 
JAMA
Childhood bullying and victimization appear to predict future psychiatric problems in both males and females although females appear more likely to be affected regardless of pre-existing psychiatric problems, according to a report in the current issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.
“Bullying can be defined as an aggressive act embodying an imbalance of power in which the victims cannot defend themselves accompanied by an element of repetition,” according to background information in the article. “Bullying and victimization are associated with poorer family functioning, interparental violence and parental maltreatment” and often result in troubled outcomes for both bullies and victims. Although there have been studies on the effects of bullying, “there are no previous population-based studies that examined late adolescence or adulthood outcomes of childhood bullying among both males and females.”
Andre Sourander, MD, PhD, of Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland, and colleagues studied associations between bullying and victimization in childhood (at age 8) and later psychiatric hospitalization and treatment with antipsychotic medication (from ages 13 to 24) in 5,038 Finnish children who participated in the nationwide Finnish 1981 Birth Cohort Study. Information was gathered from parents, teachers, participants’ self-reports and a national register of hospital and medication records.
In total, 6 percent of 8-year-old boys bullied others frequently, but were not victims themselves, while 6.4 percent of boys were frequently victims but not bullies. Additionally, 2.8 percent of boys were frequently both bullies and victims. Among girls, 3.6 percent were frequent victims of bullying, 0.6 percent were bullies and 0.2 percent were both bullies and victims.
“Frequent victim status at age 8 years among females independently predicted psychiatric hospital treatment and use of antipsychotic, antidepressant and anxiolytic drugs” regardless of psychiatric problems at baseline, the authors write. “Among males, frequent bully-victim and bully-only statuses predicted use of antidepressant and anxiolytic drugs. Frequent bully-victim status among males also predicted psychiatric hospital treatment and use of antipsychotics. However, when the analysis was controlled with total psychopathology score at age 8 years, frequent bully, victim or bully-victim status did not predict any psychiatric outcomes among males.”
Bullying behavior should be considered an indicator of the risk of a future psychiatric disorder, which may develop into a serious problem for those involved and for society in general, the authors note.
“Developing prevention systems requires a knowledge of the biological, psychological and social mechanisms involved. As later psychological disorders have been found to be associated with individuals displaying childhood bullying behaviors, there is a need for the integration of mental health services into the school context,” the authors conclude. “It is important to inform policymakers, school professionals and the public about the potential short-term and long-term consequences of bullying and victimization.”
The study was supported by a grant from the Finnish National Social Insurance Institution and the Sigrid Juselius Foundation, Finland.
Sourander A, Ronning J, Brunstein-Klomek A, et al. Childhood Bullying Behavior and Later Psychiatric Hospital and Psychopharmacologic Treatment: Findings From the Finnish 1981 Birth Cohort Study Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2009; 66(9):1005-1012 Â [Abstract]
 
September 5Â 2009
Some schools are offering pupils chocolate and access to relaxation rooms to reduce exam stress.
However, according to researchers at Edge Hill and Manchester Universities, exam relaxation techniques in general are still “hit and miss”.
They argue that parents and teachers are putting the wrong kind of pressure on teenagers to succeed and it is having a detrimental effect.
The study, presented at the British Educational Research Association (BERA) conference in Manchester, analysed the link between teacher and parent behaviour and the anxiety levels of 175 sixth form students. They also examined the stress levels of 224 GCSE pupils and compared it with their exam results.
It found that higher anxiety usually leads to lower scores, but some schools are rectifying this by attempting to ease exam nerves.
Lead researcher Dr Dave Putwain said: “I know of one school that gives anxious children chocolate and a pat on the head immediately before an exam.”
Source(Includes Video):Â http://uk.news.yahoo.com/4/20090905/tuk-chocolate-offered-to-relieve-exam-st-dba1618.html
 
Chocolate May Be Key To Good Exam Results
September 5 02:23 am
Students who relax and have some chocolate before an exam may do better than their counterparts who are all stressed out, according to researchers.
And parents and teachers would do well to give their children encouragement and affection before exams, if they want to see good results, researchers at Edge Hill and Manchester Universities say.
Instead, parents and teachers are putting the wrong kind of pressure on teenagers to succeed and it is having a detrimental effect, they said in a study.
Researchers looked at the link between teacher and parent behaviour and the anxiety levels of 175 sixth form students for the study.
They also examined the stress levels of 224 GCSE pupils and compared it with their exam results, finding that higher anxiety usually leads to lower scores.
Some schools are now trying to rectify this by attempting to calm exam nerves.
“I know of one school that gives anxious children chocolate and a pat on the head immediately before an exam,” said lead researcher Dr Dave Putwain.
“Pupils at another school I have visited can spend some time in a relaxation room that has soft lighting, comfortable furniture and soothing sounds.”
The researchers argue that teachers need to alter the messages they give teenagers.
“What we’ve found certainly is that a level of physiological stress is promoted by certain sorts of teaching practices that focus on fear of failure and parental pressure,” he said.
Teachers often focus on telling pupils that if they fail to get five good GCSEs, they will not get a job, or be able to go to college when they should be focusing on the benefits of learning, Dr Putwain added.
“I don’t think there is much understanding that many teachers could reduce their pupils’ anxiety levels by adjusting their own practice.
“They might also improve their pupils’ performance in the process – exam stress may not always have a big impact on exam scores but it can make the difference between one grade and the next.”
Source: Â http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20090905/tuk-chocolate-may-be-key-to-good-exam-re-45dbed5.html
 
