Loneliness in adolescence and suicidal thoughts: is depression the link?

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About 1 in 10 teenagers experience severe loneliness. A new 13-year study examines what this means for their future mental health and suicide risk.

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Mental health awareness: what we have gained, and what we did not expect

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Mental health awareness campaigns have reduced stigma and encouraged help-seeking, but a new review asks whether they also have unintended psychological costs such as inflating distress, driving self-diagnosis, and overwhelming services.

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Metformin reduces weight gain in young people taking antipsychotics

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Large pragmatic trial found metformin plus lifestyle intervention reduced weight gain in young people with bipolar disorder taking antipsychotics. Effect significant but modest at 6 and 24 months.

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Healing takes time: Can cognitive therapy for PTSD help young people in CAMHS? Insights from DECRYPT

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PTSD in young people is common, complex, and often entangled with depression, anxiety, and multiple traumatic experiences. A major new UK trial (DECRYPT) tested whether a structured form of trauma-focused cognitive therapy (CT-PTSD) can work in real CAMHS settings for those with the most severe difficulties.

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Is vaping really a gateway to smoking? New review of youth vaping confirms uncertainty

Clinicians who withhold opiates to protect patients from self-harm may be doing more harm than good; is it time to retire this outdated assumption?

Vaping is helping millions quit smoking, but concerns about teen uptake remain. A new blog explores whether the ‘gateway hypothesis’ stands up to scrutiny in the latest umbrella review of vaping harms in young people.

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Teen drug use today, mental health struggles tomorrow? What the evidence says

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Ian Hamilton unpacks a new study revealing how teenage substance use can pave the way to serious mental health struggles later in life. A clear warning: early use today could mean bigger problems tomorrow.

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Brushstrokes and breakthroughs: how can gallery-based art therapy improve young people’s mental health?

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KCL MSc student Amanda Lunsford explores the impact of gallery-based art therapy on mental wellbeing, self-expression, and personal growth. What could this creative, community-based approach mean for young people?

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Trauma-informed practice in youth justice

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Alice Dawson and Emma Cormack evaluate an umbrella review on trauma-informed clinical practice in forensic youth settings, which finds that trauma-specific treatments show promise, but they need to be supported by trauma-informed organisations.

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School connectedness may protect against suicidal ideation in adolescents

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Monika Raniti and Jennifer Dam summarise a recent narrative systematic review, which suggests that school connectedness can help protect against suicidality, but the research points to it being more protective of suicidal ideation than suicide attempts.

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How can we help young people feel less lonely? What do young people want?

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Lauren Turner appraises a qualitative study exploring young people’s views on the acceptability and feasibility of youth loneliness interventions.

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