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[Items relating to the situation of contemporary young people]

HIGH CORTISOL LEVELS ASSOCIATED WITH TEEN SUICIDE
(September 2003) Journal Watch Psychiatry, www.jwatch.org reports: “depressed adolescents followed longitudinally were found to have cortisol levels that tended to correlate with recurrent episodes or chronicity of depression, and depressed teens with histories of suicide attempts appear to have high cortisol levels.” Also, the “sudden drop in cortisol levels after sleep onset suggests some dysfunction in sleep-onset mechanisms.” This study was done by Mathew SJ et al. and published in Neuropsychopharmacology 2003 Jul;28:1336-43.

FDA RULING CAUSES DISCLOSURE OF SIDE-EFFECTS OF ANTIPSYCHOTICS
(September 18, 2003) According to Forbes.com, the Eli Lilly drug manufacturers took the “unusual step of publishing on its Web site a letter from the FDA adding new warning language to Lilly's top-selling drug” in what Forbes called “all-out marketing war.” The FDA has decided to add warning language to all of a class of medicines called atypical antipsychotics saying that these drugs could be linked to hyperglycemia, or high blood sugar, and diabetes. The FDA language itself does not specify whether any particular drug is linked to diabetes, stating that data are not sufficient to provide reliable estimates of the differences between the drugs when it relates to high blood sugar. [www.forbes.com/2003/09/18/cx_mh_0918lly.html]

STUDY: GROUP COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL THERAPY EFFECTIVE FOR ANXIETY
(October 2003) Journal Watch Psychiatry, Vol 9, Number 10, www.jwatch.org. reported a study of the use of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) that was published in J Consult Clin Psychol 2003 Aug; 71:821-5. Recent approaches for using CBT emphasize reduced intolerance of uncertainty, application of problem-solving skills and exposure procedures. They concluded these approaches were effective when used in a group format, which could result in "savings in therapists' time and patients' costs."

ARM FRACTURES ON RISE IN TEENS
(October 2003) The Spokesman-Review, www.spokesmanreview.com reports: "forearm fractures during the past 30 years have jumped an alarming 42 percent among adolescent boys and girls, researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, have found." The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, included data from 1969 to 2001. They claim the increase in high-risk activities such as rollerblading and skateboarding is not the "major cause of the increase" of arm fractures, but "it could be related to increased consumption of soft drinks and accompanying decrease in the consumption of calcium-rich milk." They noted that a quarter of the bone mass in adult women and men is accumulated during the adolescent growth spurt.

BRITAIN ISSUES WARNING ON ANTIDEPRESSANT
(October, 2003) “In June the British government warned that doctors should not prescribe the antidepressant drug Paxil for children and teens. Paxil (called Seroxat in Britain) is associated with an increased risk of self-harm as well as suicidal thoughts and behavior in people under age 18.” [Reprinted from Latitudes, published by the Association for Comprehensive NeuroTherapy, www.Latitudes.org, reported in Pure Pacts, www.feingold.org, October 2003, Vol. 27, No. 8.]

NEW OJJDP WEB PAGE FOR MENTORS
(October, 2003) CADCA E-News, www.cadca.org, announces the Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) launched a web page designed to help those interested in mentoring connect with mentoring programs across the country through Juvenile Mentoring Program (JUMP). The web site provides information on funding, training and technical assistance, OJJDP publications and links to other mentoring organizations and publications at: www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ojjdp/mentoring. More information can be found about JUMP at: www.ojjdp.ncjrs.org/jump/index.html.

AMERICA'S MOST CONNECTED CAMPUSES
(October, 06, 2003) The Princeton Review ranks the technological sophistication of 351 college campuses, at: www.forbes.com/2003/10/01/conncampusland.html. It lists the "Top 25 Most Connected Campuses," as well as a list sorted by: Rank, School, State, Number Of Undergraduate Students, Number Of Computers, and Computer/Student Ratio.

JET-POWERED TURBO-ATTACK HELICOPTER PARENT MODEL
(Oct. 10, 2003) Jim Fay, president and cofounder of the Love and Logic® Institute, Golden, Colorado, 800-338-4065, carolt@loveandlogic.com, www.loveandlogic.com, in a Press Release titled "Make Your Kid Responsible For Their Actions," discusses what he sees as a national epidemic of parents "obsessed with the desire to create a perfect image for their kids.... one in which their kids never have to face struggle, inconvenience, discomfort, or disappointment." He sees this as much more prevalent and an aggressive stance than 30 years ago. He refers to these parents as "Jet-Powered Turbo-Attack Helicopter Parent Model," who swoop down "on any person or agency who might hold their children accountable for their actions." www.expertclick.com/NewsReleaseWire/
default.cfm?Action=ReleasePrint&ID=5076.

