Snapchat’s new mental health tool will offer helpful intervention

Snapchat is launching a search tool called Here For You that will surface “safety resources” from mental health experts when users search for sensitive topics like anxiety, depression, suicide, and bullying, the company announced Tuesday. For instance, if a user searched for “thinspo” (content that may skew to be pro-anorexia), the search results would “intervene” with content by experts, Fast Company reports. While parent company Snap did not elaborate on how often these kinds of searches occur on Snapchat, the platform has one of the youngest audiences of any social media platform. It…

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Maddinson out of Australia A side due to mental health issues

Cricket Australia say it is committed to better understanding the mental health challenges in the game after Nic Maddinson yesterday became the second player this season to withdraw from a national side due to the issue. The in-form batsman was potentially one big score away from a Test recall when he pulled out of the Australia A game against Pakistan due to start on Monday. Sean Abbott was swarmed by his Australian teammates after a wicket against Pakistan. Western Australia’s Cameron Bancroft has been drafted into the Australia A side…

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Mental health days for students: An increasingly accepted reason to stay home from school

Public school students would be allowed to cite the need for a mental health day as an excuse to miss school, under a bill filed in the Florida Legislature for the 2020 session. The proposal is part of a growing movement in multiple states aimed at improving students’ mental well-being. Rep. Susan Valdes, D-Tampa, says she wants to elevate mental and behavior health issues to the same level as the flu, colds and dental appointments as a legitimate reason for students to call in sick. “It is time for us to take mental…

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Deepika Padukone launches Live Love Laugh lecture series on mental health: Long way to go

Deepika Padukone at the launch of Live Love Laugh lecture series Photo: Yogen Shah Mental health and promoting an empathetic discussion around it has been the centre of Deepika Padukone’s agenda ever since she came out with her story of dealing with depression. Deepika became one of the first celebrities in Bollywood to break the stigma and start an open dialogue around mental health. In fact, four years ago when she launched her project Live Love Laugh Foundation, aimed at doing the same, she received a lot of acclaim for…

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Facebook may actually benefit adult mental health

It is a common belief that using social media platforms can adversely affect people’s mental health, but new research has shown that using these networking sites can reduce an adult’s risk of experiencing depression or anxiety. Social media may improve the mental health of adults by helping them maintain social relationships, new research finds. Facebook’s reputation has sunk in recent years for a variety of reasons, including its role in the 2016 elections and the recent data breach. In addition, studies have suggested that social media can cause psychological distress, loneliness, and depression.…

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Theresa May calls for mental health to be priority

Every new teacher in England will be trained in how to spot early warning signs of mental illness, under a plan being unveiled by Theresa May later. Mrs May, using some of her remaining political authority before leaving office, has called for improvements in preventing problems. “Too many of us have seen first-hand the devastating consequences of mental illness,” says Mrs May. Labour’s Barbara Keeley said the prime minister only offered “warm words”. The shadow minister for mental health said the “reality” was support services being “stretched to breaking point”.…

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