Can computers replace therapists? Computerised cognitive behavioural therapy for pain in children

Compuer CBT can be accessed anywhere

New bloggers Tania Bosqui and Julie Brown highlight a systematic review from 2010 on (computerised cognitive behavioural therapy) cCBT for chronic pain in children.

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Helping young people with psychosis return to work: early intervention services need to do more

Stephen Wood summarises a recent cluster RCT of vocational rehabilitation in early psychosis, which finds that early intervention services need to do more to help young people with psychosis return to work.

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Cannabis use in young people linked with lower high school completion and degree attainment

André Tomlin and Douglas Badenoch voice a note of caution about the Lancet Psychiatry meta-analysis of cannabis use in young people. The study links cannabis use in children with low educational attainment, cannabis dependence, illicit drug use and suicide attempts in later life.

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Motivational interviewing does not prevent alcohol misuse in young people

This new Cochrane systematic review finds that motivational interviewing has no effect on reducing alcohol-related problems or risky behaviours such as drunk driving in young people.

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Homelessness and mental illness in children and young people

This study explores the prevalence of psychiatric disorder and comorbidity among a UK sample of young people with experience of homelessness. It finds an extremely high prevalence of mental illness, combined with low levels of mental health service use.

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Bullying is bad for your mental health, even if you are the bully

Clinicians and mental health researchers have long recognised that there is a link between traumatic experiences in childhood and symptoms of psychosis or non-clinical psychotic experiences presenting in adolescence or adulthood. One type of traumatic experience is the experience of abuse, whether physical, emotional or social in nature.  When it comes to bullying, any or [read the full story…]

Systematic review identifies key parenting factors associated with adolescent depression and anxiety

Parenting is a tough gig. As a mum of three, I can honestly say that nothing in my everyday professional life comes close to the trials and tribulations of guiding small people through toddlerhood and beyond. Parenting advice comes thick and fast from all corners, most of it unsolicited, some of it anecdotal, much of [read the full story…]