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Archive for January, 2011

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By Traci Pedersen
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on September 10, 2010 

Inflammation is associated with lower intelligence and premature death, according to Swedish researchers from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden.

“Those with low-grade inflammation performed more poorly on standardized intelligence tests, even after excluding those with signs of current illness. Inflammation also predicted an increased risk of premature death,” said lead researcher Dr. Hakan Karlsson.

When the body is healthy, chemicals from white blood cells are released in order to protect the body from any foreign substances.  This process goes into action when a person is sick or sprains an ankle.

However, when this normal bodily function is sprung into overdrive—whether from exposure to toxins, allergens, stress, lack of exercise, or unhealthy eating habits—the white blood cells and their inflammatory chemicals run amok and damage the body’s tissues, causing chronic inflammation.

It is this ‘silent inflammation’ that is so dangerous, which creates chronic illness with no outward signs, and as shown in the results of this study, is even capable of lowering human intelligence.

In this study, scientists examined large population-based registers that featured data collected over many decades.  Measures of intelligence and inflammation were observed in nearly 50,000 young men between the ages of 18 and 20, and their deaths over next 35 years were also recorded.

“Although we knew that inflammation associated with infection or cardiovascular disease could impair brain function, this is the first time that similar associations have been shown in healthy young people,” said Dr Karlsson.  “This suggests that even low levels of inflammation can have detrimental consequences for health and brain function.”

“Since low-grade inflammation appears to be hazardous, it is also important to determine its causes,” added Dr. Karlsson.  “One interesting possibility is the role of environmental factors during childhood.”

In the featured study, childhood socioeconomic status predicted the level of inflammation seen in young adulthood.  For example, children of farmers had higher levels of inflammation than those whose fathers were non-manual workers.

“It’s possible that these boys were exposed to more toxins, allergens or infectious agents in childhood, leading to greater inflammation and its negative effects later in life,” said Dr. Karlsson.

Dr. Michelle Luciano, from the Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology at the University of Edinburgh, said “This is an important finding because it is the largest study to date to show that low-grade inflammation in young adulthood is associated with intelligence and mortality. An interesting question now is whether the effects of a less healthy childhood environment on inflammation persist into middle age and beyond,” she added.

There are many simple things people can do to reduce low-grade chronic inflammation in the body.  Eating lots of fruits, vegetables, and wild seafood and getting plenty of exercise and rest are just a few easy steps toward reducing inflammation and fostering better brain health.

This study was recently published recently in Brain, Behavior and Immunity (August,24:868–873).

Source:  http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/09/11/lower-intelligence-linked-to-inflammation/17950.html

 



 

By Tracy Sherlock, Postmedia News September 13, 2010

One in five children identified as having attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may be misdiagnosed simply because they are the youngest in their kindergarten class, a recent study suggests.

Younger children are also more likely to be prescribed stimulants such as Ritalin, said Todd Elder, a researcher at Michigan State University.

“If a child is behaving poorly, if he’s inattentive, if he can’t sit still, it may simply be because he’s five and the other kids are six,” Elder, an assistant professor, said in a news release.

“There’s a big difference between a five-year-old and a six-year-old, and teachers and medical practitioners need to take that into account when evaluating whether children have ADHD.”

Vancouver’s Karen Elkins was surprised when her son’s Grade 1 teacher told her she suspected he had attention deficit disorder, which is similar to ADHD.

“He didn’t display any of those behaviours at home,” Elkins said in an interview.

Although a psychologist said Elkins’ son was gifted, she decided to try Ritalin to see if it helped.

“I saw that he was a zombie and it took his joy away,” Elkins said, adding that she believes many kids with vision or hearing problems are misdiagnosed with ADD and ADHD.

A B.C. educator who specializes in mentoring boys for success in school said he’s not surprised by the research.

“There is no blood test for ADHD — it’s very subjective and this study makes that very clear,” said Barry MacDonald, author of Boy Smarts. “I’ve long suspected that our attitude toward rambunctious behaviour influences whether we perceive that children have ADHD.”

The consensus is that four times as many boys as girls are diagnosed with ADHD, said MacDonald, who founded MentoringBoys.com.

The higher rate may be correlated with the fact that, generally speaking, boys are slower to develop than girls, MacDonald said.

Read in Full:  http://www.canada.com/health/five+hyperactive+kids+possibly+misdiagnosed+Study/3518724/story.html



 

By John M Grohol PsyD

In this day and age, we seem to increasingly medicalize mental disorders and their treatment, even in very young children. I believe this has significant repercussions in a child’s development, when parents turn to a psychiatric drug as the sole remedy for their child’s concerns. While no parents wants to see their child suffer needlessly, medications have become the “go to” treatment despite the efficacy and greater safety of other treatments.

