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In this
Update:
Bring The Kids Home:
Youth In Transition Policy Summit
Colleges See Rise in Mental Health
Issues
NAMI">Depression Can Worsen Asthma in Kids
Green Spaces Improve Mental
Health
Teachers May Be Swayed by
Child's Reputation
Preparing Children for Trick or
Treating
Lights, Camera, Action!
AYFN Recommended Read: One Way Ticket to
Kansas
AYFN Statewide Groups and Classes
Bring The Kids Home: Youth In Transition
Policy
Summit
This is an opportunity for
youth to have their voices heard about what it takes to become
self-sufficient! We are looking
for:
- youth who have had mental
health or substance abuse out-patient
treatment,
- youth with experience in
residential treatment,
- youth who have had special
education/individualized education
plans,
- youth with experience
in foster
care,
- youth with
disabilities,
- youth who have been in
Division of Juvenile Justice facilities,
or
- youth that have used other
supportive services
to come join us for this
two day discussion, Nov 6-7, 2009. A Youth is anyone 16-24
years of age. We need your voice
added to the conversation! Please
contact Will or Paul at AYFN if you interested. You can
call Will at 748-7497 or Paul at 748-0428 or email them at
will@ayfn.org and paul@ayfn.org.
Colleges See Rise in
Mental Health Issues
They may not tell their roommates or even close friends, but
on college campuses all across the United States, more students
than ever before are seeking psychiatric help, according to
recent national surveys of campus
therapists.
And
it's not just for homesickness and relationship problems,
says the University of Michigan's Daniel Eisenberg. He
directs the Health Minds Study, a multicenter study that queries
counselors about, among other things, the prevalence of clinical
depression, anxiety and eating disorders on
campus.
"One of the questions is whether they're
seeing an increase in the number and severity of students with
mental health problems," Eisenberg says. "And over 90
percent [of college counseling services] are saying yes to that
question." Just one example: In 2007, around 15 percent of
students reported having been diagnosed with depression at some
point in their lives; that's up from 10 percent in 2000.
Eisenberg and other experts say they haven't yet teased out
all the reasons behind the surge of mental health issues on
campus, but think it doubtful that today's teenagers are more
psychologically disturbed than past generations. Other
explanations seem more likely. Better screening and earlier
diagnosis of mental illness in high school and even before may be
one factor, Eisenberg says. Researchers suspect the increased
severity of mental illness that counselors are seeing may be
partly the consequence of a good thing: better treatment. Twenty
years ago, many high school students with an illness as difficult
as bipolar disorder or deep, persistent depression might never
have made it to college or been able to stay there. Now such
students are on every campus. Many are thriving, but in need of
significant support to make it through.
To read the full article, please see: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113835383
Depression Can Worsen
Asthma in Kids
When asthma and symptoms of depression
coexist in kids, asthma may become worse, study findings
suggest.
Researchers studied the breathing patterns of 90
asthmatic 7- to 17-year-old boys and girls before and after they
watched scenes from the movie ET: The Extraterrestrial. Half of
the kids had symptoms of depression, in addition to asthma, while
the other half did not. The children with both asthma and
symptoms of depression were more likely to show greater airway
resistance after watching troubling scenes from the movie, Dr.
Bruce D. Miller, at State University of New York at Buffalo, and
colleagues
found.
The
asthmatic kids with symptoms of depression consistently showed
breathing patterns indicative of worsening asthma after watching
distressing scenes in the movie. Distressed breathing was most
pronounced during scenes of family distress, loss, and death. By
contrast, Miller's team reports in the Journal of Allergy and
Clinical Immunology, breathing patterns "considered typical
and adaptive in response to emotional stress," among kids
without symptoms of
depression.
Miller
cautions parents of children with asthma to be aware of the
possibility that stressful or emotionally troubling events may
lead to worsening asthma episodes. SOURCE: Journal of
Allergy and Clinical Immunology, July
2009
Green Spaces Improve Mental
Health
Research in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community
Health says the impact is particularly noticeable in reducing
rates of mental ill health. The annual rates of 15 out of 24
major physical diseases were also significantly lower among those
living closer to green spaces. One environmental expert said the
study confirmed that green spaces create 'oases' of
improved health around them. The biggest impact was on anxiety
disorders and depression. The researchers think the green spaces
help recovery from stress and offer greater opportunities for
social contacts.
To read the full article and the study findings, go to:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8307024.stm
Teachers
May Be Swayed by Child's
Reputation
Students' reputations,
not just their actions, play a role in whether they're judged
to be well-behaved at school, say British researchers who studied
four classrooms with children aged 4 to
5.
