Are you the parent of a teen?

Get that kid to bed by 10!

According to a new study published in the journal, Sleep, parents who enforce earlier bedtimes are doing their teens a big favor.

Why?

Kids who stay up until midnight or later are 24 percent more likely to be depressed and 20 percent more likely to have suicidal thoughts, than teens with bed times of 10 p.m. or earlier.

Dr. James E. Gangwisch and his colleagues of Columbia University Medical Center in New York City made the discovery. According to Dr. Gangwisch, “It’s… a common idea that older adolescents don’t need as much sleep as younger adolescents, but that’s really not true–they still need about 9 hours of sleep at night.” Depression has long been linked to inadequate sleep in both teens and adults. The team’s report verifies this fact and notes the connection could be “bidirectional”-meaning getting too little sleep boosts depression risk, while being depressed makes it harder to sleep.

Gangwisch’s team looked at over 15,000 seventh- through twelfth-graders who, along with their parents, were surveyed in 1994-1996. Fifty-four percent of parents said their teens had to go to bed at 10 p.m. or earlier on school nights. Twenty-one percent set bedtime at 11 p.m., and twenty-five percent allowed their children to stay up until midnight or later. More than two-thirds of the teens said they went to bed when they were supposed to.

Considering the possibility that parents who were stricter about bedtime might have other traits or behaviors that protect their child from depression, the researchers analyzed the relationships between the teens and their parents and then accounted for this in their study.

They found no link between a set bedtime and how much teens felt their parents cared for them, but there was a strong relationship between bedtimes and whether or not the teens felt they got enough sleep. Adding to the importance of getting enough sleep, the team learned that kids who got five hours of sleep nightly or less were seventy-one percent more likely to be depressed, and forty percent more likely to have suicidal thoughts than their peers who got eight or more hours of sleep a night.

“Getting adequate sleep is really important for our mental health as well as being able to focus and have the necessary energy and motivation to do the things we need to do during the day,” Gangwisch noted.

So, parents of teens, take note: Eight or more hours of sleep are vital to your teen’s mental health. Staying up late is not to be considered a privilege, but rather a health risk.

Small Ideas That Make a Big Difference

Start making a difference.

Every individual can take action to help solve homelessness.

Here are five small things you can start doing now:

Make eye contact: Say hello - greet homeless individuals the same as you would a friend or colleague.

Give small supplies: Instead of money, give Ziploc bags of toiletries, socks, food or grocery coupons. Keep a supply in your car.

Donate clothes: Give your gently worn clothes to a local homeless facility.

Watch your mouth: Don’t call people experiencing homelessness “bums,” “transients,” or even “the homeless.” They are still people first.

Volunteer: Work directly with people experiencing homelessness.

Bust the stigma and share stories: Feeling support and being part of a community is empowering to those struggling with a mental illness. By listening to others or by sharing personal experiences, you help to break the silence that keeps people from being open about their illness.

Special acknowledgment and thanks to TAKE PART- The Soloist.

Even if teens act as if they don’t need their parents’ help, research proves that they do.

Teenagers usually think of their friendships as their most important relationships; but new research shows that support from mom and dad, not friends, helps prevent suicidal behavior in teens that experienced depression or attempted suicide in the past.

Depression during high school and a previous suicide attempt were significant predictors of suicidal thought one or two years later, according to a study led by James Mazza, a University of Washington professor of educational psychology.

Young people who were depressed or had attempted suicide in high school were less likely to have suicidal thoughts if they had strong family support and more open communication. Having a girlfriend or boyfriend also helped.

“Our findings suggest that the protective quality of family support and bonding, or having an intimate partner, are not replaced by peer support and bonding in emerging adulthood,” said Mazza.

Bonding refers to a young adult’s closeness with family or a romantic partner and the ability to talk with them about important issues.

“Peers don’t provide the same type of safety net that comes from a family or by having an intimate partner,” Mazza said. “When it comes to suicidal behavior, young adults may feel that their family or partner may be more accepting and less judgmental than perhaps some of their peers.”

Data came from a larger National Institute of Drug Abuse 15-year study of youth in a Seattle-area school district that looked at risk factors for marijuana and cigarette use, binge drinking, depression and past suicidal behavior.