I’m pleased to welcome you to Autism, Asperger’s and Beyond, a blog by Diane Yapko, MA. Diane is a speech-language pathologist who for the past 30 years has specialized in working with the pediatric population in the areas of autism spectrum disorders and other developmental and neurological disabilities.

Read in Full:  http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2010/09/14/introducing-autism-aspergers-and-beyond/



 

Tuesday, 14th September, 2010.

A serious migraine can lead to nausea, sensitivity to light and even temporary paralysis of limbs, but for one woman it resulted in a foreign accent.

Kay Russell, 49, went to bed with a severe migraine and when she woke up found she was speaking with a French twang.

The grandmother, from Bishop’s Cleeve near Cheltenham, is thought to be one of only 60 people in the world known to suffer from foreign accent syndrome, a condition which damages the part of the brain that controls speech and word formation.

They believe it is triggered when tiny areas of the brain linked with language, pitch and speech patterns are damaged.

Speaking to the Gloucester Echo, Mrs Russell said: “As a sufferer of this syndrome, you are not trying to speak in an accent, it is a speech impediment.

“Whatever accent you hear, it is in the ears of the listener.”

Mrs Russell is most commonly mistaken for French or eastern European.

She continued: “It also affects my hands and makes me write with a foreign accent. For example, I say “peoples”, not “people”, and that is how I would write it.

“You lose your identity and an awful lot about yourself. I feel like I come across as a different person.”

She has suffered with migraines for 20 years.

Source:  http://uk.news.yahoo.com/21/20100914/thl-migraine-gives-woman-french-accent-d831572.html



 

By Rick Nauert PhD Senior News Editor
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on September 13, 2010 

Physicians may have a new tool to assess and diagnose psychological and developmental disorders as researchers believe a new MRI scanner protocol can show the maturity of a child’s brain.

Washington University School of Medicine researchers believe their study proves brain imaging data that can offer extensive help in tracking aberrant brain development.

“Pediatricians regularly plot where their patients are in terms of height, weight and other measures, and then match these up to standardized curves that track typical developmental pathways,” says senior author Bradley Schlaggar, MD, PhD.

“When the patient deviates too strongly from the standardized ranges or veers suddenly from one developmental path to another, the physician knows there’s a need to start asking why.”

Schlaggar and his colleagues say a new way of looking at brain scanning data may be able to provide similar guidance for monitoring and treating of patients with psychiatric and developmental disorders.

Schlaggar says he has sent children with obvious, profound psychiatric conditions for MRI scans and received results marked “no abnormalities noted.”

“That’s typically looking at the data from a structural point of view—what’s different about the shapes of various brain regions,” he says.

“But MRI also offers ways to analyze how different parts of the brain work together functionally.”

Read in Full:  http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/09/13/how-mature-is-your-childs-brain/18075.html



 

Tuesday 14th September, 2010.

Widespread weaknesses exist in the quality of provision for children with special educational needs in England, with many pupils put into the category because of poor teaching, a report has said.

Good quality provision coupled with effective identification of children with special educational needs is “not common”, according to a review carried out by education watchdog Ofsted.

As many as half of all pupils identified for School Action, the lowest SEN category, would not be identified as having these needs if schools focused on improving teaching and learning for all with individual goals for improvement, the report said.

Teachers unions warned it was “unacceptable to scapegoat teachers” and spoke of the need for trained psychologists in schools.

Ofsted inspectors examined provision to the age of 19, carrying out 345 case studies and visiting 22 local authorities, 228 nurseries, schools and colleges.

Too often agencies focused simply on whether a service was being provided rather than whether it was effective, they said.

They added that parents’ fears about inconsistencies in identifying special educational needs across the country were “well-founded”.

Currently 1.7 million school-age children, or just over one in five pupils in England, are identified as having special educational needs.

The percentage identified as needing less intensive additional support, known as School Action and School Action Plus, has increased from 14 per cent in 2003 to 18.2 per cent in 2010.

Ofsted chief inspector Christine Gilbert said: “With over one in five children of school age in England identified as having special educational needs, it is vitally important that both the way they are identified, and the support they receive, work in the best interests of the children involved.

“Higher expectations of all children, and better teaching and learning, would lead to fewer children being identified as having special educational needs.

“For those children with complex and severe special needs, schools often need the help of health and social care services.

“All these services should be focused on the quality of what they are doing, and how well young people are doing as a result. At the moment too much effort is going into simply checking that extra services are being provided.”

