Entries Tagged 'Depression' ↓

The headspace website is designed for parents, carers, teachers and professionals who work with young people. It deals with a range of issues that affect the youth of today including:

• Mental Health
• Drugs and Alcohol
• Cyberbullying
• Health and Wellbeing
• Research and useful links
• Parents and carers
• Getting Help

Videos
The site also features several videos from young people and parents who have experienced problems. The ‘Something’s not right’ video clip, talks about a parents experience of seeking help. This video clip is taken from a DVD entitled ‘Where there’s hope’ produced by Orygen Youth Health Research Centre.

The ‘Persistence’ video clip relates a parent’s experience of her daughter’s gradual improvement and the need to persist with treatment.

Fact sheets
There are specific information and fact sheets about mental health and illness, drugs and alcohol, and mental health research. The fact sheets provide some practical information to support those in a caring role:
• Managing health care and medications
• Managing money
• Legal arrangements
• Safety at home

The Carer Information Pack produced by the Commonwealth Carer Resource Centre also contains an Emergency Care Plan and a list for recording medication requirements:
• Emergency Care Plan
• List for recording medication requirements

If you need face to face help then there are 30 headspace centres around Australia which offer several services. Contact details for all centres are located on the website.

Parents and Carers
Young people can go through many different changes as they grow up. Raising sensitive issues and working to resolve problems that arise along the way can be challenging. It can also be hard as a parent to know the difference between normal behaviour, such as moodiness, irritability and withdrawal, and an emerging mental health problem. This section is designed to help parents and carers to:
• talk to a young person about their problems
• learn more about how to support young people
• find information about where you can find the right help, and
• find support for yourself. 

Signs and symptoms to look out for
Encourage someone to see a doctor if anything on this checklist describes how they feel or act:

• Stop talking to family and friends
• Become afraid or suspicious for no reason
• Develop strange ideas
• Hear voices no one else can hear
• Feel they have special powers
• Have difficulty concentrating
• Say or write things that don’t make sense
• Abuse drugs or alcohol

Headspace Knowledge Centre – for professionals
The headspace Knowledge Centre provides up-to-date information about treatment interventions and models of care for young people with mental health and substance use issues. It is designed for professionals who work with young people, as well as researchers and academics and members of the community who are interested in youth mental health.

Centre of Excellence: this provides an overview of some of the most common mental health and substance use disorders affecting young people. These overviews focus on:

• the diagnostic criteria for these disorders (including some of the difficulties in diagnosing mental illness in young people)
• the prevalence of these conditions,
• the ages of onset,
• evidence-based treatment options, and
• information about current models of care.

Evidence Mapping: is a dynamic resource that assembles all the evidence and research regarding treatment interventions for common mental health and substance use problems affecting young people. The Evidence Maps will be continually updated. Currently, the Evidence Map for Depression is available, with the other disorder areas coming online throughout 2008-2009.

Writer Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha
Source: headspace

Online counselling is another way to get help for depression and anxiety.

There are many self-help internet-based programs available in Australia that are aimed at helping people better manage depression, anxiety and related illnesses.  To help people find these programs and services, beyondblue: the national depression initiative has put together a directory of e-mental Health Services and Therapies.

Deputy CEO of beyondblue: the national depression initiative, Dr Nicole Highet says online e-therapy may be an effective alternative for people with depression and anxiety who can’t or won’t access help from mental health professionals. 

“We know that more than half of all Australians with depression and anxiety don’t get the help they need for a range of reasons. There may be a lack of services in their area, they may not be able to afford the consultation fees or perhaps they’re embarrassed or ashamed to ask for help.  

“Online counselling gives people the opportunity to log onto a computer, in the privacy of their homes and work through various programs which will teach them how to identify and take control of negative and unhelpful thought patterns which underpin conditions like depression and anxiety. The beauty of these programs is that not only are many of them free, but people can choose to remain anonymous,” she said.

Dr Highet said online therapy for example, could help someone who has an anxiety disorder.  “It is common for someone with anxiety to view situations as being more dangerous than they are in reality. For example, a person afraid of flying will be obsessed with the possibility of the plane crashing, even though in reality they know this is highly unlikely. This would cause the person to feel extremely anxious and overwhelmed throughout the trip or the person may avoid plane travel altogether, which could impact negatively on work commitments or family life.”

