Sleep problems in infancy: a possible risk factor for ADHD?

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Jack Barton summarises a recent longitudinal study from Finland, which suggests that sleep difficulties in infancy are associated with symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity at the age of 5 years.

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Treating PTSD in children and young people #ISTSS2019

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In Dr David Trickey’s debut blog for Mental Elf, he comments on the new ISTSS treatment guidelines for children and young people with post traumatic stress disorder.

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Are antidepressants safe? A new umbrella review of observational studies suggests they are, but we need more accurate data

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Andrea Cipriani and Anneka Tomlinson scrutinise a brand new umbrella review of the associations between antidepressants and adverse health outcomes, which suggests that antidepressants are safe for most people who experience mental health difficulties.

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Internalising problems in children and adolescents: little evidence for distinct disorders

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Katie Finning explores a recent network analysis of internalising disorders (e.g. depression, anxiety, phobias) in children and adolescents, which demonstrates the interconnected nature of internalising symptoms, and challenges the view that such pathology takes the form of distinct disorders.

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Teens, screens and a hill of beans?

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Lucinda Powell looks at a recent study which finds little clear-cut evidence that screen time decreases adolescent well-being.

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School based obesity prevention for 6 and 7 year olds

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Alison Tonkin writes her debut elf blog on the WAVES study: a cluster randomised controlled trial looking at the effectiveness of a childhood obesity prevention programme delivered through schools, targeting 6 and 7 year olds.

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ADHD remission: why do some children ‘outgrow’ ADHD whilst others don’t?

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A group of UCL Mental Health Masters students summarise a recent literature review that explores the potential pathways to ADHD remission.

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Emotional symptoms in adolescent girls: what can we learn from the functional connectivity of neural pathways?

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Shubhangi Karmaker on a recent resting-state fMRI study that explores neural network disturbances that underpin the emergence of emotional symptoms in adolescent girls.

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Is too much screen time bad for our children? Perhaps, but how much do we really know?

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David Turgoose explores a systematic review of reviews that looks at the effects of screen time on the health and well-being of children and adolescents. The review found that higher levels of screen time were related to some physical and mental health concerns, such as poor diet, obesity and depression.

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Adolescent cannabis use and risk of depression and suicide

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Benjamin Janaway blogs about a major data analysis that links adolescent cannabis use with increased risk of depression and suicide. He considers the opportunities for early recognition of cannabis use and public intervention.

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