Mental Health Care Even Harder to Access
Razi Berry Eleven years after Congress passed a law mandating that insurers provide equal access for mental and physical health care; Americans are actually finding it harder to obtain affordable treatment for mental illness and substance abuse issues. The barriers to parity continue despite a bipartisan consensus that more must be done to confront the […]
Two-Thirds of Parents Can’t Tell Mood Swings from Depression in Teens
Razi Berry Telling the difference between a teen’s normal ups and downs and something bigger is among top challenges parents face in identifying youth depression, a new national poll suggests. The difference between a teen’s normal ups and downs and something bigger Though the majority of parents say they are confident they would recognize depression […]
Ability to Describe Negative Emotions Could Protect Against Depression in Teens
Razi Berry Teenagers who can describe their negative emotions in precise and nuanced ways are better protected against depression than their peers who can’t. That’s the conclusion of a new study about negative emotion differentiation, or NED–the ability to make fine-grained distinctions between negative emotions and apply precise labels– published in the journal Emotion. Adolescents […]
Increased risk of suicide among transgender teens
Razi Berry A new study highlighted an increased risk of suicide among transgender teens than their cisgender peers, those who identify with the gender they were assigned at birth.1 The study is from the University of Arizona and looks at those, within the transgender community, is most at risk. Research into this topic noted that […]
Children Taking Multiple Drugs May Be at Risk for Drug-Drug Interactions
Razi Berry A recent research study from the University of Illinois at Chicago estimates that 20 percent of children regularly use a prescription medication, and that one in 12 of those children are at risk of a harmful drug-drug interaction (DDI).1 Adolescent girls are at the highest risk of these adverse events. Researchers looked at […]
Too Much Screen Time Could be a Risk Factor for Depression and Suicide
Node Smith, ND Screen Time and Suicide A new research study suggests that adolescents who spend more time on smartphones and other digital devices may be more likely to experience depression and suicidal ideation.1 Attempted suicide attempts also seem to be correlated with increase in screen time. The study, published in Clinical Psychological Science, states […]
Sleep Disturbance as Predictor for Increased Suicide Risk
In an interesting study recently, sleep disturbances were found to be a significant short-term risk factor leading to suicidal thoughts in young adults with a history of suicidal ideation.1 Sleep changes were seen to correlate to worsening suicidal thoughts regardless of the individual’s depression severity – specifically, variations in bedtime and wake up time. Suicide […]
Coffee Could Reduce Suicide Risk
(NaturalPath) A newly published review examined three large cohort studies to examine suicide risk and its relation to coffee consumption. Consumption was assessed every four years with food-frequency questionnaires and deaths from suicides were obtained from death certificates. Coffee consumption was grouped into ≤1cup per day, 2-3cups per day, and ≥4cups per day. Results showed that […]
Two Branches, Same Root: A Modern Perspective on Bullying
Dr. Steve Rissman, ND @StevenMRissman One of the reasons springtime feels so good is because it renews hope. It’s about growth and new phases of life, but that can invite challenges that send us running back to old patterns. In light of recent incidents involving the suicide of a teenager who experienced bullying, I thought […]