMHSA-funded systems of care programs provide family-driven and culturally and linguistically competent services and supports to children and youth with mental health challenges and their families.
Why We Need to Integrate Health and Mental Health
Alarming evidence has emerged in recent years, from studies of people treated in the public mental health care system, that adults with serious mental illness die on average 25 years earlier than the general population. For a decade or two before their demise they suffer from early onset diabetes, high blood pressure, heart and lung disease and cancer. Why? Their habits place them at great risk for these conditions. They eat poorly, are sedentary and don't have a primary care doctor -- or if they do they don't go and get preventive and ongoing physical healthcare. They smoke heavily, with more than three out of four being nicotine dependent (see my previous blog on this issue here).
The psychiatric medications many receive for their mental illnesses increase the likelihood of weight gain, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Mental health professionals have discovered what the Craig family painfully learned: physical disability and early death add to the burden of mental illness for those affected and their families. The burden does not stop there since our health care system, already groaning from the weight of the consequences of American habit disorders, shoulders the extraordinary health costs of this high need population.
What can be done? A lot.
We have to start early. Mental illness itself starts early, with half of all mental disorders appearing by age 14 and three-quarters by 24 (these are the ages when the illnesses begin, though it is typically many years before the problem behaviors are understood, diagnosed and treated).
Promise Seen in Drug for Fragile-X Syndrome
An experimental drug succeeded in a small clinical trial in bringing about what the researchers called substantial improvements in the behaviors associated with retardation and autism in people with fragile X syndrome, the most common inherited cause of these mental disabilities.
Katie Clapp and her son, Andy Tranfaglia, who was born with fragile X syndrome. She works to raise funds for research.
The surprising results, disclosed in an interview this week by Novartis, the Swiss pharmaceutical giant that makes the drug, grew out of three decades of painstaking genetic research, leaps in the understanding of how the brain works, the advocacy of families who refused to give up, and a chance meeting between two scientists who mistakenly showed up at the same conference.
Rosalyn Carter: Solving the Mental Health Crisis for Our Children
When I was a child in Plains, everyone knew everyone else in town. Church and school were the center of our community and were strong and positive influences on my life and those of my siblings and friends. So much has changed since then. The social fabric I took for granted no longer exists. On May 6--National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day--we need to acknowledge the fact that too many children in our nation are left to struggle with a whole host of stressful circumstances--violence, divorce, poverty, substance abuse and war, to mention just a few, without effective supports.
Mental Health of Pre-Term Babies in Danger
A new US study has proposed that premature infants are more likely to develop cognitive disorders like hypertension, autism and sensory dysfunctions than babies delivered in normal time.
For the study, the British researchers examined 219 preterm born babies for 11 years and observed that 12% of them suffered from Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, 9% developed emotional problems and 8% reported Autism.
The study authors also proposed a three time augmented chances of cognitive disorders and a greater risk of behavioral swings in preterm babies.
Data for the present study was obtained from the EPICure Study that investigated kids in the age group of 1 to 11 years who had been born prematurely.
The researchers recommend early testing of cognitive functioning of preterm born babies for prevention of any serious disorders with age.
Dr. Joan Luby, a researcher associated with the study says, “New findings from the EPICure study, the largest and longest investigation of psychiatric outcomes in premature infants conducted to date, demonstrate marked increased behavioral risks in this population”.
He advises routine tests of such kids throughout their primary schooling as a key to understanding the mental and behavioral disorders at the earliest.
As preterm born babies are at a greater risk of mental impairments, parents should seek doctor’s advice in understanding the care that their child may need.
The study findings have been detailed in the May edition of the Journal American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
Bulemia: A Mother's Loss Inspires Film
Andrew Avrin sits on a beige couch in a nondescript room, a fruit still-life partly visible on the wall behind him, twisting his fingers while, off-camera, an unseen interviewer prompts him to talk about his sister, Melissa, who died last year at the age of 19 after a long battle with bulimia.
“There was no food in the house,” he says, looking off to the side as his eyes fill. “If I went out with friends, I could not bring leftovers home because they would be gone by the next morning.”
