Publications on Mental Health Topics

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN THE TRANSGENDER COMMUNITY, by MEGAN DOTTERMUSCH, nomore.org, Apr 29 2016.

“Domestic violence affects all populations, but the transgender community is victimized at higher rates than the general population: according to a review completed by The Williams Institute, 30 percent to 50 percent of transgender people experience intimate partner violence at some point in their lifetime compared to 28 to 33 percent in the general population. ”

Mental health risks aren't equal among all gay, bisexual men, by Andrew M. Seaman, Reuters, Apr 28 2016.

“While gay and bisexual men are at higher risk for mental health issues than their straight counterparts, the risk is particularly high for young gay and bisexual men, a new study has found.   On the other hand, high levels of education, income and living with a man were among the factors that seemed to protect gay and bisexual men of all ages against depression, anxiety and other mental health problems. ”

Teen Birth Rates Plummet For Hispanic And Black Girls, by Jennifer Ludden, NPR, Apr 28 2016.

“The nation's falling teen birth rate saw an even bigger drop over the past decade, with dramatic declines among Hispanic and black teens. Birth rates are down a whopping 51 percent among Hispanics age 15 to 19 since 2006, and down 44 percent among black teens, according to a survey of census data by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Teen pregnancy rates among whites also fell by a third. ”

Suicide Rates Climb In U.S., Especially Among Adolescent Girls, by Rae Ellen Bichell, NPR, Apr 22 2016.

“In the '80s and '90s, America's suicide trend was headed in the right direction: down. "It had been decreasing almost steadily since 1986, and then what happened is there was a turnaround," says Sally Curtin, a statistician with the National Center for Health Statistics, part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The suicide rate has risen by a quarter, to 13 per 100,000 people in 2014 from 10.5 in 1999, according to an analysis by Curtin and her colleagues that was released Friday. ”

Teen Moms Trust Their Gut, Even When It Puts Their Babies At Risk, by Laurel Dalrymple, NPR, Apr 21 2016.

“Teenage mothers who know about safe-sleeping practices to reduce the risk of infant death often deliberately do not follow those recommendations, a study published Thursday finds. Each year, sudden unexpected infant death will claim about 3,500 babies up to a year old in the U.S., with about a quarter of those due to accidental suffocation or strangulation in bed. Almost all of the 43 teens in the study reported bed sharing and using loose blankets or soft bedding, which are all listed as practices to be avoided in safe-sleeping recommendations for babies.  ”

Common medicines tied to changes in the brain, by Lisa Rapaport, Reuters, Apr 20 2016.

“Commonly used drugs for problems like colds, allergies, depression, high blood pressure and heart disease have long been linked to cognitive impairment and dementia. Now researchers have some fresh evidence that may help explain the connection. ”

Military sexual trauma tied to increased risk of homelessness, by Andrew M. Seaman, Reuters, Apr 20 2016.

“Veterans who experienced sexual trauma in the military are at increased risk for homelessness, according to a new U.S. study. Compared to veterans who didn't experience sexual assault, battery or harassment during their military service, those who did were about twice as likely to be homeless during the five-year study, researchers found. ”

'No differences' between children of same-sex and opposite-sex parents, by Nadia Kounang, CNN , Apr 15 2016.

“A new study in the Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics finds that the kids really are all right. Despite the ongoing cultural debate around same-sex parenting, the new study finds the children of same-sex parents are just as healthy emotionally and physically as the children of different-sex parents. ”

Senate Passes National Family Caregiver Support Program, by My Child Without Limits, United Cerebral Palsy, Apr 8 2016.

“the Senate passed the Older Americans Act (OAA). This bill contains the eligibility fix for the national family caregiver support program that will now include older relative caregivers (aged 55 and over) of their adult children with disabilities (aged 18-59). ”

The neuroscience of impulse and addiction, by Tim Newman, Medical News Today, Apr 6 2016.

“"Impulsivity, sensation-seeking and substance abuse have long been linked. Although individuals who abuse drugs are known to act impulsively and have subtly different neuroanatomy, it is not clear whether these changes are the cause or the effect of the abuse. A new study investigates these links further." ”

For New Parents, Dad May Be The One Missing The Most Sleep, by Tara Haelle and Emily Willingham, NPR, Apr 5 2016.

“You might think that mothers, being the ones with the breast milk, have it the worst. But science seems to indicate otherwise. For example, one 2013 study of 21 mother-father pairs enjoying their first infant experience found that fathers actually got less sleep than the mothers and experienced more confirmed sleepiness, as measured using wrist trackers. The study authors also found that even though the mothers got more sleep, their sleep was disturbed more often, which makes sense given their role in feeding. ”

Addiction may explain the link between social media and depression, by Rob Goodier, Reuters, Apr 5 2016.

“Studies have linked the use of social media to depression, but addiction to social media, rather than use alone, may explain the connection, new research suggests. “We believe that at least having clinicians be aware of these associations may be valuable to them as they treat patients with depressive disorders. For example, they may wish to inquire about social media use patterns and determine if those patterns are maladaptive,” coauthor Ariel Shensa of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine told Reuters Health by email. ”

The Gender Creative Child: Pathways for Nurturing and Supporting Children Who Live Outside Gender Boxes, by Diane Ehrensaft PhD (Author), Norman Spack MD (Foreword) , Apr 5 2016.

Kids' Grades Can Suffer When Mom Or Dad Is Depressed, by Patti Neighmond, NPR, Apr 4 2016.

“When parents suffer depression, there can be a ripple effect on children. Kids may become anxious, even sad. There may be behavior problems. Health may suffer. Recently, a large Swedish study showed that grades may decline, too, when a parent is depressed. Using data from 1984 to 1994, researchers from Philadelphia's Dornsife School of Public Health, at Drexel University, measured school grades for more than 1.1 million children in Sweden and compared them with their parents' mental health status. The study was published in a February issue of JAMA Psychiatry. ”

A Pit Stop for PTSD Therapy, by Shira Rubin , The Atlantic, Apr 4 2016.

“While most humanitarian-aid missions on the island are focused on food, shelter, and other emergency needs, small teams of therapists and social workers are scrambling to provide coping methods to an unknown number of diagnosed trauma victims. In recent months, organizations like the International Rescue Committee (IRC) have begun to devote more of their attention to mental-health care, said Angeliki Kardi, one of three psychologists on the IRC staff. While there is no reliable data measuring the frequency of psychological disorders among refugee populations in Europe, a study published last September by the German Federal Chamber of Psychotherapists showed that as many as half of the refugees there suffer from conditions like PTSD or depression. ”