Recent guidelines published by the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that pediatricians ask school-age children and adolescents whether or not they are on Facebook, and use it as a transition to discussing the impact of social media on a child’s development.
At the Kentucky Children’s Hospital, these types of questions have been incorporated into all physical and behavioral health clinical exams.
“Social media is an important issue and it is not a fad; it is here to stay,” said Marlene Huff, Kentucky Children’s Hospital child and adolescent behavioral health therapist and associate director of the Division of Adolescent Medicine. “In regular exams we ask children what their username and password is for their social media accounts, if they tell the truth about their age, if their parents are part of their ‘friends’ network, who their ‘friends’ are and if they are their age, and what they use the social networking sites for.”
Huff highlights the importance of knowing how your child communicates with their friends outside of school, and suggests that parents limit the amount of time spent on technology such as video games, cell phones, computers and television. [continue reading…]
As a part of Caring for Every Child’s Mental Health, learn about how trauma impacts young children and how, with help, they can demonstrate resilience and get through these difficult events. “Caring for Every Child’s Mental Health” and its key strategy, National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day, are a part of the Public Awareness and Support Strategic Initiative by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. The effort seeks to raise awareness about the importance of children’s mental health and that positive mental health is essential to a child’s healthy development from birth. For more information please visit www.samhsa.gov/children.
The BMA reports that doctors have warned that a “significant proportion” of adults are risking alcohol-related health problems.
According to a survey conducted by the BMA in Scotland, on one day in April, alcohol was a factor in more than 5,500 consultations in general practice. This equates to around 1.4 million consultations per year, costing the NHS in excess of £28 million [1] and accounts for six per cent of all GP consultations.
The results of the BMA study, published today (Tuesday 3 May 2011) are based on a sample of 31 practices (3% of the total number of practices) from across Scotland. These practices reported that, on the 21st of April, 169 consultations with a GP or practice nurse had alcohol as a factor.
BMA Scotland is therefore calling on candidates in all the political parties to acknowledge the damaging influence of alcohol misuse on individuals and in communities every day in Scotland and to spend one of the last few days of the election campaign outlining how they will tackle alcohol misuse in the next Scottish Parliament.
In one day:
alcohol will cost Scotland £97.5 million in terms of health, violence and crime [2].
alcohol will kill five people.
98 people will be admitted to hospital with an alcohol related condition
23 people will commit a drink driving offence
450 victims of violent crime will perceive their assailant to be under the influence of alcohol. [continue reading…]
– Maria Shriver’s father, Sargent Shriver, died from Alzheimer’s in January after being diagnosed in 2003. In her first public remarks about her father since his death, Shriver spoke to Larry King about his battle with the disease, her thoughts on Alzheimer’s research and why the disease is especially hard on women. Her interview was aired in its entirety on Sunday, May 1 at 8 p.m. ET on “A Larry King Special, Unthinkable: The Alzheimer’s Epidemic.”
After her father’s diagnosis, Shriver became a vocal advocate for Alzheimer’s patients, families and caretakers. She partnered with the Alzheimer’s Association to publish a groundbreaking study called “Alzheimer’s in America: The Shriver Report on Women and Alzheimer’s,” which was just released in paperback. Source:CNN
Recent guidelines published by the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that pediatricians ask school-age children and adolescents whether or not they are on Facebook, and use it as a transition to discussing the impact of social media on a child’s development.