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on September 2, 2009
Cutting down or putting down a nerdy or dorky high school peer is an activity that has gone on for generations. New research, however, suggests the distractions and hostile setting can interfere with learning.
The University of Illinois study suggests classroom disruptions and a psychologically hostile school environment can contribute to a climate in which good students have difficulty learning and students who are behind have trouble catching up.
“We need to get away from the idea that bullying is always physical. Bullying can also include verbal harassment, which can be just as damaging and detrimental to student learning,†said Christy Lleras, a U of I assistant professor of human and community development.
The study used data from the National Educational Longitudinal Study and included 10,060 African American, Latino, and white 10th graders in 659 U.S. high schools. It is one of the first to look at the national incidence of verbal harassment in public and private high schools, she said.
“In looking at whether students felt safe at school, students’ fear for their physical safety was actually pretty low. But 70 percent of the students said they were bothered by disruptions in their classroom, and one in five students said that they were often put down by their peers in school,†she said.
Lleras came to three interesting conclusions as she reviewed the data. One was that smaller, private, and more affluent schools do very little to protect students from verbal abuse.
Read Article in Full:Â http://psychcentral.com/news/2009/09/02/high-school-ridicule-can-hurt/8123.html
 
Bullied pupil, 16, hanged himself day before collecting GCSE results
By Chris Brooke
Last updated at 4:33 PM on 07th September 2009
A troubled teenager who had been tormented by bullies for more than 10 years committed suicide on the day before receiving his GCSE results.
Michael Miller, 16, was picked on by playground bullies for being a loner when he was young and more recently was teased for being 6ft 2in tall, his distraught mother said.
It affected him so badly that he only attended school part-time and went to a special unit for victims of bullies.
Despite his past problems his family didn’t realise the torment he was still going through during the summer holidays and he seemed outwardly happy on the day he died.
But his mother Helen Miller, 42, found her ‘gentle giant’ son hanging at the family home in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, on 26 August.
He had not left a note or diary revealing his motives, but friends told Mrs Miller that bullying was probably to blame.
Mrs Miller, a full-time mother, said: ‘It was only through his school friends telling us that they thought he was still getting some grief at school that we found out.
Read Article in Full:Â http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1211747/Bullied-pupil-16-hanged-day-collecting-GCSE-results.html?ITO=1490
 
SUPERGEEKS can check in for a detox at America’s first residential rehab centre for internet addiction — near the MICROSOFT HQ.
The clinic — called ReSTART — has opened its doors near the US town of Redmond, Washington, the centre of the world’s computer industry.
The centre’s first patient, Ben Alexander, from Seattle, is going cold turkey in his bid to break an addiction he claims is “as destructive as drink or drugs”.
The 19-year-old was forced to quit university after spending nearly every waking minute playing the video game World of Warcraft.
He said: “At first it was a couple of hours a day. By midway through the first semester, I was playing 16 or 17 hours a day.
Read Full Article: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/2625373/Rehab-to-boot-out-PC-addiction.html?OTC-RSS&ATTR=News
 
What about old age?
On 29Â October, Newcastle University will host a meeting of people from across the UK to discuss autism and ageing. What are the specific difficulties or issues that people with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) can face?
Topics for discussion will include:
- identifying medical, nursing, social, housing, human rights and other age-related needs
- the scale of demand for services across the UK
- the role of the Department of Health and local authorities in assessing demand and costs, and of the voluntary sector in providing services.
There will also be a number of speakers, including professionals and people affected by ASD.
Find out more about the meeting and how to book your place on Newcastle University’s website www.ncl.ac.uk/iah/autism/
Source: http://www.nas.org.uk/nas/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=253&a=20366
 
