Behind the Headlines

Abnormal growth rate in womb linked to autism

Thursday May 2 2013

'Babies that are abnormally heavy or underweight are at 62% greater risk' of developing autism, reports the Daily Mail. The news is based on a large study of Swedish children with and without autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Researchers…

Negative parenting linked with kids being bullied

Friday Apr 26 2013

“Children who have overprotective parents are more likely to be bullied by their peers,” BBC News explains. The news correctly presents the findings of a major study on the effects of parenting on a child’s risk of being bullied, but it focuses…

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Can belief in God help with depression?

Friday Apr 26 2013

"Believing in God can help treat depression," the Mail Online website claims. But how much faith can we put in this story?...

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No proof found that depression is 'contagious'

Monday Apr 22 2013

'Can you catch depression?', the Mail Online website asks on the strength of new US research into the concept of 'cognitive vulnerability'. Cognitive vulnerability is where unhelpful patterns of thinking can increase the risk of a person developing…

Don't take paracetamol for emotional pain

Monday Apr 22 2013

"Popping paracetamol could also help treat EMOTIONAL pain," is the surprising suggestion on the Mail Online website. In this study, "emotional pain", also referred to as "existential dread", was taken to be distress experienced...

Does tough love work?

Friday Apr 19 2013

"Smacking does children no harm if they feel loved, study claims," The Daily Telegraph reports. The study in question was looking at the experiences of Mexican-American teenagers and how they reacted to physical punishment…

Community treatment orders 'don't reduce psychiatric readmissions'

Thursday Apr 18 2013

"'Psychiatric Asbos' were an error says key advisor," The Independent reports. The news comes from new research examining the effectiveness of community treatment orders (CTOs), a legal measure that allows mental health teams...

Study examines penis size and male attractiveness

Tuesday Apr 9 2013

‘[Penis] Size does matter, study finds', The Daily Telegraph reports with almost identical headlines in the Daily Mail and The Independent. The news is based on a study in which researchers asked a small group of women…

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Is mental health harmed by earlier emotional stress?

Thursday Apr 4 2013

"Daily stresses take toll on long-term mental health," The Daily Telegraph reports. It goes on to say, "that little row with your spouse or stress of finding yourself stuck in a traffic jam may be taking a heavier toll on your mental health...

New guidelines on child antisocial behaviour

Wednesday Mar 27 2013

BBC News is reporting that there is a new ‘Guide to help parents to spot 'problem behaviour’’, while The Daily Telegraph claims that ‘More than one million parents could be offered state-funded lessons…

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