Once, he explains, in the middle of a bitterly cold night, he looked out the window and saw Melissa on the curb, going through the garbage. “I went outside and I yelled her name,” he recounts in the interview, his voice breaking. “Just the way she looked back at me — it was so empty, vacant. It was a deer in the headlights, but that doesn’t even explain it.”
Mental Health Patients Turn More to Each Other
Jim Bina was feeling good. And that made him nervous.
The Naperville man had struggled with depression for decades, and he had learned to distrust happiness as an illusion that masked an approaching crisis.
It might sound like an unusual problem, but when he mentioned it one recent night in a hospital conference room, most of those listening nodded in recognition.
Bina, 54, had come to a support group for people with mental illness, run by people with mental illness. It offered them a chance to discuss and maybe get help for problems that, all too often, their friends, families and even therapists didn't seem to understand.
How do you feel comfortable at social gatherings when everyone there knows you tried to kill yourself? Should you abandon your religious faith if you're prone to thinking that you're God? How do you handle your illness when your child has it, too?
"A doctor can read about it, but he doesn't know it firsthand," Bina said later. "Here, they get it. You're preaching to the choir. They know exactly what you're talking about."
The group, based at Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove, is a sign of a new direction in the treatment of mental illness. Those who suffer from it are increasingly being recognized as the best authorities on how to overcome it.
Brutal Bullies -- What Makes Kids Cruel?
The last few months of 15-year-old Phoebe Prince's life were filled with unrelenting torment, according to reports by fellow students.
Classmates at the Irish immigrant's Massachusetts high school called Prince a "whore" and an "Irish slut," students said. They defaced her school photo with obscene drawings, sent her threatening text messages and whispered — or shouted — insults in school hallways. On Jan. 14, witnesses say, she was taunted by a group of classmates in the library and hit with a can of Red Bull thrown from a moving car. That afternoon, Prince went home and hanged herself with a scarf.
New Study Finds Strong Link Between Mental Health and Addiction
A new study by the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse reports there is a strong connection between addiction and mental illness.
It is called concurrent disorders; the medical term for when a person suffers from mental illness and substance abuse at the same time.
The study found that 50 per cent of people being treated for an addiction also have a mental illness. It also reports 20 per cent of mental illness patients live with an addiction.
Adopted Children at Greater Risk for Mental Health Disorders
Melissa Fay Greene woke up at night crying and wondering if she had "ruined our life."
Long before her decision to adopt a boy from Bulgaria, she learned that raising an adopted child could be challenging. It wasn't going to be a fairy tale to raise a child who had spent most of his life in an orphanage.
"It's terrifying," Greene said. "It's like meeting the man or woman you're marrying at the altar. There's no turning back. It's a lifelong commitment. It's really scary."
NAMI Launches Social Networking Site for Young Adults
- Healthy relationships
- Family and friends
- Campus life
- Independent living
- Finances
- Employment
- Housing
- Mental health issues
"Young adulthood is an exciting challenge, but also a confusing and stressful time for anyone," said Michael Fitzpatrick, NAMI executive director. "Life can throw things at you fast."
"Mental illness affects everyone. StrengthofUs.org is intended not just for young adults who have a mental illness, but for anyone entering adulthood that has a friend, parent or other family member facing a mental health problem."
"Most of all, StrengthofUs.org is an interactive, fun space where young adults can share experiences and other information to empower each other, build relationships and offer peer support."
"StrengthofUs.org is about helping and inspiring each other," said Alex M. White, age 23, a member of the advisory group of young adults who helped develop the Web site. "I would not be alive today if it had not been for the love, care and support I received from family, friends and loved ones."
White was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at age 13. He dropped out of school and attempted suicide before gaining control of the illness.
A Montana State University graduate, White now leads a happy, productive life in New York City. He has made an award-winning short film, Une Vignette de Melancolie, about depression and suicidal ideation that has played internationally.
NAMI created the StrengthofUs community through the support of the Rodwell Dart Memorial Foundation, established by Hailey Dart, in loving memory of her son, Roddy, who lost his life at age 22.
