'1 in 10 will suffer from mental illness': Study

The Singapore Mental Health Study, which involved 6,616 people being interviewed last year, has found that while mental illness starts occurring in most people while they are in their 20s, two in three never seek help, and even those who eventually do take years to do so. -- FILE PHOTO

More than one in 10 people in Singapore will be stricken by mental illness in their lifetime, according to a large, new study here.

Many are likely to face depression, the commonest mental illness here. It is projected to affect 170,000 adults, with more women affected than men.

Swedish sperm donors are well-adjusted men: Study

(REUTERS) - Men who pass a screening process and donate to sperm banks in Sweden score better on personality measures, such as responsibility, confidence and self-acceptance, than other men in their peer group, according to a Swedish study.

Sweden was the first country to pass a so-called non-anonymous law, which entitles children to contact the sperm donor if they choose. Britain, Australia and other nations also require that donors consent to being contacted.

The United States allows donors to remain anonymous and for them to get paid, unlike Sweden, where men can only volunteer.

The non-anonymous laws could be a problem for both sides since nobody can prepare themselves for their reactions if a child decides to contact the biological father, said Dr Gunilla Sydsjo, lead author of the study and a professor at Sweden's Linkoping University.

The Health Benefits of Female Orgasms

   

Orgasms are not only considered to be the ultimate climax of sexual pleasure, they do offer a lot of health benefits too. One of the best things a good orgasm can give is relieve stress. When the heart beats faster during sex, there is also an increase in the flow of blood while the muscles tighten up. This comes to a conclusion brought about by an orgasm, which releases tensions that are pent up within the nervous system. 

Childhood hardship linked to adult disease risk

NEW YORK - CHILDREN who are abused, lose a parent, or suffer other hardships may be at increased risk of chronic health conditions later in life, according to an international study.

Looking at over 18,000 adults from 10 countries, the study found that those who said they'd faced childhood adversities like abuse, the death of a parent, or a parent's alcohol or drug abuse, had higher risks of heart disease, arthritis, asthma, diabetes and other conditions. The same pattern was seen among people who said they'd suffered from depression, anxiety or other mental health conditions before the age of 21, the study, published in the Archives of General Psychiatry, said.

A birth-control pill for men?

A posed photo of a man popping pills into his mouth. Contraceptives for men could be developed soon, according to scientists at Columbia University -- ST PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: WANG HUI FEN

CONTRACEPTIVE pills for men could be developed soon, Daily Mail reported on Tuesday.

Scientists at Columbia University in New York claimed that they have developed 'a drug which temporarily stops sperm production without causing any long-term harm to male fertility.'

Scientists have been trying to come up with a male equivalent of the pill for years, but have not yet succeeded. The new pill impairs the male body's ability to use vitamin A, which is vital for the production of sperm.

US heart disease costs to triple by 2030

WASHINGTON - THE costs of treating heart disease in America, where one in three people has some form of the disease, are expected to triple by 2030 due to the growing population, researchers said on Monday.

While current costs of medical care for heart disease are around US$273 billion (S$349.7 billion) per year, that figure will skyrocket to US$818 billion by 2030, the study said.

The findings came from an expert panel that estimated future costs based on current disease rates, and expanded those costs according to projections from US census data about approaching shifts in the population. The researchers assumed that no new discoveries would be made between now and 2030 to stem the tide of heart disease, said the study published in Circulation, a journal of the American Heart Association.

Kids who misbehave face trouble as adults: Study

WASHINGTON - CHILDREN who are over-active, cannot concentrate or act impulsively as early as age three tend to become troubled adults unless they learn self-control along the way, said a study on Monday.

An international team of researchers examined young children in New Zealand and Britain and found that the low-scorers on measures of self-control as kids faced more financial, health and substance abuse problems as they aged.

