A social enterprise providing education and information to protect and enhance the mental health of young people
Feelings that others are dismissive or blame parents commonly cited as reasons for not accessing help for children and young people with mental health concerns. "Cumbersome" mental health services with long waiting times and difficulties getting a referral also cited. Parents feeling blamed for their child's mental health difficulties has been cited as a common [...]
Why are we so shocked when we, or someone we know, becomes ill? Why are many people scared of illness and unable to support their loved ones when illness strikes? And why do so many people still think “it won’t happen to me”? These questions strike at the heart of our relationship between sickness and [...]
"I hope she doesn't get bullied," I confided to my husband on our daughter's first day of school. "I hope she doesn't bully," my husband replied. The thought that my darling angel could bully another child had never once entered my head. And when I did think about it I dismissed it immediately. I suspect [...]
Giving someone your full attention in conversation isn’t easy, but it is a skill we can practice and hone. Have you ever tried to have a conversation with somebody who wasn’t listening to you? Could you tell? Have you ever seen yourself nodding and smiling during a conversation while in your mind you were landing [...]
Much like a clock on the wall, our cells have their own 24-hour timeline. When they're in sync, our body clock may act as a protective barrier against mental and physical illnesses. But throw in some jet lag, a night shift or a bout of insomnia, and suddenly the clock's hands are spinning out of [...]
By now parents are familiar with the worrisome finding that the thrill-seeking centers of the adolescent brain can readily outmatch the teenage brain’s emerging rational control systems. I count myself among the adults who find this neurological account of adolescent recklessness to be both clarifying and confounding. It helpfully explains why really thoughtful teenagers sometimes [...]
You get all kinds of happiness advice on the internet from people who don't know what they're talking about. Don't trust them. Actually, don't trust me either. Trust neuroscientists. They study that gray blob in your head all day and have learned a lot about what truly will make you happy. UCLA neuroscience researcher Alex [...]
Citizen panels and juries around the world are having their say about how health funding is prioritised and allocated. It’s time this happened in Australia, particularly when it comes to deciding how best to carve up Australia’s limited resources for tackling mental health. This is because constructively engaging with the community this way is fundamentally [...]
The state of the economy, including low incomes, job insecurity, zero-hours contracts, unmanageable debts and poor housing, is putting people at increased risk of suicide, according to a report by the Samaritans. The report, Dying from Inequality, says there is “overwhelming evidence of a strong link between socioeconomic disadvantage and suicidal behaviour”. It says governments [...]
For young adults, social media may not be so social after all. Among people in that age group, heavy use of platforms such as Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram was associated with feelings of social isolation, a study finds. The results surprised study co-author Brian Primack. "It's social media, so aren't people going to be socially [...]