Dr Highet said, similarly, people with depression view themselves and their situations negatively.

“People could consult a health professional to learn how to manage these thoughts and bring these feelings under control through talking therapies like Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT). But if you can’t or don’t want to talk about these problems with a health professional face-to-face, you can go to the e-mental Health Directory on the beyondblue website to link to a range of e-mental health services in Australia.  The directory lists 36 services and includes information on how to access these services and utilise the information and treatments.”

“These online therapies are showing great promise and are proving to be an effective alternative to face-to-face treatments for anxiety disorders and/or depression,” Dr Highet added.

 Get help at www.beyondblue.org.au/ementalhealthdirectory or ring the beyondblue info line on 1300 22 4636.

Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha

Soruce: Youthbeyondblue

25% of young people aged 16-24 experience mental health problems
75% of young people hospitalised in 2007-2008 was due to mental and behavioural disorders
30,706 young people were prescribed antidepressants in 2008*

The growing pressures associated with teenage years is increasing and taking its toll on the young people of today;  life is complicated and life style choices challenging.

There seems to be 4 main areas which affect adolescents; anxiety, depression, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and eating disorders, although they are not medically linked they often have similar symptoms.

The growth of mental health issues among the young has seen 30,000 families a year affected. It is clear that the stigma that goes with mental health needs to be dropped in favour of validating and helping teenagers with the issues they are now facing.

Adolescent psychologist, author of “Surviving Adolescents” and Generation Next speaker, Dr Michael Carr-Gregg says that the most important thing for a parent to remember is to keep the lines of communication open on all levels especially emotionally, “if children and adolescents feel loved within the family, that there is a place for them at home, they may still push boundaries but their risk-taking will be less hazardous. So rather than just monitoring their behaviour, keep tabs on their emotional life. Look for changes away from a familiar or predictable pattern of behaviour.”

Dr Carr-Gregg points out several warning signs to watch out for:
Frequent sadness, tearfulness, crying
Gloomy clothing, writing and music
Poor hygiene and grooming
Hopelessness
Decreased interest in doing ‘stuff’
Persistent boredom and or low energy
Social isolation
Guilt and low self-esteem
Increased irritability, anger or hostility
Disruptive behaviour at school
Alcohol and drug abuse

If the current movement continues then 20% of adolescents will have experienced depression by the age of 18, and yet many of them will not seek medical help for their condition.

The practice of helping  young people deal with their mental illness using medication grew in the 1990’s. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare publication Australia’s Health 2010, published by the Australian Department of Health and Ageing, this trend has continued to grow with 30,706 young people under 18 years of age being prescribed with antidepressants in the 12 months to June 2008. In the same period, 4,000 children under 10 years of age were also given mood-stabilising drugs, with a staggering 500 of them under the age of 5 years old.

Research has shown that antidepressant medication (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors – SSRI) can help stabilise children over the age of 12 years old. It is most effective when used in conjunction with other treatments such as cognitive behavioural therapy as part of an overall mental health plan.

Many parents feel they have failed if their child resorts to medication, however Steve Hambleton,  Australian Medical Association vice president said “there is a whole lot of resistance from parents and the individual but it doesn’t mean you have failed or you should give up,”  he added “it can be a useful part of the clinical regime.”

Kids & Co.  set up by clinical psychologist Anna Cohen offers psychological assessments and a treatment service to adolescents and their families who are experiencing difficulties. Ms Cohen said “we really believe there is a place for medication for teenagers, but not for all teenagers. If we have a chemical change on our brain, the medication puts that back into a healthy balance.”

She added “the problem is, a lot of parents have heard lots of horror stories about kids on medication and there’s often a comment made to me that young people on antidepressants are more likely to suicide – but that is not the case. There is a huge stigma attached to it. It’s terrifying to acknowledge that your young person is depressed.”

Writer Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha
Source: Sunday Telegraph

* Australian Institute of Health and Welfare publication Australia’s Health 2010, Australian Department of Health and Ageing

In Australia, anxiety disorders are common. One in 25 teenagers (13-17 years old) experiences anxiety disorders in any given year.

