Adolescents News and Research

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America's mental health ranked

Mental Health America has released its report, "Ranking America's Mental Health: An Analysis of Depression Across the States," a first-of-its-kind study examining state and national data for statistical associations between factors that govern access to mental health care and actual mental health outcomes, including suicide rates.

29 Nov 2007

Novel imaging technique shows more gray matter in brains of autistic children

Using a novel imaging technique to study autistic children, researchers have found increased gray matter in the brain areas that govern social processing and learning by observation.

29 Nov 2007

Materialism in children

Peer pressure, targeted marketing campaigns and bad parenting have all been blamed for increasing materialism in children.

27 Nov 2007

Psychiatric advance directives enhance patient-doctor communication

In theory, psychiatric advance directives provide a way to improve medical decision making during a mental health crisis.

27 Nov 2007

New program finds safer ways for college students to cope with alcohol

Researchers from the University of Cincinnati are reporting on a pilot program aimed at curbing alcohol abuse among college students.

27 Nov 2007

Gender and friendship influences adolescent alcohol use

Adolescents who drink alcohol, smoke and/or use drugs tend to have peers who do the same.

27 Nov 2007

Quiet and shy pupils tend to under achieve

New research from the University of Stavanger shows that quiet and shy pupils in junior high schools in Norway achieve below their active classmates in oral, practical and esthetic subjects.

21 Nov 2007

Binge drinking by adolescents increases long-term risk for heart disease

New research into lifelong alcohol consumption reveals that heavy binge drinking by adolescents and young adults is associated with increased long-term risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and other metabolic disorders.

21 Nov 2007

Increase in eating disorder symptoms among ethnic groups

Eating disorders in the U.S. among ethnic groups were thought to be rare, but recent studies have shown that many cultures are now exposed to the thin beauty ideal.

19 Nov 2007

Greater support and less marital conflict leads to later onset of puberty in girls

Early puberty in girls has been found to negatively affect these teenagers' health in areas such as mood disorders, substance abuse, adolescent pregnancy, and cancers of the reproductive system.

16 Nov 2007

Rising drug expenditures for ADHD

The NHS is likely to face a 10-fold increase in the cost of drugs prescribed to children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in the decade to 2012.

16 Nov 2007

Drug to treat children with bipolar disorder gets priority review

An anti-psychotic drug already approved in the U.S. to treat adults and adolescents with schizophrenia may soon be available for youngsters age 10 to 17 years of age suffering from bipolar disorder.

15 Nov 2007

Most UK citizens susceptible to hep B infection

The failure of the UK to introduce universal hepatitis B immunisation means that most UK citizens are susceptible to infection, warns an infectious diseases expert in this week's BMJ.

13 Nov 2007

Early teen sex may play role in helping some develop better social relationships in early adulthood

A new study by University of Virginia clinical psychologists has found that teens who have sex at an early age may be less inclined to exhibit delinquent behavior in early adulthood than their peers who waited until they were older to have sex.

13 Nov 2007

Early, routine testing for HIV is key to curbing the disease among teens

Half of all new HIV infections in the United States occur among 13 to 24 year olds, but adolescents rarely seek HIV testing. Now, new research from the Bradley Hasbro Children's Research Center suggests that early and widespread testing - both in schools and community centers - may be the key to effectively curbing the spread of HIV within this age group.

13 Nov 2007

Fires and burns take devastating toll on nation's children

The approach of winter season brings with it an increase in burn-related injuries to our nation's children. Annually in the United States, fires and burns result in almost 4,000 deaths and more than 745,000 non-hospitalized injuries among all age groups.

13 Nov 2007

Teens who use only cannabis appear to function better than those who also use tobacco

A Swiss study suggests that teens who use only cannabis appear to function better than those who also use tobacco, and are more socially driven and have no more psychosocial problems than those who abstain from both substances, according to a report in the November issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

6 Nov 2007

Bupropion plus counseling appears to help adolescents quit cigarette smoking in the short term

Almost one-fourth of U.S. high school students currently smoke cigarettes, according to background information in the article. Many teen smokers want to quit, but studies estimate that only about 4 percent of those who try are successful each year.

6 Nov 2007

Childhood BMI rebound influences heart disease late in life

The earlier in life children reach their lowest body mass index (BMI) signals potential heart disease risk factors and may become evident as early as age 7, researchers reported at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2007.

6 Nov 2007

Trial of the antidepressant fluoxetine for teens with depression and substance use disorders

The antidepressant fluoxetine combined with cognitive behavioral therapy appears as effective for treating depression among teens who also have substance use disorders as among those without substance abuse problems, according to a report in the November issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

6 Nov 2007