Environmental influences
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March 2021 – The Bridge
This issue includes an excellent article on mood disorders in autistic young people, written by experts Dr Emily Jackson, Dr Eleanor Smith, and Dr Aditya Sharma. The authors thoughtfully discuss the overlap between these conditions, challenges in identifying their co-occurrence, and adaptations needed for interventions.
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Environmental factors linked with identifying as a sexual minority may increase suicidality risk
Adolescents who identify as a sexual minority (e.g., gay/lesbian, bisexual) are at an increased risk for suicidality compared to their heterosexual counterparts.1 Until now, inherent limitations in study design has meant that the extent of this association has been unclear.
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Which disorders precede the development of mood disorders in young people?
Mood disorders such as bipolar disorder (BPD) and major depressive disorder (MDD) typically emerge in childhood or adolescence. Now, researchers in Switzerland, the USA and Canada have investigated whether certain other mental health disorders precede the onset of mood disorders
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The DSM-5 criteria for DMDD overlook children with context-specific impairing irritability
Impairing irritability is common in children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but little is known about its prevalence across contexts. Now, data from a study recently published in Child and Adolescent Mental Health have shed light on the prevalence of context-specific irritability in ADHD and how it varies depending on parenting practices and sleep problems.
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Do CAMHS collect less PROM data from certain sociodemographic groups?
Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are routinely used to inform clinicians and policymakers on clinical need and treatment efficacy. Yet despite their great value and utility, it seems that there is a low rate of outcome monitoring in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).
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Are children of any age susceptible to suicidal behaviour?
Mei-Sing Ong and colleagues in the USA and Canada have investigated the risk factors for suicide attempt in a large cohort of children, adolescents, and young adults with mental health disorders.
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Is aggression linked with academic performance in young people?
A new study published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry has investigated the association between aggression and academic performance in >27,000 young people enrolled in four twin cohorts comprising the ACTION consortium.
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How useful are Ofsted ratings for predicting educational outcomes and wellbeing at secondary school?
“The factors parents care about most when selecting a school – their child’s educational achievement and wellbeing – are negligibly predicted by Ofsted ratings”, says Sophie von Stumm, lead researcher of a new study published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.
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Utilization of peer-supported youth hotlines is on the rise
New data suggest that there has been a significant increase in the use of a peer-supported youth hotline between 2010 (~8,000 annual contacts) and 2016 (>12,000 annual contacts). Berit Kerner and colleagues evaluated >67,000 contacts made to a hotline based in Los Angeles, USA.
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Depressed mothers and their offspring differ in terms of health risk profiles and allostatic load
Allostatic load is essentially the “wear and tear” that accumulates in the body in individuals exposed to chronic stress. Because some patients with psychiatric disorders have a shorter lifespan than their healthy counterparts,1 some researchers have suggested that there might be a link between disorders such as depression and increased allostatic load.
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