Where I lay my head is home: residential instability and earlier onset of psychosis

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Liana Romaniuk summarises a recent US cross-sectional study which suggests that residential instability (moving home a lot) may lead to disrupted social networks and relationships, predisposing vulnerable youth to greater stress, which can increase their risk of psychosis.

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Is virtual reality the future of schizophrenia spectrum therapy?

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Stefanie Sturm blogs a systematic review which finds sparse, but promising support for the use of virtual reality to treat schizophrenia spectrum disorder.

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Can reducing loneliness help to alleviate or prevent anxiety or depression in young people? #ActiveIngredientsMH

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Anton Käll summarises a recent RCT of mindfulness training to reduce loneliness and increase social contact.

Ellie Pearce then shares her recent Wellcome Trust funded #ActiveIngredientsMH review, which looked into reducing loneliness as a potential active ingredient in both alleviating and preventing anxiety and depression in young people.

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How ARE you doing? A study of the mental health of men in the seduction community

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Dave Steele summarises and critiques an ethnographic study using interviews and observations of the mental health of men in the seduction community.

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Poor social communication in children may be a risk factor for social anxiety

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Carla McEnery appraises a new study that asks: are social and communication difficulties a risk factor for the development of social anxiety?

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Safe and social – helping learning disabled people improve skills and understanding

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Some people with learning disabilities may find it difficult to learn social rules and behaviours, which can impact on involvement and engagement in their commnunities.

In her debut blog, Mandy Johnson looks at a project in the Republic of Ireland which set out to help people consider the desirability of a range of social behaviours and the complexities of social context.

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Girls just wanna have fun! Helping female children and adolescents develop into happy, healthy, successful and sociable adults.

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My last blog (Boys, don’t cry!) addressed the many challenges that can present themselves to boys during childhood and adolescence, and cause them to veer off the road from healthy development. Girls by no means have it easy! When compared to boys, girls are more likely to present with mental health problems (Merikangas, 2010). Furthermore, [read the full story…]

Boys, don’t cry! Guiding male children towards health, happiness, success and socially acceptable behaviour

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During childhood and adolescence, any number of life events can present challenges to children’s wellbeing, threatening their chances to become physically and mentally healthy adults. Boys are more likely than girls to drop out of school, be delinquent and drink alcohol, and they are less likely to go to college than their female counterparts (Bandy, [read the full story…]

Social skills groups are of some benefit for children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders

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Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) cover a range of developmental disorders, including Autism, Asperger Syndrome and Rett’s Syndrome. ASD can involve a variety of symptoms, which fall into 3 main categories: Difficulties with social interaction Impaired language and communication Unusual patterns of behaviour and thought Social interactions can be extremely difficult for children with ASD, and [read the full story…]