Giving Kids a "Sip" of Alcohol Can Send the Wrong Message About Drinking

That little sip of wine or beer that some parents offer
their kids at a wedding or on New Year’s Eve may muddle messages about alcohol,
according to a new study by researchers at the Center for Alcohol and Addiction
Studies at Brown University. The scientists surveyed middle school students for
three years to learn whether even a taste in early childhood was a predictor of
risky behavior in high school.

The Internet-based study, published in the April 1^st
issue of the Journal
of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, included more than 500 Rhode Island school
students. More than one-third of the kids surveyed reported trying their first
sip of alcohol by the sixth grade, and most said that their first taste took
place at home. Wine and beer were the most commonly tried beverages, usually at
a special occasion, such as a wedding or a holiday, and adults were the primary source of the alcohol. Nearly three-quarters
of the children were offered sips by their own mom or dad.

The study also showed that
kids who sipped alcohol by the sixth grade were five times more likely to down
a full alcoholic beverage by the time they reached 9^th grade—26% of
sippers consumed a full drink versus 5.5% of non-sippers. The earlier sippers
were also four times more likely to get drunk or binge drink by early high
school, and trying alcoholic beverages earlier in life also raised a child’s
risk for trying other substances.

Even when the researchers
controlled for other factors, such as risk-taking behavior, the drinking habits
of parents, and a history of alcoholism in a parent, kids who’d sipped before
sixth grade had higher odds of alcohol use by their freshman year of high
school.

The take-home message:
Offering a child a sip of your beverage may send the wrong message, says study
author Kristina Jackson, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of
Behavioral and Social Sciences at Brown School of Public Health.

"Parents should provide
clear, consistent messages about the unacceptability of alcohol consumption for
youth,” Jackson advises. “Younger teens and tweens may be unable to understand
the difference between drinking a sip and drinking one or more drinks.
Certainly there are exceptions, such as religious occasions,
so the most important thing is to make sure that children know when drinking
alcohol is acceptable and when it is not.”

The context of alcohol use is important, says Oscar G. Bukstein, M.D., M.P.H., medical director at DePelchin
Children’s Center and a clinical professor of psychiatry at Baylor College of
Medicine and the University of Texas Health Science Center-Houston, who was not
involved in the research. “Often, by allowing children to sip or try alcohol on
‘special occasions’, the message delivered may be one of ‘this is how we
celebrate’, we drink,” Buckstein says.

He says that sipping may be associated with increased access to
alcohol, too, or more lax parent attitudes and that undermines any anti-drinking
messages kids hear.

April 21^st is the national day to talk with your kids
about alcohol. Visit Mothers
Against Drunk Driving’s (MADD) Power of Parents
page to learn more.

by Mary Brophy Marcus, health writer, APA

Autism Awareness Month: Learning more about a complex condition

You probably know someone with
autism—in your neighborhood, in your workplace, in your school, in your family.
  In fact, an estimated one in 68
children in the U.S. has been identified with autism spectrum disorder,
according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.   The data on adults is less clear, but the
numbers are growing. 



April is Autism Awareness Month – a chance to raise awareness and learn a
little more about this complex condition affecting so many.  Here are just a few sources that might help
answer some questions.

Want a good quick overview of what autism is?  Check out the CDC’s main autism page.

Looking for a good app to help someone with autism function better?  There are many apps available to help people
with autism with communication, behavior, organization, creative arts, and
more. In fact, there are so many apps that it can be hard to know where to start
or what might be useful for a particular person. Check out Autism Speaks’ searchable
resource on autism apps –
with information on function, device, target age, and the research data that’s
been gathered to evaluate or inform the app.


 One resource you may be familiar with already is Siri, the personal assistant
on the iPhone. See a New York Times
column by a mom of a child with autism who has made good use of Siri, “To
Siri, With Love: How One Boy With Autism Became BFF With Apple’s Siri.”  Siri is not only tirelessly patient in
responding to repetitive questions (common among some with autism) but lets you
know she doesn't understand (leading to practice with phrasing and enunciation)
and will gently encourage polite language.

Want to know how to talk with parents of children with autism?  See a recent Today.com article on “11
things never to say to parents of a child with autism (and 11 you should).”

