A social enterprise providing education and information to protect and enhance the mental health of young people
In this episode: Fitspo, social media and exercise culture has seen an increase in young people’s interests in anabolic steroids and related drugs These drugs have significant side effects and can cause serious long term problems In dealing with young people who are using these agents, possible the best approach to take is a [...]
OPINION No parent likes the idea of their kids using drugs. Drugs sit at the top of the list of experiences that we pray our kids will NEVER do, like dropping out of school or getting a tattoo. That’s why, when I saw the thin blue line that indicated my son’s impending arrival, I didn’t [...]
One in seven high school students reported misusing prescription opioids, one of several disturbing results in a nationwide survey of teenagers that revealed a growing sense of fear and despair among youth in the United States. The numbers of teenagers reporting “feelings of sadness or hopelessness,” suicidal thoughts, and days absent from school out of fear of [...]
Parents who require children to follow rules and keep a constant eye on their activities, endeavoring to know where they are, who they are with and what they are doing, run less risk of facing problems when their children enter adolescence, such as abuse of alcohol and other drugs. The likelihood of such problems becomes [...]
Higher than average levels of impulsiveness, sensitivity to anxiety, sensation seeking and hopelessness. These four personality traits have been shown by researchers to predict those teenagers at high risk of becoming binge drinkers with 90 per cent accuracy. In the first Australian trial, a program targeting 438 year 8 students with one of these traits [...]
Pixabay Images Young people have put the spotlight on mental health in a new survey, naming it as one of the top three issues facing Australia. Mission Australia's Youth Survey this year found concerns about mental health across the country have doubled since 2011. About 22,000 young people aged 15 to 19 took [...]
Pixabay Images Is depression caused by an inflamed brain? A review of studies looking at inflammation and depression has found that a class of anti-inflammatory drugs can ease the condition’s symptoms. Fatigue link? The most commonly used anti-depressant drugs, known as SSRIs, act to increase levels of serotonin in the brain, to improve [...]
Pixabay Images Drug education is the only part of the middle school curriculum I remember — perhaps because it backfired so spectacularly. Before reaching today’s legal drinking age, I was shooting cocaine and heroin. A new antidrug program tested in Europe, Australia and Canada is showing promise. Called Preventure, the program, developed by [...]
Synthetic cannabis, of which Spice is an example, is linked to serious health issues ranging from difficulties breathing to psychotic episodes. But, despite well-known issues, these drugs are still in demand and homeless people, particularly, are at risk of mental health issues from their use. So what exactly are these drugs made of and why [...]
Some of the greatest impacts of drug use are on families, but families sometimes feel in a position of little control when it comes to responding. Often they receive mixed messages about what they should do. Ice or crystal meth, the strongest form of methamphetamine, has arguably the biggest impact on families of all drugs. [...]
