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Peggy Mears
Producer, Brainchild Productions
Irvine, Calif., USA

TOPIC: Adolescent Mental Health: Brain, Biology, and Behavior, a series of radio pieces on mental illnesses in adolescents

Study: Mental Trauma Led to Illness in Civil War Troops
Mental trauma led to physical disease among American Civil War veterans, according to a study appearing in the current issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry magazine. Scientists found that younger and more traumatized soldiers had much higher rates of illness later in life. Michelle Trudeau reports on the study, and how the findings could apply to today's veterans.

Drug Shows Promise in Treating Gambling Addiction
A study in the February issue of The American Journal of Psychiatry indicates that a new drug, Nalmefene, may help reduce urges in pathological gamblers.

Improving Mental Health Care in Teen Justice System
Each year, more than 1.5 million youth enter the juvenile justice system. Experts say a large percentage of these teenagers are mentally ill but rarely receive proper treatment.

Study Backs Benefits of Preschool
New research suggests that Oklahoma's pre-kindergarten program is a success at helping kids prepare for school, according to a study in the journal.

Smoking, Alcohol Pose Unique Risks for Teens
Drinking and smoking may pose more unique hazards for teenagers than the usual health and addiction risks. Throughout adolescence, the brain undergoes major remodeling, and new evidence suggests that alcohol and cigarettes may have an especially damaging effect on those developing brains.

Brain Implant Offers Hope for Severely Depressed
For about 10 percent of people with severe depression, no available treatments work -- not anti-depressant medicines, not psychotherapy, not even electroshock therapy. But now a revolutionary treatment that entails brain surgery shows preliminary promise in treating intractable depression.

Study Recommends New Approach to Diagnosing Kids' Depression
There's a new approach to treating teenage depression -- something that one out of every five teenagers experiences by age 18. A new study suggests that one way to help is to involve kids' primary physicians in identifying symptoms.

The largest survey to date of bereaved families is published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association. It reports family members' perceptions of the quality of end-of-life care in America.