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Listen to this29 February
AUSTRALIA
Report on urban poverty: city children excluded from vital services
Cities are failing hundreds of millions of children, leaving them virtually invisible and excluded from vital services, according to a new UNICEF report looking at urban poverty. Child well-being averages are masking the widespread disparities that exist in cities for children’s rate of survival, nutritional status and education access.
Today, more than half the world’s 7 billion people live in urban areas and, by 2050, it is predicted two-thirds of the population will live in cities.
“Today, an increasing number of children living in slums and shantytowns are among the most disadvantaged and vulnerable in the world, deprived of the most basic services and denied the right to thrive,” said UNICEF Chief Executive Norman Gillespie. “In urban areas, high concentrations of poverty combine with inadequate services to drive up child mortality.”
In Bangladesh, the under-five mortality rate for children in slums is 79 per cent higher than the overall urban rate, and 44 per cent higher than the rural rate.
Slums, where children grow up often without secure tenure, registration, running water, adequate sanitation and surrounded by disease and poverty, are a notorious aspect of rapid urbanisation.
UNICEF’s annual flagship report shows that while many children do enjoy the advantages that urban life offers – including access to education, medical and recreational facilities – hardships experienced by children in poor urban communities are often concealed by statistical averages.
The report details the risks these children face, and sets out the steps needed to create cities fit for children.
“When we think of poverty, the image that traditionally comes to mind is that of a child in a rural village,” said Dr Gillespie. “But cities are the setting for some of the greatest disparities for children’s right to health and nutrition, clean water and sanitation, education and protection.
“In some cases, the very poorest children in the most marginalised urban communities may well be worse off than children in rural areas. Because averages lump everyone together, the poverty of some is obscured by the wealth of others.
And Australia isn’t immune to this disparity. At 89 per cent urban and with four of its cities making The Economist’s top ten most liveable list, Australia seems to “do” urbanisation exceptionally well. Yet groups of Australians continue to miss out on access to basic services.
Child and youth homelessness remains a prevailing social problem in Australia and reports show that shelters and other supported accommodation services are stretched to capacity and are forced to turn people away.
Some 30 per cent of Indigenous Australians lives in major cities, and a further 20 per cent live in major inner-regional towns. Yet Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children have child mortality rates of three times their non-aboriginal peers and are the least consulted in Australian policy; Aboriginal children aged 10–17 are 24 times more likely to be jailed than non-Aboriginal children and Aboriginal children are almost 10 times more likely to be in out-of-home care.
The State of the World’s Children report is UNICEF’s authoritative annual assessment of the well-being of children worldwide, with country by country and region by region statistics.
Cities are leaving children virtually invisible and excluded from vital services. Over one-third of children in urban areas go unregistered at birth. Lack of an official identity impedes children’s access to vital services and opportunities and increases their vulnerability to exploitation.
“Lack of birth registration is a huge violation of a child’s right to name, nationality and therefore identity,” said Dr Gillespie.
Urban planners and policymakers need to pay special attention to the rights and interests of children. That means bringing children’s voices into government policy and the implementation and planning of cities.
In Australia, UNICEF is calling for National Children’s Commissioner to address the shortfalls in oversight of policy, accountability, monitoring and participation.
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About UNICEF
UNICEF is the driving force that helps build a world where the rights of
every child are realised. It has the global authority to influence
decision-makers, and the variety of partners at grassroots level to turn
the most innovative ideas into reality. That makes UNICEF unique among
world organisations, and unique among those working with the young.
UNICEF works in over 190 countries to promote and protect the rights of
children. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing
countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, clean water and
sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the
protection of children from violence, exploitation, and HIV. In
Australia, UNICEF advocates for the rights of all children to be
realised and works to improve public and government support for child
rights and international development. UNICEF receives no funding from
the UN, but relies on the voluntary contributions of individuals,
businesses, foundations and governments.
Press release: UNICEF
28 February 2012
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27 February
CALIFORNIA
Partnership Opens Doors for
Former Foster Youth
...
Community Celebrates Grand Opening of
Renovated and Historic Palace, Now Apartments for Emancipated Foster
Youth
Life just got better for 13 former foster youth. On February 22, Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster, Councilmember Patrick O’Donnell, 4th District, The Long Beach Housing Development Company (LBHDC), LINC Housing, and United Friends of the Children (UFC) celebrated the grand opening of The Palace, a renovated building that includes 13 apartments for young adults who have aged out of the foster care system.
“The Palace will provide a stable home to hundreds of young adults working toward gaining employment, finding their own apartment, and completing their education,” Mayor Bob Foster said. “Today is a day for celebration as we empower these young adults on their journey to become successful and independent adults.”
In Los Angeles County, more than 22,000 children are in foster care, and every year 1,400 emancipate. Without meaningful intervention, many of these young people will become homeless or chronically unemployed within two to four years of leaving foster care. In California, 36 percent of foster youth become homeless within 18 months of emancipation. These alarming statistics were the backdrop for LINC, UFC and Long Beach's partnership to create a better future for these young adults.