Want to know a
little about what it’s like for some people with autism and sensory
sensitivity issues to experience their environment? (Note of caution:  Every person with autism is different. No two
experience sensory sensitivity in the same way.) View the short video from the
UK-based National Autistic Society, Experience For 60 Seconds How The World Looks, Sounds, And Feels To
Someone Who Has Autism.” Some people
with autism have difficulty processing multiple sensory experiences at once. An
animated video by the Interacting with Autism project gives a glimpse into sensory overload and how sensory experiences intertwine in everyday
life.

Want to know more about the latest
research on autism spectrum disorders or the latest clinical trials? Find out how your family can participate
in research  or find out about clinical
trials.

Have more questions? Visit national organizations, such as Autism Speaks and the Autism Society of America, or federal
agencies, including the CDC
and the National
Institute of Mental Health.  Join the conversation #autismawareness, #autism, #mentalhealth.

by Deborah Cohen, senior writer, American Psychiatric Association

For more news and wellness info from APA, follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

,,,☁

Sound Artist Vic McEwan has been in residence at Alder Hey over the last couple of weeks and I am thrilled at both his primary explorations and the way the community of the hospital have embraced him and all his ideas. I would very much like to share our plans for the next year, but that might be premature. Needless to say, the collaboration is proving fruitful and my personal thanks to Dr Jane Radcliffe and Vicky Charnock for making this all possible. Great things ahead. To find out a little more about Vic and catch up with his online diary, click on the hospital machinery above.

WEAPONS OF MASS HAPPINESS 
Embarking on some exciting new work in Manchester this last week, I was thrilled to meet new artists and like-minded free thinkers, and hope some of our aspirations come to fruition! It was great sharing my new work Weapons of Mass Happiness, (teaser above) which I’ll publish soon, but it’s made me revisit some earlier writing which I contributed to the exhibition, Mortality: Death and the Imagination curated with Dr Steven Gartside in 2013. So if you want to read my essay from the exhibition catalogue, please click on the Present Tense image below. Following an intense period of work, I’m shutting up shop for a couple of weeks and this blog will keep its door closed. Normal service will resume mid April.

  

Are Some Jobs More Stressful Than Others?

Everyone has bad days on the job—a project that you put hours into bombs or a task you need to accomplish is difficult and stressful. But are some jobs harder overall on our mental health than others? Depression may be more likely to occur in some professions, research suggests. And according to a new study by researchers at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, suicides in the workplace, while not commonplace, are on the rise. Their research, published in the March 16 online edition of the “American Journal of Preventive Medicine,” showed that 270 people committed suicide in the workplace in 2013, a 12% increase over 2012.




Men and those over 65 were more likely to commit suicide in the workplace than others. Law enforcement jobs -- police officers, firefighters, and detectives -- had the highest rate of workplace suicides with 5.3 suicides for every 1 million workers. Farmers, ranchers, fishermen, and forestry workers came in next with 5.1 suicides per one million. The authors also noted that minorities may be at a greater risk for workplace suicide compared to non-workplace suicides. Their research did not include military jobs.




This month’s “JAMA Psychiatry” also addressed the topic in a “Viewpoints” op-ed co-authored by two medical interns from New York who said that being a physician, especially a young intern, may leave some people vulnerable to mental illness and suicide. Doctors are twice as likely to kill themselves compared to non-physicians, and female doctors are three times more likely to do so than their male counterparts, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). According to AFSP, though, the workplace can be an ideal place for suicide prevention programs. Their Interactive Screening Program (ISP), for example, is an anonymous online survey that IDs at-risk people and connects them with support. The NFL and the Boston Police Department have used the program. The authors of the “Lancet Psychiatry” op-ed say some work programs, like one at the U.S. Air Force, have successfully addressed workplace depression and mental illness in a variety of ways. One initiative: The USAF designates certain supervisors as mental health “gatekeepers.” Their job is to identify at-risk employees and channel them to screening and mental health services.



Want more info on managing workplace stress? Read about APA’s Partnership for Workplace Mental Health. Learn more about the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s ISP program by contacting the Program Director at isp@afsp.org. Read Mayo Clinic’s article: Work-Life Balance: Tips to Reclaim Control.



by Mary Brophy Marcus, health writer, APA



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An extract from A.N

Looking out from the back seat of a car as it enters a carwash tunnel. The windscreen and rear-view mirror are concentric frames within frames in this dark, constricted space. The sound, too, is oppressive: the pummel of water jets, the whir of the conveyor, the pulse of a man’s breathing. White soapsuds across the windscreen cut through the black, accentuating a partial reflection of the driver’s face in the mirror. “When you put these substances in your body… the animal part of your brain thinks it needs these substances to survive,” he says. “That’s what you’re up against … and it’s vicious.”

