Generation Next Blog

December 2012

School Suspensions

By |2012-12-03T14:18:03+11:00December 3rd, 2012|Categories: Society & Culture|Tags: , , , , , , |

On the weekend, the Fairfax media carried an article entitled, How schools fail to curb bad behaviour. The article reported on research by Uniting Care that showed the amount of long-term suspensions in NSW had increased by 36% between 2006 & 2011. Suspension is a topic of hot debate in education. What good does kicking [...]

Poll results: look who’s doping

By |2012-12-03T12:15:26+11:00December 3rd, 2012|Categories: Drugs & Alcohol|Tags: , , , , , , |

The prestigious scientific journal Nature asked its readers specifically about their use of three cognition enhancing drugs: methylphenidate (Ritalin), a stimulant normally used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder but well-known on college campuses as a 'study aid'; modafinil (Provigil), prescribed to treat sleep disorders but also used off-label to combat general fatigue or overcome jet [...]

Experts call for mental illness screening for children

By |2012-12-03T00:38:56+11:00December 3rd, 2012|Categories: Mental Health & Wellbeing|Tags: , , , , |

Leading mental health experts are calling for school children to be screened for risk of mental illnesses such as depression and have devised a test that reliably identifies those at high risk. The test can be done on a computer and could be used to alert doctors and psychologists to intervene early, said Barbara Sahakian [...]

Child’s brain injury could lead to crime later in life

By |2012-12-03T14:21:50+11:00December 2nd, 2012|Categories: Mental Health & Wellbeing|Tags: , , , |

People who suffer a traumatic brain injury as a child are more likely to commit offenses as adults, researchers say. Professor Randolph Grace of the University of Canterbury, and Dr Audrey McKinlay from Melbourne's Monash University, studied Canterbury children who had experienced a brain injury as a child from birth to 17 years old. The [...]

Tips on how to encourage safe ‘risk taking’ in teenage boys

By |2012-12-02T20:25:27+11:00December 2nd, 2012|Categories: Drugs & Alcohol, Mental Health & Wellbeing, Society & Culture|Tags: , , , , , |

It seems that for boys ‘risk taking’ is all part of growing up and is needed to test their skills, strengths, weaknesses and independence in the world. Andrew Fuller, child psychologist and Generation Next speaker, says "We have a world that sanitises away risk, so that means risk becomes even more alluring. Boys are going [...]

November 2012

The people who help to raise your children

By |2012-12-03T12:22:54+11:00November 27th, 2012|Categories: Society & Culture|Tags: , , , , , |

We have to be vigilant about who we bring into our children’s lives.  We have to be wary. But we also have to trust in others and in society to help us raise our children.  Once the checks and balances are made, the safety parameters are installed we need to make a leap of faith. [...]

Fetal alcohol exposure affects brain structure in children

By |2012-12-03T13:55:04+11:00November 26th, 2012|Categories: Drugs & Alcohol, Science & Research|Tags: , , , , , |

Alcohol use by expectant mothers can lead to problems with the mental and physical development of their children -- a condition known as fetal alcohol syndrome. Research suggests an incidence of 0.2 to 1.5 per 1,000 live births, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Costs for care of individuals affected by fetal [...]

Hot boys and recycling gender stereotypes

By |2012-12-17T20:14:02+11:00November 26th, 2012|Categories: Society & Culture, Technology|Tags: , , , , , , |

Girlfriend’s November issue is about boys. Sort of. It’s more about ‘hot’ celeb boys and recycling gender stereotypes. What do girl readers learn about the opposite sex? That they are, disgusting, fart, pee standing up and aren’t just “good for pashing”, they can also be “quite useful” (“they can fix all the things you accidently [...]

Is Exercise “Useless” In Treating Depression?

By |2012-11-26T10:30:34+11:00November 26th, 2012|Categories: Mental Health & Wellbeing|Tags: , , |

The publication of a new study in the BMJ on 6 June triggered a flurry of headlines suggesting that "exercise doesn't help depression". However, reducing the study's specific, detailed findings to a media-friendly sound bite has run the risk of misleading people, because the researchers did not set out to test the effect of exercise [...]

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