“When I first learned about this crisis from a PBS documentary I saw 15 years ago, I knew we needed to be part of a solution," said Long Beach City Councilman Patrick O'Donnell. "The Palace is a result of public and private sectors working together to be part of the solution – providing the resources and services to support foster youth at the crucial transitional moments in their lives.”
The renovation of the historic 1920s hotel began in summer 2010. In addition to the 13 studio apartments, the building includes a manager's unit, common areas and offices for program services. Ground floor retail space will be occupied by iCracked, an iPhone and iPad repair service that will hire residents from The Palace. The renovation includes a variety of sustainability features including Energy Star appliances, recycled materials, a high efficiency HVAC system, and dual-flush toilets. Photovoltaic solar panels and ClearEdge5 fuel cell technology are also incorporated to help reduce utility costs. The building is registered with the U.S. Green Building Council and is expected to achieve LEED Gold certification.
“The Long Beach Housing Development Company recognizes that there is a tremendous need to provide affordable housing opportunities to young adults aging out of the foster care system,” said Patrick Brown, Chair of The LBHDC. “Through a coordinated and committed approach with our partners, we were able to deliver the first project of its kind into the City of Long Beach – helping to ensure the success of emancipated foster youth.”
"Housing is a vital foundation for everyone," said Hunter L. Johnson, LINC's president and CEO. "It's been incredibly rewarding to watch the transformation of this historic building, and it will be even more rewarding to see these young adults successfully transition from foster care to independence. LINC is proud to help create this place of hope."
Barry, a new resident at The Palace, summed it up when he said, “I come from a life of struggle and a heart of hope, the Palace is my hope.”
As residents enjoy their own apartments, they'll also take part in UFC's innovative Pathways Transitional Living program. The program, now offered at six housing facilities throughout Los Angeles County serves more than 100 youth annually, creating enduring relationships and challenging program participants to better themselves in a safe and secure environment.
“UFC’s prides itself on delivering quality programs that achieve life changing results for LA’s foster youth,” adds Polly Williams, President of UFC. “Our College Readiness Program has achieved a staggering 95% high-school graduation rate, our College Sponsorship program sees 70% of all participants earn their bachelors degree, and our Pathways program has helped enable 86% of its active alumni to find stable housing and 74% secure employment.”
A portion of the $6.2 million in funding for The Palace came from the federal stimulus package included in The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and created many local construction jobs. Additional funds came from the LBHDC, The Federal Home Loan Bank, U.S. Bank, and Preservation Partners Development. Funds supporting the fuel cells and photovoltaic solar panels were provided by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation through the National Trust Loan Fund, and a grant from The Ahmanson Foundation paid for the apartment and common area furnishings as well as the rooftop furniture. Financial support from the Long Beach Navy Memorial Heritage Association helped fund the historic restoration of the neon hotel sign and brick repainting, and a grant from The Home Depot Foundation helped support the sustainable design and LEED certification.
Press release: PRWeb
25 February 2012
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/2/prweb9222433.htm
* See also Friday's LINK at http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_20023392
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24 February
Parents Warned to Monitor Teens and Young Adults for 'Bath Salts' Possession or Use
Trying to keep up with the changing landscape of illicit drug manufacture and use is a daunting task for a drug education professional, much less a parent. But it is something that must be attempted if children and young adults are to be kept educated and safe from dangerous, even life-threatening drugs.
One of the tactics used by unscrupulous drug manufacturers is to make a new formula that shifts the chemical composition of a banned drug just enough to circumvent the law. It takes awhile for law enforcement agencies to catch up and in the meantime, lives are threatened. Young people going to shops, parties or raves may be offered the new drug.
Which brings us to “Bath Salts.” These are off-white crystals sold in small bottles or foil packets at convenience stores and at raves or dance clubs around the country. They may be named something like Red Dove, Purple, Cloud Nine, Lunar Wave or Pure Ivory. The packaging will state that it is “not for consumption” and that it is just for use in a “refreshing” bath. But smoke it, snort it or shoot it and you will get a hallucinogenic, dissociative high that can be dangerous, even fatal.
More than three thousand calls for help have come in to US Poison Control Centers in the first half of 2011 alone. People have been injuring themselves or arriving in emergency rooms in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Indiana and throughout the South, Midwest and New England states. Psychotic episodes mimic those resulting from PCP use a few decades ago.
At its worst, the drugs in Bath Salts have resulted in extremely high fevers that can cause organ breakdown and death, suicide, homicide and a psychotic state that can only be subdued with a general anesthetic or powerful anti-psychotic drugs.
Bobby Wiggins is a drug education specialist for Narconon. He advised, “Parents should sit down with their teens and young adults and give them the straight story on this deadly drug. They could be saving the life of their own child or one of child’s friends.”
The US Drug Enforcement Administration has just used their authority to place a temporary national ban on the chemicals in the drug, giving legislators time to catch up with federal laws. But this action is just likely to drive dealers of the drug underground.
The psychoactive ingredient in Bath Salts may be Mephedrone , 3,4 methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) or Methylone. In chemical composition and effect, these drugs mimic the action of khat, a plant-based drug grown in East Africa and frequently smuggled into Europe and North America. Bath Salts, which may also be packaged and sold as plant food or “research chemicals” over the internet, are thought to be manufactured in China or India and then smuggled into the US, the UK or Europe.
