A social enterprise providing education and information to protect and enhance the mental health of young people
One aspect of education that is increasingly worrying parents is the place of Special Religious Instruction (SRI) in Victorian government schools: 42 per cent have withdrawn their children from SRI over the last 12 months, leaving fewer than one in six enrolled (The Age, 21/12/2014), after the government issued a more detailed "opt-in" form to [...]
Clare can now talk with calm reflection about the moment she decided to end her life. She remembers feeling as if she were living in a sort of twilight zone where nothing made sense: she was being shunned by colleagues and faced losing her job as a teacher. Things had spiralled out of control after [...]
Have you noticed what seems like an epidemic of people who are glued to their smartphone’s soft glow? Unfortunately, you are not alone. Over 1.8 billion people own smartphones and use their devices on a daily basis. Some studies estimate that an average person checks their screen 150 times a day. This widespread use of [...]
Depression and anxiety are affecting more young people than ever before. According to a study published today by the Office for National Statistics, one in five 16- to 24-year-olds are suffering psychological problems, which is almost the rate at which these are seen in early middle age, the life-stage usually most associated with mental health issues. [...]
Despite heavily-marketed claims to the contrary, positive psychology interventions do not consistently improve mental or physical health and well-being. The myth that these interventions are efficacious is perpetuated by a mutually-admiring, self-promotional collective that protects its claims from independent peer review and scrutiny. As with the positive psychology intervention literature, it is a quick leap [...]
Photo: Anu Kumar Research published last year found that people who live in urban areas with more green space tend to report greater wellbeing - less mental distress and higher life satisfaction - than city dwellers who don't have parks, gardens or other green space nearby. A different study followed the experience of [...]
I invite you, therefore, as you enter the New Year, to spare a thought about the loved one or colleague who was surprisingly quiet at the last get-together. Has there been a change in their functioning? Are they their usual selves? If not, seek them out a second time, to see whether they may need [...]
A new study has found that binge drinking in young, healthy adults significantly disrupts the immune system. For the study, researcher Majid Afshar, M.D., M.S.C.R., now at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, had volunteers drink four or five shots of vodka, then took blood samples to measure their immune systems. The researchers found [...]
“I haven’t seen a doctor in eight years,” the New Yorker quoted one viewer telling Oz. “I’m scared. You’re the only one I trust.” But is that trust misplaced? Or has Oz, who often peddles miracle cures for weight loss and other maladies, mortgaged medical veracity for entertainment value? These questions have hammered Oz for [...]
There is an art to creating a faux public health ad that, far from damaging your bottom line, actually enhances it. That’s a win for the alcohol industry, but a big loss for the rest of us. So what is wrong with the DrinkWise advertisement? - Michael Thorn is CEO of the Foundation for Alcohol Research and [...]
