Generation Next Blog

December 2014

Half of Dr. Oz’s Medical Advice is Baseless or Wrong, Study Says

By |2015-01-12T06:20:51+11:00December 21st, 2014|Categories: Society & Culture, Technology|Tags: , , , , , , , |

“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 [...]

The latest DrinkWise Ad is a Beer Commercial, Not Public Health Message

By |2020-11-02T09:54:15+11:00December 17th, 2014|Categories: Drugs & Alcohol, Technology|Tags: , , , , , , |

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 [...]

Politicians Could Provoke Racist Attacks – Alastair Nicholson

By |2014-12-17T08:34:13+11:00December 17th, 2014|Categories: Society & Culture|Tags: , , , , , |

Alastair Nicholson, the former Chief Justice of the Family Court of Australia, says racial differences have been "exaggerated" as a result of recent troubles in the Middle East. "I think sometimes the weaker people in the community - or more stupid people - react in a very unfortunate way when that happens," - Kristian Silva via [...]

New Research says 10 Million UK Women ‘Depressed’ Over Body Image

By |2014-12-17T08:21:25+11:00December 17th, 2014|Categories: Mental Health & Wellbeing, Society & Culture|Tags: , , , , , , |

Almost 10 million women in the UK have reported that they 'feel depressed’ because of the way they look, according to new research. The study, which coincides with the launch of Body Confidence Week, finds that one in four women feel their body image has held them back from having a fulfilling relationship. Another quarter [...]

Mental Health Care Needs to be More Scientific

By |2014-12-17T08:02:37+11:00December 17th, 2014|Categories: Mental Health & Wellbeing, Science & Research|Tags: , , , , , |

Management of mental health often seems intuitive, so many interventions have been developed and rolled out on the basis of good intentions rather than good science eg, post-traumatic stress disorder counselling after natural disasters. We do not deny the role of clinical expertise and the art of the individual psychiatrist, but we believe that studies [...]

Depression: It’s Not Just in Your Head, It’s Also in Your Genes

By |2014-12-17T07:48:24+11:00December 17th, 2014|Categories: Mental Health & Wellbeing, Science & Research|Tags: , , , , , |

Ninety-seven healthy girls, ages 10 to 14, had saliva DNA samples taken. About half of them had moms with histories of depression, and about half had moms who did not. None of the girls had histories of depression. (1)The girls whose moms had suffered depression had significant reductions in the length of their telomeres. We [...]

Target Australia pulls Grand Theft Auto V from Shelves after Customer Feedback on Violence

By |2014-12-17T06:44:01+11:00December 17th, 2014|Categories: Society & Culture, Technology|Tags: , , , , , , |

Target Australia has pulled R-rated video game Grand Theft Auto V from its shelves and says it will no longer sell it following feedback from customers about the game's depictions of violence against women. The decision to pull the game — which sparked an immediate backlash from gamers — appeared to be in response to [...]

Americans are Obsessed with Parenting Advice. So Why are Their Kids so Miserable?

By |2014-12-17T06:11:58+11:00December 17th, 2014|Categories: Mental Health & Wellbeing|Tags: , , , , , , |

Americans are obsessed with parenting advice. Bloggers, magazines, whole Web sites urge us to do more. Or less. Be more Chinese, they implore. Or more French. But despite this constant flow of advice, we have very little idea how to make kids happy. Quantitative measures show that American children are among the most miserable in [...]

A Depression-Fighting Strategy That Could Go Viral

By |2014-12-17T04:30:58+11:00December 17th, 2014|Categories: Mental Health & Wellbeing|Tags: , , , , , , |

When Ebola ends, the people who have suffered, who have lost loved ones, will need many things. They will need ways to rebuild their livelihoods. They will need a functioning health system, which can ensure that future outbreaks do not become catastrophes. And they will need mental health care. Depression is the most important thief of productive [...]

Why Is Empathy An Essential Skill?

By |2014-12-17T01:49:27+11:00December 17th, 2014|Categories: Mental Health & Wellbeing, Society & Culture|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Since I’ve become a mother I have received all kinds of advice about what my daughters should learn in order to be successful. Computer programming. English. Chess. Ballet. Chinese. Math. Team sports. Music. Martial arts. I’m pregnant with my third daughter; I’m already in my seventh month, with a visible belly. Every day, when I [...]

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