“Parents shouldn’t give up on their adolescents, because our work indicates they still rely on them in this kind of situation,” Mazza said.

Speaking from both personal experience and through my work’s observation, I couldn’t agree more with Mazza.

Never, ever give up.

Depression is the leading cause of suicide.

Suicide is the third-largest killer of children and young adults between the ages of 10 and 24, and is a growing problem amongst middle aged and elderly adults.

Knowing this, scientists and researchers the world over have devoted time and energy to improving treatment approaches, including studies focused on the efficacy of antidepressant medications.

The news is encouraging.

Common antidepressants reduce the risk of suicide in adults, according to work recently completed and published by Italian scientist Corrado Barbui of the University of Verona.

Barbui and his team reviewed data collected in eight previous studies that included over 200,000 patients. They focused on selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which are the most commonly prescribed class of antidepressants. The team found that the drugs cut suicide risk by more than 40 percent among adults and over 50 percent for elderly people.

Despite the obvious value to adults, researchers still suggest caution when using antidepressants to treat children and adolescents. With this in mind, closer monitoring, such as regular meetings with a therapist or counselor, should be part of the treatment protocol for those under 18.

“Data from observational studies should reassure doctors that prescribing (the drugs) to patients with major depression is safe,” wrote the Italian team.

The news is good indeed.  Depression kills. Treatment works.

Or is it something more?

Pediatric bipolar disorder is a genetic, neurobiological illness that can present in childhood or the teen years.

It is often misdiagnosed  as ADHD, or dismissed as defiance, out-of-control behavior, and even a symptom of poor parenting.

But pediatric, or early onset bipolar disorder is very real and requires appropriate diagnosis and treatment.

Here are some of the most common symptoms:

Mania

• Severe mood swings — overly irritable or overly silly, giddy
• Inflated sense of self — seems to feel superior
• Talks too much, too rapidly, and/or changes topics quickly
• Easily distracted
• Decreased need for sleep
• Aggressive behavior
• Destructive
• Hypersexuality

Depression

• Sad
• Irritable
• Loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities
• Moves and/or talks slowly
• Cries often or excessively
• Feels worthless
• Feels unnecessarily guilty
• Talks of death or suicide

Bipolar disorder puts kids at increased risk of school failure, substance abuse, self-harm and suicide.

Bipolar disorder is serious, but it is treatable.

If you suspect your child’s moodiness may be something more, see your doctor immediately.

For more information on Pediatric Bipolar Disorder, visit Child and Adolescent Bipolar Foundation or Juvenile Bipolar Research Foundation.

Although I’ve written about military suicides a few times in the past, the newest statistics are more personal to me since a loved one is now serving in Iraq. The facts are frightening.

The number of American soldier suicides in January 2009 reached 24, the highest monthly total since the Army began keeping such statistics in 1980.

By comparison, in January 2008, five soldiers committed suicide, leading to the highest annual suicide rate among soldiers ever recorded. By the end of 2008, soldier suicides had risen for the fourth year in a row, with as many as 143 soldiers killing themselves.

“Each of these losses is a personal tragedy that is felt throughout the Army family,” said Gen. Peter Chiarelli, the vice chief of staff of the Army, who is leading suicide-prevention efforts. “The trend and trajectory seen in January further heightens the seriousness and urgency that all of us must have in preventing suicides.”

In response to the spate of suicides in January, veterans’ advocates say the Army has failed for years to meet the mental health needs of troops returning home from war. Despite some progress, problems remain widespread, the advocates say. There are too few mental health and substance abuse services, the Army is reluctant to send soldiers to civilian therapists, and mental health screening is inadequate.

Linda Bean, mother of Sgt. Coleman S. Bean, who killed himself in New Jersey in September after two tours of duty in Iraq, says it is essential for the Army to persuade soldiers to get mental health help because most are reluctant to seek help for fear it will negatively affect their careers.

Army officials report that the stress of long deployments to war zones plays a role in the increase, and that the most common factors appeared to be financial, personal and legal problems, as well as job-related difficulties.

“This is not business as usual,” said Chiarelli. “We need to move quickly to do everything we can to reverse the very disturbing number of suicides we have in the U.S. Army.”