Measures of low self-control in the study of 1,000 New Zealand children included 'low frustration tolerance, lacks persistence in reaching goals, difficulty sticking with a task,' said the study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Other indicators were 'over-active, acts before thinking, has difficulty waiting turn, restless, not conscientious.' The children who scored lowest on those counts faced a host of problems as adults, 'things like breathing problems, gum disease, sexually transmitted disease, inflammation, overweight, and high cholesterol and blood pressure,' the study said.

Smokers have lower IQ

NEW YORK - CIGARETTE smokers have lower IQs than non-smokers, and the more a person smokes, the lower their IQ, according to a study of over 20,000 Israeli military recruits.

Dr Mark Weiser and colleagues from Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer found that young men who smoked a pack of cigarettes a day or more had IQ scores 7.5 points lower than non-smokers. 'Adolescents with poorer IQ scores might be targeted for programmes designed to prevent smoking,' they conclude in the journal Addiction.

While there is evidence for a link between smoking and lower IQ, many studies have relied on intelligence tests given in childhood, and have also included people with mental and behavioral problems, who are both more likely to smoke and more likely to have low IQs, Dr Weiser and his team noted.

To better understand the smoking-IQ relationship, the researchers looked at 20,211 18-year-old men recruited into the Israeli military. The group did not include anyone with major mental health problems, because these individuals are disqualified from military service.

According to the researchers, 28 percent of the study participants smoked at least one cigarette a day, around 3 per cent said they were ex-smokers, and 68 percent had never smoked. The smokers had significantly lower intelligence test scores than non-smokers, and this remained true even after the researchers accounted for socioeconomic status measured by how many years of formal education a recruit's father had completed.

The average IQ for non-smokers was about 101, while it was 94 for men who had started smoking before entering the military. IQ steadily dropped as the number of cigarettes smoked increased, from 98 for people who smoked one to five cigarettes daily to 90 for those who smoked more than a pack a day. IQ scores from 84 to 116 are considered to indicate average intelligence. -- REUTERS

Marriage good for health

WELLINGTON - DESPITE the barbs of comedians and the spectacular bust-ups documented in the gossip magazines, marriage really is good for you, international research has found.

A study of nearly 34,500 people in 15 countries found married people are less likely to suffer from depression, anxiety and substance abuse, clinical psychologist Kate Scott of New Zealand's University of Otago said on Tuesday.

'What our study points to is that the marital relationship offers a lot of mental health benefits for both men and women, and that the distress and disruption associated with ending marriage can make people vulnerable to developing mental disorders,' Dr Scott said.

Being separated, divorced, or widowed is associated with increased risk of mental health disorders in both men and women, particularly with depression in men and drugs and alcohol abuse in women.

'One of the more important findings is that in recent years it has been asserted that marriage is better for men than for women in terms of mental health. This study does not agree with that position,' Dr Scott said.

'We found that compared to never getting married, getting married is good for both men and women in terms of most mental health disorders.' -- AFP

Mobile phones 'have not increased brain cancers'

There has been no substantial change in the number of adult brain tumours since mobile phone usage sharply increased in the mid-1990s, Danish scientists say.

The Danish Cancer Society looked at the rates of brain tumours among 20 to 79 year olds from Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden.

They found that trends in cancer rates had not altered from the period before mobiles were introduced.

But they say longer follow-up studies are needed.

The research, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, says radio frequency electromagnetic fields emitted from mobile phones have been proposed as a risk factor for brain tumours, but a biological mechanism that could explain the potential effects has not been identified.

Cancer incidence

The study was based on 59,684 brain tumour cases diagnosed over 30 years from 1974 to 2003 among 16 million adults.

During this time, the incidence rate of cancers known as gliomas increased gradually by 0.5% per year among men and by 0.2% per year among women.

For cancers known as meningioma, the incidence rate increased by 0.8% among men and, after the early 1990's, by 3.8% among women.

This more rapid change for women was driven, the researchers say, by the 60-79 year age group.

Isabelle Deltour, of the Danish Cancer Society in Copenhagen who led the study said the lack of a detectable increase in tumour rates up to 2003 may suggest that the time it takes for cancer to develop from mobile phone use is longer than 10 years of exposure or that the number of tumours it promotes is too small to be detected.

