A social enterprise providing education and information to protect and enhance the mental health of young people
iStock Photos Students at a Victorian state school have been left traumatised, and parents angry and shocked, after a seven-year-old student allegedly sexually abused classmates in the playground. Parents say they were kept in the dark about claims a grade one boy dragged female students into the toilets and forcibly removed their clothes, making them perform oral sex [...]
Instagram Suicide-themed captions crafted by girls are attracting hundreds of teen and tween girls. However there are almost no responses encouraging the distressed and possibly at-risk girl to call ‘000’, a kids’ help hotline or even asking ‘RUOK?’ Instead, adoring fans applaud with ‘likes’, approving comments and a shower of emoticon hearts before [...]
Research indicates that there are generally low levels of mental health literacy in the community. General beliefs and misunderstandings about mental health affect community responses to eating disorders. Understanding the facts about eating disorders can reduce stigma, increase awareness and consequently improve the prevention, early identification and help-seeking among sufferers. The National Eating Disorders Collaboration (NEDC) have identified five common misconceptions about [...]
University of Pennsylvania Martin Seligman has been raising the profile of positive psychology over the past two decades. Seligman's notion of good mental health boils down to five key domains that together form the acronym PERMA: positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning and purpose, and accomplishments. This list includes the five PERMA attributes, as [...]
Credit: Syda Productions/Shutter Stock People who may be sliding toward depression might be able to prevent the full-blown disorder by completing some self-help exercises online, a new study suggests. Researchers found that men and women who had some symptoms of depression and used a web-based mental health program that was supported by an [...]
In the latest Beckley/Imperial study, we selected 12 people who had experienced depression over an average of 18 years, despite all that modern medicine can offer. Instead of daily medication, we wanted to know if their condition would improve after an “inner journey” on a 25mg dose of the psychedelic drug psilocybin. We also wanted to [...]
The secret mind tricks that keep you from getting stuff done. Photo: Getty Images Have you ever sat down to complete an important task -- and then suddenly discovered you were up loading the dishwasher or engrossed in the Wikipedia entry about Chernobyl? Or perhaps you suddenly realise that the dog needs to [...]
James Longman/BBC News In the battle to find what causes mental illness, scientists are increasingly looking at genetic factors. For James Longman - whose father killed himself after suffering from schizophrenia - it's a very personal question. I'm often told I look like my dad, that I have his mannerisms and some of [...]
Natasha Devon, sacked last week as a mental health champion for young people. Photograph: Ken McKay/Rex We live with an epidemic of anxiety. In 1980, 4% of Americans suffered a mental disorder associated with anxiety. Today half do. The trends in Britain are similar. A third of Britons will experience anxiety disorder at some [...]
Think Stock The world's sleeping patterns have been revealed by scientists analysing data collected from an app. It showed the Dutch have nearly an hour more in bed every night than people in Singapore or Japan. The study, published in Science Advances, also found women routinely get more sleep than men, with middle-aged [...]
