Health - Mental Health latest news

Adolescent girls in young offender institutions are particularly vulnerable to depression, a large-scale study led by Oxford University has shown. the researchers have found incidences of mental health problems in both boys and girls are many times greater in juvenile detention centres than in the general population. The high prevalence of mental disorders highlights the need for improved psychiatric care in juvenile justice and detention centres, say the researchers.

Half the residents of New Orleans were suffering from poor mental and physical health more than a year after their homes and community were devastated by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, according to research published in the September issue of the UK-based Journal of Clinical Nursing. Researchers from Point Loma Nazarene University, San Diego, California, spoke to 222 local residents 15 months after they survived one of the worst natural disasters to hit the USA.

People concerned about the toll that mental health disorders are taking on their families and communities will have a unique opportunity to hear from world-class experts on what is known to-date about the causes, symptoms and progression of such illnesses as depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, schizophrenia and autism, and learn about current and potential treatments.

Children and youth from across the province will benefit from an Alberta government investment of more than $50 million to increase access to children's mental health services and address the mental health needs of children and youth at risk. read more