She said: "Our results extend those of previous studies of time trends up to 1998 by adding five years of follow-up.

"Because of the high prevalence of mobile phone exposure in this population and worldwide, longer follow-up of time trends in brain tumour incidence is warranted."

Mike Dolan, of the Mobile Operators Association which represents all five UK network operators said: "This finding is consistent with previous studies in this field and will form part of the overall body of scientific research.

"The UK mobile phone operators are supporting a large cohort study which is a recommendation of this paper."

Pepsi sorry for girl-getting app

SAN FRANCISCO - US SOFT drink giant PepsiCo has apologised for a free iPhone application crafted to help men seduce women and keep records of conquests but the program remained available on Tuesday.

Pepsi's 'AMP Up Before You Score' iPhone application categorises women into 24 types and then uses the Apple smartphone's Internet capabilities to link users to information about them and what they like. AMP is an energy drink made by PepsiCo.

A 'translator gadget' powered by Google Translate

'Let's say you meet a girl who is way into being green and you need a vegan restaurant stat; we've got you covered,' a voice-over maintained on Tuesday in an online Pepsi video about the AMP at YouTube.

'If you are anticipating a successful night, the Before You Score app gives you up to the minute information, feeds, lines and much more to help you amp up and talk to 24 different types of ladies.'

Nightie to remember

Types of women listed in the application include punk rocker, bookworm, aspiring actress, artist, and sorority girl.

A 'Keep a List' feature in the program reportedly prompts users to add women's names and encounter details to a 'brag list' if they 'get lucky'. -- AFP

Phone-tumour link tenuous

Research has failed to establish any clear link between use of the mobile and cordless phones and several kinds of cancer. -- BH FILE PHOTO

WASHINGTON - STUDIES on whether mobile phones can cause cancer, especially brain tumours, vary widely in quality and there may be some bias in those showing the least risk, researchers reported on Tuesday.

So far it is difficult to demonstrate any link, although the best studies do suggest some association between mobile phone use and cancer, the team led by Dr Seung-Kwon Myung of South Korea's National Cancer Centre found.

Dr Myung and colleagues at Ewha Womans University and Seoul National University Hospital in Seoul and the University of California, Berkeley, examined 23 published studies of more than 37,000 people in what is called a meta-analysis. They found results often depended on who conducted the study and how well they controlled for bias and other errors.

The use of mobile and cordless phones has exploded in the past 10 years to an estimated 4.6 billion subscribers worldwide, according to the UN International Telecommunication Union. Research has failed to establish any clear link between use of the devices and several kinds of cancer.

The latest study, supported in part by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, examined cases involving brain tumours and others including tumours of the facial nerves, salivary glands and testicles as well as non-Hodgkin's lymphomas.

It found no significant association between the risk of tumours and overall use of mobile phones, including cellular and cordless phones. -- REUTERS

How to Please Your Woman in Bed

It has long been a debate and a question if one of the best ways to please your woman in bed is by having a bigger penis. Studies and surveys here and there have probed into this subject and there are indeed results about women associating a bigger penis to sexual satisfaction.

Some studies have revealed that the bigger the size of the penis, the more it can be able to stimulate the sensitive parts of the woman, and the penis with larger girth are said to provide more sexual satisfaction.

Although there are a number of women too that says size does not really matter but the performance does. The association of sexual satisfaction to the size of the penis has also lead to men being obsessed with the size of their penis - and eventually the emergence of many penis enlargement products in the market to address this obsession.

Sometimes this is also an issue among married couple, which they fail to address or talk about, as this can be a sensitive issue to both the man and the wife. If you are one of those bothered by the size of your penis and you want to at least, learn how to please your woman in bed, you might be thinking there is no way you can do about it. You actually have options - do good in your performance and find ways to, at least, enhance the size of your penis.