When talking about Bath Salts, parents can report the following results that have come from emergency room or police reports:
Extremely high fevers that can result in kidney failure and death.
Psychotic episodes in which a person cannot even be subdued even by sedatives or Tasers.|
Homicidal rages or hallucinations that cause a person to leap into traffic, injure someone or commit suicide.
Mental confusion and disorientation lasting months.
“Parents may not learn the name and effects of every new drug that hits the market,” added Mr. Wiggins. “Really, the only safety for our young people is to educate them that they can never know when drug or alcohol abuse will turn deadly. Even if the drug itself is not life-threatening, nearly any drug can result in a fatal accident by altering a person’s perception of speed or distance or slowing their reaction time.” Mr. Wiggins recommended working with youth to develop their goals and then following up to provide assistance in achieving those goals. “When young people look forward to the future and feel they are accomplishing their goals, they are less likely to be sidetracked into drug and alcohol abuse,” he concluded.
To learn more about Narconon drug education or to receive drug education materials for your own use, contact Narconon International at 800-775-8750 or send an email to info@narconon.org
HealthNewsDigest
21 February 2012w
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22 February
Enuresis in Children: Combination Therapy Effective
Combination therapy with desmopressin and the anticholinergic agent oxybutynin is effective in the treatment of monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis (MNE; 45% success compared with 17% success in placebo group: odds ratio [OR], 0.24; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.10 – 0.56; P < .01).
The randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial, performed by Paolo Montaldo, MD, from the Second University of Naples in Italy, and colleagues, was published online February 7 in the British Journal of Urology International. The authors found that the combined therapy was especially effective for children with enuresis who have a restricted bladder capacity and thickened bladder wall.
The study included 206 patients between the ages of 6 and 13 years (mean age, 10.6 ± 2.9 years) who had MNE with a median of 6.6 wet nights per week. Patients were randomly assigned to receive either 120 µg desmopressin or 240 µg desmopressin for 2 weeks. The 120-µg and the 240-µg desmopressin initial dose both gave the same degree of response (OR, 1.44; 95% CI, 0.83 – 2.48; P = .19).
Patients who experienced treatment failure with desmopressin alone were randomly assigned to receive desmopressin plus 5 mg oxybutynin or desmopressin plus placebo for 4 weeks.
Ultrasonography-measured bladder variables were predictive for a diagnosis of MNE, as well as predictive of response to combination therapy or treatment with desmopressin alone. The results were consistent with previous studies indicating that a normal bladder volume and wall thickness index of from 70 to 130 is highly predictive of a good response to desmopressin.
Full responders to combination therapy demonstrated both detrusor overactivity and nocturnal polyuria, whereas desmopressin full responders had greater nocturnal urine production than the partial and nonresponders (P < .01). Thirty-three patients did not respond to either treatment strategy, and they demonstrated neither detrusor overactivity nor polyuria as their predominant pathogenic factor.
Desmopressin is an analog to the antidiuretic vasopressin and is used as an evidence-based therapy for enuresis. Previous studies have had conflicting results as to whether a lower or higher initial dose of desmopressin is more effective.
The current study included patients who failed to respond to 120-µg desmopressin therapy, but responded to 240 µg desmopressin. This is consistent with pharmacodynamic data indicating a clear dose–response relationship for the duration of urinary-concentrating action. The dose of 120 µg would likely last through the early hours of the morning, when enuretic episodes are most likely to occur in children.
The authors write, "We suggest starting with the dose of 120 µg desmopressin and then, if the patient is therapy resistant or only a partial responder, the dose can be doubled, but only if the reappearance of diluting capacity and increased dieresis in the morning is documented."
Medscape News
10 February 1012
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/758442?src=mpnews&spon=9
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20 February
Activity helps even sedentary children be healthy
Higher amounts of time with moderate to vigorous physical activity were associated with better cardiometabolic risk factors, regardless of the amount of time spent sedentary, in a study that included data for more than 20,000 children and adolescents.
Many reports have suggested that higher amounts of time spent sedentary are associated with an adverse cardiometabolic risk profile. "However, the independent and combined associations between objectively measured time spent in moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) and time spent sedentary in relation to cardiometabolic risk factors in youth remain unclear," the authors wrote in background information in the article, which appears in the Feb. 15 issue of JAMA.
Ulf Ekelund, PhD, of the Institute of Metabolic Science in the United Kingdom, and colleagues examined the associations between MVPA and time spent sedentary with established cardiometabolic risk factors in children and adolescents. For the study, the researchers pooled data from 14 studies (between 1998 and 2009) comprising 20,871 children ages 4 to 18 from the International Children's Accelerometry Database.
The independent associations between time in MVPA and sedentary time with outcomes were examined using meta-analysis. Participants were stratified into one of three groups based on MVPA and sedentary time. The cardiometabolic measures used for the study included waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, fasting triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and fasting insulin levels.
Children spent an average of 30 minutes per day in MVPA and 354 minutes per day sedentary. Youth in the group that represented the top third of MVPA accumulated more than 35 minutes per day in this intensity level compared with fewer than 18 minutes per day for those in the low third.
