HEALTH BRIEFS

Purpose in life helps prevent illness later

PEOPLE with a high sense of purpose in life have a lower risk of stroke, according to new research. “We and others have shown that purpose in life is protective against multiple adverse health outcomes in older age,” Rush University Medical Centre’s Alzheimer’s Disease Centre’s lead study author and assistant professor of neurological sciences Lei Yu said. – Reuters

Alcohol use in films influences teenagers

IN A study of 15-year-olds in the UK, those who have been most exposed to alcohol use in films are also most likely to have tried alcohol, and about twice as likely as the least exposed to have been binge drinking. The associations are “very robust,” England’s School of Oral and Dental Sciences’ lead author Andrea Waylen says. – Reuters

Obesity may increase prostate cancer risk

OBESITY may be partly responsible for higher rates of prostate cancer observed among African American men, suggests a new US study. There is as yet no equivalent research for South African men. – Reuters AT HOME and at school, cleaning with chlorine bleach is meant to kill germs that could make kids sick, but a large European study has found that bleach may have the opposite effect.

Children in Finland, Spain and the Netherlands, who are regularly exposed to bleach-cleaned environments, have higher rates of respiratory-tract infections such as influenza, the study reveals. – Reuters that they don’t feel safe at school, either because they’re bullied by other pupils or scared by threats, which may leave the child with high levels of anxiety and even post-traumatic stress.

“This is not limited to older children and teens.

“In fact, very young children – as young as three and four years old – can be bullies or bullying victims at school,” Coats says.

At macro level, factors such as poverty, child-headed households, loss of parents due to illness or divorce and lack of basic resources are huge drivers in mental illness that impact children in both advantaged and disadvantaged contexts, Coats points out.

“Children growing up in unstable environments, where caregivers are unreliable or absent, learn that ‘the world is not safe’ and ‘no one will protect me’ and this can often lead to anxiety disorders.

“For other children, the daily pressure of performing has created huge levels of personal stress and anxiety, which may result

Bleach kills germs but

in depressive feelings when goals or expectations are not achieved.

“In addition, children who are left unsupervised and exposed to movies of violence and brutality can easily develop anxiety symptoms, nightmares and faulty thinking patterns, which can lead to more concerning mental health conditions.

“As parents and caregivers get busier and news and information become more accessible through technology, we need to be even more mindful about how to super- vise and protect our children from being exposed to inappropriate content which may have detrimental consequences on their emotional well-being,” Coats says. There are routes to help children. “Depending on the nature of the mental health condition, treatment can be sought through psychotherapy and psychiatric medication.

“Psychiatrists are often very cautious in prescribing medication to young children.

“Therefore, play therapy through which children communicate their feelings, may be a more suitable form of treatment,” Coats says. For adolescents, group work is often a very good treatment choice.

Individual therapy is another form of treatment, Coats says.

By identifying tell-tale signs of mental health disorders in their children and by seeking appropriate professional treatment, however, parents or caregivers can go a long way in curbing this growing scourge.