Anxiety and depression after a baby arrives are usually discussed in relation to mothers. This piece looks at partners too, and how their distress can be missed in public conversation and doctors’ offices. New families often need support as a whole system. buff.ly/cjKCrZ9

Reports of 10–14-year-olds caught in addiction in Fiji are confronting. Childhood drug use needs to be treated as a child protection and mental health issue, with care and support at the centre. buff.ly/QCDVTiI

Children as young as 10 trapped in drug addiction

Children as young as 10 to 14 years old are becoming trapped in drug addiction in Fiji, Minister for Women, Children and Social Protection Sashi Kiran […]

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Short piece on postpartum depression and the fear many women have about confiding when they’re struggling. That fear can be a real barrier to care, and it’s why non-judgemental conversations about postnatal mental health matter. buff.ly/veAPNr6

Psychiatrist talks postpartum depression

Board-certified psychiatrist Dr. Mena Mirhom discusses the fear many women hold in confiding to mental health professionals about postpartum depression.

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AI “twins” of therapists raise more than a tech question. In therapy, trust, privacy, consent and accountability are central. Helpful tools may emerge, but clients need to know who, or what, they are actually engaging with. buff.ly/KGEU8w8

So my new article asks why Swarbrick’s economics sounds so unusual in NZ politics, and why voters may be responding to it. Ok fine, I eventually mention Warren Mosler. andrewdicksonnz.substack.com/p/chloe-swar...

Chlöe Swarbrick Knows Something About Money

The Greens’ co-leader just edged Nicola Willis on economic trust. Her language about debt, spending and productive capacity helps explain why.

andrewdicksonnz.substack.com

Sleep loss may make it harder for us to adapt to threat, which could help explain why anxiety often worsens when we’re exhausted. Useful reminder: sleep is part of the anxiety picture, not just a background lifestyle issue. buff.ly/qqSqhNE

Lack of sleep may cause anxiety by making us less adaptable to threats | New Scientist

People who were deprived of sleep overnight didn't seem to adapt to being in a potentially threatening space, which may help explain the link between a lack of shuteye and anxiety

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On The Nutters Club, Hamish and I spoke with Bridget Coward about the death of her son Bradley. I’ve written further about grief after suicide: the questions, guilt and love that can sit together, and why small acts of support matter. buff.ly/BsxVRdz

Grief After Suicide: Carrying Love and Loss - Off the Couch - Kyle MacDonald

Grief after suicide is often grief with extra weight attached. Alongside the sadness there may be shock, confusion, anger, guilt, and the painful search for an explanation that may never fully arrive.

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A useful Yale Medicine piece on teens, caffeine, sleep and anxiety. The loop is easy to miss: tiredness leads to caffeine, caffeine pushes sleep later, and exhaustion builds. Sleep habits matter when we’re thinking about young people’s mental health. buff.ly/78Hsaw1

Wired and Tired: How Caffeine Is Reshaping Teen Sleep

Caffeine’s toll on teens, Yale Medicine experts say, is more complicated than most parents realize.

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On Sunday night's The Nutters Club Hamish and I were joined by Bridget Coward, who spoke about her son Bradley and her grief after his death by suicide. A moving reminder that grief has no fixed timeline, and that small, ongoing acts of checking in can matter. buff.ly/VJDijvu

Tokoroa mother shares grief after son's death in hope of helping others - The Nutters Club

A Tokoroa mother who lost her son to suicide earlier this year says she is speaking publicly about her grief in the hope his death can help others struggling with their mental health. Bridget Coward…

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Interesting PTSD research: 3MDR combines virtual reality, treadmill walking, exposure and EMDR-informed memory processing. In a small study, symptoms improved and gains were present at 12 months, though without a control group the findings need caution. buff.ly/Ii2Xmbs

Innovative virtual reality treadmill therapy offers relief for treatment-resistant PTSD

A new study shows that 3MDR therapy—which combines treadmill walking, virtual reality, and eye movement tasks—significantly reduces PTSD, depression, and anxiety symptoms in military veterans, first…

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An under-16 social media ban may sound simple, but this student-led Bay of Plenty survey is a reminder that young people have their own practical concerns. Any serious online-safety policy should include the people it affects. buff.ly/8capb0r

Teen's survey says harm of social media ban would ‘outweigh the benefits’

A student-led survey found 65.8% of respondents opposed a social media ban.

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In shock news the subjects of the teen social media ban whose heads everyone has been talking over turn out to have coherent thoughts on the matter that someone should possibly listen to at some point. www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/student-l...