Secretary of the Army, Pete Geren, said the Army wants to bolster its efforts to prevent suicide and is prepared to allocate the human and financial resources to do so. He also pointed out that the Army had “stepped up its efforts in the last two years as the numbers began to climb. It hired more general practitioners, usually the first health care providers to identify soldiers in distress, 250 more mental health care providers, and hopes to hire more.

“We are hiring, and we need your help,” said Col. Elspeth Ritchie, a psychiatric consultant to the surgeon general of the Army. “We want to make sure we get ahead of it.”

The Army also announced that it will conduct a training day dedicated to recognizing signs of suicidal behavior and ensuring that soldiers get help, even if that means escorting the person to a clinic. The training day will be followed by an on-going program extending from the top ranks to enlisted men and women, with an emphasis on seeking treatment. The Army is also working with its chaplains in suicide prevention programs.

Let us all pray that these efforts work and that the trend is reversed.

Panic Disorder affects more than 2.4 million Americans. Striking twice as many women as men, Panic Disorder is characterized by unexpected and repeated sensations of extreme fear accompanied by chest pain, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, numbness and tingling, dizziness or stomach upset.

Mimicking symptoms of heart or respiratory distress, Panic Disorder is often misdiagnosed or undiagnosed. This failure leads to increased medical costs as well as delay in treatment and relief. Additionally, when left untreated the frequency of episodes seems to increase. Many people with Panic Disorder exist in a near-constant state of anxiety, fearing the next episode.

Panic Disorder often co-occurs with depression and other mental or behavioral health issues. Nearly half of people with Panic Disorder abuse alcohol or drugs, such as cocaine and marijuana, attempting to alleviate their discomfort. Those with dual diagnoses need to simultaneously be treated for substance abuse or depression in order to successfully treat the Panic Disorder. Sadly, one in five people diagnosed with Panic Disorder attempt suicide.

People with Panic Disorder often have other anxiety- or stress-induced illnesses, such as irritable bowel syndrome, characterized by intermittent bouts of gastrointestinal cramps and diarrhea or constipation. Headache, bursitis, tendonitis and neck or shoulder pains are also common.

People with Panic Disorder often develop phobias about places or situations where they’ve experienced panic attacks; and they often avoid situations and locations where they think another attack may occur, where they may not have quick access to bathrooms, or where help would not be immediately available. This avoidance can develop into agoraphobia, which is an inability to go beyond known and safe surroundings because of intense fear and anxiety.

The exact cause of Panic Disorder is unknown, but research suggests that panic attacks occur when an area of the brain sends in incorrect message that suffocation, thus death, is imminent. There seems to be a genetic component as well as learned patterns of thought that exaggerate relatively normal automatic physical reactions. Stress is also thought to be a factor. Fortunately, effective treatments are available.

The NIMH conducted a large-scale study to evaluate the effectiveness of combining prescription medications with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, finding that 70-90% of treated patients experienced significant improvement after only a few weeks of therapy.

Treatment is available and it works. If you know someone who lives with several of the symptoms listed below, encourage them to get help. Wellness is worth it.

Symptoms of Panic Disorder or Panic Attacks

Fear of dying

Racing or pounding heartbeat

Terror - a sense that something terrible is imminent and prevention is impossible

Chest pains

Dizziness, lightheadedness, nausea

Difficulty breathing

Tingling or numbness in the hands

Sense of unreality or disconnection

Flushes or chills

Fear of losing control, going “crazy,” or doing something embarrassing

As many of you know, two of my three children have bipolar disorder; and in our extended family a dozen family members have this or a related diagnosis. And we are far from alone.

The fact is, over 100 million people have friends or family members diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Tom and Fran Smith were a part of that group until their daughter Karla ended her own life at age 26, after a seven-year struggle with this serious mental illness.