Special Note
On April 20, the Web site will host a "launch party" featuring a remix of the song "Goodmorning" from the upcoming Derivatives album by William Fitzsimmons, who worked helping people with mental illness before turning a passion for music into his profession. He was named an iTunes Best Singer-Songwriter for his album The Sparrow and the Crow and his music has been featured on the television show Grey's Anatomy.
Psychological First Aid: Fostering Children's Mental Health in Times of Disaster
The term "psychological first aid" has appeared more and more frequently since the terrifying events of September 11, 2001. Soon after 9/11, the National Institute of Mental Health called together two conferences that considered the evidence for use of various approaches to large groups of traumatized people. The New York Times this morning referred to "psychological first aid" in discussing the plight of Haitian earthquake survivors.
One important concern in the development of "psychological first aid" (PFA) is that it is possible for mishandling of survivors' concerns to do harm-- to intensify distress and to create symptoms that last longer and cause more problems than they need to. This was evident in the days following 9/11, when would-be helpers streamed into New York City, not all of whom knew what they were doing. A special problem arises when people who want to help believe that trauma is relieved by catharsis-- the re-experiencing and expression of feeling about fearful events. As Jill Littrell's research has shown, this is not the case unless there is also help in processing disturbing memories.
Child Bipolar Diagnosis is a Poor Fit for Many
Over the last decade, more children with behavior and emotional troubles have received a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. This is a condition in which moods swing dramatically between depression and mania. Traditionally, bipolar was diagnosed only in adults.
A fierce debate has raged in recent years over diagnosing children with bipolar illness because the symptoms vary so much in children compared with adults, and because the medications used to treat the disorder carry some serious side effects. The American Psychiatric Assn. has proposed changes to how the diagnosis is made in children for the next edition of its diagnosing guide, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, or DSM-5. An expert panel has suggested two new diagnoses to account for the symptoms seen in children: "severe mood dysregulation" and "temper dysregulation disorder with dysphoria."
Inhalants are Drug of Choice for Pre-Teens
They're cheap, easy to access and offer a quick high. But inhalants such as nail polish, cleaning spray and bleach can also be deadly. Now, new statistics suggest that preteens are using common household products as intoxicants more than all other drugs combined, but are often unaware of the accompanying risks.
The most recent available data were collected between 2006 and 2008 and compiled by the federal government's Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
According to the survey, 7 percent of 12-year-olds have gotten high using an inhalant, while 5 percent have used prescription drugs and 1.4 percent have tried pot.
Schizophrenia Takes Major Toll on Children
It's an illness that doesn't strike often, but one that inevitably has a tremendous effect on the lives of those few children who suffer from it.
Schizophrenia is diagnosed in fewer than 1 in 30,000 American kids each year. Symptoms are similar to those seen in the around 1 percent of Americans who suffer from adult-onset schizophrenia: hallucinations, irrational thoughts and even violent behavior.
But schizophrenia will have an added impact on kids, because of the developmental delays it causes. Schizophrenic children won't learn social cues or proper hygiene, and often fail to make friends or perform academically.
Symptoms can also be mistaken for typical childhood phases. Kids often create imaginary worlds, struggle with bed-wetting and cleanliness, or act out in ways that seem irrational to adults.
Are Parents Overmedicating ADHD Children?
Are parents guilty of overmedicating their children? Are they the culprits responsible for mental health diagnoses such as attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and bipolar disorder in kids? These were the questions Judith Warner asked as she set about to write a follow-up to her 2005 New York Times best-selling book Perfect Madness: Motherhood in the Age of Anxiety, an examination-meets-condemnation of the culture of overachieving parents. She intended her next book to address perfectionist parenting in terms of childhood mental health disorders. Of course, she thought she knew the right answers: Yes and yes.