The researchers found that time in MVPA was significantly associated with all cardiometabolic outcomes – waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, fasting insulin, fasting triglycerides and HDL cholesterol – independent of sex, age, accelerometer monitor wear time, time spent sedentary and waist circumference (when waist circumference was not the outcome). Time spent sedentary was not associated with any of the outcomes after additional adjustment for MVPA. The authors did note that "the differences in outcomes between higher and lower MVPA were greater the lower the sedentary time."
"Our results have implications for public health policy and physical activity counseling," they concluded. "Children should be encouraged to increase their participation in physical activity of at least moderate intensity rather than reducing their overall sedentary time as this appears more important in relation to cardiometabolic health.
"However, our measure of sedentary time takes into account the accumulated time spent sedentary rather than a specific behavior (e.g. TV viewing). Therefore, decreasing TV time in youth may still be an important public health goal as TV viewing may be associated with other unhealthy behaviors such as snacking and soft drink consumption."
The researchers added that moving from the group representing the bottom third of MVPA to the top third requires an increase in MVPA of at least 20 minutes per day. They said increasing daily activity at such an intensity level can be achieved through activities such as brisk walking, jogging, cycling and playing soccer and other team sports.
To read a study summary and access the study via subscription or purchase, visit http://bit.ly/wf2GY5.
Press release: Nurse.com
17 February 20123
http://news.nurse.com/article/20120217/NATIONAL02/102270006/-1/frontpage
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17 February
PENNSYLVANIA
Gov. Corbett's 'Fostering Connections' Proposal Can Benefit Pennsylvania's Foster Youth and Taxpayers
Pennsylvania can provide stronger support to older foster youth, encourage adoption and save money by implementing common-sense changes to its foster care policies, according to a new report issued by Juvenile Law Center and Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children.
Significant benefits will be realized by acting on Governor Tom Corbett's budget proposal to fully implement the federal Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008, which provides states with incentives to improve outcomes for foster youth and promote adoption and legal guardianship.
"We know we can do more to help older foster youth make the challenging transition to adulthood and encourage foster families to adopt older youth," said Juvenile Law Center Executive Director Robert Schwartz. "By fully implementing Fostering Connections, we can do both – all while reducing costs."
Under existing state rules, foster parents can receive financial support until a foster youth in their care turns 21 if the youth meets certain educational and/or treatment criteria. Yet similar financial assistance ends at age 18 for families who choose to adopt or act as legal guardians to a foster youth.
"This disparity actually discourages families from adoption or legal guardianship by financially punishing them if they make an older foster child a permanent part of the family," Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children President and CEO Joan Benso explained. "Some foster parents would love to adopt children in their care, but they simply cannot afford it because of this financial disincentive. Thankfully, we have an opportunity to fix this problem."
The changes proposed by Governor Corbett would extend adoption and guardianship subsidies to age 21, the same age limit that exists for foster care support, thereby encouraging permanent placements and improving educational and long-term outcomes.
The governor's proposal also would allow more youth between ages 18 and 21 to benefit from the support of a foster family in cases where adoption or legal guardianship might not be an option.
Currently, Pennsylvania only extends foster care to age 21 for youth under certain circumstances, such as when a foster youth is working toward a high school diploma, enrolled in post-secondary education or receiving medical treatment. The governor's proposal would expand the criteria, allowing foster care to continue to age 21 for youth who are enrolled in job training or working at least 80 hours a month.
Expanding foster care eligibility in this way can provide critical support to older youth as they make the often difficult transition to adulthood. "Whether foster youth go on to college, job training or directly into the workforce, having the continued support of a family can help them navigate the challenges all young people face as they become independent adults," Schwartz said.
Governor Corbett's proposed budget for fiscal 2012-13 estimates Pennsylvania can save $4.5 million in the coming fiscal year by implementing Fostering Connections. In addition to these savings, the implementation will enable the commonwealth to gain millions of dollars in federal support next fiscal year.
More information on the benefits of Fostering Connections can be found on PPC's Porch Light Project website at www.porchlightproject.org/FC2012 or www.jlc.org .
Press release: MarketWatch and PR Newswire
Source Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children
14 February 2012
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15 February
UK
Looked after children and young people say ‘I’m not like Tracy Beaker’ – YoungMinds
Today (Monday 13th February 2012) YoungMinds the UK’s leading children and young people’s mental health charity launches a worrying report highlighting the stigma surrounding the mental health of Looked after Children and Young People.
The report ‘Improving the Mental Health of Looked After Young People’ is released today following recent figures that revealed more applications were made last month to take children into care than ever before. Around 60% of Looked after Young People have some level of mental health problem.
With ever increasing numbers of children being taken into care YoungMinds is warning that services that come into contact with Looked after Children and Young People need to be much more aware of their mental health needs.
YoungMinds worked with 50 young people from residential homes, secure settings and foster placements and ran a variety of creative workshops focusing on the areas of placements, education and support services. Two groups of residential child care workers and supervising social workers were also consulted as part of the research project.
