U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) this week introduced new bipartisan legislation to prevent the abuse of cough syrup to get high, a particularly worrisome trend among American teens. Dextromethorphan (DXM) is the active ingredient in many over-the-counter cough and cold medicines and is safe when taken as recommended, but 5…
Sexually Abused Boys at Risk for More Unsafe Sex, Researchers Find
Sexually abused boys are also three times more likely to have multiple sexual partners and twice as likely to engage in unprotected sex. Published online in advance of the Journal of Adolescent Health’s June issue, the UBC study explores links between sexual abuse and risky sexual behavior, focusing on three…
How Child Abuse Primes the Brain for Future Mental Illness
By Maia Szalavitz Child maltreatment has been called the tobacco industry of mental health. Much the way smoking directly causes or triggers predispositions for physical disease, early abuse may contribute to virtually all types of mental illness. Now, in the largest study yet to use brain scans to show the…
Energy drinks cause problems for some
By Dinah Voyles Pulver Tempting promises lure buyers from the attractive cans of energy drinks on convenience store shelves: power, energy, endurance. In a fast-paced lifestyle, where teens and adults alike often rush from one thing to another, those promises boosted energy drinks to wild popularity over the past decade,…