Boarding Schools for Girls

It has been estimated that we spend 25 years of our lives sleeping. It sounds like a lot, but it's necessary. Getting adequate sleep improves both our physical and mental conditions. Because they are still growing, teenagers need an average of nine hours of sleep each night -- and failing to get enough sleep has been associated with teen depression and thoughts of suicide.

A Jan. 13 Contra Costa Times article by Tom McMahon provided the following suggestions for helping to ensure that your teen is getting enough sleep:

• Reading before bedtime is a good way to transition into sleep.
• Teens sleep better in cool, quiet and dark rooms.
• Encourage your teens to catch up on sleep on the weekends.
• Exercise daily.
• Do not allow any caffeine or sugar after 5 p.m.

"Explain to your teen the benefits of sleeping an hour or two more than usual," McMahon advised. "[When well rested] you become energized and happier, more alert and creative, and you can concentrate better on a project, you accomplish more, you feel better and you will be refreshed and perform more efficiently."

Labels: parenting, sleep, mental health, depression

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Many people turn to junk food when theyre feeling anxious or sad -- a familiar practice for many women and teen girls . But a new study out of Australia has found that unhealthy food could increase  not decrease  feelings of anxiety and depression in women.

Researchers from the University of Melbourne found that mood disorders were more common among women aged 20 to 93 who, over 10 years, ate primarily processed, refined, high-fat foods. &

When they assessed how diet might relate to mood disorders, they found that a "Western" diet  eating primarily hamburgers, white bread, pizza, chips, flavored milk drinks, beer, and sugar-laden foods  was associated with a 50 percent greater likelihood for depressive disorders. (Source: Reuters)

The team reviewed diet and mental health information for over 1,000 women, and found that 121 had depressive and/or anxiety disorders. High instances of depression and anxiety were consistent even when the study results were adjusted for factors such as age, weight, social and economic status and physical activity.

Labels: nutrition, mental health, depression, junk-food

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Australia's Spinifex Press has announced the publication of a new collection of essays on the sexualization and objectification of girls in modern society. According to a Spinifex release, Getting Real: Challenging the Sexualisation of Girls addresses the many unhealthy effects associated with this unfortunately prevalent problem:

From advertising and merchandising to Bratz and Voodoo Dolls to the Henson affair, Getting Real puts the spotlight on the sexualisation and objectification of girls and women in the media, popular culture and society.

Girls are portrayed as sexual at younger ages, pressured to conform to a "thin, hot, sexy" norm. Clothing, music, magazines, toys and games send girls the message that they are merely the sum of their body parts. The effects of prematurely sexualising girls are borne out in their bodies and minds, with a rise in self-destructive behaviours such as eating disorders and self-harm, along with anxiety, depression and low self-esteem.

Getting Real is edited by Melinda Tankard Reist, an author, women's advocate, and founder of Women's Forum Australia.

Labels: mental health, sex, self-esteem

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Today, it isnt enough for a teenage girl to be smart or athletic or beautiful. Shes expected to be all three at once. And the increased pressure is leading to rises in depression, eating disorders and even suicide.

In his book [Triple Bind], [Stephen] Hinshaw shares stories of teen girls who suffer from the triple bind. He also identifies the early signs that show the pressures are too great, so parents can recognize what their daughters might be silently struggling with and step in to help. (Source: Voice of America)

Parents play a crucial role in countering the pressures faced by teens. Shared meals can be great forums for serious discussions, giving teenagers opportunities to share their fears, concerns and frustrations. Parents can also use the time to help their kids get a healthier perspective on achievement.

Labels: mental health, girls, pressure

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Girls who have been sexually or physically abused during childhood are twice as likely to develop severe mental problems, according to a study from the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College in London. The effect did not hold true for boys.

Dr. Helen Fisher and her colleagues studied two groups of people between the ages of 16 and 64. Women in the study group who had histories of psychosis were more likely to have been abused as children.

Dr. Fisher said she believes that these girls learn to distance themselves from other people and to "internalize" their difficulties. "These findings point to a need for gender-specific interventions for abused children to prevent later mental health and behavioral problems," she said.

The study appeared in the British Journal of Psychiatry.

Labels: abuse, mental health

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