The presence of guns in homes is strongly associated with higher suicide rates, a new U.S. study found.

PHILADELPHIA (UPI) — A University of Pennsylvania psychologist says a number of studies have found negative psychological effects associated with adolescent acne.

David Sarwer, an associate professor at the Center for Human Appearance at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia, said up to 50 percent of teenage acne sufferers also experience increased body image dissatisfaction, social anxiety, low self-esteem and symptoms of depression, USA Today reported Monday.

"Some become so upset they may think about or actually attempt suicide," Sarwer said.

Researchers say drugs and treatments developed in recent years offer new hope to sufferers of acne, which is caused when sebaceous glands in the skin create too much sebum oil, which can clog pores and mix with bacteria, causing inflammation.

Mild acne can be treated with over-the-counter medications containing benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid and sulfur, but unresponsive outbreaks and acne characterized by larger cysts may require the prescription drug isotretinoin. The drug derived from vitamin A is an effective treatment, but scares away some consumers due to its extensive list of side effects, including liver changes and birth defects in pregnant women.

Copyright © 2007 by United Press International

Up to one in three mental health patients are being over-prescribed drugs, says the Healthcare Commission [in Great Britain]. Read the article.

Ditto for the U.S.

New Survey: Insecurity, Xenophobia Extremely High in Iraq

29 September 2006
APSA Press Release

CARDIFF, Wales, Sept. 28 (UPI) -- University of Cardiff researchers studied drinking habits in children aged 11 to 16 in England and found a link between alcohol and violence.

The researchers found not only a link between drink and aggression but also that children who drank were more likely to be hit, even if they weren't violent themselves.

More than 4,000 children were surveyed at 13 schools in four areas of England. The study found that 25 percent of 11-year-olds were drinking monthly and 3.6 percent daily, with 12.8 percent admitting to getting drunk three to five times a year.

By the age of 16, 40 percent were drinking weekly and 6.2 percent were drinking every day. The research also showed 22.6 percent of 16-year-olds getting drunk more than 21 times a year, according to the study published in the Journal of Adolescence.

"This new study seems to be the first to show a direct link between alcohol misuse and vulnerability to injury, independent of any link between drinking and fighting. There now needs to be much more effort put into reducing alcohol misuse in order to reduce injury," the study said.

People who drink alcohol are up to four times more likely than non-drinkers to be hurt from physical injuries such as a fall or punch, new research shows.

The University of Queensland study found any alcohol consumption quadrupled the risk of injury for the first six hours after drinking alcohol and this risk remained at 2.5 times that of a non drinker for the next 24 hours.

Quantity and specific drinks such as beer or spirits did not increase injury risk but mixing drinks increased injury risk five-fold.

Binge drinkers were more at risk of being injured than regular drinkers.

And people who sustained serious injuries were more likely to have consumed beer and have been drinking in a licensed premises. [read more]

EurekAlert
20 July 2006

In the latest issue of Psychology of Women Quarterly (June 2006), researchers find that men rate themselves and the women they just interacted with higher on sexual traits, such as flirtatiousness, than women rate men. The authors find that after a five-minute conversation with a stranger of the opposite gender, men were more likely to interpret ambiguous or friendly behavior as indicating sexual interest. "The findings suggest that men generally think in more sexual terms than women," the authors explain.

Within their brief conversation, partners introduced themselves and talked about college experiences. There was no significant difference in how men, compared to women, rated their conversation partners on agreeableness or extroversion. Nor was their evidence of sexual chemistry, as partners did not share a tendency to find each other attractive or desire a future interaction.

If women found their male partner as more partner physically attractive and saw him as more agreeable, they rated the partner higher on sexual traits. Men's ratings of women were also associated with physical attractiveness but unrelated to whether he saw her as agreeable or felt the conversation was enjoyable.

EurekAlert!
8 June 2006