A social enterprise providing education and information to protect and enhance the mental health of young people
Researchers asked the question whether realistic dolls protect body satisfaction in young girls. The study published in the journal Body Image, measured the body perceptions and ideals of thirty-one girls aged 5 to 9 years before and after a playing in pairs with an ultra-thin doll, a realistic childlike doll or a car. Play with [...]
Richard Bryant, UNSW Although Australia is now largely COVID-free, the repercussions of the pandemic are ongoing. As the pandemic enters its second year, many people will be continuing to suffer with poor mental health, or facing new mental health challenges. The effects of recurrent lockdowns, fears about the effectiveness of the vaccines, restricted movement within [...]
Studies show that young people aren’t getting sufficient information – at home, school or online – about mental health and illness. Joanne Riebschleger, Michigan State University and Jennifer Tanis, Michigan State University One in five teens has a parent with a mental illness such as anxiety or depression. These teens are at greater risk of [...]
Jill Newby, UNSW Many Melburnians are joyous at the prospect of a return to socialising, as the city regains some old freedoms this week following significantly eased coronavirus restrictions. Social media is teeming with images of people looking ecstatic about the end of lockdown. But in stark contrast to these images, some people might feel [...]
Dr Zac Seidler and Professor Jane Pirkis“It’s great to get my feelings out there and it’s good to have someone listen sure… but it doesn’t really help you day to day, doesn’t help you change your lifestyle patterns… the next day you sort of go, ‘what am I actually supposed to be doing?’” This is [...]
Raquel Peel, University of Southern Queensland As some of us return to the workplace, or are planning to do so in the future, we face the challenges of a changed environment of social distancing rules and restrictions. It might be your workplace will set limits on how many people are allowed in the lunchroom at [...]
Stephen Carbone, University of Melbourne Despite the incremental easing of Victoria’s restrictions, it’s clear the journey towards COVID-normal is far slower than many people had hoped. Australians – particularly Victorians – have shown remarkable resilience, but many are suffering emotionally. The mental health impacts of COVID-19 During the early days of the pandemic, surveys showed [...]
Lesley Irvine, Queensland University of Technology Many parents and students are engaged in a daily routine of speaking to people via a camera on a computer, tablet or phone during COVID-19 restrictions. This often means finding a quiet place in order to ask a question, provide an answer or share an opinion with a virtual [...]
Kathryn Abel, University of Manchester and Matthias Pierce, University of Manchester Public health responses to the pandemic have focused on preventing the spread of the virus, limiting the number of deaths and easing the burden on healthcare systems. But there’s also potentially another, less visible epidemic we should be focusing on: mental illness. Our recent [...]
At the height of the COVID-19 restrictions, clinically significant depression and anxiety symptoms were at least two to three times higher than would normally be observed in the community. These and other findings were revealed by the largest nationwide survey of mental health during April and early May 2020, when the strictest lockdown measures were [...]
