Game on for mental health? Reviewing the effectiveness of applied and casual games for young people’s mental health

There are interesting avenues for future research arising from the conclusions of this paper, including better understanding from a user-experience perspective of what features or mechanics of games might be especially beneficial for mental health.

Linda Kaye and Kirsten Lawson summarise a large systematic review synthesising the effectiveness of applied and casual games on young people’s mental health.

[read the full story...]

Wide variance in the use of coercion in children and young people’s inpatient services

Silhouette,Of,Unrecognizable,Sad,Autistic,Girl,Behind,Stained,Glass,Window

John Baker reflects on a recent review on rates and risk factors of coercion in inpatient child and adolescent mental health services.

[read the full story...]

Is brain imaging the future for bipolar disorder diagnosis in adolescents?

The study emphasises the potential of adopting a multimodal approach, incorporating imaging and behavioural data, to improve diagnosis of bipolar disorder in adolescence.

Emiliana Tonini summarises a recent Chinese study, which suggests that combining MRI scan and behavioural assessments data may increase the accuracy of diagnosing bipolar disorder in adolescents.

[read the full story...]

Adolescents with disabilities at higher risk of self-harm, but intersectionality also a vital consideration

Portrait,Of,Teenage,Girl,With,Disability,Wearing,Glasses,And,Doing

Elisha Joshi reviews a study exploring the prevalence and risk factors for self-harm in adolescents with and without disabilities living in the UK.

[read the full story...]

When the clouds clear: the journeys of school psychologists working with gender diverse young people

A,Miniature,Figure,Of,A,Man,Looks,In,The,Mirror

Vanessa Coeli summarises a qualitative systematic review on the perspectives of school psychologists supporting young gender diverse people.

[read the full story...]

Universal DBT intervention in schools: help or hindrance?

Dbt,Therapy,Written,On,Paper,Notes.,Dialectical,Behavior,Therapy,Psychological

Sofiia Kornatska reviews a non-randomised trial exploring a dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) based universal intervention on adolescent social and emotional well-being in Australian schools.

[read the full story...]

What can GP records tell us about mental health throughout childhood?

Is the GP clinic the best form of support for young people experiencing recurrent mental health issues?

Niamh Dooley explores a retrospective study of ‘real-world’ data on young people’s use of general practitioners for mental health support.

[read the full story...]

Aggressive challenging behaviour requires personalised interventions, robust caregiver relationships, and sustained system-level support

Shield,Protect,Icon,And,Family,Model,With,Umbrella,,Security,Protection

James Smith summarises a rapid realist review of complex interventions for aggressive challenging behaviour in adults with intellectual disability.

[read the full story...]

Social media, smoking and young people: is there any link?

sebastian-radu-8JXofiODAxg-unsplash

Ian Hamilton summarises a longitudinal survey study of UK youth, which suggests there is an association between social media exposure and use of e-cigarettes and smoking.

[read the full story...]

Digitally augmented CBT for child anxiety is more efficient and no less effective than typical parent-led CBT

yulia_dubyna-6C_XfszlnWw-unsplash

Helen Dodd summarises a recent non-inferiority randomised controlled trial led by Cathy Creswell, which investigated the effectiveness of digitally augmented parent-led CBT for child anxiety.

[read the full story...]