School refusal can be serious
Children and adolescents who experience severe emotional distress at having to go to school need to be taken seriously. It can lead to considerable absence from school, which in turn can impact on education and job prospects. This is completely different to truancy and is not associated with anti-social behaviour.
Mobile phones and kids
It is hard to believe that the ubiquitous mobile phone only became widely used in the 1990's and smart phones in the past decade.
Previous generations of parents did not have to contend with managing their children's use of phones. Today there is a view that children should have access but neither can you wind the clock back. Certainly, there is research showing that too much screen time is an issue for children as they tend to exercise less and it can impact on sleep. There is also the additional complication of social media being accessed via mobile phones anywhere, anytime.
Avoiding Listeria
Listeria is an infection caused by a common bacterium that occurs in the soil and water.
Thus, plants and animals in the food chain can be infected. There are around 65 cases in Australia each year and 10% of these are in pregnant women who are at greatest risk in the third trimester.
Dealing with depression
Depression is a common condition affecting as many as one in five Australians. For some it can be an ongoing condition; for others, there may only be an isolated episode. Depression is more than just feeling sad for a day or two. It is feeling miserable for at least two weeks together with a lack of enjoyment of usual activities, withdrawal from friends and often sleep and appetite disturbance.