Teen's survey says harm of social media ban would ‘outweigh the benefits’

A student-led survey found 65.8% of respondents opposed a social media ban.

nzherald.co.nz

So that Green supermarket policy must have gone down very well with certain focus groups huh

Good thing New Zealand isn't blindly pursuing a massive investment in LNG importation infrastructure... That would be a very stupid and poorly timed decision.

Jan Rosenow@janrosenow.bsky.social · 5d ago

European gas is above €82/MWh - the highest since late 2022. Hormuz remains largely shut and gas storage is at 68% going into winter. None of this started in Europe but we pay for it. The only exit is using less gas. Heat pumps, electrified industry, insulation.

Maine is set to receive at least $56M from a Meta settlement over claims relating to teen social media addiction. Whatever the legal framing, it’s another sign of how seriously youth social media use is now being taken. buff.ly/IFiX12Q

Maine to get $56M from Meta settlement over teen social media addiction

The $17B agreement with 47 states requires the social media giant to add stronger child-safety measures to its Facebook and Instagram platforms.

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Off the Couch: From the Archives... Some of what we learn early lives less as a story we can tell, and more as patterns our bodies know. This piece on implicit memory, attachment and therapy is still worth revisiting. buff.ly/T9jIml4

Just like riding a bike - Off the Couch - Kyle MacDonald

Do you remember learning to ride a bike?  Some of us do, and some don’t.  However I bet none of us remember learning to walk, yet we still know how to do it.  This is the difference between implicit…

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"Part-privatising"... "Asset recycling" Sure seems like complicated ways to say "we're lying" www.nzherald.co.nz/business/com...

National open to part-privatising Kiwibank despite no asset sales stance

Nicola Willis said she was keen to see Kiwibank grow and become a 'tougher competitor'.

nzherald.co.nz

The cruelty is the point

Aaron Hawkins@ahawkins.bsky.social · 6d ago

'The adult minimum wage will be frozen for 3 years, while a training wage would be set at 60% of the adult minimum wage for workers under 20' Less than $15/hr. For a 19 y/o. In 2030. Which they'd have to take because they've also cut off your access to a benefit. Adult, indeed.

So Nationals big idea is even less tax so we even less for health, education…. And ACT wants to pay people even less. Wow.

Meta and several U.S. states are reportedly discussing a possible settlement in a teen social media addiction lawsuit. Useful reminder: this isn’t only about individual willpower or parenting. Platform design and accountability matter too. buff.ly/hd5CXVK

Being targeted by a smear campaign isn’t only about reputation. It can affect mental and emotional health, and a person’s sense of self. This Psychology Today piece looks at why that impact matters and offers guidance for people dealing with it. buff.ly/hst0Jdu

What to Do if You're the Target of a Smear Campaign

Being the target of a smear campaign can deeply impact a person's mental and emotional health and sense of self. Here are some tips to help navigate and survive a smear campaign.

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A useful reminder that when we guess what others think, including loved ones who have died, we may be hearing our own views reflected back. Comforting, sometimes, but not the same as knowing. buff.ly/nfySURM

Recovery from addiction isn’t only about stopping drug or alcohol use. It’s also about rebuilding everyday life. This BBC piece looks at a Wolverhampton programme the council says is helping people do that. buff.ly/IzDsI7t

Is it still our year?

Cannabis and the teenage brain is a topic that needs nuance, not panic. This article looks at evidence that teen cannabis use may affect how quickly some cognitive abilities continue to develop during a critical period. buff.ly/xu7DOgf

I’ve written about young people using AI for emotional support. Less “is AI good or bad?” and more: what need is it meeting, and why might a chatbot feel like the safest place to start? buff.ly/r0QMkpi

Nice placement of a literal pony tail directly above the Sir Rt Hon’s column this morning. Well played NZH subs. Well played.

Early severe stress may shape later stress sensitivity through epigenetic changes, increasing vulnerability to anxiety, depression and other mood disorders. Useful context for understanding distress without turning biology into blame. buff.ly/kvFGXgo

This piece on Hayden Panettiere touches on child-star pressure, trauma, postpartum depression and addiction. A reminder that public success can hide a lot, and simple explanations rarely help when people are struggling. buff.ly/Hmrh4C9

Zero-alcohol drinks can make it easier for some young people to socialise without drinking. But this article also raises important questions about branding, marketing, and whether alcohol-free products can still normalise drinking culture. buff.ly/wt4Ojbc