Anxiety is not the same as depression, although the two conditions share many causes and some symptoms often occur together. There are six main types of anxiety disorders, including Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

What is Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)?

Many people feel anxious sometimes and these anxious thoughts can often influence the things we do. For example, the thought “I think I left the iron on” can lead to us returning home to make sure that it’s turned off.

Usually, these thoughts happen only occasionally and can be helpful reminders. However, if these thoughts happen regularly, again and again, it can cause difficulties.

People who have OCD often feel like they have to carry out certain behaviours (e.g. cleaning things that are already clean) over and over in order to feel OK and reduce their anxious feelings.

These behaviours usually provide only temporary relief. But if people with OCD don’t carry out these behaviour patterns or rituals, they often think that bad things will happen to them.

While OCD is relatively rare in young people, it can be serious and requires treatment by a health professional.

What are the signs and symptoms of OCD?

People may have OCD if they have a lot of unwanted intrusive thoughts or strong urges to do certain things. Some examples of signs of OCD include:

• obsessive hand washing because the person is scared of germs

  counting things for no apparent reason, and

constantly checking that doors are locked etc.

Getting Help

A General Practitioner or counsellor can help. OCD is treatable and talking to someone about it is the first step towards getting better. Treatment will help a person with OCD to control the strong compulsive feelings that lead to the repetitive behaviour.

Your doctor may offer you some information to read or put you in touch with someone who specialises in the treatment of anxiety disorders or refer you to a psychologist covered by Medicare.

Where can I get more information?

youthbeyondblue  or  1300 22 4636
headspace  
Kids Help Line  or 1800 55 1800
ReachOut.com  
Anxiety Network Australia

Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha
Source: Youthbeyondblue

When people talk about ‘mental health’ they’re referring to the health of your mind and this also includes how you feel about yourself and how easily you cope with problems. When you are experiencing good mental health, it makes it easier for you to enjoy day-to-day activities and the world around you.

Your mental health can be affected by many different things and many different reasons. One of the signs that your mental health isn’t as healthy as it should be is that you don’t feel as good as you used to. If you have a mental health condition, it can affect:

• the way you feel
• the way you think and act
• how you interact with others
• your ability to concentrate.
 
We all feel low from time to time, but when you feel sad or anxious for a long time, generally for more than two weeks, it’s a sign that something might be wrong and it’s a good time to talk to a friend, family member, trusted adult or – even better – your doctor.

Depression is a mental illness which can affect anyone at any time, so it is important to be aware of the signs and symptoms and to look out for these in yourself and also your friends and family. It is also important to listen to friends and family members when they are feeling down and talk to them about what is going on.

Part of the reason that mental health isn’t spoken about as much as it should be is because people may feel ashamed or embarrassed about having a mental health problem and often don’t want anyone to know about it. This is called “stigma” and it prevents people from seeking help and talking to trusted friends and relatives when they need to.

It is really important to talk about how you’re going, as everyone has a right to be well and to enjoy life. Talking about how you are feeling, whether it’s good or not-so-good, and getting things off your chest, may help you to start feeling better. By talking openly about mental health problems, it helps to reduce stigma and may encourage others to seek information and help when needed.

Things that prevent young people from seeking help for depression and anxiety can include:

• stigma and fear of what people will think and say
• not knowing where to go or who to talk to
• wondering if it is just a normal part of growing up (it’s not!)
• fear that they may be seen as weak if they speak to parents, GP or another health professional.

The truth is that depression and anxiety disorders are illnesses, not weaknesses, and it’s important to talk about what’s going on and to seek help. There is a lot of information that can help you – or a friend – take that first step.

Remember to:

• Look for the signs of depression and anxiety disorders
• Listen to your friends’ experiences
• Talk about how you’re feeling
• Seek Help together.

Depression and anxiety are illnesses and help is available. With the right treatment, most people recover.

For more information about depression, anxiety and related disorders visit www.youthbeyondblue.com or call the beyondblue info line on 1300 22 3646. 

Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha.

Youthbeyondblue has a range of free fact sheets available to download from the Youthbeyondblue website.

The fact sheets don’t sugar-coat the issues or contain medical jargon – just plain, easy-to-understand facts about problems people commonly experience as a part of growing up.

