A social enterprise providing education and information to protect and enhance the mental health of young people
The parents and carers I meet through my job as a child and adolescent psychiatrist often tell me about young people in their lives who are suffering from anxiety or low mood. I can sometimes hear an element of desperation or hopelessness in their voice, which may come from the fact they have no idea what [...]
When young people are “looked after” by the state, they can live in a variety of care placements including children’s homes, foster parents or with friends or birth family relatives. These young people are known to be especially vulnerable to poor mental health. Many share too much with people who may do them harm – [...]
Prince William is the father of a boy and a girl (and a child on the way), who are – hopefully – still a way off having their own Instagram accounts. But the prince has given a surprise speech to school students in London that, frankly, every tween and their parent should read. "I worry for you girls. [...]
Many children as young as three are sleep deprived because they've spent too much time on smart devices such as phones and tablets. Up to 17 per cent of children aged three and younger own their own smart device, News Corp reports, and many are falling asleep at pre-school and their child-care centres. - 9News [...]
A group of ex-Facebook, Google, and Apple employees have announced the formation of The Center for Humane Technology, a coalition designed to fight the growing threat of tech addiction among teens and adolescents, the New York Times reports. The coalition will first launch a campaign called The Truth About Tech. One of the main goals is [...]
I'm a complete optimist. Inherently, I believe that everything will always work out for the best, tough times will always transition to better days, and hard work and intelligent planning will always lead to success. I credit my glass-half-full way of thinking to both a natural personality trait and my even more optimistic mother. Call her [...]
New research shows adults who develop psychotic disorders experience declines in IQ during childhood and adolescence, falling progressively further behind their peers across a range of cognitive abilities. The researchers from King's College London's Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in the United States found falls [...]
I'm sick to death of my phone and I definitely display problematic behaviours toward it. I couldn't find it the other night and spent 20 panicked minutes turning the house upside down. I think technology, and especially social media use, are the recreational drugs of the modern era. Everyone seems addicted. We can't go anywhere [...]
Nutrition and Mental Health There is no doubt that nutrition affects mental health. Poor nutrition leads to and exacerbates mental illness. Optimal nutrition prevents and treats mental illness. Note the word “optimal” to describe nutrition that prevents and treats illness. One’s diet cannot be just “good,” or providing the basics for survival; it must be nutrient dense [...]
Want to help your teenagers become successful adults? Get them involved in civic activities - voting, volunteering and activism. Although parents providing this bit of advice to teens will likely be met with groans and eye rolling, research does back it up. In a study published in the current issue of the journal Child Development, scientists [...]
