Bullying at school and bullying at home

Researchers from the Universita' degli Studi di Firenze have been looking at the links between bullying at home and bullying at school. They studied 195 children aged between 10 and 12 all of whom had a sibling born within four years of them. The study found that children with older brothers were the most victimized group. More boys than girls bullied their siblings who were more likely to be younger than them. In the girls bullying was related more to the quality of their relationship with their sibling than to any age difference. Overall high levels of conflict and low leves of empathy were significantly related to sibling bullying and sibling victimization. Children who bullied their siblings were more likely to be bullies at school and children who were bullied by their brothers and/or sisters were also more likely to be victimized at school.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091206185410.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Tobacco smoke and behaviour problems

Exposure to tobacco smoke in the womb can lead to behaviour problems by the age of ten. Researchers from Munich studied 5,991 children and their parents. They found that children who had been exposed to tobacco smoke in the womb were 1.9x more likely to develop behaviour problems. Children exposed to tobacco smoke after birth were at 1.3x greater risk. Children who were exposed to tobacco smoke both while in the womb and later had double the risk of behaviour problems. The kind of behavioural problems the children were at an increased risk of included hyperactivity, attention-deficits and problems in their relationship with their peers.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091209114146.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Sleep problems and hyperactivity

Researchers from the Universite de Montreal have been looking into the links between lack of sleep and hyperactivity in small children. 2,057 mothers answered yearly questionnaires about how well their children slept and their hyperactivity. The study found that children who didn't sleep long were generally hyperactive boys who lived under adverse family conditions. The link between lack of sleep and hyperactivity was weaker than the link between hyperactivity and lack of sleep but the children who slept persistently for at least 11 hours had low hyperactivity scores. Boys whose mothers were less well-educated, came from a poor family, who were comforted outside the bed or who got into bed with Mum and Dad after waking up in the night were more at risk of having a bad night's sleep and becoming hyperactive.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091130103731.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Asthma/pregnancy drug may increase mental-health risks

Researchers from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have been looking into the effects of drugs called beta 2 adrenergic agonists on unborn children. The drugs are used to treat asthma and to inhibit or slow down labour but the study found that they may also increase the incidence of autism, mental-health problems, cognitive problems and poor school performance. The drugs are thought to have an adverse effect by disrupting the balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems but it is important to remember that early labour and asthma in pregnancy can also have adverse effects on mothers and children. You should always see your doctor before stopping taking medicine.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091202091024.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Lead and mental-health problems

People with more lead in their bloodstream are more at risk of mental-health problems - even at levels currently considered safe. Researchers from the University of Montreal used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey covering 1,987 men and women between 20 and 39. They found that the more lead people had in their bloodstream the greater their risk of depression and panic disorder. People with the highest levels of lead in their blood were more than twice as likely to suffer from major depression and five times as likely to suffer from panic disorder. High levels of lead are known to interfere with neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine.

You can find out more about this research at

http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE5B75FL20091208?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews&pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0&sp=true

MAO-A and depression.

Monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) is a chemical in the brain that breaks down other chemicals including serotonin. Serotonin is associated with good mood and high levels of MAO-A have been associated with depression. Researchers at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto used PET (positron emisssion tomography) scanning to look at the levels of MAO-A and serotonin in people's brains as they were being treated with antidepressants. The study found that the drugs raised serotonin levels but did nothing to decrease levels of MAO-A. Some early antidepressants did target MAO-A but they fell out of favour in the 1970s due to adverse reactions with certain foods. These problems have been overcome now so it could be time to look again at the effectiveness of MAO-A inhibitors.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091208132724.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Purple grape juice and memory loss

There is evidence that a healthy diet can reduce people's risk of Alzheimer's disease and new research suggests that drinking purple grape juice can reduce, or even reverse, memory loss. In a small-scale trial researchers from the University of Cincinnati compared people drinking purple grape juice to those drinking a placebo. The study lasted 12 weeks and both groups' memories were regularly tested. The memories of the group drinking grape juice improved over the course of the study - possibly due to the antioxidants in the grape juice. The participants in the trial were aged between 75 and 80 and already suffering from early memory loss.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/6765352/Grape-juice-can-reduce-memory-loss-study-suggests.html

Antidepressants and personality

Antidepressants could affect people's personalities as well as their moods. Researchers from Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois studied 240 volunteers. They gave 120 the antidepressant paroxetine, 60 received cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) and the other 60 took a placebo. The participants' personalities and depression symptoms were assessed before and after treatment. After 12 weeks all the participants showed a marked drop in their depression symptoms but only the ones taking paroxetine became much less neurotic and much more extrovert. Neuroticism is known to increase the risk of depression whereas extroversion decreases it suggesting that the antidepressants may work by changing the way people see the world and how they relate to others as much as by dealing with the depression itself.