Key findings from the report include:
Participants repeatedly stated that the only representation of children in care that others know is the TV character Tracy Beaker and that they are tired of telling peers that they are ‘not like Tracy Beaker’
Many young people had a fairly negative perception of mental health services. Those who had not accessed services were wary and suggested that they were for people who are particularly unwell. Words such as “mad” and “mental” were used to describe who services maybe aimed at
Most of the young people stated that they did not feel that their emotional needs were understood or that they could talk about their emotional needs at school, especially because staff did not have experience of the care system
They were often anxious when they moved into placements and that their perception of foster care and residential care were very different from reality
YoungMinds recommends for Education services:
In order to reduce stigma, young people should have control over who has access to information about them. It is not necessary for all teaching staff to know that a young person is Looked After.
As part of the admissions “Personal Education Plan” meeting young people should be asked about information sharing. This should be reviewed at the follow up meeting once the young person has begun to develop relationships with school staff.
In order for Looked After Young People’s mental health to be supported, all staff members must have basic training around the needs and experiences of Looked After Young People so that their emotional needs are supported and they can achieve academically.
YoungMinds recommends for Social Services:
To improve Looked After Young People’s mental health and wellbeing they need more information before moving into placements. This includes understanding what a foster placement or residential child care or a secure unit might be like.
Young people must have an opportunity to visit placements prior to moving in and spend time with potential carers.
All foster carers and residential workers must have training in supporting the mental health needs of young people.This needs to be backed up with regular supervision and reflective support sessions.
Young people leaving care need to know that they can have support when they move out of their placements as this can be a very anxious time for them and most feel vulnerable and insecure. Young people stated that it was particularly helpful when they continued to have contact with residential workers from the placement where they had previously lived or other adults with whom they already had a positive relationship with.
YoungMinds recommends for Mental Health Services:
Young people identified carers, family members and participation workers as the adults they were most likely to talk to about their emotional wellbeing. These worked best and lessened the stigma of seeking help where relationships had been given time to develop and for trust to be earned and support was provided in non-clinical settings whilst undertakingother activities.
Peer mentoring may be appropriate if support is given and managed well.
The use of art, play, drama and music should also be used as methods for communication and improving emotional wellbeing.
If young people are to engage with mental health services work must be undertaken by service providers to engage with young people and to develop trusting relationships.
Young people who have experienced considerable trauma may have learned that it is safer not to trust adults and may be rejecting of the therapist for much longer than other than young people and creative ways of developing trust and building relationships may be necessary in order for the therapeutic process to begin.
Considerable work needs to be undertaken to reduce mental health stigma. Involving Looked After Young people in the rebranding of local CAMHS would be helpful so that child centred services can be developed and services reframed so they are more appealing and accessible to young people.
Launching the report, Lucie Russell Director of Campaigns and Policy at YoungMinds said:
“There needs to be more widespread understanding of what it means to be a Looked After Young Person. Participants repeatedly stated that the only representation of children in care that others know is the TV character Tracy Beaker and that they are tired of telling peers that they are ‘not like Tracy Beaker’.
“Looked after children have come from a variety of traumatic backgrounds and experience many of the risk factors that lead to mental health problems including neglect, violence and sexual abuse. Mental health services should be prioritizing the needs of looked after children and ensuring services are designed and delivered to meet them.”
Press release: Young Minds
13 February 201
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13 February
Author Cynthia Kocialski Virtual Book Tour
“A+ grades or extreme talent are not required for success, average can be quite successful,” says Cynthia Kocialski, tech founder. “This book gives hope to those children and young adults who are not straight A, top of the class students.”
From January 17th through March 19th, Cynthia will help anyone realize their goals, avoid common pitfalls, and lay the groundwork through the secondary talents, skills, and mind-set necessary for optimal success. Cynthia provides straight facts, anecdotes, and examples that will enable teens and youth who truly wants to succeed, to launch their career on solid footing.
Not only is she the founder of three tech companies, she has experienced many start-ups and has seen them from the inside out, including the day-to-day trials and tribulations, not just the milestones and status presented to passive investors and outsiders. In the past 15 years, she has been involved in dozens of start-ups and has served on various advisory boards. These companies have collectively returned billions of dollars to investors. Cynthia has held various technical, marketing, and management positions at IBM and Matrox Electronics. Cynthia has Engineering and Mathematics degrees from the University of Rochester and the University of Virginia, respectively. Cynthia says, “It’s those secondary skills, beyond the talent, that creates the packaging needed to make it all happen. So why wait to develop these complementary skills until after you perfected your talent?”
In today’s global, hypercompetitive marketplace, the rules for success have changed dramatically. During Cynthia’s work with start-up companies and entrepreneurs, she realized that many young adults graduate completely unaware of a new playing field that no one has bothered to tell them about – and that is not always predicated by superior grades or talents. In eighteen concise and revelatory chapters, she draws from her own professional achievements and challenges to debunk common myths that can lead astray aspiring professionals in their early years of forging a career.
On the tour, Cynthia will be discussing why some kids are better in business, why youth are ill-equipped to be entrepreneurs, bad habits learned in school that affect careers, why sports is good training for entrepreneurs, how the game changes after the diploma, and how the average student can be highly successful. “And best of all,” says Cynthia, “this book clears up some common misconceptions that kids are told in school that hinder their success in later years.”
