Nearly 7 in 10 kids exposed to trauma by age 16

By Anne Harding Wed May 9, 3:23 PM ET
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - While exposure to traumatic events among children and teens is "almost commonplace," only a small fraction of young people will go on to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after such exposure, a new study shows

But the findings shouldn't be interpreted to mean that kids don't suffer after a trauma, Dr. William E. Copeland of Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, the study's lead author, told Reuters Health. While children exposed to a single traumatic event did seem to fare well, those exposed to two or more such events were at higher risk of developing post-traumatic stress symptoms, as well as psychiatric disorders such as depression and anxiety.

For the full article, refer to the below link
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070509/hl_nm/kids_trauma_dc;_ylt=At.3_d481IYCZ5zBN39LN9fVJRIF

Got this from a search. its a news article dated 2 months ago

Prime News
1 in 4 teens and young adults could face mental problems
Salma Khalik, Health Correspondent
546 words
12 March 2007
Straits Times
English
(c) 2007 Singapore Press Holdings Limited

Experts to help IMH identify symptoms early, start treatment

A MAJOR effort is under way to identify the symptoms of mental problems and start treatment early.

This comes in the face of findings which show that one in four teens and young adults here and in other developed countries could have psychological problems.

The Institute of Mental Health (IMH) has invited nine experts, both foreign and local, to help it develop a study to see how this can be done.

The hope is that this will help prevent the onset of serious diseases such as schizophrenia

One expert on the IMH panel, Associate Professor Alison Yung of Melbourne University, said: 'If we can pick them up early, we may not even need medicine to help them.'

The concern stems from studies conducted internationally - covering several developed countries, including Singapore - which have shown that 25 per cent of those in their teens and early 20s suffer from mental problems such as anxiety, depression, anorexia, psychosis and personality disorder.

For most, the problems are transient. But 10 per cent are at risk of serious long-term psychosis - or mental problems such as schizophrenia, hallucinations and delusions.

This means that going by Singapore's population growth rate, 1,000 babies born here each year could end up with serious psychological problems.

In 20 years, some of them may join the 5,300 patients warded at the IMH last year for psychosis - adding to the strain on available funds.

Already, about a third of the $40 million from Medifund, the government kitty to help the poor pay health-care bills, goes to IMH patients each year.

Grasping the extent of the problem, Associate Professor Chong Siow Ann, who heads the IMH's Early Psychosis Intervention Programme, invited the nine experts to help.

A panel member, Associate Professor Richard Keefe of Duke University in the United States, said that most serious mental illnesses hit people in their teens or early 20s - when the brain's frontal lobe is developing.

He explained: 'This is the area that helps you plan, organise, strategise - all the high-level processing. It is important in controlling behaviour and emotion - which adolescents struggle with.'

His explanation is borne out by the age range of the IMH's psychotic patients, many of whom were warded between the ages of 22 and 26.

Half of the IMH's 32,000 outpatients are also being treated for chronic schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia, one of the more serious forms of psychosis, makes patients hear voices or believe that others are reading their minds or controlling their thoughts.

Treating schizophrenia early is crucial, said Professor Patrick McGorry of the University of Melbourne. 'After a couple of years, it becomes relatively permanent, and treatment at that point is largely ineffective.'

Prof Chong hopes to get the IMH study off the ground towards the end of this year, once approval and funding is obtained.

Duke University's Prof Keefe described Singapore as an ideal place for such a study. The country is 'compact and structured', and it is easier to follow up on patients, unlike in the US, where people move around a lot.

salma@sph.com.sg

Chronic insomnia linked to depression, anxiety
Wed, Jul 11, 2007
Reuters

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - For some people, chronic insomnia may be a sign of broader mental health problems like depression and anxiety, according to a new study.

In surveys of more than 25,000 Norwegian adults, researchers found that those with chronic insomnia were more likely to also be suffering from depression or an anxiety disorder.

What's more, people who reported insomnia during the first wave of the survey were at increased risk of having an anxiety disorder during the second wave, conducted a decade later.

This, the researchers say, suggests that insomnia may either raise the risk of future anxiety problems, or be a sign that a person is particularly vulnerable to developing anxiety symptoms.

The findings are published in the medical journal Sleep.

Sleep problems are common in people with depression, anxiety and certain other mental health conditions. But whether insomnia can lead to depression or anxiety is unclear.