You can find out more about this research at

http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE5B64BI20091207?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews&sp=true

Craving, concentration and cigarette smoking

Researchers from the University of California, Santa Barbara have been studying the effects of craving cigarettes on people's concentration. They studied 44 heavy smokers, none of whom had had a cigarette in the last six hours before the start of the study. Some of them were allowed to smoke during the experiment while others were not. The participants had to read pages from War and Peace and press a button marked ZO every time they felt themselves zoning out (drifting off). They were also prompted by a message on screen asking them if they were zoning out. After 30 minutes they took a reading comprehension test. The participants who had not been allowed to smoke and who were craving cigarettes were three times as likely to drift off during the study but were no more likely to admit to it.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091207165039.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

In 2009 around 2 million children in the U.S. had a parent in either the active or reserve component of the military. A study of some of these children by researchers from the RAND corporation found that across all age groups children from military families reported significantly higher levels of emotional difficulties with a third reporting symptoms of anxiety. Older children had more difficulties with school and more problem behaviour such as fighting while younger children had more anxiety. Girls had fewer problems in school and with friends but also felt more anxiety. The impact of a longer deployment was more marked on girls - perhaps because they were more likely to take on extra chores - while the mental health of the parent remaining at home was also an important factor. There were no significant differences between the children in terms of which service their parents were in.

You can find out more about this research at

http://psychcentral.com/news/2009/12/08/emotional-challenges-as-deployment-lengthens/10048.html

Bipolar disorder, antiepileptics and suicide risk

People with bipolar disorder are sometimes treated with antiepileptic drugs but there have been worries that these can increase people's suicide risk. Researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago studied 47,918 people with bipolar disorder, 13,385 of whom were taking antiepileptics. They found that those taking the antiepileptic drugs had similar rates of suicide attempts as those taking lithium or those people who were taking no medication at all. In fact after people started taking the antiepileptic drugs they had a significantly lower rate of suicide attempts than before they had started taking them. Relative to taking no medication at all taking antiepileptic medication led to a fivefold decrease in risk.

You can find out more about this research at

http://psychcentral.com/news/2009/12/08/antiepileptics-not-linked-to-bipolar-suicide-attempts/10051.html

The burden of depression and anxiety

Worldwide, mental-health problems accounted for 9.4% of the burden of illness in 2002, compared to 9.9% for cardiovascular disease and 5.1% for cancer. Within mental illness depression is thought to make up about 55% of the burden, with anxiety making up 30%. Tahany M. Gadalla, from the University of Toronto, used data from the 2005 Canadian Community Health Survey, covering 108,986 people to look at the impact of depression and anxiety in Canada. Her study found that there were higher rates of anxiety and depression among women, those between 30-69, those who were single, divorced or widowed, those born in Canada, those with a low income and those with a chronic physical illness. Having anxiety or depression was significantly associated with short-term disability, needing help with daily activities and a reduction/modification of work activitiy.

Gadalla, Tahany M. - Association between mood and anxiety disorders and self-reported disability: results from a nationally representative sample of Canadians Journal of Mental Health December 2009, 18(6), 495-503

Cannabis and suicide

Although cannabis has been linked to psychosis (see below) there is not such good evidence linking it to depression, anxiety and thoughts of suicide. Researchers from Cardiff and Bristol universities and the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm studied 50,087 men conscripted for military service in Sweden and compared the records from their army medicals with suicides recorded on the National Cause of Death Register over the next 33 years. There were 600 suicides among the group over the next 33 years with cannabis increasing the risk by 62%. However, the link between cannabis and suicide disappeared once the researchers took into account other factors. These included: having a low IQ, drinking heavily, having parents with mental-health problems, smoking heavily, using other drugs, having a psychiatric diagnosis when conscripted, having a 'high problematic behaviour score', 'poor psychological adjustment' and poor social relations.

Price, Ceri ... [et al] - Cannabis and suicide: longitudinal study British Journal of Psychiatry December 2009, 195(6), 492-497

Skunk and psychosis

There has been a lot of debate about the links between cannabis and psychosis and in particular the effects of high-strength 'skunk' cannabis which contains much more of the active ingredient delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol. Researchers from the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London compared 280 people turning up for treatment with their first episode of psychosis with 174 healthy people recruited from the local population. There was no difference between the two groups in terms of whether they had ever taken cannabis but people with psychosis were over six times more likely to be current daily users of cannabis and over twice as likely to have smoked cannabis for more than five years. 78% of the people with psychosis smoked skunk compared to only 37% of the control group.

Di Forti, Marta ... [et al] - High-potency cannabis and the risk of psychosis British Journal of Psychiatry December 2009, 195(6), 488-491

ERT for BPD

STEPPS (Systems Training of Emotional Predictability and Problem Solving) has been shown to be effective in adults with borderline personality disorder (BPD). Emotion Regulation Training (ERT) is a simplified variation of the STEPPS programme which can be used in group therapy work with adolescents. It focuses on helping teenagers know themselves better, manage their emotions and improve their problem-solving skills. It involves 17 weekly sessions and two booster sessions 6 and 12 weeks after the main sessions have finished. A team of Ducth researchers studied the effectiveness of ERT, comparing 23 teenagers who had been given the treatment with 20 who had received treatment as usual. Both groups showed equal reductions in BPD symptoms over the course of the study but the ERT group had a significant increase in feeling that they were in control of their lives. The ERT participants also reported more sense of control over their mood swings.