Topics range from depression and anxiety disorders (signs, symptoms and available treatment and where to get help) to advice on helping a friend or family member and tips on coping with stress. The fact sheets also look at what happens to depression and anxiety levels when mixed with alcohol, marijuana and other drugs.

There is information on how to keep yourself healthy, for example making sure you exercise and eat well and get a good night’s sleep. There are also tips on how to improve your study habits.

You can also get the facts about the tough stuff like suicide prevention, self-harm, dealing with grief, family break-ups and bullying. There’s even information for parents and carers. 

The team at Youthbeyondblue put these fact sheets together by drawing on years of research, expert advice from mental health professionals who work with young people and first hand information.

They also talked to groups of young people about what helped them through their tough times and took their advice on the things they thought would be helpful for others.

Other youth organisations, including headspace, Orygen Youth Health, Reach Out and Mission Australia, were also involved.

Beyondblue’s CEO, Leonie Young, said sometimes when people are going through a hard time or the early stages of anxiety and depression, it can be daunting to take that first step to get help. 

“Life can be tough for teenagers and young adults – so we want everyone to know that help is available. Whether it is advice on studying and keeping healthy, or easy-to-understand information about mental health, our Youthbeyondblue fact sheets are a great place to start. If you’re struggling, it’s always a good idea to talk about it with someone you trust, like a parent, teacher, school counsellor, your doctor or a good friend.”

“We realise that sometimes the things that really worry people can be hard to talk about, so a great way to try to overcome problems is to arm yourself – or a friend – with the facts and find out what help is available” she said.

“We invite all young people to take a few minutes to look at the Youthbeyondblue information, because even if you don’t need it yourself, you may know someone who does. Remember to look for the signs of depression and anxiety in your mates, talk about what’s going on, listen to what they’re saying and if you think you need to – seek help together.”

You can order or download any of beyondblue’s youth fact sheets for free, from www.youthbeyondblue.com or you can call the beyondblue information line on 1300 22 4636 (for the cost of a local call from a landline) to have copies sent out to you.

Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha.

Both the medical and teaching professions are learning more about the damaging effects of ‘sexting’ and cyber bullying. They are also learning how to deal with the impact that new technologies are having on teenagers. 

Leading experts including Cyber safety expert Susan McLean, adolescent psychologist Dr Michael Carr-Gregg and medical professional Dr Ramesh Manocha have come together for a series of seminars being held all around Australia.

These Seminars, organised by HealthEd, bring teachers and doctors up to speed on the rapidly changing ‘online’ world that teenagers are living in. The seminars highlight the dangers of emerging new technologies and how they are harming our teenagers on a physical mental, emotional and spiritual level. In fact all aspects of young people’s well being are under attack.

Doctors and health professionals are attending The Mental Health & Wellbeing of Young People seminars which focus on the internet’s potential effect on mental health among young people, and the harmful effect cyber bullying is having on teenagers including, depression, addiction and suicide.

Dr Ramesh Manocha said “cyber bullying is emerging as the main issue in schools at the moment, and the evidence clearly indicates that it is not only an unpleasant experience but in fact poses a risk the mental health and wellbeing of the victim”.

“It’s a clear example of how technology in the hands of those without the necessary maturity and understanding can become an unchecked, destructive force. We urgently need to educate our young people about how to use the internet positively while avoiding its many pitfalls” he added.

Dr Manocha said there was an ignorance in medical circles about these new teen troubles “most GPs don’t know enough to even ask the questions of young people, whether they are being exposed to the negative impacts of the internet”.

Increasingly teenagers are seeking the help of GPs and psychologists after becoming victims of cyber bullying. Ms McLean pointed out that doctors needed to understand online issues in order best treat their patients.

“You don’t want doctors to talk about Mybook and FaceSpace (instead of MySpace and Facebook),” she said.

Teachers and social workers are attending Generation Next Public Seminars which offer anyone involved in working with young people the opportunity to hear leading experts discuss the dangers of the internet and its ‘antisocial’ uses by our young people.

Dr Michael Carr-Gregg, an adolescent psychologist and author of Real Wired Child: What parents need to know about kids online said “schools need to help young people develop their moral compass as they stroll through the back alleys of ‘Cyberia’. While most adults can relate to schoolyard bullying, they have no context for understanding how the behaviour manifests itself in the virtual world”.