To study the question, researchers led by Dr. Dag Neckelmann of Haukeland University Hospital in Bergen, Norway, used data from a general health survey that followed 25,130 adults age 20 and older.

Respondents were first surveyed between 1984 and 1986, then again between 1995 and 1997. Anxiety and depression symptoms were gauged during the second survey, with standard questions used to diagnose the disorders.

In general, the researchers found, people with chronic insomnia during the first survey were more likely to have anxiety disorder symptoms during the second survey -- as were respondents who had insomnia during the second survey only.

This suggests that, in some people, insomnia could signal a current anxiety disorder, or be a risk factor for developing anxiety down the road, according to Neckelmann's team.

In contrast, there was no evidence that insomnia was a risk factor for future depression. Instead, people with insomnia during the second survey were at heightened risk of current depression -- indicating that insomnia and depression commonly co-exist.

The findings, Neckelmann told Reuters Health, point to the importance of seeking help for chronic insomnia, as well as being evaluated for any symptoms of depression or an anxiety disorder.

Each of these disorders, the researcher noted, can be treated with non-drug options, like cognitive behavioral therapy.

However, Neckelmann said, while this study suggests that insomnia may be a risk factor for anxiety, it's not yet clear whether treating insomnia lowers the odds of future anxiety disorders.

SOURCE: Sleep, July 1, 2007.

REUTERS

taken from
http://health.asiaone.com/Health/Wellness%2B%2540%2BWork/Story/A1Story20070711-17991.html

1) A team from NTU is presently working on a mental health project. They hope to interview consumers, youths aged 15-24, and have suffered/are suffering from depression, anxiety disorder and/or schizophrenia.

If you are willing to speak out, and wish to know more, please email me at listeningfromtheheart83@yahoo.com

2) NUS would like to organise an art exhibition to commemorate World Mental Health Day. They aim to showcase the talent of our consumers.

Again as above, if you are keen to showcase your art work, please drop me an email at listeningfromtheheart83@yahoo.com

Event Public Forum: No More Fears
Date 6 Oct (Sat) 2007
Time 2 - 5pm
Venue Sheraton Towers Hotel
Details

The forum will identify symptoms of anxiety disorders, including panic, phobia and obsession, and how these disorders can be prevented and treated.

Highlights include:
Living with Fear - Anxiety & Panic Disorder
Phobia & Obsession
Children with Fears
Coping with Exam Fears
Medications - Sedatives & Sleeping Pills
Psychological Therapies

Click for more below
http://www.nuh.com.sg/events/eventsforPublic/files/No%20More%20Fears.pdf
or go to
http://www.nuh.com.sg/events/eventsforPublic/events_calendarOfEvents.htm

Volunteer nurses care for residents' mental health
Sumathi V. Selvaretnam
22 October 2007
Straits Times
English
(c) 2007 Singapore Press Holdings Limited

A MONTHLY visit by a group of volunteer nurses to 35 lonely and mostly aged residents in Geylang Serai has given them the assurance they are being cared for.

Launched last November, the Psychological Outreach Programme (POP) is a tie-up between the Psychiatric Nurses Chapter (PNC) and the Geylang Serai Citizens Consultative Committee.

In the past nine months, PNC's nurse volunteers have visited these residents to give them advice, information about their health and psychological support.

Most are home alone, mildly depressed or sufferfrom anxiety.

The 35 residents, assessed on their degree of depression before and after the programme, registered drops in their depression scale scores by an average of 42 per cent, signalling a significant improvement in their mental well-being.

Marine Parade GRC MP Fatimah Lateef released these findings at an event to mark Mental Health Day yesterday.

The Straits Times, accompanying a pair of POP volunteers on their rounds, met an 80-year-old who lives in a three-room HDB flat.

Madam Valli (not her real name) is on her own most of the day, as her son works from 7.30am to 6.30pm.

Nurse volunteers Rose Ho and Margaret Rajeswary checked the date for her next visit to the doctor, and found out she was taking the wrong dosage for one of her tablets for diabetes so they alerted her son to it.

Madam Valli said she looks forward to their monthly visits: 'I sit alone at home and watch TV. The pain in my legs makes me sad.'

Ms Ho, a nurse clinician at the Institute of Mental Health said: 'These residents just need to know that there are people concerned about them and willing to listen to them.'

One in six Singaporeans suffers from some form of mental illness and the numbers are expected to increase.

The Health Ministry has allocated $88 million towards mental health care over the next five years.