A social enterprise providing education and information to protect and enhance the mental health of young people
When it comes to drinking and taking drugs many young people face both social and peer pressures. Their friends might encourage them to drink at parties while social pressures come in many forms. Social pressures can include advertising, seeing the lifestyles of celebrities, or being at a party and seeing people who are drinking or [...]
Contrary to the opinion of leading health organisations, the health and wellbeing of young Australians is declining while mental health issues are on the rise. This is the finding of Richard Eckersley author of the report Never Better, or getting worse? The health and wellbeing of young Australians. The report explores patterns and trends around the [...]
Although an estimated 25% of young people are sexually active by 15 years of age and this rises to 50% by the time they enter their final year of school, only 40% are practicing safe sex and using a condom. These were the findings of a survey conducted by GlaxoSmithKline which was carried out in [...]
The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry recently published a new research paper; Parenting factors associated with reduced adolescent alcohol use: a systematic review of longitudinal studies. Conducted by the Orygen Youth Health Research Centre in Melbourne, they found supporting evidence to suggest parenting choices affect both the age of commencement of alcohol consumption [...]
beyondblue’s Anxiety and Depression Awareness Month each October is a chance for people from all walks of life to raise awareness of depression and anxiety – and to help reduce the stigma that can often prevent people from getting help. Now in its fourth year, Anxiety and Depression Awareness Month has become an important mental [...]
Brightly coloured jelly bracelets have been around since the 1980’s and used to be worn by the youth of that generation. However, today in many playgrounds around the country they are now taking on a more sinister nature as they grow in popularity with primary school children. With a new name and meaning; ‘shag bands’ [...]
90% of teenagers have tried alcohol by 15 years of age 20% of teenagers regularly drink at harmful levels A new DVD Your Shout will shortly be introduced into schools around Australia as a teaching aid to help staff discuss the impact drinking has on young people. The DVD features teenagers talking about their experiences [...]
A new study recently published online by the Journal of Adolescent Health, has spent 10 years following a group of 1,520 adolescents from the age of 14 to 24 years old. Their aim was to investigate the shift in weight between adolescence and young adulthood. The study Overweight and Obesity between Adolescence and Young Adulthood: [...]
By 2012 the government intends to ensure that all cigarettes sold in Australia are in plain packaging. However the tobacco industry is fighting back in an attempt to block their plans. The big tobacco companies are bank rolling a series of newspaper and television ads for an alliance of small retailers and have hired Melbourne [...]
beyondblue: the national depression initiative and Orygen Youth Health Research Centre at The University of Melbourne have joined forces to produce a booklet to help young people find which treatments for depression work and which don’t. What Works for Depression in Young People reviews more than 30 treatment options and rates each one against the [...]
