Andrew Lipsitt and parents "Marcie and Eric Lipsitt of Franklin -- are featured in an HBO documentary scheduled to air Wednesday (1/6/10) that sheds light on how families cope with a diagnosis of pediatric bipolar disorder"
Abstract"Objective To evaluate whether a new computerised cognitive behavioural therapy intervention (SPARX, Smart, Positive, Active, Realistic, X-factor thoughts) could reduce depressive symptoms in help seeking adolescents as much or more than treatment as usual.Design Multicentre randomised controlled non-inferiority trial.Setting 24 primary healthcare sites in New Zealand (youth clinics, general practices, and school based counselling services).Participants 187 adolescents aged 12-19, seeking help for depressive symptoms, with no major risk of self harm and deemed in need of treatment by their primary healthcare clinicians: 94 were allocated to SPARX and 93 to treatment as usual.Interventions Computerised cognitive behavioural therapy (SPARX) comprising seven modules delivered over a period of between four and seven weeks, versus treatment as usual comprising primarily face to face counselling delivered by trained counsellors and clinical psychologists.Outcomes The primary outcome was the change in score on the children's depression rating scale-revised."
"The Child Mind Institute, dedicated to transforming mental health care for children everywhere, is waging war against the stigma, lack of awareness, and misinformation that cause so many children to miss out on treatments that can change their lives with its second annual national public education program, Speak Up for Kids. It will be held during National Children's Mental Health Awareness Week, May 6-12, 2012."
Treatment is challenging both because interventions with clear empirical support have not been identified and because individuals affected by AN are typically reluctant to undergo weight restoration. Preliminary studies suggest that family-based treatment may be useful for younger patients with AN. Treatment development for adults with AN and pursuit of neurobiological correlates of AN remain high-priority research areas. (requires subscription or payment)
From the abstract: "the current study provides a
n
analysis of
homeless and runaway youths'
attitudes
towards mental health servic
es
in
order to identify possible factors t
hat can
assist service
providers with understanding and increasing service
engagement
.
V
ariables examined
included help seeking propensity, psychological
openness
,
concern for
mental health
stigma, parental maltreat
ment, street victimization and
services n
eeds assessment.
The
current study also examines
the relationship between
social support
and
attitudes toward
mental health services.
A
comparison sample of
housed
youth
was obtained
in order to
de
termine if
mental health
attitudes
are unique
to
homeless y
outh.
Fifty
-
six youth who identified as homeless
were
recruited
through youth drop
-
in
centers and
a shelter
in
Northern California
,
and
97
housed
youth were
recruited
from
alternative
community
continuation
schools
in the same region
.
A
nalys
is
of
v
ariance
iii
showed that
homeless and housed groups
did not
differ
significant
ly
on
attitudes
toward
mental health services, help seeking propensity, psychological openness, and concern for
mental health stigma
.
Additional f
indings revealed that
, for homeless youth,
t
he
more
perceived friend support
, the
more their
concern
for
mental health stigma
decreased
and
the
more
supportive individuals
available
,
the more positive
attitudes toward mental
health services and
help seeking propensity
increased
.
Comparison
of correl
ations
between
homeless and housed
groups revealed
only one significant difference;
the
association
between perceived family support and help seeking propensity was strongest
for the housed group
than for the homeless group
.
Results demonstrate
d
that home
less youth and housed youth share similar
attitudes toward mental health services
, help seeking propensity, psychological openness,
and c
o
ncern for mental health stigma.
Mean scores
obtained on these measures
were
comparable
to the only existing study on