This is a scene from Melanie Manchot’s new multi-channel video installation, connecting remembered moments from the lives of 12 people in recent recovery from drug and alcohol misuse. Read more about 12 the collaboration between Portraits of Recovery and artist, Melanie Manchot in A.N

Space2Create in Kendal, is holding a new exhibition in its gallery based on themes of Stigma and creative wellbeing. See the flyer below.

BBC Children in Need Small Grants Programme 
Not for profit organisations such as such as registered charities; voluntary organisations; schools; churches; and community interest groups; etc. can apply for grants of up to £10,000 through the BBC Children in Need Small Grants programme. The grants are available for projects that:
  Help children and young people experiencing illness, distress, abuse or neglect
  Any kind of disability
  Behavioural or psychological difficulties
  And / or living in situations of deprivation.
The closing date for applications is the 1st June 2015. Read more at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/4fJVTzz5QmQx5rx0S4NVg0Q/small-grants 

Artists International Development Fund 
Arts Council England has announced that its Artists International Development Fund will re-open for applications on the 23rd March 2015. This is a £750,000 funding stream for artists to develop links with artists, organisations and/or creative producers in other countries. Freelance and self-employed artists can apply for small grants of £1,000 to £5,000 to spend time building these links to broaden your horizons and open your work to other perspectives. The programme is open to emerging and mid-career artists working in combined arts, literature, music, theatre, dance, visual arts and crafts and design. You must have received recognition for your work in England and not have extensive international experience. Your application must also include a letter of support from the overseas partner/host. The deadline for applications will be 5pm on the 1st May 2015. Read more at:
http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/funding/apply-funding/funding-programmes/artists-international-development-fund/

                                                                                                   

Will Self introduces...

...A RECOVERIST MANIFESTO
Over 2014 I had the pleasure of working with people in recovery from substance misuse in Liverpool, Manchester, Pistoia, Pescara and Kütahya. The work we were all involved in was organised by Mark Prest of Portraits of Recovery and explored self-portraiture and cultural approaches to understanding addiction, but more than that, it gave all of us the opportunity to participate in the most compelling contemporary art experiences. 

As part of this cultural exchange and learning programme, people participating in the project shared insights and passion, frustrations and rage. This in part, is how the idea of a manifesto came about. Building on the Manifesto for Arts and Health, those of us involved in the project, built on the sense of community that the workshops enabled. So we created safe spaces for anyone who wanted to be involved, to explore our individual and shared experiences and aspirations.

The result is the RECOVERIST MANIFESTO which reflects some of the process and the conjoined words of people in different cultures, but with the shared experience of being in recovery from substance missuse. It’s here in English and Italian and very soon will be in Turkish and Lithuanian.

Will Self has written an introduction to the manifesto, which in a pamphlet that is free from logos and individual statements, may seem a little odd. It’s not. As someone who identifies as being in recovery and as an eloquent social commentator, his analysis of the manifesto and reflections on sobriety, are succinct and poetic. He does exactly what each of us involved in this work does - he gives voice and personality to the largely invisible face of addiction - and more importantly - recovery.

All of you that have taken part in this process - whatever your story - whatever your contribution - thank you. Let us tell our shared story with pride. We are Recoverists.

P A N I C
The brilliant NOUS magazine is exploring the territory of  P A N I C  for its latest edition. This is one of the best things out there. Contribute or find out more by clicking on the small panic above!

Funding for Digital Projects with a Social Impact 
The Nominet Trust which provides funding and support to technology with a social benefit, has announced that its Social Tech Seed Investment Programme will re-open for applications on the 17th March 2015. Social Tech Seed is an investment programme that offers early-stage investment of between £15,000 and £50,000 to social entrepreneurs and charitable organisations who are looking to develop new ideas to use digital technology for social benefits. This programme provides funding and support to help entrepreneurs nurture, develop and test their ideas. The Trust is looking for applications that demonstrate the potential of technology to tackle some of the big social issues in sectors including:
    Education
    Employability
    Healthcare
    The environment.
The closing date for stage 1 applications will be Wednesday 15th April 2015. Applicants successful at this stage will have to submit a more detailed stage 2 application by the 27th May 2015. Read more at: http://www.nominettrust.org.uk/how-to-apply/our-investment-programmes-0

Over the next month or so, I’ll be sharing links to some of the people I have been working with who are studying at the Manchester School of Art. This week, here’s a link to the illustrator John Hogan. See more of his work by clicking on the image above. Your diligent blogger may be a little quieter over the next few weeks, as he hunkers down with some all-consuming projects.

