January 2011 - Mental Health Update

Children's mental health after the hurricane

In 2004 Hurricane Charley hit Charlotte County in Southwest Florida killing 35 people. Researchers from the University of Miami have been researching post-traumatic stress (PTS) in children caught up in the disaster and have found that the effects can...

Published Fri, Jan 14 2011 2:38 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: PTSD

Child abuse and false confessions

Compliance involves people responding favourably to requests. In some cases this can be a good thing but in other instances it can lead to people making false confessions when pressure by the police, people being pressurised by their peers to commit crimes...

Published Wed, Jan 19 2011 1:42 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Child Abuse, Forensic Psychology

Video games and mental health

Researchers from the University of Iowa have been studying the effects of video games on children in Singapore. The researchers surveyed 3,034 children between years 3 and 8 every year between 2007 and 2009. 83% of the children in the study played video...

Published Tue, Jan 18 2011 1:58 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Child Development, Video Game Addiction

Alcoholism and obesity

People with a family history of alcoholism may be more likely to become obese. Researchers from Washington University in St Louis studied 80,000 people taking part in a national survey in 2001 and 2002. They found that women with a family history of alcoholism...

Published Mon, Jan 10 2011 6:28 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Obesity, Alcohol Problems

Overweight mums not linked to children's intellectual and behaviour problems

Previous studies have shown that women who are overweight before becoming pregnant are more likely to have children with behavioural and learning problems. However, a new study by researchers at the University of Bristol suggests that there is not a direct...

Published Tue, Jan 11 2011 2:17 AM by Mental Health Update

Miserable materialists

People who want the latest type of toys and gadgets could be more depressed than people who are happy with what they have already got. Researchers from Murray State University in Kentucky asked 101 men and women how they felt about a range of gadgets...

Published Mon, Jan 17 2011 2:13 AM by Mental Health Update

Mum's iron puts kids on their mettle

Iron deficiency is the most common and widespread nutritional disorder in the world, affecting around 2 billion people. Iron is essential for the development of the central nervous system and early iron deficiency can interfere with nerve development...

Published Tue, Jan 18 2011 2:21 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Child Development, Iron, Folic Acid

More evidence on overuse of antipsychotics

So-called 'second-generation,' antipsychotic drugs were originally developed to tackle psychoses and schizophrenia but are increasingly being used to tackle unrelated conditions where cheaper and more effective alternatives exist. Researchers...

Published Fri, Jan 07 2011 2:10 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Antipsychotics

Even second-hand TV can increase the risk of eating disorders

The mixed blessings of broadcast television only arrived in Fiji in 1995 which makes it an ideal place to research its effects. Researchers from Harvard Medical School have been looking into the effects of media consumption on eating disorders in adolescent...

Published Fri, Jan 07 2011 2:41 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Eating Disorders

New figures show more people sectioned and hospitalized in England

The number of people in England detained under the Mental Health Act rose by a third last year. The number of people detained rose from 32,649 in 2008-9 to 42,499 in 2009-10. The overall number of mental-health inpatients rose by 5% to 107,765. Nearly...

Published Wed, Jan 12 2011 2:40 AM by Mental Health Update

New survey shows recession's toll on youngsters' mental health

Nearly a million 16-24 year-olds in the U.K. are unemployed and a new survey by the Prince's Trust charity shows the toll that this is taking on youngsters' mental health. The survey of 2,170 people aged between 16 and 25 found that young people...

Published Tue, Jan 11 2011 2:31 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Social Support, Social Networks

Toddler tantrums, self-control and adult problems

Children who are badly behaved and impatient at three are already at risk of having problems as adults. Researchers from Duke University in North Carolina studied 1,000 people in New Zealand in a long-term study which followed them from early childhood...

Published Tue, Jan 25 2011 7:12 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Child Development

Video games and mental health - II

Following an earlier study of problematic gaming in young children in Singapore researchers from Yale School of Medicine have been looking into the effects of video games in older children. They surveyed 4,028 adolescents about their gaming and behaviour...

Published Wed, Jan 19 2011 2:16 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Child Development, Video Game Addiction

Colleges fail to pick up depressed students

Universities and colleges could be failing to pick up on, and offer help to, students who are depressed. Researchers from Northwestern University in Illinois studied 1,622 college students going to medical appointments for other health problems. They...

Published Mon, Jan 17 2011 1:55 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Depression - in adolescence

Mediterranean diet may lead to fewer senior moments

Researchers from Rush University Medical Centre in Chicago have been adding to the evidence which suggests that a Mediterranean diet can prevent cognitive decline in older people. The researchers studied 4,000 people aged 65 and over and gave their diets...

Published Mon, Jan 10 2011 7:17 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Memory Problems, Diet and Mental Health