Go to http://virtualbooktour-theyppublishing.blogspot.com/p/how-to-prosper-without-being-at-top-of.html website to follow Cynthia’s full tour schedule or visit her website http://cynthiakocialski.com/blog/books/out-of-the-classroom-lessons-in-success and receive a free download.
Press release: PRWeb
11 February 2012
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/2/prweb9184847.htm
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10 February
Link absent between antidepressant and youth suicide
In 2004, concerns about antidepressant drugs increasing suicidal thoughts and behaviors in young patients prompted the FDA to issue a rare "black box warning." Now, a new analysis of clinical trial data finds that treatment with the antidepressant fluoxetine did not increase – or decrease – suicidality in children compared to placebo treatment.
An analysis built on data from 41 trials and more than 9,000 patients also found that two different popular antidepressant drugs were effective at reducing suicidal behavior and depressive symptoms in adult and geriatric patients. The findings are published online Monday in the journal Archives of General Psychiatry.
The failure to replicate the link between antidepressants and suicide should reassure doctors about prescribing these drugs to depressed patients, said first author Robert Gibbons, professor of medicine, health studies, and psychiatry at the University of Chicago Medicine.
"The key finding here, when we re-analyze all the patient-level longitudinal records in these studies, is that antidepressants neither increase nor decrease suicidal thoughts or behavior in children," Gibbons said.
The FDA decision on the black box warning was based on retrospective data from 25 clinical trials of newer antidepressant medications, including the serotonin reuptake inhibitor drug fluoxetine, marketed as Prozac or Sarafem. A meta-analysis combining adverse event data (primarily based on self reports of suicidal thoughts) from the trials revealed a small, but significant, increase in suicidal thoughts and behavior in children and young adults up to the age of 25.
For the new analysis, Gibbons and colleagues from the University of Illinois at Chicago, the University of Miami and Columbia University obtained individual-level, longitudinal clinical trial data – some of it unpublished – from pharmaceutical producers and a large National Institute of Mental Health study of fluoxetine and venlafaxine.
The data included weekly screening of each trial subject for depression and suicidal thoughts, allowing researchers to compare the effect of drug or placebo over time on these measures.
In the analysis of the adult and geriatric trials testing fluoxetine or venlafaxine, both antidepressants were found effective in reducing suicide risk and depression symptoms. These two effects were also found to be statistically associated, suggesting that the drugs reduced suicidality by alleviating depression. Therefore, Gibbons said, effective treatment of major depressive disorder is important for a patient's safety.
"Basically, the results say that the mechanism by which the antidepressants affect suicide rates is by decreasing depression," Gibbons said. "It follows that if a treatment is not working for an individual, the risk for suicidal behavior remains high."
To analyze the effects of antidepressants in children, the researchers used four trials of fluoxetine, which until recently was the only antidepressant approved for pediatric use. Once again, a reduction in depressive symptoms was observed in the drug-treated population compared to placebo. However, no significant change in suicide risk was detected between the two patient groups.
"I think that this paper supports the general idea that the effects of antidepressants in kids and adults are not really the same, since we don't see anything but beneficial effects of antidepressants in adults and geriatrics," Gibbons said. "In kids, we don't see a harmful effect, but we do see a disassociation between the beneficial effects on depression and the potential beneficial effect on suicide."
"This raises continued questions about what's going on in children," he said. "Maybe children think about suicide in part because of depression, but also maybe due to other reasons not related to depression that are not affected by antidepressants."
Gibbons, who sat on the Food and Drug Administration panel that considered placing the black box warning on antidepressants, said he hoped the new results would reassure clinicians about the safety of the drugs.
EurekAlert News Service
8 February 2012
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8 February
US
Parents Blame Child Sex Abuse
Victims More if Perpetrator
is Another Youth
Parents are much more likely to blame and doubt their children when their child has been sexually abused by another adolescent instead of an adult, according to new research from the Crimes against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire.
“Parents may have higher levels of blame toward their child when sexually abused by adolescents because parents have difficulty with the concept of adolescent sex offenders. Some parents may still expect the offender to be an older stranger rather than someone who their child knows, trusts, and is close in age to their child,” said lead researcher Wendy Walsh, research associate professor of sociology at the UNH Crimes against Children Research Center.
“Parents may feel their child could have done something to prevent any association with a troubled adolescent. Some parents might consider sexual acts between those close in age to be consensual and discount the possibility of abuse,” Walsh said.
The research was conducted by Walsh; Lisa Jones, research associate professor of psychology at the Crimes against Children Research Center; and Theodore Cross, research professor at the Children and Family Research Center at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL.
The research is presented in the February 2012 issue of the Journal of Interpersonal Violence in the article “Do Parents Blame or Doubt Their Child More When Sexually Abused by Adolescents Versus Adults?”
The researchers analyzed 161 cases of child sexual abuse in which the suspect was 12 or older and the child victim was 5 or older. The cases were part of data collected by Children’s Advocacy Centers in 10 communities in Alabama, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Texas.
The researchers also found parents had significantly higher levels of blame and doubt as the victim’s age increased and when children were black.
“It is concerning that mothers of black children had significantly higher levels of blame and doubt. It may be that there are particular ethnic and cultural factors that contribute to expressions of more blame and doubt by parents when a child has been reported as a possible sexual abuse victim. It also is possible that unmeasured factors, such as socioeconomic status, could contribute to the identified differences. More research is needed to help explore how blame and doubt is associated with race/ethnicity,” Walsh said.
Previous studies by the UNH Crimes against Children Research Center of sex offenses against minors show that 36 percent of the offenses were committed by juveniles. Other research estimates up to 50 percent of known cases of child abuse involve an adolescent male perpetrator – estimates the researchers consider conservative given the reluctance to report adolescent sex offenders, many of whom who are related to the victim.
“The results of this study suggest that parents view this particular type of sexual abuse differently from that committed by an adult who is 20 years older than the victim. Given these findings and the high rates for illegal sexual behavior committed by adolescents, more needs to be done to educate parents and professionals about the rates of adolescent sexual abuse and why adolescents might be engaging in this type of behavior,” Walsh said.
The UNH Crimes against Children Research Center (CCRC) works to combat crimes against children by providing high-quality research and statistics to the public, policy makers, law enforcement personnel, and other child welfare practitioners. CCRC is concerned with research about the nature of crimes including child abduction, homicide, rape, assault, and physical and sexual abuse as well as their impact. Visit the center online at http://www.unh.edu/ccrc/index.html.
The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world-class public research university with the feel of a New England liberal arts college. A land, sea, and space-grant university, UNH is the state's flagship public institution, enrolling 12,200 undergraduate and 2,300 graduate students.
Source: University of New Hampshire
7 February 2012
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6 February
CANADA
First Nations Youth to Meet UN Children's Rights Committee
Six aboriginal youth are set to jet off to Geneva, where they will present the case of First Nations education to the members of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child.
Six First Nations youth will travel to Geneva, Switzerland, to speak with the 18-member United Nations (UN) Committee on the Rights of the Child on Monday. The youth will recount to the committee their experiences attending a reserve school in Canada.
The youth are travelling with Irwin Elman, the Ontario Child Advocate, and Cindy Blackstock, Executive Director of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society.
Statistics on aboriginal children’s educational attainment show the dramatic scale of inequality in Canada. Aboriginal students receive about $3,000 less in school funding than non-aboriginals. At the same time, only 40 per cent of youth living on reserves complete a high school education.
Later this month, a national panel will present its findings on these issues to Prime Minister Stephen Harper as well as Shawn Atleo, National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations.
The youth are part of the Shannen’s Dream Campaign, named after Shannen Koostachin from the Attawapiskat reserve. Fed up with attending a rundown school next to a diesel oil-contaminated site, Shannen began a letter-writing campaign to improve conditions. While Shannen died tragically in a car accident two years ago her peers have taken up her important mission.
Attawapiskat, a Cree First Nation reserve, made headlines in recent months for the deplorable living conditions—akin to those in developing countries.
Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada has developed a Registered Indian Human Development Index (HDI) using methodology based on the UN HDI, which is a multidimensional measure of poverty taking into account education, income and life expectancy.
The gap between the HDI of aboriginal and non-aboriginal communities remains significant, though it narrowed between 1981 and 2001 thanks to improvements in primary and secondary education. The gap is widest in western Canada.
Statistics also showed that aboriginal men had lower education and life expectancy measures than aboriginal women, but higher incomes.
A report by the Assembly of First Nations stated that in 2006, according to the HDI, First Nations communities would have scored 64th out of 174 countries with data, while Canada generally scores in the top five or ten countries.
The Canadian Council of Child and Youth Advocates will present a 60-page report to the UN committee, in hopes of devising a national strategy to tackle aboriginal schooling. The report is entitled, Aboriginal Children Canada Must Do Better: Today and Tomorrow.
The committee’s previous review of Canada’s child rights situation made many recommendations, some of which have yet to be realized. Advocates hope to see a more meaningful implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which Canada ratified more than twenty years ago.
Press release: SOS Children's Villges, Canada
3 February 2012
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3 February
US
Antipsychotics Add Metabolic Woes to Young Patients' Problems
With new national data finding that 17% of the country’s youngsters are obese, physicians who treat children with antipsychotics face even tougher medication choices.
Because many of the drugs are tied to increases in weight and obesity-driven diseases, it’s not hard to see the looming metabolic train wreck, Dr. Christoph U. Correll said at a psychopharmacology update sponsored by the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
The newest NHANES (National Health and Nutrition Survey), released in January, found that more than one-third of U.S. adults and almost 17% of youth were classified as obese in 2009-2010.
"We are now seeing obese children with type 2 diabetes, and we know that this disease has the same 8-year risk as a myocardial infarction for [another] heart attack," said Dr. Correll of the Zucker Hillside Hospital in Glen Oak, N.Y. "We will see obese children who will not outlive their parents, and we must admit that our treatments are contributing to this."