Former Senior Constable with the Victorian police and Cyber Safety expert Susan McLean said “previously schools did not become involved in things that occurred ‘out of hours.’ It was not their business or concern, however with cyber bullying, harassment and sexting, where the parties involved are often from within the same school or neighbouring schools, the problem is firmly thrust into the hands of the school accompanied by the often unrealistic expectations from parents, that they ‘solve’ the problem”.

Writer Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha.

Source: HealthEd

Net Savvy profiles different websites and people that provide resources and information for parents, carers and teaching professionals on a range of issues which affect our youth today.

Inyahead is a website which features the work of Andrew Fuller.

Andrew recently spoke at the Generation Next Seminar in Sydney. He is a Fellow of the Department of Psychiatry and the Department of Learning and Educational Development at the University of Melbourne.

He has also been a principal consultant to the national drug prevention strategy REDI, the ABC on children’s television shows, is an Ambassador for Mind Matters and is a member of the National Coalition Against Bullying.

The website contains information for parents and teachers on a range of issues including:

• Handy Hints for Improving Learning
• Hearts and Minds – how parents and teachers can most effectively guide the education of teenagers
• Valuing Boys, Valuing Girls
• Helicopter Parents
• The Adolescent Brain, and
• Don’t Waste Your Breath – An Introduction to the Mysterious World of the Adolescent Brain.

Building Resilience in Teenagers
The concept of “resilience” offers a coherent framework for the creation of schools that are sensitive to the developmental needs of young people and their teachers.

10 steps to resilience:
Promote Belonging
Resilience is the happy knack of being able to bungy jump through the pitfalls of life. It is the strongest antidote we know of for self-harm, depression and drug abuse and it’s built on our sense of belonging.

Have some mooch time
We live in a world that suffers from attention deficit disorder. We rush children from activity to activity, from lesson to lesson and from one organised event to another. Then we wonder why, when there is a lull that they say” I’m bored”. Be a counter-revolutionary. Find some time each week just to be at home without anything structured happening.

Rediscover some family rituals
It doesn’t matter whether it is the family walk after dinner, the Sunday roast, the Friday night pizza or the Saturday morning clean up; rituals are highly protective. The best rituals often cost nothing. These are the activities you hope that later on your children will reminisce and say “Mum always made sure we did.” or Dad always made sure we did.”

Spontaneity and curiosity
Spontaneity and curiosity are the building blocks of good mental health. You cannot tell someone how to have better mental health and you can’t give it to them by getting them to read a book.

So the really hard message here is that if you want to raise your children to have mentally healthy lives you are going to have to have a good time yourself. If you want your children to succeed you need to show them that success is worth having.

Love kids for their differences
When families’ function well people are allowed to be different and to be loved for those differences.

We all know that children take on different roles. A father of three said “it’s as if they have a planning meeting once a year and say ‘you be the good kid, I’ll be the sick kid and the other one can be the trouble-maker’! And then just when you think you’ve got it figured out they change roles again”.

Having children who are strongly individual and who have a sense of who they are is a sign of good parenting. The problem may, of course be that they will then express their independent spirit in ways that you don’t like. The ideal is someone who has their own independent nature but is comfortable enough with themselves to allow inter-dependence.

Make it clear who is in charge
Families do not work well as democracies. In fact they seem to work best as benevolent dictatorships in which the parent or parents consult a lot with their children but at the end of the day, the parent has the final say.

Some parents fear that if they take charge they will lose the friendship of their children, but often the reverse is true.

Consistency
Consistency is the ideal. Having parents’ who agree on rules and standards and who convey the same sorts of messages and who value compassion over coercion, clearly have the best outcome in terms of children’s well being. It is also important that parents not be open to manipulation; rather they work together as a team.

Sometimes parents have different value systems or can’t come to a consistent way to handle particular areas. In these situations, a second possibility is to for one parent to take charge of a particular area. This is not the most desirable solution but it is better than having parents in conflict over management issues or worse, undermining one another. In single parent families or where parents are separated the same principle applies.

