Clinical News
Below are news articles about clinical matters related to child and youth mental health. For stories about systems, shortages, funding and other non-clinical issues, please go here.
B.C. researchers find genetic variation that increases risk for kids on certain drugs
Wednesday, February 1, 2012B.C. researchers have found a genetic variation in children that puts them at six times greater risk of developing metabolic syndrome when they take certain drugs for mental health problems. Metabolic syndrome is a bundle of conditions — like high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes — that can contribute to cardiovascular disease. In other newly published B.C. research, it is shown that a simple waist-circumference test is a good indicator of metabolic syndrome in kids on the drug...
Full ArticleAre we over-diagnosing autism? The psychiatric debate
Friday, January 27, 2012The American Psychiatric Association sent shivers through the mental health community last week when it said it was re-examining its list of disorders and would be proposing a more narrow definition of autism, one that might exclude up to three-quarters of the cases that exhibit milder symptoms. Understandably, parents and caregivers of autistic kids worried that the new definition might shut the door to expensive treatments for children who have been diagnosed with the condition in ever-grea...
Full ArticleObese teen girls more likely to be bullies: study
Monday, January 23, 2012Obese teens not only make easy targets for bullies, in the case of girls, they're more likely to turn into bullies themselves, according to the findings of a Canadian study on the social fallout of being overweight. Researchers who followed more than 1,700 Ontario high school students for one year found that overweight and obese boys were twice as likely than their healthy-weight peers to be hit, kicked, pushed or shoved around. They also were two-times more likely to suffer "relational" bullyi...
Full Article'Internet addiction' linked to brain differences
Thursday, January 12, 2012The brains of "internet-addicted" teenagers may differ significantly from those of non-addicted teens, a small study suggests. MRI scans of their brains appear to show damage to white matter as well as the fibres that connect it, suggesting that heavy internet use, like alcoholism and gambling, may be linked with cognitive impairment. Internet addiction, though not officially recognized by health-care authorities, has been defined in several studies as an impulse-control disorder. It has been ...
Full ArticleNap time for toddlers essential for development: Study
Wednesday, January 4, 2012Toddlers who miss naps may not just be cranky now -- they may also have an increased risk of lifelong mood problems, according to a new study. Insufficient sleep makes children more anxious, less joyful and interested and less effective at problem-solving. Researchers at the University of Colorado at Boulder conducted a series of experiments videotaping children's emotional responses as they completed puzzles, one of which was unsolvable because it had an incorrect piece. Toddlers working on ...
Full ArticleThousands of Children At Risk from Parents Who Misuse Alcohol
Tuesday, December 13, 2011Thousands of children living with parents with drink problems are at risk of depression, anxiety and increased anger. Alcohol misuse within families is an escalating concern, according to a new report published today (Tuesday). The findings from Turning Point, the health and social care organisation, reveal that parents who misuse alcohol risk damaging their children’s lives and futures. The report called Bottling It Up: The Next Generation is warning that early screening and identificati...
Full ArticleImprovements at psychiatric units follow review of teenager's suicide
Saturday, December 10, 2011Vancouver Island Health Authority has released a year-long review into the suicide of a 16-year-old girl who went missing from a youth psychiatric facility in Saanich. The report contains seven "significant" recommendations and improvements, including a new pass protocol for staff supervising patients when they leave or come back from a residential mental-health facility and the addition of alarms on exits at Ledger House, according to VIHA. "We've made recommendations and we are implementin...
Full ArticleAntipsychotic drugs may increase diabetes in kids
Thursday, November 24, 2011NEW YORK—The antipsychotic drugs that are increasingly being used to treat bipolar disorder, autism and other mental disorders in children may come with an increased risk of diabetes, a new study suggests. Previous research has linked the so-called second-generation antipsychotics to an increased risk of diabetes in adults. And there's been some evidence that the drugs can cause weight gain in children. The new findings, published in the journal Pediatrics, add to concerns that the medic...
Full ArticlePaying attention to the signs of ADD
Tuesday, November 15, 2011Often in my practice, clients ranging from young adults to accomplished executives will say to me, "I think I might have ADD." These clients are surprised that they could be demonstrating symptoms in their adult life. Both ADD (attention deficit disorder) and ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) are thought to be primarily biological, brainbased conditions that are characterized by poor attention and/or hyperactive and impulsive behaviours. Because these symptoms typically present fi...
Full ArticleRise in drugs used for mentally ill youth
Wednesday, November 9, 2011So many Canadian children are taking the drugs known as atypical antipsychotics that doctors are being asked to watch for major complications - including dramatic weight gain, tremors, and abnormal face and jaw movements. Once reserved for schizophrenia and mania in adults, one antipsychotic alone, risperidone, was recommended by Canadian-office-based doctors for children 17 years old and younger a total of 340,670 times in 2010 - a near-doubling since 2006 - according to data provided to Postm...
Full ArticleNews, Jobs and Events
Announcements
Nomination period is now open
Click here to read our 2012 submission