They found that some
children have a difficult time being seen as good after
they've acquired a poor reputation among teachers and other
school staff, classmates and parents. The Manchester Metropolitan
University researchers also determined that when children start
school, they have to develop skills to interpret and deal with
mixed messages about how to
behave.
Two general types of
classroom behavior cause particular concern: physical actions,
such as punching and kicking; and repeated failure to comply with
adults' requests. Conduct likely to cause concern among
teachers and other school staff include repeatedly calling out or
not sitting properly in class, being noisy in line-ups and
failing to listen, the researchers
noted.
But such misbehavior
doesn't always cause a child to acquire a bad reputation.
This is more likely to happen when teachers or others see poor
behavior as a sign of a larger issue, perhaps stemming from the
home
environment.
For example, parents who
are considered to be neglectful, indulgent, anxious,
uncooperative or interfering contribute to a teacher's view
of a child's behavior as a problem, according to the
report.
"Once children's
reputations have started to circulate in the staffroom, dining
hall and among parents, their behavior easily becomes interpreted
as a sign of particular character traits," study co-author
Maggie MacLure. Once a child is stuck with a bad reputation, it
becomes very difficult for that child to be recognized as good,
the researchers
said.
Preparing Children for Trick or
Treating
from the
Sandbox Learning
Company
Dressing up to go trick or treating is very exciting for
children and it creates lasting memories for both children and
parents. Help children prepare for trick or treating with these
five strategies.
1. Select a Costume – Help children select a costume that
fits properly and is safe. Children may be uncomfortable with
anything on their face especially make up. Some children may not
like masks because of sensory issues or limited vision. Keep
these factors in mind when selecting an outfit. For children who
have difficulties with masks, holding a mask rather than wearing
it or not using one at all may make the evening more
enjoyable.
2. Set Costume Guidelines – Children often want to wear
their costume other times than trick or treating. Let them know
if/when they can wear it besides trick or treating. Be sure to
tell them this before they buy the costume and after it is
purchased. Explain why they can wear the costume only at certain
times. For example, “You can put it on in the evening for a
few minutes to see how you look, but you can only wear it for a
little while so it doesn’t get dirty before
Halloween.”
3. Practice Going to People’s Doors – Role play going
to someone’s door, saying “Trick or treat,”
holding a bag out, and saying “Thank you.” Remind
children to be polite, wait their turn, and take only one piece
of candy when they are asked to select something. It is tempting
to rush to a door and take a handful of things when offered a
basket or bowl to select from so multiple opportunities for
review are important. Be sure to practice other things that may
happen such as someone not being home or someone complimenting
them on their costume.
4. Establish Guidelines in Advance – Prepare children for
factors such as: What time trick or treating starts and ends; How
they know when it ends; Where they can trick or treat (e.g. only
houses with lights on, only people the child knows, only homes in
a four block radius, etc.); and What the rules are such as
staying with a sibling or parent. Be sure to review these
guidelines days in advance with a story, visual cards, or written
rules. Before trick or treating, review them again so children
clearly understand expectations.
5. Set Candy Guidelines– Children become very excited about
getting candy and other treats while trick or treating. Set rules
in advance about eating candy. Let children know before trick or
treating that they need to bring all of the candy back for you to
check before they can eat it. Make sure children have dinner
before trick or treating so they are not hungry. Have guidelines
about the number of pieces they can eat per day and create a
schedule for when they can eat their candy. Display the candy
plan where they can easily look if they have questions.
Lights, Camera,
Action!
For fans of spooky
movies, AYFN's Anchorage youth group will have a Cinema Night
to celebrate All Hallow's Eve on Friday, Oct 30. Who knows
what spooktacular film Will can find? For kids 13 and up!
See you there!
AYFN Recommended Read: One Way Ticket to Kansas:
Caring About Someone With
NAMI">Borderline Personality Disorder And Finding A Healthy You, by
Ozzie Tinman
One Way Ticket To Kansas assists
those involved in an abusive relationship with someone diagnosed
with, or suspected to have, Borderline Personality Disorder. The
text gives a simple description of the disorder, means of coping
with one stricken with the disorder, and explains the readers
contribution to the unhealthy relationship. Also included are
various support networks available for the reader. This book has
multiple endorsements from experts in the field of personality
disorders.
To order this book, go to: http://astore.amazon.com/alayouandfamn-20/detail/097678730X
To see our other recommended reads, head to the AYFN
website, www.ayfn.org
AYFN Statewide Groups and
Classes
In Juneau: An adult support group meets
each Thursday from 6pm-8pm at the Catholic Community Services
downtown. Call Chlora at 907-321-2213 for more
information.
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