Source:  http://uk.news.yahoo.com/4/20100914/tuk-half-of-special-needs-children-misdi-dba1618.html

 

Ofsted report on special needs comes under fire

Expert says more special needs children are being identified because diagnosis has improved

Jeevan Vasagar

guardian.co.uk Tuesday 14 September 2010 12.38 BST

A study indicating that teachers may have wrongly labelled thousands of children as having special needs was challenged today.

Brian Lamb, who carried out a review for the previous government of parents’ views of the special needs system, said more children were being identified because of better diagnosis.

About 1.7 million schoolchildren in England are regarded as having some form of special needs, ranging from physical disability to emotional problems.

While the number with the most severe challenges has gone down since 2003, the number identified as having milder problems has risen from 14% to 18% of all pupils in England in the past seven years.

An Ofsted review of special needs provision, published today, recommends that schools should stop identifying children as having special educational needs (SEN) when they simply need better teaching and pastoral support.

Read in Full:  http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/sep/14/ofsted-special-needs-report-criticised



 Bullying



 Parliament House, ACT, Australia

Dear Friends,

Today I am privileged and honoured to be appointed by the Prime Minister as Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services and Superannuation.

My appointment brings great challenges and great responsibility. These portfolios impact on the lives of all Australians and present a great opportunity to deliver a better quality of life for all Australians.

While I am thrilled to serve at the Prime Minister’s discretion in this role, it is with some regret that I relinquish my former role as Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities. However, let me assure you that the Gillard Government remains committed to ensuring that people with disability have the opportunity to lead the rich and fulfilling lives they deserve.

Although this Government has made many advances in the area and put disability on the political map, there is still much to be done before people with disability and carers are treated as equal citizens in this country.

I knew little about disability when I was elected as a Member of Parliament, but my eyes have since been opened to the suffering and need that still exists in Australia. They have also been opened to the needless barriers and attitudes that prevent people with disability from reaching their potential.

I have been inspired by the courage and passion of the many people with disability who refuse to accept the arbitrary limits that society puts on them, and who fight to change things for the better. I have also been inspired by the commitment of disability workers and organisations to giving people with disability lives of dignity and opportunity. If we are to be a truly fair and equal society, we need to do more to ensure that the most vulnerable in our community are not shut out or neglected.

The Productivity Commission’s study into a long-term care and support scheme will report by July 2011. This study represents a unique opportunity to make real change to the way disability is organised in this country. I know this Government will treat the report with the seriousness it deserves.

You should be assured that my new responsibilities will not dampen my passion for disability and I will continue to argue the case for better treatment of people with disabilities as well as I can, both inside and outside of Government.

I look forward to keeping in touch with you as the disability fight continues.

Yours sincerely,

Bill

(Message Received Saturday, September 11, 2010)

Latest Election News – Australian Politics

“All smiles for swearing-in ceremony after Labor’s last minute fixes”:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/all-smiles-for-swearing-in-ceremony-after-labors-last-minute-fixes/story-fn59niix-1225922965184

 

“Kevin Rudd in the side but not part of the team”:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/kevin-rudd-in-the-side-but-not-part-of-the-team/story-fn59niix-1225923048769

   

“Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s brave new front bench”:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/pm-picks-wong-for-finance/story-fn59niix-1225918409399


 “PM urged to act on mental health reforms”:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/pm-urged-to-act-on-mental-health-reforms/story-fn59niix-1225916757558


 “Julia Gillard bows to Unis, adds Tertiary Education to Chris Evans’ title”:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/julia-gillard-bows-to-unis-adds-tertiary-education-to-chris-evans-title/story-fn59niix-1225922039487


Australia “Abbot’s front bench wrongfooted by PM”:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/abbotts-front-bench-wrongfooted-by-pm/story-fn59niix-1225921454405



 

Article Date: 09 Sep 2010 – 2:00 PDT

For many young people getting drunk is key to being accepted as part of a social group.

Professor Christine Griffin (University of Bath) will discuss young people’s attitudes to alcohol in her presentation ‘The allure of belonging: Young people’s drinking practices and collective identification’ at the British psychological Society’s Social Section annual conference at the University of Winchester today, Thursday 9 September.

Professor Griffin explained: “Extreme inebriation is often seen as a source of personal esteem and social affirmation amongst young people. Our detailed research interviews reveal that tales of alcohol-related mishaps and escapades are key markers of young peoples’ social identity.”

In 2007 Professor Griffin led research for the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) which suggested a radical re-thinking of national alcohol policy was required to take into account the social character of alcohol consumption and the identity implications for young people.

