GenDigital

Can Depression Lead To Risky Sexual Behavior?

The journal of Pediatrics has published the results of a new study that says teens with higher levels are depressive symptoms are more likely to engage in risky sexual behaviors. The most important part of the study says the publishing doctor is that it is critical for parents to be extremely familiar with signs of depression among their own children. Should parents identify some of these symptoms in their children it is also just as important if not more important to then take action the doctor goes on to say. I don't think this is necessarily groundbreaking data by any stretch of the imagination. Not to single out or pick on the girls in any way...going back and thinking about some high school memories, the girls with the rumored "bad reputations" as being promiscuous, among other things, I certainly don't remember as being the happy, go-lucky ones. May be a coincidence, but I doubt it. The report goes on to say that up to 20% of all teens experience some sort of major depression through the course of adolescence.

Use of Antipsychotics by Teens and Tweens Skyrockets

When I woke up this morning I was pretty upbeat that today would be a pretty good day. As soon as the dog threw up fifteen minutes after I got up, I conceded the fact today would not be my day. Then I read this story in today's New York Times about the huge increase in the number of antipsychotic prescriptions being written for tweens and teens. According to the article, researchers analyzed data from a national survey of doctors' office visits. The researchers found that antipsychotic drugs were prescribed 1,438 times for every 100,000 children, up from just 275 children previously. The results were based on doctor office visits in 2002 compared to 1993, so these aren't even the most up to date results and one has to think this trend of prescribing chill out pills has only grown or at least remained consistent. I will not go into a huge rant about how over-prescribing "type A" kids with drugs will cause long term harm not only to the child, but society in the longer term (long term use causes other health problems like diabetes, liver problems, etc) but hey, aren't kids just following along parents who down Ambien and the like every night? The release of this new study is sure to cause even more debate in already heated topic of discussion.

Making Feminine Personal Care Cool

Procter & Gamble's web site for teen and tween girls, Beinggirl.com, has partnered with Sony BMG to feature its popular recording artists as well as up and coming musical stars on the Beinggirl site. P&G hopes with the association with Sony BMG artists will bring a new coolness factor to the site which focuses on the very sensitive subject of feminine hygiene care among girls and young women.

One in Three Teens Are Overweight

According to data released from National Health and Nutrition Survey, about a third of U.S. teens, some 25 million are overweight, the highest number ever recorded. Want to see a really scary stat? 33.6% of children and teens, ages 2 to 19, were overweight or at risk of becoming so in 2004, up from 28.2% in 2000. Researchers and social scientists are worried with such a high number of children and teens overweight now, what will happen will happen to them when they become adults? I'd imagine a great deal of health problems like diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and cancer, not exactly pretty picture.