After the death of a parent, boys may have a tougher time than girls, a new study suggests. Young people who lose a parent before age 21 are at risk for poor mental health, lower income and unemployment in adulthood. Researchers say boys seem to be harder hit. The study was published July 25 in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health. “Early parental death is strongly associated with a higher risk of children’s poor mental health in adulthood for both males and females, but the estimated odds ratios are usually quantitatively larger for males,” the authors, led by Petri Böckerman of the University of Jyväskylä in Finland, said in a journal news release. Böckerman and his colleagues collected data on nearly 1 million Finns born between 1971 and 1986. By age 31, about 15% had lost a parent. Nearly 12% lost their father; fewer than 5% lost their mother. Nearly 65,800 people lost a parent before age 21. They had higher odds of a hospital admission for mental health issues than those who lost a parent after age 30, the researchers found. Males appeared to be more vulnerable than females. Men were 70% more likely to be hospitalized as were 52% of women. Substance use disorders and intentional self-harm were the most common reasons for admission. Boys and young men who lost their moms…  read on >  read on >

When parents meet U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, one concern comes up time after time. “The most common question parents ask me is: ‘Is social media safe for my kids,’ ” Murthy said. “The answer is that we don’t have enough evidence to say it’s safe, and in fact, there is growing evidence that social media use is associated with harm to young people’s mental health.” Cyberbullying, cyberstalking, anxiety, inappropriate content, other social pressures, a distraction from school, and body image issues are but a few of the potential pitfalls. “We can’t just take away our kids’ phones or computers,” said Mari Radzik, a clinical psychologist in the Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA). “It’s about figuring out how we can guide them in using and navigating these tools.” Here are tips parents can use to help teens ease the negative effects of social media: 1) Set rules: A federal law makes it illegal for children under 13 to have social media accounts, and legislation is being considered to protect kids’ information until they are 16. It’s best to put off social media for as long as possible, experts say. Parents should talk with their kids, reviewing rules and privacy settings, said pediatrician Dr. Jennifer Hartstein, who is part of the CHLA Care Network. If you’re unfamiliar…  read on >  read on >

Some medications may not treat inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) as effectively if patients carry a lot of excess belly fat, , new research shows. IBD includes illnesses such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Researchers say using the wrong anti-inflammatory drug for these patients could mean lower rates of remission. “Even though biologic medications have significantly improved outcomes for our patients with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, some people do not respond well to these therapies,” said Dr. Andres Yarur, a gastroenterologist at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles. “In our study, we found that the patients with higher amounts of internal abdominal fat were less likely to improve and experience remission from their disease.” Unlike some anti-inflammatory drugs, biologics work by blocking targets that cause inflammation in the body. Researchers found that patients with higher levels of visceral fat had lower levels of the biologic medications in their blood after treatment and lower rates of steroid-free remission and bowel healing. Visceral fat is found deep within the abdomen, surrounding important organs, including the stomach, liver and bowels. “It seems the fat tissue on the inner side of the abdomen, in particular, impacts treatment, so we may need to use higher doses of the drugs to help these patients,” said researcher Dr. Gil Melmed, director of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinical Research at Cedars-Sinai. For the study, the…  read on >  read on >

Summer jobs can give teens valuable life experience that help them transition to adulthood — not just a paycheck, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Benefits of summer jobs include: Career exploration: Summer jobs and internships help high school students explore different careers that might interest them. They also provide opportunities to network and find future mentors. Financial independence: Teens learn financial skills such as budgeting and money management. Time management: Teens learn to manage their time, set deadlines and be accountable. Communication skills: Teens learn how to interact with their supervisors, customers and colleagues. Work ethic: Teens learn values such as teamwork, respect and responsibility. Self-confidence: Working in the real-world boosts self-esteem and self-confidence. When looking for a summer job, suggest that your teen consider these factors: Is it a good fit? Look for jobs that align with your interests and skills. Is it flexible? Summer jobs should be flexible to accommodate a teen’s schedule. Is there time for family fun? Teens will need to take family vacation plans into account. Teens should consider their priorities and achieve a balance between work and other commitments. More information For more about the benefits of a summer job, visit Kids Health. SOURCE: American Academy of Pediatrics, news release, July 27, 2023  read on >