Teach the skills of Self-esteem
Families that work well seem to praise one another a lot. Compliments are made, positive efforts are commented on. Optimism is in the air. Even in these families, teenagers still shrug and say, “yeah Mum” or “yeah Dad” whenever a compliment is made.

Teaching the skills of self-praise is useful. One way of doing this to ask questions about any achievement or accomplishments. Asking questions like “how did you do that?” “How come you did so well at that test?” and “have you been doing homework behind my back?”

Know how to argue
Families that work well know how to argue. It seems strange to say this because we all have the sense those families that work well don’t have conflicts.

The family is really where we learn to resolve disputes fairly. The way that parents teach children to resolve differences of opinion with their brothers and sisters provides the basis for sharing, negotiating and problem solving in the world beyond the family.  While differences of opinion should be allowed to be expressed, children also need to learn that they will not be able to win at all costs

Parents are reliably unpredictable
With young children it is important to provide consistency and predictability. This allows them to feel secure.

As they get older it is important to have structure and consistency but it is also useful to act in ways that your children wouldn’t expect. This keeps them interested in learning from you or least wondering what you are up to.

Finally
Parents in healthy families realise that all of the above is desirable but not always possible and so they look at how to promote good functioning while not wasting energy on blaming themselves for the times when things don’t quite work out as they had planned.

Writer Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha.

Source: Inyahead

Generation Next presents Australia’s leading experts on children and teenagers in one event.

Generation Next is an exciting new initiative featuring a national seminar series and supporting resources aimed at protecting and enhancing the wellbeing of our children and teenagers.

Generation Next has been developed in close consultation with leading experts in adolescent psychology, drug and alcohol research, depression, cybersafety, sexualisation and bullying. The seminars address the rising tide of mental, emotional and social challenges affecting young people as they enter and begin navigate through the increasingly complex world in which we live.

Generation Next will provide professionals, parents, carers, teachers and anyone who cares about the future of Australia’s young people with accurate information and reliable advice on how to deal with these unprecedented challenges.

Generation Next Public Seminar

ADELAIDE - 21 August
For Parents, Carers and Teachers:

Venue:  AAMI Stadium. West Lakes, Adelaide
Time:    12.30pm – 5.30pm

Register online by going to Generation Next Seminars or Download the brochure.
See details and running order for “Generation Next Public Seminars”.

The Mental Health and Wellbeing of Young People 2010

SYDNEY – Friday 10 September.                
For Education, Health and Welfare Professionals:

Venue: Matthews Theatre A, University of NSW, Sydney
Time:   9am-5pm

Register online by going to Generation Next or Download the brochure.
See details and running order for “The Mental Health and Wellbeing of Young People 2010″.

Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha.

By Julie Gale, Kids Free 2B Kids Director.

The premature sexualisation of children and young teens is a global issue which has been increasing over the past decade. Our kids are inundated with confusing messages that serve to minimize what it means to be a whole well rounded human being.

Popular culture encourages girls to focus on their appearance and sex appeal, and while females are offered more opportunities in the work force than ever before, marketing and advertising frequently diminishes girls aspirations to simply being ‘hot’ and ‘sexy’.
Ariel Levy – author of Female Chauvinist Pigs argues that girls and young women are objectified today as never before. Their physical appearances – especially their sexual attributes – are portrayed as their most important assets.

The sexualisation of children can be defined in two ways:
1. Direct sexualisation occurs when children are dressed or posed in ways designed to draw attention to adult sexual features that the children do not yet possess.
2. Indirect sexualisation occurs when a child is involuntarily exposed to sexualised imagery, which is often aimed at adults…for example outdoor billboard advertising.

It is important to note that sexualisation is not the same as sexuality or sex. According to the Report of the APA Taskforce on the Sexualisation of Girls published by the American Psychological Association in 2007, sexualisation has to do with treating other people (and sometimes oneself) as “objects of sexual desire…as things rather than people with legitimate sexual feelings of their own”. When people are sexualised, their value comes primarily from their sex appeal, which is equated with physical attractiveness. This is especially damaging and “problematic to children and adolescents who are developing their sense of themselves as sexual beings.” 

It is normal for a child to go through a gradual process of learning to understand about sex, sexuality and intimacy and what it means to be a caring and respectful human being.

