Publications - Parenting/Caregiver Advice and Support
More women may be experiencing depression during pregnancy, by Linda Carroll, Reuters, Jul 13 2018.
“Today’s moms-to-be are more likely than women from their mothers’ generation to become depressed while pregnant, a study suggests...'Our data suggest that the symptoms driving the increase in total scores were those related to feeling overwhelmed and stress and anxiety rather than feelings of being down and unmotivated,' Pearson said. 'This supports theories that it is potentially a consequence of the fast-paced modern world.' ”
Parents with Severe Childhood Trauma More Likely to Have Kids with Behavior Issues, by Traci Pedersen, Psych Central, Jul 10 2018.
“Parents who faced severe trauma and stress in their own childhood are more likely to see behavioral health problems in their children, according to a new study published in the journal Pediatrics...The findings reveal that the children of parents who themselves had four or more adverse childhood experiences were at double the risk of having attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and were four times more likely to have mental health problems. In addition, a mother’s childhood experiences had a stronger adverse effect on a child’s behavioral health than the father’s experiences. ”
Boosting Folic Acid May Lead to Less Risk of Severe Mental Illness, by Janice Wood, Psych Central, Jul 7 2018.
“Fortifying grain-based foods with folic acid — instituted in the U.S. in the 1990s to prevent neural tube defects in infants — may also reduce the incidence of severe mental illnesses like schizophrenia that initially appear in young adulthood, according to new research. In a study comparing brain images of school-aged youths born just before the fortification mandate to those of young people born afterwards, a Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) research team found that increased in utero folic acid exposure was associated with changes in later brain development. These brain changes predicted a reduced risk for symptoms of psychosis, according to the scientists. ”
Pilot Study Screens for Postpartum Depression in the ER, by Traci Pedersen, Psych Central, Jun 30 2018.
“Although new mothers are supposed to be screened routinely for PPD at postpartum visits with their maternal or pediatric health care providers, these screenings often don’t happen, either because doctors aren’t following the recommendations or parents aren’t attending these visits due to barriers to healthcare access or other issues. According to a new study, providing PPD screening for new moms in the emergency department (ED) could help identify women suffering from the often debilitating disorder...Jarvis and colleagues launched a pilot study in the Children’s ED to screen for PPD. For eight months beginning in June 2015, the researchers invited English- and Spanish-speaking mothers who came to the ED with infants 6 months old or younger with complaints that didn’t necessitate immediate emergency care to take a short questionnaire on a computer tablet..Based on the results of the study, the researchers implemented a range of interventions. All mothers who participated in the study were given an informational booklet from the March of Dimes on PPD. ”
Gaming addiction classified as mental health disorder by WHO, by Kate Kelland, Reuters, Jun 18 2018.
“Many parents already have concerns, but some may now have a new argument for limiting their children’s ‘screen time’ - addiction to video games has been recognised by World Health Organization as a mental health disorder. The WHO’s International Classification of Diseases (ICD), a reference bible of recognised and diagnosable diseases, describes addiction to digital and video gaming as “a pattern of persistent or recurrent gaming behaviour” that becomes so extensive it “takes precedence over other life interests”. ”
One in 3 Americans Takes Meds That May Cause Depression, by Traci Pedersen, Psych Central, Jun 14 2018.
“More than one in three Americans may be taking prescription medications that can lead to depression or increase the risk of suicide, according to a new study conducted by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). And since many of these medications are common and not associated with depression — such as hormonal birth control medications, blood pressure and heart medications, proton pump inhibitors, antacids and painkillers — patients and clinicians may be unaware of the risks...'Many may be surprised to learn that their medications, despite having nothing to do with mood or anxiety or any other condition normally associated with depression, can increase their risk of experiencing depressive symptoms, and may lead to a depression diagnosis.' ”
Placenta May Play Key Role in Schizophrenia, Psych Central, May 31 2018.
“A new study suggests that the placenta may factor into the risk for schizophrenia, as well as other neurodevelopmental disorders including ADHD, autism and Tourette syndrome. The new findings, published in the journal Nature Medicine, reveal that schizophrenia genes appear to be 'turned on' during complicated pregnancies, and the more these genes are turned on, the more the placenta shows other signs of stress such as inflammation...'The surprising results of this study make the placenta the centerpiece of a new realm of biological investigation related to how genes and the environment interact to alter the trajectory of human brain development,' said Weinberger. ”
Study: Suicide Rates for Black Kids Under 13 Double That of Whites, by Traci Pedersen, Psych Central, May 22 2018.
