drink the depression away
Alcohol consumption around the world is increasing, and previous studies have shown that heavy alcohol intake is related to mental health problems, such as depression. Drinking wine in moderation may be associated with a lower risk of developing depression, according to research published in Biomed Central's open access journal BMC Medicine. Moderate amounts of alcohol may have protective effects on depression and show an inverse relationship between alcohol and depression.
cannibus not a ‘safe drug’ in the long run
The nature of the teenage brain makes users of cannabis amongst this population particularly at risk of developing addictive behaviours and suffering other long-term negative effects, according to researchers at the University of Montreal and New York's Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Professor Didier Jutras-Aswad of the University of Montreal said, “While it is clear that more systematic scientific studies are needed to understand the long-term impact of adolescent cannabis exposure on brain and behavior, the current evidence suggests that it has a far-reaching influence on adult addictive behaviours especially for certain subsets of vulnerable individuals.”
school-age drinking leads to cancer
Here's a sobering fact for millions of young women heading back to school: The more alcohol they drink before motherhood, the greater their risk of future breast cancer. That's according to new research from Washington University School of Medicine in St louis that, for the first time, links increased breast cancer risk to drinking between early adolescence and first full-term pregnancy. Previous studies have looked at breast cancer risk and alcohol consumption later in life or at the effect of adolescent drinking on non-cancerous breast disease. “Parents should educate their daughters about the link between drinking and risk of breast cancer and breast disease. That's very important because this time period is very critical,” said a researcher.
music therapy
A new study, published in Music Education Research, examined whether an extended music education had an impact on pupils' experienced satisfaction with the school. Nearly a thousand pupils at 10 Finnish schools with extended music classes and comparison classes participated on a survey that measured the quality of school life at year three and year six. According to the results, the differences between the extended music classes and the comparison classes were significant in majority of factors at year six, namely general satisfaction, opportunities, identity in the class and the classroom climate.
stress leads to mood swings
Even mild stress can thwart therapeutic measures to control emotions, a team of neuroscientists at New York University has found. Their findings, which appear in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, point to the limits of clinical techniques while also shedding new light on the barriers that must be overcome in addressing afflictions such as fear or anxiety.
“We have long suspected that stress can impair our ability to control our emotions, but this is the first study to document how even mild stress can undercut therapies designed to keep our emotions in check,” said a professor in NYU.