Authors of So Sexy So Soon, Dr Jean Kilbourne and Professor Dianne Levin state: ‘We are not alarmed that today’s children are learning about sex and sexuality. We are alarmed by the particular lessons that children are learning. The sexualisation of childhood is having a profoundly disturbing impact on children’s understanding of gender, sexuality and relationships.”

It is important for parents to realise that concern about the images their children are exposed to is not about being old fashioned or prudish. Child development professionals are also speaking out about this issue and increasing research supports this concern.

Amanda Gordon, President of the APS says: “The Australian Psychological Society is very concerned with the sexualisation of children in society. The research is saying that the sexualisation of children is leading to real mental health problems for those children as they get into their adolescence and their adult years.

We think that the sexualisation of children from as young as eight is what is doing the damage – that’s the danger time, middle childhood. We want to protect those children in those years.

We are not being prudish in doing that, we are actually giving them a chance then to stride out and be sexual beings when their time is right -when their body is right – when their mind is right – to make better choices based on feelings rather than on what they read or what they see.”

Adolescent psychiatrist Dr Sloane Madden from Westmead Children’s Hospital Sydney says: “One third of eight year olds are not happy with their weight and shape. Nearly one in four are dieting. I think there is a growing concern amongst eating disorder professionals around the world that children at this age are being subjected to increasingly sophisticated and adult messages. Messages acquainting thinness with success – sexualised images – presented to children at an age when really they’re psychologically unable to understand those images.” 

Sexualised imagery and easy access to pornographic images on the internet also impacts greatly on our boys and young men.

Kilbourne and Levin go on to say: “Boys are surrounded by media messages that encourage them to judge their female peers based on how they look, often to view them with contempt, and to expect sexual subservience from them. Young men these days are quite actively discouraged from entering into mutually satisfactory intimate and committed relationships with women. Men who have been conditioned to judge women by the current standard of beauty and to compare real women with the idealized images in the popular media and pornography often find it difficult, if not impossible, to feel empathy for women. Needless to say, they are unlikely to be satisfying partners for women. Boys who lack empathy, who have deficit compassion disorder, often become men who find it impossible to have deep and fulfilling intimate relationships with their partners, with their children, with anyone. This is a very high price to pay.”

Exposure to sexualised imagery and pornography at young ages is having negative impacts on our kids’ mental health. This exposure is linked to increased depression, anxiety, body images problems, eating disorders, self harm – a decrease in the age of first sexual experience and an increase in sexually transmitted infections.

While some parents and teachers are concerned about sexuality education leading to earlier or increased sexual activity, recent and comprehensive literature reviews find instead that sexuality education leads to a delay in the onset of sexual activity, reduced rates of sexually-transmitted infections and greater adoption of safer sex practices by those young people who are already sexually active.

It is incumbent upon parents to communicate with children about the messages they are bombarded with in the media. Children need strong direction and guidance, and permission to reject the hyper sexualised culture that imposes unrealistic expectations on them.

While teenage boys may be stereotyped as sex-mad, a report by researchers in the Journal of Adolescence (USA) suggests on the contrary, that boys are motivated more by love and a desire to form real relationships with the girls they date.

“Let’s give boys more credit,” said study author Andrew Smiler, an assistant professor of psychology at the university. “Although some of them are just looking for sex, most boys are looking for a relationship. The kids we know mostly aren’t like this horrible stereotype. They are generally interested in dating and getting to know their partners.”

The data also suggest that teenage boys will be receptive to parental messages about the importance of getting to know a girl and respect within relationships, even if they act otherwise. “Very few parents really talk to their sons about relationships,” Dr. Smiler said. “We know that many parents do have these kinds of conversations with girls.” Dr. Smiler said parents should talk to boys and girls and try to teach them about both romantic and platonic relationships, how to develop and maintain them, how to deal with ups and downs and how to forgive and regain trust.

“Somehow we buy into this idea that guys aren’t emotional, that guys aren’t interested in relationships, so we don’t give our teenagers the information,” Dr. Smiler said. “Boys rarely hear this kind of information about relationships from parents, whether about friendships or romantic relationships.”

