Jezebel
girls, interrupted
Posts Tagged “
mental health
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girls, interrupted
mommy mayhem
Study: Child Adoptees More Likely To Turn Into Teen Terrors
If wee Zahara Jolie-Pitt turns out to be a total goth who listens to Morrissey nonstop and refuses to leave her room, Brad and Angie shouldn't blame themselves; adopted children are twice as likely to be diagnosed with an emotional or behavioral problem, says a new study out of the University of Minnesota. According to Time, "foreign adoptees are far more likely to internalize their problems, suffering more commonly from depression or separation anxiety disorders," explaining Zahara's potential black-clad teenhood. "Domestic adoptees, on the other hand, tend to act out." Before the University of Minnesota's research, it was assumed that adoptees were diagnosed with mental health issues more frequently than other children because their parents were often wealthy and had better access to psychiatric care than the average child; this study suggests that that the disparity could be due to genetics or poor perinatal care. "The deleterious effects may quite possibly have come before the adoption ever took place," study author, psychologist Margaret Keyes points out. More »
what it feels like for a girl
Are Men Less Likely To Be Depressed Because They Don't Even Know What It Is?
The National Alliance on Mental Illness has announced that while 18 million Americans experience depression every year, one in eight women get depressed, which is twice the rate of depression in men. Twice the rate. In addition, depression hits minorities the most: Middle-aged Hispanic women have the highest rate, then middle-aged African-American women. Young Asian-American women have the second highest rate of suicide among those ages 15 to 24. There are many reasons that women are more likely to experience depression: In addition to genetic factors, brain chemistry issues, and psychosocial losses or changes, there are things that women have to deal with that men usually do not. "Some experiences are unique to women," Dr. Ken Duckworth of the NAMI says, "including post-partum changes, infertility and hormonal fluctuations throughout their lives." But one has to wonder: Do men even realize what depression is? More »
Skip The Shrink
Were the "good old days" better for our brains? A new study out of Scotland says that just 20 minutes of housework boosts your mental health and eases stress and anxiety. In another study, researchers from Norway have found that farm animals are therapeutic for people with mental illness. Patients who worked with farm animals for 3 hours twice a week for 12 weeks showed positive effects on their quality of life and ability to cope. So basically we should all be housewives for Tibetan goatherds or something. Who's in? [UPI, EurekAlert]
sanity and womanity
How Many "Crazy Girls" Are Really Wandering This Earth Anyway?
Here's a little story about an exception that proves the rule: Susan Monica Kriss, 23, was arraigned today on charges she falsely accused a man of hatching a plot with Al Qaeda to hijack a plane to Egypt. The guy turned out to be Susan's ex-boyfriend; Egypt was where he planned to marry another girl. Pretty crazy, right? Yeah, she crazy. But is "Crazy Girl" really a type? The latest Details claims she is. "She may have taken the form of the smoky-eyed goth brooder, the tortured heiress, or the unhinged sorority girl. Whatever her identity, chances are she was intoxicatingly sexy, intense, unstable, mercurial, and impossible to be at ease around in social settings. She was completely and debilitatingly exhausting." Hmmmm. Okay, but how may girls are really like that? Aren't most of them going through a phase? Or acting out in response to dudes who, in the word of one "Crazy Girl"-holic, look at a girl with dark eyeliner and see "a little wounded bird"? Still, I'm sick of blaming dudes for everything all of a sudden. More »
pop quiz
Should "News" Outlets Leave Britney Alone?
Over on Portƒolio.com, Jeff Bercovici writes about Asra Nomani, a former Wall Street Journal reporter and People contributor who thinks that responsible news organizations must lay off Britney Spears because she is mentally ill. "By exploiting Spears' moment of vulnerability, media companies have crossed the line of basic moral decency," wrote Ms. Nomani in an op-ed for the LA Times. Ms. Nomani, whose brother has been diagnosed with schizo-affective disorder, suggests People, Page Six and everyone just stop. "Time Warner Inc., News Corp. and others should halt all coverage of Spears until she is healthy. Let's leave Britney and her family alone." More »
drive me crazy
