Bipolar Disorders
June 30, 2006
Bipolar disorders are one of several medical conditions called depressive disorders. Depressive disorders affect the way a person’s brain functions.
Depressive disorders are widespread. In the United States alone, it’s estimated that more than 17.4 million adults have a depressive disorder each year. That works out to about one out of every seven people, so there’s a good chance that you or someone you know is dealing with a depressive disorder.
Out of the total number of people with depressive disorders, it’s thought that about 1% to 2% have bipolar disorder - a relatively small group.
What Is Bipolar Disorder?
Bipolar disorder goes by many names: manic depression, manic-depressive disorder, manic-depressive illness, bipolar mood disorder, and bipolar affective disorder are other medical terms for the same condition.
Bipolar disorder is classified into four different types. These are Bipolar I, Bipolar II, Cyclothymic Disorder, or Bipolar Disorder Not Otherwise Specified. Mental health experts separate the condition into these four types because the symptoms of bipolar disorder show up differently in different people. When doctors know what type a person has, they can tailor treatment to that person’s specific needs.
Bipolar disorder affects both men and women. For many people, the first symptoms show up in their early twenties. However, research has shown that the first episode of bipolar disorder is occurring earlier: The condition often shows up in adolescence, and even children can have the disorder.
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Red Rain
June 30, 2006
When aliens visit, will they be driving flying saucers? That was the conventional wisdom of the conventional alien movies of the 1950s. But could aliens arrive in a non-cinematic downpour? That’s the startling word from Kerala, India, where physicist Godfrey Louis has studied a peculiar, blood-red rain that fell in 2001.
In summer, 2001, red rain fell in this 150 km by 450 km area of southwestern India. Data from “The Red Rain Phenomenon…”
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Protecting children from advertising
June 28, 2006
The advertising industry spends $12 billion per year on ads targeted to children, bombarding young audiences with persuasive messages through media such as television and the Internet. The average child is exposed to more than 40,000 TV commercials a year, according to studies. And ads are reaching children through new media technologies and even in schools–with corporate-sponsored educational materials and product placements in students’ textbooks.
But the buck stops here, if APA and its Task Force on Advertising and Children have it their way.
In February, APA’s Council of Representatives adopted the task force’s policy and research recommendations to help counter the potential harmful effects of advertising on children, particularly children ages 8 and younger who lack the cognitive ability to recognize advertising’s persuasive intent.
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Taking Care Of Your Vision
June 26, 2006
Back in 1268, English scientist Roger Bacon had a solution for people whose vision was no longer as sharp as it once was. Bacon said that they could read tiny print by looking through a piece of glass “shaped like the lesser segment of a sphere, with the convex (rounded) side toward the eye.”
Fast forward to the 21st century. Glasses, contacts, and eye surgery to correct vision or replace diseased parts of the eye have become common. Even some forms of blindness can be corrected today because of medical advances in eye care.
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Investing in Parents
June 16, 2006
Investing in Parents
During the First Six Weeks of School
Teachers work hard during the first six weeks of school to get to know their students and to establish a safe and welcoming classroom environment. This early investment makes the whole school year go better. The same idea applies to working with the most influential adults in the children’s lives: their parents.
Although in many schools the first parent conference doesn’t take place until November, teachers can begin early — right as, or even before, the school year starts — to build a positive relationship with parents.
Investing in parents as well as children during those critical first six weeks yields better school-home interactions all year, enriches classroom life, and enhances children’s learning.
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Energy drinks and nutrition bars
June 9, 2006
A typical day for Javier starts early and ends late, and he often finds his energy flagging at key times. So he relies on power drinks and energy bars to get him through school, sports practice, his job, and then homework. Although Javier is usually exhausted by the time he falls into bed, he’s also noticed lately that he’s sometimes too jittery and wired to sleep. He wonders if all those power products are giving him a little too much energy.
Energy drinks and nutrition bars often make big promises. Some say they’ll increase energy and alertness, others offer extra nutrition, and some even claim to boost your athletic performance or powers of concentration. But once you cut through the hype and look past the flashy packaging on energy products, chances are what you’re mostly getting is a stiff dose of sugar and caffeine.
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ADHD
June 9, 2006
ADHD stands for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. ADHD used to be known as attention deficit disorder, or ADD. In 1994, it was renamed ADHD. The term ADD is sometimes still used, though, to describe a type of ADHD that doesn’t involve hyperactivity.
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