“Suicide rates among whites have traditionally been higher than for blacks in the United States. However, a new study shows that the racial differences in suicide rates may be age-specific. The findings, published in JAMA Pediatrics, reveal that suicide rates for black children aged 5-12 are approximately double than that for white children of similar ages...'It is important not to lose sight that very young children of all races are at risk of suicide,' said Dr. Joel Greenhouse, a co-author of the study and professor of statistics and data science at Carnegie Mellon University. 'Descriptive studies like this are important for identifying trends in suicide rates. However, they leave open the question as to why there are differences.' ”
Pediatricians urged to warn vulnerable kids away from '13 Reasons Why' Netflix series, by Anne Harding, Reuters, May 18 2018.
“Mental health professionals have raised alarms that the series - which closes with a graphic depiction of the main character killing herself - could push other young people toward suicide...In an article titled, “13 Things Pediatricians Should Know (and do) About 13 Reasons Why,” Dr. Michael B. Pitt and colleagues of the University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis encourage doctors to warn vulnerable young patients - and their parents - away from the show...In reviewing records at their own health system, the authors identified more than 60 documented references to the show by 31 pediatric patients treated in the six months after “13 Reasons” first aired. Three-quarters of the patients were receiving treatment related to a suicide attempt, and more than half of the children’s parents said they feared the show had made their child’s mental health symptoms worse. The authors urge pediatricians to follow the American Academy of Pediatrics’ new guidelines calling for universal depression screening for patients aged 12 and older, and to ask their patients about their media consumption. ”
Early puberty in girls tied to bullying in school, by Lisa Rapaport, Reuters, May 17 2018.
“Girls who go through puberty early may be more likely than peers who mature later to be involved in bullying at school - either as victims or perpetrators, a recent study suggests...Early menstruation was associated with 21 percent higher odds that girls would be occasional victims of bullying and a 35 percent greater chance of frequent victimization. At the same time, teens who started menstruating sooner than most other girls were 19 percent more likely to occasionally bully other students at school and had 46 percent higher odds of becoming frequent bullies...'Parents should let their daughters know that puberty timing is varied among adolescents, it is very normal that some are earlier and some are later,' Lian said by email. 'More importantly, parents and school teachers should recognize that adolescents need the skills and abilities to copy with the pressures caused by early puberty they enter puberty.' ”
More Kids Are Attempting and Thinking About Suicide, According to a New Study, by Jamie Ducharme, TIME, May 16 2018.
“The number of kids hospitalized for thinking about or attempting suicide doubled in less than a decade, according to a study published Wednesday in Pediatrics...The largest increases were seen among adolescents between two age groups — 15 and 17, and 12 and 14 — according to the study. Increases were also higher among girls than boys, the study says. Interestingly, the researchers also observed significantly more suicide attempts or ideations during the school year; that’s in contrast to adults, among whom suicide rates tend to spike in spring and summer...Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has shown that the number of teenagers dying by suicide is also on the rise. ”
Why kids and teens may face far more anxiety these days, by Amy Ellis Nutt, Washington Post, May 10 2018.
“Anxiety, not depression, is the leading mental health issue among American youths, and clinicians and research both suggest it is rising. The latest study was published in April in the Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics. Based on data collected from the National Survey of Children’s Health for ages 6 to 17, researchers found a 20 percent increase in diagnoses of anxiety between 2007 and 2012. (The rate of depression over that same time period ticked up 0.2 percent.) ”
Depression Has Spiked By 33% In the Last Five Years, a New Report Says, by Jamie Ducharme, TIME, May 10 2018.
“Diagnoses of clinical depression — also known as major depression — have risen by 33% since 2013, according to a new report from health insurer Blue Cross Blue Shield...Depression diagnoses were found to be rising in every demographic, but the uptick has been especially dramatic among young people. Since 2013, rates have spiked by 47% among Millennials, by 65% among adolescent girls and by 47% among adolescent boys, the report says. Women of any age are also more likely than men to be diagnosed with clinical depression. ”
Being called 'fat' in early teens tied to later eating disorders for girls, by Shereen Lehman, Reuters, May 8 2018.
“For teen girls, being called “fat” by friends or family may contribute to later developing eating disorders, and the harsh word from family members seems to carry the most weight, a recent U.S. study suggests...'How we talk about weight - especially with young girls - can have really negative effects on mental and physical health,' said lead author Jeffrey Hunger, a psychologist at the University of California, Los Angeles. 'Labeling young girls as ‘too fat’ will never spur positive health behaviors; it is simply going to result in poor body image, unhealthy weight control practices, and disordered eating,' he told Reuters Health in an email. ”
More Talking with Parents May Protect Kids Against Later Alcohol Misuse, by Janice Wood, Psych Central, May 5 2018.
“A new study has found that children with greater communication with their parents in early adolescence have less harmful alcohol use and emotional eating in young adulthood...Greater parent-child communication in early adolescence predicted greater connectivity of the ASN at age 25, supporting the idea that high-quality parenting is important for long-term brain development, according to the study’s findings. Greater ASN connectivity was, in turn, associated with lower harmful alcohol use and emotional eating at age 25. ”
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