A social enterprise providing education and information to protect and enhance the mental health of young people
It’s often the case that students seek out younger teachers to confide in, as they feel they may be able to relate to them better. Often these young teachers, are also new teachers, so here are a few tips that I’ve picked up from being involved in student wellbeing for over fifteen years. [...]
Looking at something like anorexia nervosa, which is associated with resistance to eating and weight loss, you are watching for rapid and severe weight loss because of diet, calorie counting and food restriction. People often develop a list of foods they cannot eat. They start becoming vegetarian, and subsequently vegan. It's difficult to recognize these [...]
The term ‘microagression’ was first coined by psychiatrist Chester M. Pierce in 1970 to describe the everyday things we say or do which causes someone to feel ‘othered’. Originally a racially-related phenomenon, its definition has since evolved to include any subtle verbal or non-verbal communication that conveys insensitivity towards a person’s sex, social status, physical [...]
A NEW report shows 12,000 Tasmanians suffer from anorexia nervosa or bulimia.It says the state needs a dedicated eating disorder co-ordinator to oversee better local support services. The Sprouting Seeds report, compiled by the Hobart Women's Health Centre, says another 20,000 Tasmanians are impacted by binge eating disorders and the provision of a specialist eating [...]
Distinguishing between mood disorders and the normal difficulties of adolescence is not always easy, but a new program has been developed by the institute to give teachers and students a better understanding of mental health issues. The HeadStrong program uses classroom activities to share information and prompt discussions on depression and bipolar disorders, at-risk personality [...]
Earlier this month Federal Member for Kingston (S.A), Amanda Rishworth, moved a Private Members Motion acknowledging the findings of the UK Government’s review Letting the Children be Children on the commercialisation and sexualisation of childhood. It is heartening for those of us involved in this issue to see MP’s like Rishworth take the lead on [...]
The complex and emerging field of problematic internet use (PIU), commonly dubbed ‘internet addiction’, requires a comprehensive, empathic and culturally-sensitive approach to assessment, before one can commence treatment, or therapy. As indicated in my earlier article for Generation Next (January 2012), a few key points must be borne in mind during the assessment process: First, [...]
The St John's rector, Michael Bongers, last Thursday suspended 30 students for forcing a female student during O-Week to drink alcohol. She was allergic to it and ended up in hospital. This event comes as no surprise to those who have gone through similar experiences. via Trial by ordeal to enter university college's hallowed halls. [...]
Three years ago, if you had logged onto my computer and looked at my recent history, you would have discovered I frequently trawled through pro-eating disordered websites. There are communities of males and females of varying ages on sites such as Live Journal, Tumblr, Facebook and MySpace all promoting anorexia as a lifestyle choice, rather [...]
Girlfriend’s ‘Reality Check’ has become a farce. But some positives in the March issue reports Melinda Tankar Reist in a new series aimed at keeping the spotlight on teen mags. Girlfriend magazine seems to have forgotten what its ‘Self Respect REALITY CHECK’ was intended for. A recap – it was designed to be an upfront [...]