During those seven years, Tom Smith says “…we received very little guidance…no one attempted to understand or clarify our frustration, concern and fear; we had no manual that suggested ways to cope…”

After grieving the loss of their vibrant young daughter, the Smith’s were compelled to ease the way for other families in similar circumstances. To that end, they founded The Karla Smith Foundation for  parents and loved ones of people with mental illness. Through support groups, peer-to-peer coaching, and educational programs and events, the KSF helps bring balance into lives that are affected by  mental illness or the suicide of a loved one. In addition to that ambitious endeavor, Tom Smith wrote A BALANCED LIFE: 9 Stategies for Coping with the Mental Health Problems of a Loved One (Hazelden, Sept 2008).

Here, in brief, are those strategies Smith believes will make a difference in the lives of others living with a serious mental illness:

1.–Help our loved one find and continue to take the medication needed for a balanced life.

2.–Urge our loved one to maintain a supportive relationship with a therapist, counselor or sponsor.

3.–Learn as much as we can about the mental disorder of our loved one.

4.–Assist our loved one in developing a healthy self-esteem, since it is critical for a balanced emotional live.

5.–Accept mental illness as a fact of life for our loved one, even though mental illness does not encompass all of life.

6.–Take care of ourselves by proper exercise, sleep, diet, relationships, and by monitoring our feelings.

7.–Become a supportive network of family and/or friends who know about the mental illness and who commit to acting in the best interest of our loved one as far as we are able.

8.–Identify the early warning signs that precede a more difficult phase of the mental illness, and help our loved one when these signs emerge.

9.–Acknowledge our dependence on a Higher Power and seek guidance from that Higher Power in whatever way that is comfortable to us.

In A BALANCED LIFE, Smith commits a chapter to each strategy, illuminating his points with real life stories and experiences. In addition, he includes a series of questions that help families or support groups clarify their feelings and understanding of the facts; as well as easy to understand definitions and explanations of  various mental health issues.

If you know or love someone diagnosed with a serious mental illness, or if you belong to a support group related to this topic, this book is a necessity. An excellent resource on so many levels, A BALANCED LIFE helps families achieve just that.

We often hear about suicidal college students, but suicide and suicide attempts are growing problems among younger kids as well. High school and middle school children, particularly boys who live in homes with guns, are killing themselves at alarming and increasing rates. Consider the following facts, gleaned from the National Institute of Mental Health, The Jed Foundation and Ulifeline.org:

• Suicide rates for those between the ages of 10-14 increased 99% between 1980 and 1997. This age group has shown a small decline in the past two years. For 2001, the rate is 1.5 per 100,000.

• In the 10 to 14 age group, white youths (ranked 3rd leading cause of death) were far more likely to complete suicide than black youths (ranked 7th leading cause of death). White males between 10 and 14 years of age were three times more likely to complete suicide than females of the same age.

• In 2001, there were 272 suicides in the U.S among children ages 10 to 14.

• Most adolescent suicides occur after school hours and in the teen’s home.

• Within a typical high school classroom, it is likely that three students (one boy and two girls) have made a suicide attempt in the past year.

• The typical profile of an adolescent nonfatal suicide attempter is a female who ingests pills, while the profile of the typical completer suicide is a male who dies from a gunshot wound.

• Not all adolescent attempters admit their intent. Deliberate self-harming behaviors should be considered serious and in need of further evaluation.

• Most adolescent suicide attempts are precipitated by interpersonal conflicts. The intent of the behavior appears to be to effect change in the behaviors or attitudes of others.

• Repeat attempters (those making more than one nonlethal attempt) generally use their behavior as a means of coping with stress and tend to exhibit more chronic symptoms, poor coping histories, and a higher presence of suicide and substance abuse in their families.

• Many teens display one or more of the signs identified below. If observed, seek professional help:

• Presence of a psychiatric or social disorder (depression, drug or alcohol abuse in home, behavior problems, runs away, has been incarcerated)
• The expression/communication of thoughts of suicide, death, dying or the afterlife (in a context of sadness, boredom, hopelessness or negative feelings)
• Impulsive and aggressive behavior; frequent expressions of rage
• Use of alcohol or drugs
• Exposure to another’s suicidal behavior
• Recent severe stressor (difficulty dealing with sexual orientation; unplanned pregnancy, significant real or anticipated loss, family violence, etc.)
• Family instability; significant family conflict

If you encounter a young person whose situation is mirrored in the above facts, act now. Reach out. Offer help. You may save a life.