With the many methods and techniques that you can find in the market now, you must also be careful in your choices because some may have more risks than good results. If you want ways on how to please your woman in bed and you are looking at the possibility of enhancing the size of your penis, you can have a number of options.

Probably the most common you can find in the market is the pill, but it may not be the safest. Surgeries of increasing the size of the penis are also available, but like any other surgical procedure, the results are fast but the risk is high and the cost can be expensive. You can also find a number of devices and pumps intended to increase penis size, and of course, the penile enlargement exercises, which is probably the safest and cheapest among all the options.

It is important to note that problems with premature ejaculation and problems with erection which can be frustrating to women, are also among the common sexual problems that can hinder you to please your woman in bed. Penile exercises are not only good for increasing the size of your penis but can also help you overcome premature ejaculation and other erection problems.

Learning how to please your woman in bed may not be difficult at all if you know how to exercise your penis - not only for enhancing size but also for overcoming other sexual problems.

Bed sharing 'bad for your health'

Couples should consider sleeping apart for the good of their health and relationship, say experts.

Sleep specialist Dr Neil Stanley told the British Science Festival how bed sharing can cause rows over snoring and duvet-hogging and robs precious sleep.

One study found that, on average, couples suffered 50% more sleep disturbances if they shared a bed.

Dr Stanley, who sleeps separately from his wife, points out that historically we were never meant to share our beds.

He said the modern tradition of the marital bed only began with the industrial revolution, when people moving to overcrowded towns and cities found themselves short of living space.

Before the Victorian era it was not uncommon for married couples to sleep apart. In ancient Rome, the marital bed was a place for sexual congress but not for sleeping.

Dr Stanley, who set up one of Britain's leading sleep laboratories at the University of Surrey, said the people of today should consider doing the same.

"It's about what makes you happy. If you've been sleeping together and you both sleep perfectly well, then don't change, but don't be afraid to do something different.

"We all know what it's like to have a cuddle and then say 'I'm going to sleep now' and go to the opposite side of the bed. So why not just toddle off down the landing?"

Tossing and turning

He said poor sleep was linked to depression, heart disease, strokes, lung disorders, traffic and industrial accidents, and divorce, yet sleep was largely ignored as an important aspect of health.

Dr Robert Meadows, a sociologist at the University of Surrey, said: "People actually feel that they sleep better when they are with a partner but the evidence suggests otherwise."

He carried out a study to compare how well couples slept when they shared a bed versus sleeping separately.

Based on 40 couples, he found that when couples share a bed and one of them moves in his or her sleep, there is a 50% chance that their slumbering partner will be disturbed as a result.

Despite this, couples are reluctant to sleep apart, with only 8% of those in their 40s and 50s sleeping in separate rooms, the British Science Festival heard.

Should children attend funerals?

IT'S the question on everyone's lips right now.

Should a grieving child be allowed to attend their parent's funeral?

Eleven-year-old Paris Jackson's heartfelt message to her father proved the most memorable part of Michael Jackson's memorial on Tuesday.

But was it right to put her through such a traumatic experience?

Children's bereavement charity, Winston's Wish, believes that children should be given an informed choice - and not be forced into attending or staying at home.

"There's no right or wrong answer to whether a child should attend a funeral," says Brendan McIntyre, Family Services Manager at the charity.

"What is important is that they have information that helps them decide - but our 16 years of experience shows most children do choose to go.

"A child's vivid imagination often makes up what they don't know.

"Including and talking to children allows them to feel in control of something that can be very scary."

For younger children, Winston's Wish suggests using toys and play to help explain what a funeral means and how people are buried.

Through this play children feel more able to make the decision about attending their mum or dad's funeral.

If a child says they'd like to go to the funeral, check again nearer the time that they still want to go and make sure that someone, such as a relative or family friend, is there to keep a special eye on them.

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Brendan adds: "The death of a parent or sibling is one of the most fundamental losses a child will ever face. Involving children in saying goodbye is important in helping them to grieve and begin to rebuild their lives."

Do YOU think children should attend a parent's funeral? Tell us your opinion.