Schuppert, H. Marieke ... [et al] - Effectiveness of an emotion regulation group training for adolescents: a randomized controlled pilot study Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy November-December 2009, 16(6), 467-478

Crossing the threshold into mental illness

Depending on your point of view psychiatric diagnosis is either a logical scientific process, an art form or (not-so) inspired guesswork. People with severe mental-health problems are relatively easy to diagnose but some people can fall below the threshold of a diagnosable illness but still have a number of problems. A team of researchers from the University of Illinois-Chicago and the Oregon Research Institute carried out a 15-year study of 1,505 young adults in the community. They found that 'subthreshold' depression, anxiety, alcohol and substance abuse all escalated into their corresponding syndrome. 'Subthreshold' mental health problems also made it more likely that people would go on to develop other mental-health problems as well.

Shankman, Stewart A. ... [et al] - Subthreshold conditions as precursors for full syndrome disorders: a 15-year longitudinal study of multiple diagnostic classes Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry December 2009, 50(12), 1485-1494

Depression in teenage girls

It is thought that between 10% and 18.5% of people suffer from major depression during their adolescence. The peak age of onset is 15 with the average length of an episode of depression being about 6 months. Girls are thought to be particularly vulnerable and a team of researchers from Oregon Research Institute and the University of Texas, Austin looked into this issue by following a sample of 496 girls over 7 years, between the ages of 12 and 20. About 1 in 6 of the girls experienced major depression which lasted for an average of 5.3 months and peaked at age 16. Being white and younger were associated with greater feelings of worthlessness and wanting to kill oneself during periods of depression. 1 in 5 girls suffered from minor depression and adolescents from minority groups were more at risk from this.

Rohde, Paul ... [et al] - Major and minor depression in female adolescents: onset, course, symptom presentation and demographic associations Journal of Clinical Psychology December 2009, 65(12), 1339-1349

Depression in mothers of autistic children

It is estimated that 1 in 150 children born in the U.S. has autism. Mothers of autistic children face a number of challenges including uncertainty about their child's capabilities, difficulties in dealing with their children's behaviour and making sure services are provided to help their children. Not surprisingly, mothers of autistic children tend to suffer more from depression than other mothers. A team of researchers from the University of Massachusetts looked into this issue in a sample of 143 mothers of autistic children. The mothers were enrolled in the study when their were 18 to 33 months old and followed annually for two years. The mothers were found to have 'moderately elevated' symptoms of depression. Bad behaviour on the part of the children, delayed development, maternal anxiety, anger and hostility, low 'parenting efficacy' and lack of social support were all associated with more severe depression but only levels of anxiety and 'parenting efficacy' were linked to changes in depression symptoms over time.

Carter, Alice S., Martinez-Pedraza, Frances de L. and Gray, Sarah A.O. - Stability and individual change in depressive symptoms among mothers raising young children with ASD: maternal and child correlates Journal of Clinical Psychology December 2009, 65(12), 1270-1280

Guiltless, fearless and lawless - disregarding rules in young children

Some children seem to break rules without experiencing either guilt or a fear of punishment. A team of researchers, led by Amelie Petitclerc from University College Dublin, looked into this issue in a sample of 1,942 children studied from when they were 5 months to when they were just over six. They found that 4.3% of the children showed a chronic disregard for rules. This was more likely if they were boys, if their mothers had had a history of antisocial behaviour or if their mother or father had experienced depression shortly after they were born. A child's difficult temperament, or the kind of parenting they experienced at 5 months did not influence how much they disregarded rules later, once other risk factors had been taken into account.

Petitclerc, Amelie ... [et al] - Disregard for rules: the early development and predictors of a specific dimension of disruptive behavior disorders Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry December 2009, 50(12), 1477-1484

Self esteem and drinking

Self-esteem is generally thought to be a good thing. However, there is evidence that it is not so helpful when it comes to health promotion. People with high self-esteem tend to have an 'it'll never happen to me' philosophy and underestimate the risks of unhealthy behaviour. A team of researchers led by Christopher A. Neumann of the Forest Institute, Springfield, Missouri tested this theory on 304 college students (all of whom drank) by giving them literature from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and then asking them about their attitudes to alcohol, intentions to cut down on their drinking and actual drinking behaviour. The study found that women, especially those with low self-esteem, were more worried about their drinking after reading the literature but men and those students with high self-esteem showed much less inclination to cut down on their drinking. High self-esteem was also associated with drinking more often and more binge drinking.

Neumann, Christopher A. ... [et al] - Self-esteem and gender influence: the response to risk information among alcohol using college students Journal of Substance Abuse December 2009, 14(6), 353-363