ASPEN AND BROWN SCHOOLS "UNIQUELY EQUIPPED" TO SERVICE SERVING SPECIAL NEEDS
(October 15, 2003) Eduventures, www.eduventures.com reports: "the 6.5 million students with disabilities in today's public schools represent roughly 12 percent of all students," with more than 20 percent, or $70 billion, of all education expenditures in the U.S. designated for students with disabilities… Service providers such as Aspen Education and Brown Schools are uniquely equipped to service this population with in-school or outsourced educational programs. As a result of the NCLB legislation, failing schools will be increasingly required to turn to third-party providers to provide supplementary education..."

TEENAGERS IDENTIFIED AS NEXT GREAT UNTAPPED MARKET FOR WIRELESS PHONES
(October 17, 2003) Forbes.com identified "the next great untapped market for wireless-phone customers--at least in North America--will be teenagers. The market potential is significant… And teens do have spending power--amounting to $172 billion in 2001, or about $104 a week, according to Teenage Research Limited in Northbrook, Ill." www.forbes.com/2003/03/21/cx_ah_0321tentech.html

EDUCATIONAL ROLE REVERSALS COULD EXPAND TO WORKPLACE
(October 19, 2003) The Spokesman-Review, www.spokesmanreview.com reported: "while girls' educational attainment continues to skyrocket, boys' performance at school, from elementary through college, has stayed flat or worsened for decades - meaning men's ability to land professional jobs in the future will decline. Men earned 43 percent of all bachelor's degrees and 42 percent of master's degrees last year, down from 51 percent of both types of degrees in 1980." Bachelor's degrees awarded to women increased by 21 percent compared with men's increase of 6 percent between 1990 and 2000 according to the U.S. Department of Education.

SITE PUTS TEENS ON A SAFE ROAD
(October 19, 2003) DaimlerChrysler's new teen driver program called Road Ready Teens, www.roadreadyteens.org includes an online video game designed to teach teens about drunken driving, night driving and driving with too many passengers. Their website also includes links to resources such as state-by-state teen driving laws and a parental guide to getting teens ready for safe driving, as reported in the Spokesman-Review, www.spokesmanreview.com.

CHADD HOLDS 15TH ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
(October 21, 2003) CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder), www.chadd.org/index.cfm, announced its 15th Annual International Conference on Oct. 29 - Nov. 1, 2003 in Denver, CO, featuring over 100 presenters, including Thomas R. Insel, M.D., director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), and Nora Volkow, M.D., director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). To register: www.chadd.org/webpage.cfm?cat_id=14&subcat_id=26

STUDY FINDS HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF INMATES MENTALLY ILL
(October 22, 2003) The NY Times, www.nytimes.com, reports a Human Rights Watch study released October 21 stating: "one in five of the 2.1 million Americans in jail and prison are seriously mentally ill, far outnumbering the number of mentally ill who are in mental hospitals." It concludes, "jails and prisons have become the nation's default mental health system as more state hospitals have closed and as the country's prison system has quadrupled over the past 30 years." Also, "the level of illness among the mentally ill being admitted to jail and prison has been growing more severe… mentally ill inmates have higher than average disciplinary rates..." and are "disproportionately placed in solitary confinement." This is "particularly difficult for mentally ill inmates because there is even more limited medical care there, and the isolation and idleness can be psychologically destructive."

FREE ONLINE JOURNAL PUBLISHES SCIENTIFIC FINDINGS
(October 26, 2003) The new online journal, Public Library of Science (PloS), www.plos.org, makes vital research freely available on the Internet. Instead of charging for subscriptions, this nonprofit organization, co-founded by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Researcher Michael Eisen, Nobel laureate Harold Varmus and Stanford University biochemist Patrick Brown, charges scientists $1,500 each to publish their papers. They argue that research paid for with $57 billion in federal funding should be instantly and freely available, since taxpayers have already paid for it. The story, reported by The Spokesman Review, www.spokesmanreview.com, cited Duke University research first published on PloS on October 12, 2003, which has gained national recognition. Published by the Nicoleilis lab, www.nicolelislab.net, it documents monkeys moving a robot arm with their thoughts. The neurobiologists said, “the technology they developed for analyzing brain signals could also greatly improve rehabilitation of people with brain and spinal cord damage from stroke, disease or trauma.”

COUPLE ARRESTED AFTER TEENAGERS FOUND - BOTH UNDER 50 POUNDS
(October 26, 2003) Associated Press reports "a couple whose two adopted teenage sons weighted less than 50 pounds have been arrested on charges of starving four boys they adopted through the state Division of Youth and Family Services, New Jersey's troubled child welfare agency..." Five adopted children were living in their home, where "locks were apparently used to keep the boys from the kitchen and the children were fed uncooked pancake batter."

“NEUROSCIENCE REACHES A SORT OF COCKY ADOLESCENCE”
(October 26, 2003) Forbes.com reports: “a growing breed of researchers are applying the methods of the neurology lab to the questions of the advertising world… researchers at the Mind of the Market Laboratory at Harvard Business School -- who work as full-fledged ''neuromarketers,'' conduct brain research with the help of corporate financing and share their results with their sponsors… Not long ago, M.R.I. machines were used solely for medical purposes, like diagnosing strokes or discovering tumors. But neuroscience has reached a sort of cocky adolescence… placing test subjects in M.R.I. machines and analyzing their brain activity as they do everything from making moral choices to praying to appreciating beauty. Paul C. Lauterbur, a chemist who shared this year's Nobel Prize in medicine for his contribution in the early 70's to the invention of the M.R.I. machine, notes that it seems only natural that the commercial world has finally caught on.” He said: “If I were [a company], I'd go in there and I'd start scanning people.''