"It had to be these hypercompetitive, pushy parents trying to perfect their kids... None of this was real" to me, Warner explained at a recent event which was sponsored by the Parents League of New York and hosted by New York Times "Motherlode" blogger Lisa Belkin to launch her new book. "I saw ADHD and bipolar disorder as flavor-of-the-month diagnoses," the result of our "culture of overmedication." After interviewing real parents who were "just in despair" over their children's health, Warner came to the same conclusion that ADDitude readers -- parents of ADHD children and ADHD adults -- are all too familiar with: ADHD is real.
Sharp Drop Seen in Children's Bullying
There’s been a sharp drop in the percentage of America’s children being bullied or beaten up by their peers, according to a new national survey by experts who believe anti-bullying programs are having an impact.
The study, funded by the U.S. Department of Justice, found that the percentage of children who reported being physically bullied over the past year had declined from nearly 22 percent in 2003 to under 15 percent in 2008. The percentage reporting they’d been assaulted by other youths, including their siblings, dropped from 45 percent to 38.4 percent.
The lead author of the study, Professor David Finkelhor, said he was “very encouraged.”
Eating Disorders Create Unnatural Relationship with Food
Excerpt:
“Eating disorder doesn’t just mean that you restrict your food. An eating disorder can be any sort of unnatural use of food,” said Lyndsey Clewell, an anorexia and bulimia survivor. “That includes purging and throwing up, over exercising to burn off calories or includes binge eating and eating and eating and eating then purging to get rid of the calories.”
She added that eating disorders are often very secretive and shameful for victims.
Kathryn Manley, a mental health practitioner at Michael Burke and Associates, said because people with eating disorders are good at hiding their diseases, it’s difficult to tell who has a disorder.
SAMHSA and Ad Council Launch Mental Health Campaign
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration ( SAMHSA ) Officials, the Ad Council and the Stay Strong Foundation will unveil a national public service campaign designed to raise awareness of mental health problems among young adults in the African American community. The event is part of Black History Month and it is being held to coincide with the first annual Historically Black Colleges and Universities ( HBCU ) National Mental Health Awareness Day. The launch will be telecast to colleges and universities nationwide.
BACKGROUND:
Historically BlackColleges and Universities’ Center for Excellence in Substance Abuse and Mental Health at Morehouse School of Medicine, a SAMHSA grant, created National HBCU Mental Health Awareness Day. The HBCU Mental Health Awareness Day is the first national effort to promote behavioral health at HBCUs. The purpose is to increase public knowledge and student awareness about mental health issues and to foster a more supportive and informed environment on HBCU campuses and in the community. For more information visit www.hbcucfe.net.
SAMHSA is a public health agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The agency is responsible for improving the accountability, capacity and effectiveness of the nation’s substance abuse prevention, addictions, treatment and mental health services delivery system. SAMHSA can be reached at www.samhsa.gov. The Ad Council ( www.adcouncil.org ) is a private, non-profit organization that marshals talent from the advertising and communications industries, the facilities of the media, and the resources of the business and non-profit communities to produce, distribute and promote public service campaigns on behalf of non-profit organizations and government agencies. The Ad Council addresses issue areas such as improving the quality of life for children, preventive health, education, community well-being, environmental preservation and strengthening families.The Stay Strong Foundation ( SSF ) is a 501( c ) ( 3 ) organization founded by Terrie M. Williams and Xavier Artis in 2001 to empower America’s youth. The Foundation encourages corporate and individual responsibility; develops educational resources for youth and youth organizations; provides and coordinates internships; sets up mentoring opportunities; and facilitates visits by prominent individuals and business professionals to schools, libraries, youth organizations and group homes.
Disability-Free World May Not be Better Place
On a trip to Ireland a few years ago, I was struck by a number of faces among the crowds. They were children with the tell-tale look of Down syndrome.
What struck me was the realization that I hardly ever see these young faces out on the street in the United States.
By encouraging genetic testing for potential parents of European background, fewer and fewer children in the U.S. are being born with cystic fibrosis. Aggressive programs to offer genetic testing to a subset of Jewish ancestry has, over the last decade, resulted in a situation in which only about a dozen new cases of fatal Tay-Sachs Disease occur each year in babies in the United States. Experts believe that wider testing of parents may produce in the years to come a sharp decline in the number of children born with sickle cell disease and Fragile X syndrome, a leading cause of cognitive impairment in boys.
