Recent News Items

Many Autistic Youth Struggle Right After High School, by Pedersen Traci. Psych Central, May 15, 2012.  “Compared to young people with other disabilities, youth with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) struggle more as they navigate through work and higher education after high school.”

Does a Better Memory Equal Greater PTSD Risk?, by Maia Szalavitz. Time Magazine, May 15, 2012.  “A good memory is typically seen as a powerful advantage, an aid to intelligence and socializing. But when experience is traumatic, this asset may become a serious liability, according to new research on survivors of the Rwandan genocide.”

Parents' Depression Linked to Problems in Children, by Perri Klass. New York Times, May 07, 2012.  “A parent's depression, it turns out, can be linked to all kinds of problems, even in the lives of older children.”

Benefits of Bipolar Disorder?, by Traci Pedersen. Psych Central, May 06, 2012.  “Some individuals with bipolar disorder say they experience highly-valued, positive experiences from living with the condition, according to new research by Lancaster University.”

With Disruptive Kids, MDs Should Assess for Early Mental Illness, by Rick Nauert. Psych Central, April 30, 2012.  “Mental illnesses are the No. 1 cause of medical disability in youths ages 15 and older in the United States and Canada, according to the World Health Organization. And mental health researchers are reaching out to pediatricians to improve early detection of mental disorders.”

Innate Neurological Risk for Drug Abuse?, by Rick Nauert. Psych Central, April 30, 2012.  “A new study suggests the way in which the brain is wired in some people may make them more impulsive and more likely to experiment with drugs.”

Post-Prozac Nation, by Siddhartha Mukherjee. New York Times, April 19, 2012.  “In 1988, a year after the Food and Drug Administration approved Prozac, 2,469,000 prescriptions for it were dispensed in America. By 2002, that number had risen to 33,320,000. By 2008, antidepressants were the third-most-common prescription drug taken in America. Fast forward to 2012 and the same antidepressants that inspired such enthusiasm have become the new villains of modern psychopharmacology - overhyped, overprescribed chemicals, symptomatic of a pill-happy culture searching for quick fixes for complex mental problems.”

Hazards: Mild Sleep Disorders Tied to Depression, by Nicholas Bakalar. New York Times, April 02, 2012.  “Snorting and stopping breathing during sleep are associated with depression, even in people whose symptoms do not meet the criteria for a diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea, a new study has found.”

A Brief Therapy Heals Trauma in Children, by Jane Brody. New York Times, April 02, 2012.  “A report describes a remarkably effective brief intervention developed at the Childhood Violent Trauma Center at Yale University greatly diminishes symptoms in traumatized children and those who care for them.”

How parents are changing the course of autism research, by Karen Weintraub. Boston Globe, March 26, 2012.  “Science and medicine are catching up with parents' understanding of the condition, and a more nuanced view is slowly emerging: Autism is not just a brain problem. Many people with autism, which affects 1 in 110 American children, are profoundly unwell, with physical symptoms ranging from sleep disorders to seizures, energy and immune issues to digestive troubles. And treating those symptoms can markedly improve the lives of autistic children, even if doesn't cure them.”

Synthetic Marijuana Sending Some Teens to ER, by Traci Pedersen. Psych Central, March 20, 2012.  “Frequently sold in gas stations and convenience stores, synthetic versions of marijuana are placing some teens in the emergency room.”

Meth Use in Pregnancy May Lead to Behavioral Problems in Kids, by Lindsey Tanner. Time Magazine, March 19, 2012.  “The first study to look at methamphetamine's potential lasting effects on children whose mothers used it in pregnancy finds these kids at higher risk for behavior problems than other children.”

Teen Health Linked to Teen Happiness, by Rick Nauert. Psych Central, March 05, 2012.  “A new UK study suggests teenagers are not as invincible as they might think when it comes to health, and that an unhealthy lifestyle is linked to unhappiness.”

Study: Migraines May Raise the Risk of Depression in Women, by Alexandra Sifferlin. Time Magazine, February 23, 2012.  “As if having migraine headaches weren't enough of a burden, a new study finds that women with migraines are also more likely to develop depression - about 40% more likely than women who have no history of the headaches.”

Trying to Find a Cry of Desperation Amid the Facebook Drama, by Jan Hoffman. New York Times, February 23, 2012.  “Specialists in adolescent medicine and mental health experts say that dark postings should not be hastily dismissed because they can serve as signs of depression and an early warning system for timely intervention. Whether therapists should engage with patients over Facebook, however, remains a matter of debate.”

Sex-Changing Treatments Are on the Rise in Kids, by Lindsey Tanner. Time Magazine, February 21, 2012.  “A small but growing number of teens and even younger children who think they were born the wrong sex are getting support from parents and from doctors who give them sex-changing treatments, according to reports in the medical journal Pediatrics.”