If we leave our kids’ sex education up to the media then we will continue to see an increase in dysfunctional relating between boys and girls. We will continue to see girls acting out of an imposed ‘hot’ and ‘sexy’ construct, which, along with objectified and sexualised images of females, affects the ways boys relate to and treat them.  We will continue to see our kids depressed and confused about how they are supposed to behave in their relationships…or their ‘hook ups’ …or their ‘friends with benefits’…or their f**k buddies. We will continue to see girls and boys sexting naked images of themselves, and very young girls performing oral sex under tables at school and at parties long before they are emotionally and psychologically equipped to engage in such behaviour. We will continue to see rates of Chlamydia soar – the silent sexually transmitted infection, which according to medical professionals, may see the next generation of young women with an unprecedented high incidence of infertility. The ramifications are many.

The media is devoid of valuable information about love, respect, caring, intimacy and importantly for our girls, sexual assertiveness, the right to say “no” and the right to expect respect.

In Australia, one in three girls and one in five-seven boys will experience some form of sexual abuse before the age of eighteen. This is totally unacceptable.

It is well and truly time for parents to demand that the contemporary media environment and marketing and advertising – works responsibly to support their efforts to raise whole well rounded and happy children.

Australia is a signatory to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CROC) which was first adopted in 1989.  In May 2002, world leaders convened at the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Children to review the progress in meeting the goals and to agree on new goals for the next decade.

Comments from the 2002 United Nations General Assembly on the World Summit for Children include:
• Eleven years ago, at the World Summit for children, world leaders made a joint commitment and issued an urgent, universal appeal to give every child a better future.
• We reaffirm our obligation to take action to promote and protect the rights of each child – every human being below the age of 18 years, including adolescents.
• We stress our commitment to create a world fit for children…taking into account the best interests of the child…including the right to development.
• We hereby call upon all members of society to join us in a global movement that will help to build a world fit for children.
• Put children first. In all actions related to children, the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration.
• In line with (the) principles and objectives, we (are) confident that together we will build a world in which all girls and boys can enjoy childhood – a time of play and learning, in which they are loved, respected and cherished, their rights are promoted and protected, without discrimination of any kind, in which their safety and well-being are paramount and in which they can develop in health, peace and dignity.

Our Government must focus on recommendations made by child development professionals and groups concerned about the wellbeing and mental health of our children, in the recent senate inquiry into the sexualisation of children in the contemporary media environment.  The inquiry is due for review at the end of 2009. Parents and other concerned individuals and groups must take action and speak out about the negative impacts on our children.

We have a right to expect better for our kids, and the Government has to show us the action promised when Australia signed CROC. Our kids deserve that.

Reference:

1. Faking It. Women’s Forum Australia.
2. Corporate Paedophilia Report. The Australia Institute.
3. So Sexy So Soon. The New Sexualised Childhood and what parents can do to protect their kids.
   Diane E Levin, Ph.D and Jean Kilbourne, Ed.D
4. So Sexy So Soon. The New Sexualised Childhood and what parents can do to protect their kids.
   Diane E Levin, Ph.D and Jean Kilbourne, Ed.D
5. Sunday Program. Nine Network. 22 June 2008
6. AM – ABC. Eating disorders on the rise. 28 May 2008
7. So Sexy So Soon. The New Sexualised Childhood and what parents can do to protect their kids.
   Diane E Levin, Ph.D and Jean Kilbourne, Ed.D
8. APA Taskforce on the Sexualisation of Girls. American Psychological Association. 2007.
9. (Grunseit et al. 1997;Roker and Coleman 1998, p 15) Youth and Pornography in Australia -  Evidence on the extent of exposure and likely effects. Flood and Hamilton 2003.
10. “I wanted to get to know her better”: Adolescent boy’s dating motives, masculinity ideology and sexual behaviour. Department of Psychology SUNY Oswego NY. 2008 Feb;31(!):17-32.Epub 2007 May 29
11. Inside the mind of the boy dating your daughter. Parker-Rope. New York Times. 15 Feb. 2008
12. Childwise.
13. Ratified by Australia in Dec 1990.
14. S-27/2. A World Fit For Children. United Nations
15. href=”http://www.aph.gov.au/SENATE/committee/eca_ctte/sexualisation_of_children/index.htm”

Writer: Julie Gale, Director, Kids Free 2B Kids. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha.