Anxiety disorders in children and young people are common and can have a significant impact on mental health and well-being. Anxiety disorders can affect family, school and social life, leisure activities and educational achievement and they often occur alongside other mental health problems.
Anxiety disorders
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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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A machine learning approach identifies unique predictors of borderline personality disorder
Researchers in the USA have identified critical predictors of borderline personality disorder (BPD) in late adolescence, using a machine learning approach. Joseph Beeney and colleagues harnessed data from a large, prospective, longitudinal dataset of >2,400 girls who were evaluated yearly for various clinical, psychosocial and demographic factors.
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Interventions for reducing loneliness seem effective in young people
Meta-analyses of interventions aimed at reducing loneliness among young people are distinctly lacking in the field. Now, Alice Eccles and Pamela Qualter have addressed this gap by compiling a review for Child and Adolescent Mental Health on interventions to reduce loneliness in young people.
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Young people’s ‘neural fingerprints’ might permit a precision-medicine approach to depression
Precision medicine has been discussed in medical research since the late 1990’s. Only recently, however, has this concept aroused interest and inspired relevant research in psychiatry, particularly in adolescents.
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Enhancing young people’s mental wellbeing through digital technology
Now more than ever we need to be considering the impact of digital media on the mental health of young people, both positive and negative, and how we can support them. We will discuss the key challenges faced in relation to child and adolescent mental health in the fast-paced digital environment.
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September 2020 – The Bridge
The month of September is a challenging time for young people, as they start a new school year. September 2020 will be particularly difficult for many, as they must also deal with the stresses of the coronavirus pandemic and social distancing, as well as the effects of increasing financial pressures on families.
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Depressed young people have lower vitamin B12 and vitamin D levels than their peers
Researchers in Turkey have studied serum folate, vitamin B12, homocysteine and 25-OH vitamin D levels in young people with and without depression.
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BRAVE-ONLINE elicits a strong reduction in anxiety for most young people, irrespective of age, sex, type and severity of anxiety and parent mental health
In the wake of the current coronavirus pandemic, more practitioners are turning to online service delivery for children and adolescents in need of mental health support. The recent JCPP publication from Susan Spence and colleagues on internet-delivered cognitive behaviour therapy (iCBT) for anxious children is thus particularly timely.
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Are school-based interventions for depression and anxiety symptoms effective?
Gee et al. conducted a systematic search for randomised controlled trials of indicated psychological interventions delivered in an education setting. They focused on trials of interventions for adolescents aged 10-19 with elevated symptoms of depression and/or anxiety.
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Implementing mental health support in schools faces many challenges
Researchers identified 50 studies that reported barriers or facilitators to implementing interventions for adolescent emotional disorders delivered in educational settings. They found several important factors, including barriers of practical and logistical problems, and facilitators of quality training and supervision.
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