Reducing the burden of disease is obviously a good thing. But genetic testing of parents, and, as is now happening with increasing frequency, embryos, raises some difficult ethical challenges as well.
Analysis of New Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act Regulations
On Friday, January 29th, the three Federal departments charged with the promulgation of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA), released their Interim Final Rule, also referred to as “the regulations”. The MHPAEA was enacted in 2008 to help ensure equitable coverage of mental health and substance use disorders. It represents more than a decade of close work and negotiation between civil rights and patient advocates, the mental health and substance use disorder treatment communities, the recovery community, the medical community, business, commerce, and health insurance stakeholders.
Both because of the importance of this law and the implementation deadlines it imposed, the wait for regulations has felt long indeed. Other commentators have already noted there is much to celebrate with the release of the Interim Final Rule; unfortunately, the content also leaves much to be desired. On a high—note, the regulations begin to deliver on the promise of this important law. While regulators were clearly responsive to stakeholder comments and concerns gathered over the past months, significant questions and issues remain unaddressed. Ambiguity in the areas of scope of services, financial implications and medical management may hinder the success of parity as intended by the Congressional sponsors of the MHPAEA, and expose both Payers and providers to a variety of risks. Acknowledging that further clarification may be required, the Departments have invited comments to help inform the final regulations. It is critical that all stakeholders take advantage of the invitation between now and May 3. Now is the time to make remaining concerns known to regulators in the hope that the final rule may provide the clarification necessary to mitigate risks to all stakeholders and secure the very best conditions for plan members, patients and their families.
Hopeful Signs of Increased Emphasis on Mental Health Issues
A major speech on mental health from Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and the ascension of a new administrator at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) have sparked hopes that the Obama administration is putting increased emphasis on mental health issues. Buoying those hopes further is the fact that the White House has recruited notable mental health advocates in other top positions, such as Richard G. Frank and Sherry A. Glied, authors of the book Better But Not Well: Mental Health Policy in the United States Since 1950. Glied has been nominated as assistant secretary for planning and evaluation at the HHS. Frank is her deputy for disability and mental health policy.
Michael Hogan, PhD, commissioner of the office of mental health in New York State, said he is enthusiastic about what is shaping up as a first-rate Obama administration mental health team. Hogan, former head of mental health in Ohio, chaired the New Freedom Commission that proposed major mental health system changes in a report that was asked for and published under the George W. Bush administration in 2003.
Strong 'Sweet Tooth' in Kids Tied to Family's Mental Health
from The Palm Beach Post:
Depression and a family history of alcoholism may play a role in how much of a sweet tooth a child has, new research suggests.
"We know that sweet taste is rewarding to all kids and makes them feel good. In addition, certain groups of children may be especially attracted to intense sweetness due to their underlying biology," study author Julie A. Mennella, a developmental psychobiologist at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, said in a news release from the center.
The new study included 300 children, aged 5 to 12, who were given tastes of five amounts of table sugar (sucrose) in water to determine their most preferred level of sweetness. The children were asked about the presence of depressive symptoms, and their mothers provided information on family alcohol use. About one-quarter of the children had depressive symptoms and 49 percent had a family history of alcoholism.
A liking for intense sweetness was greatest in the 37 children with both depressive symptoms and a family history of alcoholism, the researchers found. Among these children, their most preferred level of sweetness was 24 percent sucrose, equivalent to about 14 teaspoons of sugar in a cup of water and more than twice the sweetness of typical cola. This level of sweetness is one-third more intense than the 18 percent sucrose preferred by the other children.
It's known that sweet taste and alcohol activate many of the same reward circuits in the brain. But Mennella said the study findings don't necessarily mean there's a link between a child's sweet preferences and the risk of alcoholism later in life.
"At this point, we don't know whether this higher 'bliss point' for sweets is a marker for later alcohol use," she said.