…and pause, just for a moment

Melanie Manchot

Last week George Khut illuminated and inspired those of us who attended his presentation here in the School of Art - thanks George. His work features in the current exhibition at FACT called, Group Therapy: Mental Distress in a Digital Age, curated by the brilliant Vanessa Bartlett. The exhibition contains work by 12 artists including Melanie Manchot whose work 12 is previewed here, but launches in its full provocative beauty, at Peckham Platform in May, touring nationally and at Castlefield Gallery in September. This work, which was commissioned by Mark Prest of Portraits of Recovery, ties into much of the debate around addiction and recovery. I’m thrilled to have been asked to contribute to the book that accompanies the exhibition alongside such luminaries including Peter Kinderman and Victoria Betton. The book is available on-line or directly from FACT. 

For those of you interested in health and digital technologies - I have had advanced notice of a very interesting new magazine, which may be looking for articles soon on video games and health - and the Victoria and Albert Museum are hosting a one day event called Art, Design and New Technology for Health on the 19th June. I'll be chairing part of the day and I can confirm some of the speakers look fantastic! To find out more and book a place, click on the image below.

For those of you with an interest in substance misuse and recovery, I am pleased to say that the Recoverist Manifesto is published next week in English and Italian, with Turkish and Lithuanian versions imminent! More details next week, but here’s a taster!

Exploring the links between the phenomenology of creativity and bipolar disorder

Arts for Health Research Associate, Dr Katherine Taylor has a new paper in the Journal of Affective Disorders. The links between bipolar disorder (BD) and creativity have historically attracted academic and public interest. Previous research highlights common characteristics of people considered to be highly creative, and those diagnosed with BD, including extraversion, impulsivity, divergent thinking and high motivation. In the first phenomenological study focusing on the links between creativity and extreme mood, an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) approach was used to collect and analyse in-depth interview data from seven people diagnosed with BD in the UK. Read more by clicking on the brilliant procraftinate definition below.

Something rotten in the state of England

I read that the government has awarded an NHS contract to a private firm linked to one of our recently exposed, scandal-hit MP’s, Sir Malcolm Rifkind. But the winning bid will actually cost the NHS more than a bid from local NHS services! Right now, much of the bidding for NHS contracts happens in secret. If NHS England made bidding processes fully transparent, we could hold the government to account. It feels like the NHS is being systematically dismantled and run in the interests of well connected private health firms. Find out how you can be involved by clicking on the greedy pig.

Inspiring Health - Young People's Arts and Health Conference 

ROCHDALE YOUTH SERVICE

Friday, 13 March 2015 from 01:00 to 08:00 (GMT)
Rochdale, United Kingdom
For all the details of this interesting event that's focused on young people, click on the Jake and Dinos Chapman image below for more.

Deutsche Bank 2015 Awards for Creative Enterprise 
Aspiring artists, designers and performers who want to launch themselves as self-employed professionals can receive practical and financial support from the Deustche Bank Awards for Creative Enterprise (DBACE). The Award provides winners with £10,000 start up capital, business training and mentoring to steer them through their first year in business and beyond. Final year arts/creative degree/masters students and graduates (from Summer 2014) at arts colleges/universities around the UK that have registered for this year's programme can apply as individuals or as a group. The deadline for submitting applications is 5pm on 31st March 2015. Read more at: http://www.dbace.uk.com

Pause for a moment…
Amsterdam, Netherlands
A terminally ill woman looks at a self-portrait of Rembrandt at the Rijksmuseum. Dutch charity Ambulance Wens granted the dying woman’s last wish for a private viewing of the Rembrandt exhibition Photograph: Roel Foppen/AP

The Radcliffe Trust – Music Grants 
The Radcliffe Trust has announced that the next deadline for applications to its Music masking grants programme is the 31st August 2015. Through its grant making programme, the Radcliffe Trust supports classical music performance and training especially chamber music, composition and music education. Particular interests within music education are music for children and adults with special needs, youth orchestras and projects at secondary and higher levels, including academic research. The Trustees respond to applications and also initiate their own projects. Applicants must be a registered charity or an exempt charity. http://www.theradcliffetrust.org/guidelines.php