As kids prepare to return to school, a new poll warns that the many children who found the last school year challenging are likely to be apprehensive this time around. The online survey, conducted by the Harris Poll on behalf of the nonprofit On Our Sleeves Movement for Children’s Mental Health, found that 71% of American parents say their children experienced challenges last school year. These included safety concerns (37%), academic challenges (26%), bullying (24%), ongoing social challenges related to the pandemic (24%) and mental health challenges (22%). “Between academic struggles, behavioral challenges, increased depression and anxiety and challenges making social connections, we’ve been hearing firsthand from families about how tough last school year was for many kids,” said Whitney Raglin Bignall, associate clinical director of On Our Sleeves and a pediatric psychologist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. “As we head into the new school year, it’s crucial to understand how kids are thinking and feeling about returning to the classroom,” she added in a hospital news release. “Checking in and having conversations with them is a simple, yet critical, way to help minimize any lingering issues before they turn into even bigger challenges this upcoming school year. “Talking about mental health can be difficult but it’s recommended that parents and caregivers initiate daily conversations. This helps children feel comfortable and supported enough…  read on >  read on >

While the record-breaking heat the United States is experiencing this summer can stress people to their limits, it can be particularly hard to navigate for those with mental health issues. “All mental illnesses increase with heat because it results in more fatigue, irritability and anxiety, and it can exacerbate depressive episodes,” said Dr. Asim Shah, executive vice chair in the Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. Excessive heat can cause anger, irritability, aggression, discomfort, stress and fatigue. Heat acts on serotonin, the neurotransmitter that regulates mood, leading to lower levels of happiness and increased levels of stress and fatigue, Shah explained. The most vulnerable groups include those with preexisting conditions and people who use abuse substances like alcohol. If people use substances, especially alcohol, they need to be more hydrated because combining substance use with heat requires even more hydration. Heat can make mental health issues worse, including aggressive behavior and mental fogging. In the worst case, confusion and disorientation can occur. What can someone with mental health issues do? Shah recommends hydrating and keeping your head covered outside. Pour water on your head to cool down and try staying in shade. If you usually go for walks outside, move inside by walking in a mall or a large space with air conditioning. If you take medications,…  read on >  read on >

People who carry a gene that’s associated with Alzheimer’s disease may lose their sense of smell long before memory and thinking problems occur, a new study suggests. This early sign of potential dementia is not seen in people who don’t carry this gene, called APOE e4, researchers report July 26 in the journal Neurology. “Testing a person’s ability to detect odors may be a useful way to predict future problems with cognition,” said researcher Dr. Matthew GoodSmith, a resident at the University of Chicago. “While more research is needed to confirm these findings and determine what level of smell loss would predict future risk, these results could be promising, especially in studies aiming to identify people at risk for dementia early in the disease,” GoodSmith added in a journal news release. For the study, the researchers surveyed more than 865 people about their ability to detect an odor and identify what they were smelling. Tests were given over five years. Those with memory or thinking problems were tested twice, five years apart. The investigators also took DNA samples. People who carried the gene variant for Alzheimer’s were 37% less likely to have good odor detection than people without the gene, the researchers found. Those with the gene experienced reduced smell detection from age 65 to 69. At that age, gene carriers could detect an average…  read on >  read on >

President Joe Biden announced Tuesday that his administration is seeking new rules to push insurance companies to increase coverage of mental health treatment. The new rules, which still must go through a public comment period, would require insurers to study if customers have the same medical and mental health benefits and fix any disparities if they don’t. “You know, we can all agree mental health care is health care,” Biden said in a White House news release. “It is health care. It’s essential to people’s well-being and their ability to lead a full and productive life, to find joy, to find purpose, to take care of themselves and their loved ones. It’s about dignity. Think about this.” The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, passed in 2008, requires insurers to offer the same mental and physical health care coverage, which isn’t the case now. “Folks, it shouldn’t be this way,” Biden said at a White House event highlighting the announcement. “It doesn’t need to be this way.” “But, right now, for millions of Americans, mental health care and treatment for substance abuse is out of reach,” Biden added. “It’s out of reach. In 2020, less than half — less than half of all adults with mental illness diagnosis received care for it. Less than half.” If finalized, the new rules would change that. “I…  read on >  read on >

Women are more likely to develop endometriosis if they have elevated levels of cadmium in their system, a new study reports. Twice as many women with slightly or moderately elevated levels of the toxic element wound up with endometriosis compared to women with the lowest levels, researchers say. “Although endometriosis is estimated to affect 1 in 10 women, the reason why this condition develops in some women and not in others remains unclear,” said senior researcher Kristen Upson, an assistant professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at Michigan State University. “Our research on environmental contaminants and finding of an association between cadmium exposure and endometriosis is helping to move the needle closer to understanding risk factors for endometriosis,” she added. This newly discovered association between endometriosis and cadmium is “a good starting point for additional studies that look at other environmental factors and how they can perhaps cause endometriosis,” said Dr. Susan Khalil, director of the Division of Sexual Health in the Raquel and Jaime Gilinski Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science at Mount Sinai. “I think it doesn’t give exact recommendations for action at this time, or things that you can translate into clinical management. So I can’t really make recommendations off of this for patients,” Khalil added. “But I would at the same time say it’s great they’re finding these associations, so they…  read on >  read on >