Stress can trigger emotional disorders in children

CHILDREN are more likely to develop emotional and behavioural disorders if they experience stressful events such as bereavement, divorce or serious illness. A three-year study has found children who experienced three or more stressful events were three times more likely to develop emotional disorders than those who had not. Children who had suffered a serious or chronic illness were also twice as likely to develop emotional problems, according to the report published by the Office for National Statistics. Other factors which increased a child's chance of developing an emotional disorder included living in a single-parent household.

Children and young people were assessed in 2004 and again in 2007.Almost a third (30 per cent) of those who had emotional disorders in 2004 still had them three years later.The research found children who lived in rented accommodation were also more likely to suffer persistent emotional problems.

The report, commissioned by the Department of Health and the Scottish Government, listed nine stressful life events: parental separation, major financial crisis, parental court appearance, serious illness, serious accident, bereavement, parental serious illness, parental mental illness and the end of a close friendship.

But children who went to clubs or groups outside school were less likely to develop disorders.
22 October 2008- By Beverley Rouse

'Credit crunch insomnia' emerging

Concern about the economy is keeping about half of people in the UK awake at night, an online poll suggests. Nearly half of the 1,000 men and women surveyed by NetDoctor said they were sleeping worse now than a year ago.
One-fifth of them are regularly getting fewer than five hours sleep a night and a quarter wake up more than three times a night, the survey suggests. Stress was cited as a major factor, with two-thirds blaming money and work worries for their insomnia.
Snoring was also a contributing factor, with 30% complaining that their partner's snoring keeps them awake at night. NetDoctor carried out the survey after noticing a surge in hits to its website from users looking for advice on insomnia.

Half of those who responded to the online questionnaire said they would like to sleep longer than eight hours per night, if they could. Yet less than a fifth (17%) were able to. One in 10 said it takes two hours or more for them to get to sleep each night. And of those who wake during the night, 63% find it hard to get back to sleep. 13/10/08 - BBC News

Stress Management Programme recommended by doctors surgery

A South London surgery is taking important steps in helping sufferers of anxiety and mild psychological distress deal with their problems without medication or counselling. They are recommending that selected patients attend a relaxation and stress management programme hosted at the GPs' surgery by the Relaxation For Living Institute. This programme of four weekly 1.5 hour classes helps the patients deal with the symptoms of anxiety and manage their response to the stresses of daily life more effectively.

Doctors are increasingly researching alternative methods of helping their patients deal with the growing epidemic of anxiety and ill-health caused by work-related stress. The negative effects of stress are responsible for 6 million sick days a year in the UK alone. According to a national survey, 1 in 5 people are stressed even before they eat their breakfast and half the UK population struggles to sleep at night because of an inability to "switch off". The Relaxation for Living Institute offers a simple, accessible programme that can help everyone suffering from these problems without the need for medication. - Medical News Today - (19/02/08)

Stress may increase a woman's risk of developing cervical cancer

A woman's daily stress can reduce her ability to fight off a common sexually transmitted disease and increase her risk of developing the cancer it can cause, according to a new study. No such association is seen, however, between past major life events, such as divorce or job loss, and the body's response to the infection.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is spread during sexual intercourse. The most common subtype of the virus is HPV16. Infection with HPV16 and other HPV subtypes can cause cervical cancer. - Medical News Today - (16/02/08)

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