In this presentation Professor Griffin reports on the findings from the ESRC-funded study of drinking advertisements and intensive research with young drinkers in a major metropolitan area and in two towns in semi-rural locations. This formed part of the 2008 ESRC Research programme on ‘Identities and Social Action’.

Professor Griffin explained: “In this presentation I will argue that the ‘culture of intoxication’ has become a normalised and all but compulsory aspect of many young people’s social lives. Getting very drunk with friends often insulates young people from viewing their level of alcohol consumption as a potential problem, deepening bonds of friendship and cementing group membership.”

“Campaigns that aim to change young people’s drinking habits need to take the social importance of drinking into account, as well as the pervasive availability of ‘cheap deals’ on alcohol.”

Sources: British Psychological Society (BPS), AlphaGalileo Foundation.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/200415.php



 

In recognition of World Suicide Prevention Day on Friday, September 10, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) urges public education about mental illness and suicide.

According to The World Health Organization, nearly one million people around the world die from suicide each year.

“More than 90 percent of those who die by suicide have a diagnosable mental health disorder and we currently have a mental health crisis in this country,” said NAMI Executive Director Michael Fitzpatrick.

“We all need to learn the signs of depression and take talk of suicide seriously,” writes Fitzpatrick in the latest weekly entry of the NAMI blog.

Fitzpatrick quotes novelist Kurt Vonnegut, who survived a suicide attempt in 1984 and once expressed a desire to “go as close to the edge…without going over”- and had experienced depression first-hand.

“Though people may feel there is no one with them on [the] edge, the reality is that many have stood in that same place of hopelessness, and many understanding listeners are available on suicide hotlines, at support groups and among mental health professionals,” Fitzpatrick writes.

– Suicide is the eleventh-leading cause of death in the United States and the third-leading cause of death in people ages 10-24 years.

– One in four adults, approximately 57.7 million Americans, experiences a mental health disorder in a given year, yet less than one-third of adults receives mental health services.

– Unemployed persons and veterans are at higher risk of suicide. “We need to hold them especially close,” he writes.

– Male veterans are twice as likely to die by suicide compared to civilian peers. For the first time since the Vietnam War, the Army suicide rate has surpassed the civilian rate.

Call the National Suicide Prevention Hot Line at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) if you or anyone you know is in suicidal crisis or severe emotional distress.

NAMI’s Emergency Room Resource Toolkit with educational brochures around suicide prevention also is available.

Source:
NAMI

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/200648.php

 

Suicide Prevention Program To Be Tested In High Schools

Article Date: 09 Sep 2010 – 1:00 PDT

With students returning to classes, University of Rochester Medical Center researchers are beginning a large, long-term study of the effectiveness of a unique suicide prevention program in high schools across New York and North Dakota.

The study of the program called Sources of Strength, led by Peter Wyman, Ph.D., associate professor of Psychiatry at the Medical Center, is supported by a five-year, $3-million grant awarded by the National Institute of Mental Health.

“Most school-based programs are oriented by a medical model designed to identify students who already are suicidal or highly distresses and refer them to treatment,” Wyman said. “That approach has several limitations. The traditional approach assumes that mental health services are available and acceptable to most teens, which is frequently not the case. The traditional model does not change school culture and teen socialization in ways that prevent new instances of suicidal problems.”

Sources of Strength aims to “strengthen how teens handle depression, stress and other problems by training influential teen ‘peer leaders’ who work to change coping practices in their friendship networks,” he said.

Wyman’s study will include 36 high schools, two-thirds of which will be in New York State. Schools in Chemung, Franklin, Onondaga, Schuyler, Tioga and Wyoming counties already have agreed to participate. As many as 14,000 students will be involved.

“We’re focusing on rural and underserved areas where the traditional suicide prevention models are not a reasonable sole solution,” Wyman said.

Suicide accounts for more deaths among those aged 10 to 24 in the United States than do all natural causes combined. Each year, 5 to 8 percent of adolescents attempt suicide. Up to one-third of these attempts result in an injury requiring medical intervention.

“This study is a real opportunity to determine how influential peer leaders in high school can change the culture of their schools and peer groups and determine whether this intervention leads to a decrease in suicide attempts,” Wyman said.

The New York State Office of Mental Health Suicide Prevention Initiatives already has backed the program and the study.

“This office is proud to help support the expansion of the evidence-based Sources of Strength project,” said Melanie Puorto, director of the Suicide Prevention Initiatives. “This school-based program promotes resiliency and helps increase positive help-seeking behaviors. This is an important effort to help prevent youth suicide.”

Read in Full:  http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/200365.php