Studies agree that many antipsychotic medications are associated with significant weight gain, much of that leading to metabolic syndrome, Dr. Correll said. A 2011 meta-analysis of 3,000 children found that those taking olanzapine gained almost 4 kg within just 1 month of starting the medication (Euro. Psychiatry 2011:26:144-58). Quetiapine was associated with a gain of 2 kg over 4 weeks, and risperidone with a gain of 2 kg over 7 weeks. Patients taking aripiprazole gained 1 kg over 6 weeks, whereas those taking a placebo had no weight change.
This phenomenon is directly related to the onset of metabolic syndrome, and its associated cardiovascular risks of lipid abnormalities and hypertension, Dr. Correll said. "The longer you treat, the higher are these rates. And the longer you have cardiovascular risk factors, the greater your chance of death."
A 2006 study illustrates his point. By 10 years of treatment, 21% of patients had metabolic syndrome; by 20 years of treatment, 34%, and after 20 years, 39%.
Age played a significant role, as expected, but a significant difference was found between the general population and patients taking the drugs. Among patients aged 35-45 years, 35% had metabolic syndrome, compared with 6.5% of nonpatients. By 55 years, the prevalence had doubled in the general population, to about 14%, while it increased significantly less in patients, to 38%.
"This shows that we are shifting the metabolic burden to earlier in life. These patients are prematurely metabolically demented, and we are doing this by not taking care of their weight and metabolic problems."
This leaves psychiatrists on the horns of a dilemma, Dr. Correll said. Patients need treatment, but the drugs come with a high physiological price. To decrease patients’ exposure to metabolic risks, he advises starting treatment with the lowest metabolically driven medications, and moving to other drugs only if the less risky ones aren’t controlling symptoms.
Studies suggest that, in most patients, olanzapine confers the greatest risk of weight gain, and risperidone the lowest. Lurasidone is doing "quite well" in adult studies, as far as weight gain goes (Drugs Today [Barc.] 2011;47:807-16), but it has not been examined in children or adolescents. "I think this is something we as pediatric psychiatrists should be trying to get our hands on," Dr. Correll said.
A newly published, randomized trial suggests that valproate might change some of the metabolic activity that drives weight gain in patients taking antipsychotic medications.
Patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or bipolar disorder were randomized to olanzapine or risperidone alone, or to either of the drugs plus valproate as a mood stabilizer. Every one of those taking olanzapine plus valproate experienced significant weight gains, whereas the weight gain occurred in 60% of those taking olanzapine alone.
Weight gain was less common in both risperidone groups. But the addition of valproate seemed to enhance risperidone’s weight-neutral effect: Some 15% of those taking the combination gained significant amounts of weight – significantly fewer than the 30% who gained weight on risperidone alone (J. Clin. Psychiatry 2011;72:1602-10).
The same pattern held with other metabolic measures, including changes in body mass index, glycosylated hemoglobin, total cholesterol, and the triglyceride/HDL cholesterol ratio.
The findings point out just how much remains unknown about the metabolic effects of antipsychotic medications. For now, Dr. Correll said, the best path is to start with the lowest metabolically active drug appropriate for that patient, and closely monitor any metabolic changes.
"At each visit, obtain both weight and body mass index," he said. "Measure waist circumference at least once a year, and provide counseling on diet and exercise."
Dr. Correll disclosed that he is a consultant for and is on the advisory boards of numerous drug companies, and also receives research support and honoraria from many of them.
Michele Sullivan
Clinical Psychiatry News Digital Network
31 January 2012
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1 February
Bad times for L.A. nonprofits that help people in need
That includes organizations providing emergency shelter, food, hospice care, and support for foster children, at-risk youth and the elderly. Many of them are struggling because of cuts in government funding, delays in reimbursement, decreases in private giving – and a corresponding increase in demand, according to a study by UCLA's Luskin School of Public Affairs. "This report shines a light on the new face of poverty," said lead author Zeke Hasenfeld, From press release:
"This survey confirms many of the things we have been hearing anecdotally," said Bill Parent, acting director of the center. "It is distressing news on two levels. First, there is a decline in assistance for the poorest and most vulnerable. Second, there is a deep and persistent weakening of the nonprofit sector, which in terms of employment numbers, is almost as large as the entertainment industry in Los Angeles County." In September 2011, the latest date for which data is available, there were 31,600 registered 501(c)(3) public charities in Los Angeles County, generating more than $35 billion in economic activity and employing over 230,000 people. About 6,300 nonprofits classify themselves as human-services nonprofits. Highlights from the report's findings include:
15 percent of the human-services nonprofits surveyed in 2002 no longer exist.
81 percent reported significant staff turnover in the past three years.
41 percent had cut programs.
10-20 percent of the surviving nonprofits surveyed in 2002 were so understaffed and stressed that they had trouble finding the time and the data needed to complete the current survey.
Sadly, this story has been unfolding for several years. Below (*) is the link to a piece I wrote in Los Angeles magazine a couple of years ago about L.A.'s have- and have-not nonprofits. * http://www.lamag.com/columns/business/story.aspx?ID=1335398
Mark Lacter
30 January 30 2012
http://www.laobserved.com/biz/2012/01/bad_times_for_la_non.php
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