A social enterprise providing education and information to protect and enhance the mental health of young people
Feeling lonely? A dog may help. Our research out today confirms what many dog owners already know: dogs are great companions that can help you to feel less lonely. Cuddles and slobbery kisses, meeting other dog owners in the park and a general lift in mood all likely help. But our study, published today in [...]
This talk is a rare thing in the discussion around teen pornography use: a measured, balanced take that doesn't shy away from the harms, but also avoids unhelpful moralising. This is unsurprising given the speaker's stance and background. As a trained social scientist with a sex-positive mindset, Prof Rothman is both trained to be objective [...]
When we think about support for anxiety, as with most mental health conditions, we're most likely to think of therapy and other fairly cerebral measures. But when someone is in the midst of an anxious situation, their ability to think and reason is severely impaired because their brain is being flooded with adrenaline. This is [...]
More than 12% of students with disability are being refused school enrolment, and over 40% are being excluded from school events and activities. These are some of the findings from a survey published today by the national organisation Children and Young People with Disability Australia (CYDA). More than 500 young people with disability, and families [...]
We often remember childhood as a time when life seemed infinite and adventures in our backyard felt expansive, as if we were exploring other worlds. Climbing a tree was its own adventure. You could discover what you were capable of, while also getting the chance to see the world from a different vantage point. Of [...]
A new study into emotional and behavioural problems in Australian schoolboys aged eight to nine years old has found new and concerning trends in both the incidence and the impact of these problems, but no definitive cause. The Murdoch Children's Research Institute's Childhood to Adolescents Transition Study (CATS) found that one in five boys in [...]
The argument has raged back and forth in recent years on the presence and nature of a link between youth social media use and mental health outcomes. In an eight-year longitudinal study recently conducted by Brigham Young University, one finding stood out: the sheer amount of time spent using social media did not correlate to [...]
My friends are taking ecstasy at raves and music festivals. Is it safe? — Anonymous Key points no drug use, including ecstasy, is 100% safe festivals can present unique risks look out for friends, know the risks and where to get help. What is ecstasy or MDMA? Ecstasy is a slang term for drugs meant [...]
Research across many years and many cultures has found around 35-40% of people say they feel insecure in their adult relationships. While 60-65% experience secure, loving and satisfying relationships. How secure or insecure we are with our romantic partners depends, in part, on how we bonded with our parents at a young age. From the [...]
People living with mental illness often require support from carers, such as family and friends, on a long-term and somewhat unpredictable basis. But these support networks are not always in place. Geographical or emotional distance from family members, conflict with friends, and the tendency for people with mental illness to withdraw from others means these [...]