Strong 'Sweet Tooth' in Kids Tied to Family's Mental Health
from The Palm Beach Post:
Depression and a family history of alcoholism may play a role in how much of a sweet tooth a child has, new research suggests.
"We know that sweet taste is rewarding to all kids and makes them feel good. In addition, certain groups of children may be especially attracted to intense sweetness due to their underlying biology," study author Julie A. Mennella, a developmental psychobiologist at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, said in a news release from the center.
The new study included 300 children, aged 5 to 12, who were given tastes of five amounts of table sugar (sucrose) in water to determine their most preferred level of sweetness. The children were asked about the presence of depressive symptoms, and their mothers provided information on family alcohol use. About one-quarter of the children had depressive symptoms and 49 percent had a family history of alcoholism.
A liking for intense sweetness was greatest in the 37 children with both depressive symptoms and a family history of alcoholism, the researchers found. Among these children, their most preferred level of sweetness was 24 percent sucrose, equivalent to about 14 teaspoons of sugar in a cup of water and more than twice the sweetness of typical cola. This level of sweetness is one-third more intense than the 18 percent sucrose preferred by the other children.
It's known that sweet taste and alcohol activate many of the same reward circuits in the brain. But Mennella said the study findings don't necessarily mean there's a link between a child's sweet preferences and the risk of alcoholism later in life.
"At this point, we don't know whether this higher 'bliss point' for sweets is a marker for later alcohol use," she said.
Asperger's to be categorized as autism
A condition popularly associated with quirky geniuses and child prodigies may be disappearing from the diagnostic bible of psychiatry, much to the relief — and sometimes frustration — of those dealing with Asperger's syndrome.
The American Psychiatric Association proposed on Wednesday to place the disorder — characterized by traits such as problems with social interactions — on the mild end of the autism spectrum. The change is one of several meant to better reflect current knowledge about diagnosing and treating Asperger's and autism.
But it would do away with a diagnosis that is linked to intellectual titans like Albert Einstein and Emily Dickinson.
Joshua Houglum, a 32-year-old Clearwater computer technician, was diagnosed with Asperger's just last year after longtime struggles with social interactions. Although some fear the change could stigmatize patients by rolling high-functioning people in with those who are more severely disabled, Houglum applauded the move, saying it's a better way to talk about a condition with a wide range of characteristics.
Lancet Withdraws Autism/Vaccine Link
Excerpt:
This week, after receiving the conclusions of a multiyear ethics investigation of UK doctor Andrew Wakefield performed by the General Medical Counsel (GMC), the editors of British medical journal The Lancet formally retracted a study which purported to find a link between the childhood MMR vaccine, gastrointestinal disease, and autism. It was published in 1998 and has been a source of controversy ever since.
When I started at Nobel Intent, I found that there were five topics that were guaranteed to cause a flame-fest to erupt in the comments: evolution, circumcision, climate change, dark matter/energy, and vaccine-autism links. While people have issues with the scientific consensus for any number of reasons, much of the problems with the final topic can be traced to Wakefield's study.
Girls wih ADHD Show Other Mental Health Risks
Excerpt
Girls with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder are more likely than their peers to develop depression, anxiety, eating disorders or other psychiatric problems by the time they reach adulthood, a new study suggests.
When Friends are Gone After a Diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder
Excerpt:
Dear Dr. Levine,
I am reeling from the awareness that certain friends who meant a great deal to me have abruptly turned their back on me now that I have revealed and declared my struggle with mental illness. I was diagnosed with a form of bipolar disorder after weathering several years of depression alongside "up" periods. When it was just garden-variety depression, I believe the problem had been more acceptable to these individuals, who are mostly male.
Now, having spent almost two weeks in hospital, the tables have turned and folks have run for the hills. I mean nothing: No phone calls, no cards, unreturned e-mails. These relationships, mind you, go back almost 20 years. I've spent most of my time being the "counselor" to these folks. Still, for the most part, I gained a lot from the relationships: mentoring, laughter, contacts, learning, etc.
So I'm not sure how to proceed from here. My self-esteem is shot-to-be-damned, and I really haven't much patience right now for the childish ways of grown people. Over the years, I've observed that people who "hide" from others' adversity find some way to wheedle back in after it seems like the coast is clear. I'm pretty clear about cutting these folks off, since there's really nothing to be salvaged except my self-worth. I am angry, and I can't guarantee that I still won't be angry when they inevitably return to my world. How would you suggest I handle this?
Teens Who Drink May Suffer Irreversible Brain Damage
from NPR:
Excerpt:
For teenagers, the effects of a drunken night out may linger long after the hangover wears off.
A recent study led by neuroscientist Susan Tapert of the University of California, San Diego compared the brain scans of teens who drink heavily with the scans of teens who don't.
Tapert's team found damaged nerve tissue in the brains of the teens who drank. The researchers believe this damage negatively affects attention span in boys, and girls' ability to comprehend and interpret visual information.
Genetic Link Between Major Mood Disorders
from Ars Technica:
Excerpt:
Whether major mood disorders, such as bipolar disorder and clinical depression, are the result of heritage or environmental factors has been a point of contention for some time now. Studies in the recent past have encountered difficulties mapping the differences in the genetic profiles between those affected by individual major mood disorders and others who are not. A new meta-analysis in Nature has widened the scope of study by looking at two major mood disorders at once, and by doing so, have found that individuals with either disorder tend to carry a certain allele on the same gene.
Why Do Youth Have More Mental Health Issues
from World of Psychology:
Excerpt:
News out today suggests that, based upon responses to the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), youth today have more mental health issues than those who took the test in 1938. Here’s the summary:
Pulling together the data for the study was no small task. Led by Twenge, researchers at five universities analyzed the responses of 77,576 high school or college students who, from 1938 through 2007, took the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, or MMPI. The results will be published in a future issue of the Clinical Psychology Review.
Overall, an average of five times as many students in 2007 surpassed thresholds in one or more mental health categories, compared with those who did so in 1938.
Choking Game Linked to Rural Setting, Substance Abuse, Mental Health
Excerpt:
A new report suggests a large number of eighth-graders in Oregon have taken part in the "choking game," the dangerous practice of choking each other to get a feeling of euphoria.
As many as 2,600 eighth-graders may have risked injury, long-term disability or even death by trying the so-called "game" that also carries nicknames such as "Pass-Out," ''Space Monkey," ''Flatliner" and "Blackout."
"That's a lot of kids," said Dr. Mel Kohn, the state public health director.
The results of the Oregon Public Health survey released Thursday by the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta were compiled from responses from nearly 8,000 eighth-graders at 114 schools in Oregon.
The survey, conducted in 2008, also showed that more than a third of those eighth-graders had heard about the choking game.
1 in 4 Teen Girls Involved in Violent Behavior
Excerpt:A new national survey finds that almost 27 percent of girls aged 12 to 17 were involved in serious fights or attacks on other girls within the previous year.
"These findings are alarming," SAMHSA administrator Pamela S. Hyde said in a news release. "We need to do a better job reaching girls at risk and teaching them how to resolve problems without resorting to violence."
Results from the 2006-2008 survey showed that just under 19 percent of the girls got into a serious fight at school or work, 14 percent were part of fights involving groups and nearly 6 percent attacked others with an intention to seriously hurt them. In total, 26.7 percent of the girls surveyed fell into at least one of those groups, the researchers noted.
Strict Bedtimes May Fend Off Teen Depression
from MSNBC:
Excerpt:
Twelve-year-old Nicholas Ho was so exhausted each morning, he could barely drag himself out of bed in time for school.
Concerned that something might be seriously wrong with his son, Chi Ho took Nicholas to a sleep specialist. But after a night in the sleep lab, doctors reassured the Tampa, Fla., family that Nicholas was perfectly normal. The fix was simple: He just needed to learn the rules of good sleep.
Now, his 10:30 p.m. bedtime is non-negotiable. The computer must be turned off by 9 p.m., and electronic devices are banned from Nicholas’ room. He spends an hour each night cooling down.
Special diets unnecessary for autistic children
Experts: No hard evidence digestive issues more common in autistic kids
Excerpt:
CHICAGO - An expert panel says there's no rigorous evidence that digestive problems are more common in children with autism compared to other children, or that special diets work, contrary to claims by celebrities and vaccine naysayers.
Painful digestive problems can trigger problem behavior in children with autism and should be treated medically, according to the panel's report published in the January issue of Pediatrics and released Monday.
Stigma over mental ill-health is worst among family and friends
Friends and relations are the main source of discrimination
towards people with mental health problems.
See Me, the campaign to end the stigma attached to mental ill-health
in Scotland, found that 47% of people with mental health problems
cite family and friends as the main source of negative attitudes.
However, 62% said that once this stigma has been broken down,
support from those groups is the most important factor in aiding
Youths See Some Dangers but Not Others
from NY Times
Most teenagers these days think smokingcigarettes is very dangerous. Yet most adolescents also do not consider frequent binge drinking or occasional marijuana smoking to be anywhere near as risky.
These findings are drawn from the responses of 44,979 people ages 12 to 17 who took part in national drug use surveys conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in 2007 and 2008.
While nearly 70 percent of youths perceived “great risk” from smoking a pack or two of cigarettes a day, only 40 percent thought having five or more alcoholic drinks once or twice a week was very risky, and only 34 percent perceived great risk from smoking marijuana once a month. About half thought using cocaine or LSD once or twice a month was very risky.
Use closely matches the perception of risk, said Pete Delaney, a researcher with the administration, adding that only about 9 percent of youths 12 to 17 said they smoked in 2008, while 26 percent of 16- and 17-year-olds reported drinking. Some 12.7 percent of the older teenagers reporting smoking marijuana.
“We’re doing a great job convincing kids that smoking can really have an impact on their health,” Dr. Delaney said. “We need to learn how we can help them understand other drugs can also cause harm.”
New Health Care Law Brings Hope to People with Mental Illness
from examiner.com
Excerpt:
What will happen to the seriously mentally ill? What will happen to those with schizophrenia, manic-depression and other bipolar disorders, anxiety disorders, autism and autism spectrum disorders, as well as Asperger's syndrome, depression, OCD, PDD, schizo-affective disorders, sociopathy, and other disorders that populate the psychiatric lexicon called the DSM?
Analysis of New Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act Regulations
To download a comprehensive, 25-page, detailed analysis from AHP on the recently issued MHPAEA Regulations as a PDF, click here.
On Friday, January 29th, the three Federal departments charged with the promulgation of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA), released their Interim Final Rule, also referred to as “the regulations”. The MHPAEA was enacted in 2008 to help ensure equitable coverage of mental health and substance use disorders. It represents more than a decade of close work and negotiation between civil rights and patient advocates, the mental health and substance use disorder treatment communities, the recovery community, the medical community, business, commerce, and health insurance stakeholders.
02.06.2010 02:13 PM
By Patrick Gauthier, Senior Consultant, Managed Behavioral Healthcare
To download a comprehensive, 25-page, detailed analysis from AHP on the recently issued MHPAEA Regulations as a PDF, click here.
On Friday, January 29th, the three Federal departments charged with the promulgation of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA), released their Interim Final Rule, also referred to as “the regulations”. The MHPAEA was enacted in 2008 to help ensure equitable coverage of mental health and substance use disorders. It represents more than a decade of close work and negotiation between civil rights and patient advocates, the mental health and substance use disorder treatment communities, the recovery community, the medical community, business, commerce, and health insurance stakeholders.
Kids, Meds and Mental Health
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has launched StrengthofUs.org, a new online community where young adults living with mental health concerns can provide mutual support in navigating unique challenges and opportunities during the critical transition years from ages 18 to 25.
Developed by young adults, StrengthofUs.org is a user-driven social networking community where members can connect with peers, share personal stories, creativity and helpful resources by writing and responding to blog entries, engaging in discussion groups and sharing videos, photos and other news.
The site offers resources on issues important to young adults, including:
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