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on September 7, 2009
A model that replicates the functions of the human brain is feasible within 10 years’ time, according to a neuroscientist.
“I absolutely believe it is technically and biologically possible. The only uncertainty is financial. It is an extremely expensive project and not all is yet secured,†said Professor Henry Markram of the Brain Mind Institute in Switzerland.
The apparent complexity of the human mind is not a barrier to building a “replica brain†claims Professor Markram.
“The brain is of course extremely complex because it has trillions of synapses, billions of neurons, millions of proteins, and thousands of genes. But they are still finite in number. Today’s technology is already highly sophisticated and it allows us to reverse engineer the brain rapidly.â€
An example of the capability already in place is that today’s robots can do screenings and mappings tens of thousands of times faster than human scientists and technicians.
Another hurdle on the path to a model human brain is that 100 years of neuroscience discovery has led to millions of fragments of data and knowledge that have never been brought together and exploited fully.
“Actually no-one even knows what we already understand about the brain,†says Professor Markram.
“A model would serve to bring this all together and then allow anyone to test whatever theory you want about the brain. The biggest challenge is to understand how electrical-magnetic-chemical patterns in the brain convert into our perception of reality. We think we see with our eyes, but in fact most of what we ‘see’ is generated as a projection by your brain. So what are we actually looking at when we look at something ‘outside’ of us?â€
Read Article in Full:Â http://psychcentral.com/news/2009/09/07/brain-model-may-be-possible-within-10-years/8208.html
by Jon Hamilton
Scientists are beginning to understand why fearful memories are so persistent in the brain, and how they can be erased.
The research could help thousands of people with post-traumatic stress disorder, including many veterans, says Kerry Ressler, a psychiatrist at Emory University and investigator for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
In recent years, Ressler says, he’s been working with veterans from Iraq who survived incidents like being in a Humvee that was blown up by a bomb. Many are haunted by the memories.
More…
Copyright 2009 NPR
 
September 6, 2009
The Los Angeles Times has a nice piece about what BPD is, what it’s not, some possible explanations for it, and the current treatment regimen used to help treat it (psychotherapy). People with borderline personality disorder are characterized by intense emotions, impulsive behaviors, and a fear of abandonment combined with messy interpersonal relationships:
As in the case of Sooki, people with the disorder make a mess of their relationships — and no wonder, given the hallmark symptoms: mood instability, fear of abandonment, impulsive behavior, anger and suicidal or self-injurious acts. People with the disorder may misperceive the actions — even the facial expressions — of others.
“You can’t regulate your emotions despite your best efforts,†says Marsha Linehan, a University of Washington psychologist and leading expert on the disorder.
Borderline personality disorder occurs equally as often in men and women and sufferers often also have other mental illnesses or substance abuse problems. The composite of an angry, unstable, clingy, substance abuser is not a pretty one, and people with the disorder suffer greatly because they drive away even the people who love them most, experts say.
That old belief that BPD mainly occurs in women is simply not true. Men can have borderline personality disorder too. Recent research suggests that the lifetime prevalence rate is doubled than what it was previously thought to be (6% versus 3%).
Read Article in Full:Â http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2009/09/06/spotlight-on-borderline-personality-disorder/
 
September 4, 2009
In June of this year, Joshua Wolf Shenk published the fascinating essay “What Makes Us Happy?†in The Atlantic.
It was riveting.
Joshua spent about a month in the file room of the Harvard Study of Adult Development hoping to learn the secret of happiness. The project is one of the longest-running and probably the most exhaustive longitudinal studies of mental and physical well-being in history. Basically, for 72 years researchers at Harvard have been following 268 men who entered college in the late 1930s–following them through war, career, marriage and divorce, parenthood and grandparenthood, and old age.
A brilliant man named George Vaillant has directed the study for 40-plus years, compiling and processing all the information.
So what did Joshua learn? What makes for happiness??
Read Article in Full:Â http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2009/09/04/what-makes-us-happy-my-interview-with-joshua-wolf-shenk/
By Jennifer Thomas
HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, Sept. 3 (HealthDay News) — People who constantly worry about losing their jobs reported poorer physical health and more symptoms of depression than those who’d actually been laid off, a new study shows.
University of Michigan researchers analyzed nationally representative samples of surveys from more than 1,700 adults over age 25 who were asked about their physical and mental health, as well as their feelings about the security of their job.
One group answered the questions in 1986 and again in 1989, while another group answered questions between 1995 and 2005.
More…
Copyright © 2009 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.
Job losses traumatize workers: Study finds anxiety, depression, anger
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services — Most workers who have lost their jobs during the recession have borrowed money from friends and family, have lost sleep and don’t have health insurance, according to a Rutgers University study released today.
The survey’s results suggest that the traumatized workers are unlikely to spend freely and take other financial risks that would help the economy recover.
More…
© 1996-2009 Aetna InteliHealth Inc. All rights reserved.