A social enterprise providing education and information to protect and enhance the mental health of young people
Nearly 1 in 4 Australian teenagers meet the criteria for having a "probable serious mental illness", a joint report from Mission Australia and the Black Dog Institute has found. The Five Year Mental Health Youth Report presented findings from the past five Mission Australia youth surveys, during which thousands of adolescents answered questions on several [...]
Diagnosing Disruptive Behavior Most children have occasional temper tantrums or emotional outbursts, but when kids repeatedly lash out, are defiant, or can’t control their tempers, it can seriously impair their functioning in school and cause serious family turmoil. It’s easy to jump to the conclusion that a child who’s pushing or hitting or throwing tantrums [...]
When you consider the big picture, the ultimate goal in raising a child is to help them become their own separate person. We should want them to have their own mind, set their own goals, form their own reasons, make their own decisions, think for themself, know their boundaries, and create their own intentions. What [...]
Mental illness is more common than most people think. Around one out of every five adults will deal with some form of mental illness in their lifetime. If you’re that one person, trying to make friends might seem about as appealing as pulling your teeth out, but a good group of friends can also be [...]
Mental disorders are currently defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), which includes hundreds of distinct diagnostic categories, but a new study we worked on suggests we could do better. Each category in the DSM has a checklist of criteria. If you meet “enough” (often, just over half) of these criteria, [...]
It is the most common mental health condition in Australia and when you're in the grip of it, anxiety can seem unmanageable. But its bark is often worse than its bite and simple changes can go a long way in taming the beast. Our diet is one, often overlooked way, understandably perhaps because we tend [...]
When children are chronically anxious, even the most well-meaning parents can fall into a negative cycle and, not wanting a child to suffer, actually exacerbate the youngster’s anxiety. It happens when parents, anticipating a child’s fears, try to protect her from them. Here are pointers for helping children escape the cycle of anxiety. 1. The [...]
Jane* has lived with severe depression and anxiety for the last 15 years outside a small town in rural Victoria. For much of that time, she's felt isolated and alone in her struggle with her mental illness. "I've had several attempted suicides," she said. Jane has no doubt where she'd be if she wasn't getting [...]
A device which sends tiny electric shocks to the brain to stimulate neurons could one day be at least as useful to people with anxiety and depression as antidepressants, Curtin University researchers hope. The university's Patrick Clarke said small electrical currents were being used to directly stimulate underperforming parts of the depressive brain and numb [...]
Anxiety and ADHD are very different, but sometimes the symptoms can look similar. The correct diagnosis is critical to guide treatment and to make sense of things when kids seem to be struggling or when something doesn’t feel quite right. As much as the right diagnosis can heal, the wrong one can also harm. Understanding [...]
