Mental Health & Wellbeing

Supporting A Friend Who Self-harms

Pixabay Images When you and I were young it was unlikely we ever had to support a friend who was self-harming, simply because self-harm was not as widespread.  I consider this is a huge ask for any 14 year old.  It can create an incredible amount of stress for young people who genuinely [...]

People With Autism Can Read Emotions, Feel Empathy

Flikr Images There is a persistent stereotype that people with autism are individuals who lack empathy and cannot understand emotion. It’s true that many people with autism don’t show emotion in ways that people without the condition would recognise1. But the notion that people with autism generally lack empathy and cannot recognize feelings [...]

Do Vitamins And Supplements Make Antidepressants More Effective?

Pixabay Images The multibillion-dollar supplement industry spews many dubious claims, but a new study suggests that some nutritional supplements, including omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D, may boost the effectiveness of antidepressants. If so, the supplements might help relieve symptoms for the millions of people who don’t immediately respond to these drugs. The [...]

Physical Health Neglected In Mentally Ill Young People

Pixabay Images It took two-and-a-half years of intense joint pain for Maddison O'Gradey Lee for doctors to take the teenager's concerns seriously. The pain was "agony", Ms O'Gradey Lee, 18, said. Her doctors said it was a byproduct of her anxiety disorder. "One doctor actually said, 'It's all in your head'," she said. Convinced she had fabricated her affliction, [...]

Workaholism Tied To Psychiatric Disorders

Pixabay Images Taking work to the extreme may be a sign of deeper psychological or emotional issues. Whether this reflects overlapping genetic vulnerabilities, disorders leading to workaholism or, conversely, workaholism causing such disorders, remain uncertain. In wait for more research, physicians should not take for granted that a seemingly successful workaholic does not [...]

Should Happiness Be Part Of The School Curriculum?

Pixabay Images Meditation is just one strand of new “positive education” methods starting to build momentum and gravitas in schools. The key idea is to teach good practices such as mindfulness and gratitude that will promote resilience and, it is thought, help children lead healthier psychological lives. Until recently, these might have been [...]

New Study Of High-risk Teens Reveals A Biological Pathway For Depression

Pixabay Images A long line of research links poverty and depression. Now, a study by Duke University scientists shows how biology might underlie the depression experienced by high-risk adolescents whose families are socio-economically disadvantaged. The study, published May 24, 2016 in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, combined genetics, brain imaging and behavioral data gathered [...]

Battling The Physical Symptoms Of Stress

Flikr Images Steve should have been celebrating. A 30-something entrepreneur in the Bay area, he had just closed a multi-million dollar round of Series A financing for his startup. Instead, he found himself in his doctor’s office—25 pounds overweight, physically exhausted, sleep-deprived and with a diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes. This news only [...]

What Role Does SEL Play In Whole Child Teaching?

Flikr Images The success of a school, district or educational program is often measured by how well students score on academic tests or whether they graduate on time. But as a school counselor, my experience says that these big-picture measures of success don’t tell the whole story. Every day there are countless non-academic [...]

How To Help Someone Who Shares Suicidal Feelings Online

Flikr Images Facebook recently updated an important tool designed to help users support friends expressing suicidal thoughts and behavior. The product, now available to every Facebook user, dispels the pervasive and dangerous myth that people who experience suicidal feelings are beyond help while also showing bystanders exactly how they can make a difference. Though Facebook is [...]

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