Risk Versus Resiliency: Addressing Depression in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Youth.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth have unique risk factors that predispose them to depression at higher rates than their non-LGBT peers. Family rejection, bullying, and lack of societal acceptance can contribute to negative health outcomes. Additionally, youth with gender dysphoria may need or benefit from medical interventions. LGBT youth also have the same risk factors as non-LGBT youth, requiring clinicians to decipher risk factors associated with sexual and gender minority identity status, general risk factors, and relationships among them. Assessment of these risk factors and implementation of targeted interventions are important when treating depression in LGBT youth.

A longitudinal study of antenatal and perinatal risk factors in early childhood cognition: Evidence from Growing Up in New Zealand.

BACKGROUND: Poor maternal health, disadvantageous exposures during pregnancy and unfavourable perinatal events are associated with adverse trajectories in offspring cognitive development. AIM: To examine longitudinal associations between antenatal maternal, perinatal and maternal health characteristics and children's early cognitive development across executive control, motor ability and receptive language domains. STUDY DESIGN, SUBJECTS AND OUTCOME MEASURES: Analyses comprised interview and observational data from 4587 children and their mothers enrolled in the longitudinal Growing Up in New Zealand cohort study. Children's executive control (Luria hand clap task), motor skills (mothers' report) and receptive language ability (Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test) were assessed at age 4.5 years. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted, controlling for sociodemographic factors. RESULTS: Smoking pre- and during pregnancy, no folate intake during first trimester and low birth weight were risk factors for poorer executive control. Perceived stress during pregnancy, no folate intake during first trimester and low birth weight were all risk factors for poorer motor ability. Smoking pre-pregnancy, antenatal anxiety and no folate intake during first trimester were risk factors for poorer receptive language ability. CONCLUSION: Adverse ante- and perinatal environments are associated with poorer executive control, motor and receptive language abilities in early childhood. Improving maternal education and support especially for more disadvantaged mothers during pregnancy may reduce the potential deleterious impact of adverse ante- and perinatal conditions on children's early cognition.

The Growing Regulation of Conversion Therapy.

Conversion therapies are any treatments, including individual talk therapy, behavioral (e.g. aversive stimuli), group therapy or milieu (e.g. "retreats or inpatient treatments" relying on all of the above methods) treatments, which attempt to change an individual's sexual orientation from homosexual to heterosexual. However these practices have been repudiated by major mental health organizations because of increasing evidence that they are ineffective and may cause harm to patients and their families who fail to change. At present, California, New Jersey, Oregon, Illinois, Washington, DC, and the Canadian Province of Ontario have passed legislation banning conversion therapy for minors and an increasing number of US States are considering similar bans. In April 2015, the Obama administration also called for a ban on conversion therapies for minors. The growing trend toward banning conversion therapies creates challenges for licensing boards and ethics committees, most of which are unfamiliar with the issues raised by complaints against conversion therapists. This paper reviews the history of conversion therapy practices as well as clinical, ethical and research issues they raise. With this information, state licensing boards, ethics committees and other regulatory bodies will be better able to adjudicate complaints from members of the public who have been exposed to conversion therapies.

Female-to-male transgender adolescents.

This article focuses on considerations for natal females who present in the adolescent years with concerns related to their gender. They maybe individuals previously evaluated in their childhood years who have persisted with gender variance or gender identity disorder (GID) in DSM-IV, or they may be presenting for the first time in their adolescent years. The article discusses how to assess adolescents who come for evaluation and what treatments and other resources are available for them and their families. Where there seem to be differences between boys and girls with gender identity issues, they will be noted.