ADULTHOOD: MOST SAY IT STARTS AT 26
(October 27, 2003) The Associated Press story reported in the Spokesman Review, www.spokesmanreview.com, states: “gone is the notion that adulthood officially started at 18, when one typically graduated from high school – or even 21, the modern-day age limit for drinking alcohol. Now many experts simply consider those markers along the way… A University of Chicago survey, released earlier this year, found that most think adulthood begins at age 26.”

Brazil Becomes a Cybercrime Lab
(October 27, 2003) So far this year, nearly 96,000 overt Internet attacks - ones that are reported, validated or witnessed - have been traced to Brazil. That was more than six times the number of attacks traced to the runner-up, Turkey, reported last month, according to the New York Times. “The country is becoming a laboratory for cybercrime, with hackers - able to collaborate with relative impunity - specializing in identity and data theft, credit card fraud and piracy...” www.nytimes.com/2003/10/27/technology/27hack.html?th

Global Volunteer Day
(October 27, 2003) Anne Giaritta, anne.giaritta@winningstrat.net, writes: “On October 4, in the spirit of corporate sponsored volunteerism, Prudential Financial, Inc. held its ninth annual Global Volunteer Day, a nationwide initiative designed to encourage employees to take part in building, maintaining, and beautifying the communities in which they live and work… Organizations benefiting from the event include Habitat for Humanity, the American Cancer Society, Second Harvest, and the Special Olympics… Corporate volunteer programs are critical to creating responsible corporate citizens and fostering stable family life across the United States and the world beyond.”

FOR SUPERSIZED KIDS, INACTIVITY IS WORSE THAN OVEREATING
(October 29, 2003) Andrea West, Jazzercise/ Colle+McVoy, 952-852-7075, andrea.west@collemcvoy.com, writes: “studies from the Centers for Disease Control are conclusive. More than 74 percent of U.S. kids do not regularly participate in moderate physical activity... Slashed school budgets… leave more than two-thirds of students without daily PE and more than half not attending physical education classes at all.” She advocates Jazzercise, www.jazzercise.com, 800- FIT-IS-IT, created in 1969 by Judi Sheppard Missett, as the “world's leading dance-fitness program… designed to enhance cardiovascular endurance, strength and flexibility.”

DO TEEN DRUG PROGRAMS TURN CASUAL USE INTO ADDICTION?
(January 3, 2003) Maia Szalavitz’s article at: slate.msn.com/id/2076329/, states, “The number of teenagers in drug treatment as a result of court coercion and school diversion increased by nearly 50 percent between 1993 and 1998 according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and the number of teen admissions to treatment programs in general rose from 95,000 in 1993 to 135,000 in 1999.” Szalavitz claims zero tolerance policies force casual users into treatment that “forces a teen to assert that they have no control [which] may do more harm than good, if they have only been experimenting with drugs but are convinced, via treatment, that they are serious addicts… A 1996 study published by Bill Miller, professor of psychology at the University of New Mexico, found that those adults who most accepted the idea of personal powerlessness had the most severe and dangerous relapses. Research presented at a National Institute on Drug Abuse conference compared teens in traditional group sessions with peers to teens who received family therapy, with a third group who had both kinds of care combined. The kids in the peer-group sessions used 50 percent more marijuana after treatment, while the kids in the combined treatment used 11 percent more pot. The teenagers treated with their parents, however, decreased their marijuana use by 71 percent.”

PHYSICAL EXERCISE: HELPFUL FOR ALCOLHOLISM TREATMENT?
(October 31, 2003) “Exercise interventions of established efficacy would add an important adjunct treatment option for persons with Alcohol Use Disorders (AUD), thereby providing a healthy, accessible, and affordable means of achieving and maintaining long-term sobriety.” This conclusion, from an article published in Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 2003, Vol. 34, No. 1, 49-56, by J.P. Read and R.A. Brown, is based on an exploration of “a growing body of literature” stating “physical exercise is associated with favorable mental health outcomes…However, exercise-based interventions have rarely been applied to this [AUD] population.”

TIME MAGAZINE:”ARE WE RAISING GENERATION Rx?”
November 3, 2003) The Time Magazine, www.time.com, Vol. 162, No. 14 article, “Medicating Young Minds” asks “Are we raising Generation Rx?” It quotes Dr. Ronald Brown, professor pediatrics at the Medical University of South Carolina, “While we don’t know exactly why the incidence of psychopathology is increasing in children and adolescents, it probably has to do with better diagnosis and detection…” A statement by Dr. Glen Elliott, UCSF Psychiatric Institute also is quoted: “Our usage exceeds our knowledge base. We’re learning what these drugs are to be used for, but let’s face it: we’re experimenting on these kids.”