Category: help me

Intersex is a general term used for a variety of conditions in which a person is born with a reproductive or sexual anatomy that does not fit the typical definitions of female or male.  The older term for this is hermaphroditism.  It includes around 30 conditions, some of which may be identified at birth, some during puberty, some when people try to conceive, and some are never identified.

Gender, as a binary system (either male or female) is a cultural or social construct.  Some cultures have different interpretations on gender and don’t just see things as male or female.  For example, in Samoa, fa’afafine, in Thailand, kathoeys, and in Native American – the two spirit people.

In Western culture, in the recent past, parents of intersex new-borns were put in a very difficult situation and read more »

Eva Redei, a professor of Psychiatry at North Western University, Chicago, USA, believes it may be possible to diagnose depression with a simple, quick blood test at the doctor.  Just like checking our iron levels.

Using a blood test, Redei identified nine biomarkers that differed between depressed and non-depressed individuals and was able to identify 100% of those suffering from depression.  These biomarkers signify a difference in gene expression associated with depression. read more »

Adolescent Low Mood and Family Processes

According to Nick Allen (Orygen Youth Health Research Centre, University of Melbourne), family interactions predict depression more strongly, than do peer interactions.  The more that family members have positive interactions with each other, the more likely it is that the adolescent will be protected from depression.

This is great news because it suggests that no matter what storm is happening to your teen outside the home (e.g., bullying, relationship break up, exam stress), when families pull together and create a great family bubble (where their teen enjoys being at home), the teen is less likely to experience depression or more quick to recover. read more »

One out of 4 fathers experience symptoms of Post-Natal Depression (PND) during the 12 months following the birth of their child.  While most of them may not meet the full criteria for PND, many men report symptoms of depressed mood, low interest in their regular activities, feelings of worthlessness, loss of energy, and fears that their problems will be dismissed or they will be stigmatised in some way (e.g. seen as weak). While PND is more common in mothers (affecting about 15% of women with slightly higher rates for Maori women), often both partners are suffering some symptoms of depression and men often get missed. read more »

Disturbing thoughts?

Have you ever found yourself thinking something just plain awful?

And then felt guilty and ashamed of yourself?

Psychologist, Eric Klinger at the University of Minnesota, did a landmark experiment nearly 30 years ago.  He asked people to take a handheld device for one week.  Whenever the handheld device emitted a noise, the subjects in his experiment had to record what they were thinking.  His research showed that people had about 90 thoughts per day that felt unwanted and uncomfortable.  These were mean thoughts such as “I’m glad my ex is unhappy” or politically incorrect thoughts such as “I would hate to have a child with a disability”.  read more »