dr jennifer bremer's blog

targeting obesity in schools

2012-02-09T12:05:00.018-06:00

Having long worked with eating disorders patients, I have always been concerned about programs explicitly targeting obesity in the schools. With childhood obesity such a tremendous public health problem, such overt programs superficially can sound wise, but they are not. There are too many potential risks. Such concerning questions come up: How could such programs not highlight and make

Nonverbal Learning Disorder by Whitney

2012-02-05T11:42:00.009-06:00

I'm putting in a plug for Rodalyn Whitney's Nonverbal Learning Disorder: Understanding and Coping with NLD and Asperger's -- What Parents and Teachers Need to Know. As a parent of a NLD kid as well as a professional in the field, Whitney offers a unique depth of warmth and pragmatic hands on suggestions intended for parents and teachers. Her heartfelt book peppered with numerous amusing

looking for new antidepressant options

2012-02-03T23:23:00.013-06:00

Last week NPR presented the intriguing story of research looking at a novel medication approach for treatment resistant depression.

giraffe bread

2012-02-01T12:12:00.003-06:00

Nice corny little story of a someone really listening to a child. Enjoy.

"Ritalin Gone Wrong"

2012-01-29T23:49:00.010-06:00

While Dr. Sroufe's NYTimes opinion piece "Ritalin Gone Wrong" shares exciting new directions in the field and makes good points, I worry his tone will cause some kids to be taken off of needed medications. Of course, ideally all of those suffering from attention deficit disorder would respond to psychosocial interventions and therapies, but there are many who simply do not respond to these

"What's Wrong with the Teenage Mind?"

2012-01-27T22:54:00.007-06:00

Today kids are reaching puberty sooner and taking on adult roles and responsibilities later. Alison Gopnik concisely explores this conundrum in "What's Wrong with the Teenage Mind?" If interested, also take a look at the National Geographic article on the subject.

question parenting

2012-01-16T23:31:00.032-06:00

Parents have answers. Parents tell. Kids listen and do. I use the term "Answer Parenting" to refer to such parenting via administering answers and agendas. Such "Answer Parenting" can be tempting but has

glutamate neurotransmission

2011-12-07T12:04:00.003-06:00

Glutamate neurotransmission taught in the most original of ways. Enjoy.

3D Brain

2011-11-03T12:42:00.006-05:00

This amazing app 3D Brain makes basic neuroanatomy simple.

those at high risk of breast cancer should avoid alcohol

2011-11-02T10:17:00.009-05:00

This study reported in JAMA today supports prior studies which suggest a woman may decrease her risk of breast cancer by avoiding or minimizing alcohol use.

should I get a flu shot?

2011-10-29T13:43:00.007-05:00

Here the answer is made so clear.

HPV vaccine

2011-10-26T16:20:00.004-05:00

Concerns about the HPV vaccine? Take a look at the data.

Notes from a Dragon Mom

2011-10-18T23:21:00.007-05:00

Emily Rapp's NY Times opinion piece puts parenting priorities in exquisite perspective.

adolescent dog teaches parenting

2011-10-15T11:49:00.025-05:00

My adolescent border collie endlessly focused on herding. When he identified an item to herd (backhoe, motorcycle, random wheeled vehicle), previous training was forgotten and off he ran. Multiple trainers, behavioral management with both negative reinforcement and positive reinforcement did not help. Even a stint at dog rehab did no good. Every time we walked him, we feared the leash would

mental health pamphlets

2011-10-07T10:30:00.003-05:00

Here's the updated U of C virtual pamphlet collection,via Dr. Bob's ever helpful website.

childhood intelligence and brain development

2011-10-01T11:54:00.002-05:00

The brain changes during childhood development. This fascinating study published a few years ago in Nature, suggests that childhood intelligence is correlated with the trajectory of cortical change, rather than cortical thickness. i.e. amount of change rather than size."... More intelligent children demonstrate a particularly plastic cortex, with an initial accelerated and prolonged phase of

adhd brains a little immature

2011-09-30T09:31:00.003-05:00

Here's a classic first report of a study showing that brains of kids with attention deficit disorder have development which is a little immature. This study found the delay especially in prefrontal cortical areas key for attention. Worth a review. And, if interested you may wish to look back at the NIMH video of brain maturation in ADHD.

celiac disease and cognitive impairments

2011-09-24T11:45:00.014-05:00

Although several years old, this study from Mayo and published in Archives of Neurology is worth a read by anyone interested in the link between celiac disease and cognition. Those with celiac disease have a bad reaction to eating gluten (found in wheat, barley, rye, possibly oats) which causes damage to the small intestine's lining. Dr. Hu and crew dug in files and found 13 patients who had

biology of anxiety notes

2011-09-22T15:31:00.017-05:00

More notes from NEI. These are simply my notes from some of Stahl's Brainstorms bits on anxiety circuits. The same malfunctioning circuits are likely involved in anxiety and worry related symptoms in an array of anxiety disorders. So perhaps rather than lumping as psychiatrists have been doing since the time of DSMs -- it is time to deconstruct anxiety disorders into individual symptoms.When

genetics of bipolar and schizophrenia

2011-09-18T21:59:00.002-05:00

Here's a succinct article summing up some recent findings on the genetics of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

teenage brains

2011-09-18T07:30:00.003-05:00

A colorful, clear article from National Geographic about teenage brains. Any one who works with or lives with teens should read it. Enjoy.

notes: ADHD basics

2011-09-16T20:16:00.023-05:00

For those of you versed in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), skip this post as it is quite basic. The following are a few notes from another NEI talk -- this time from Jensen.DiagnosisADHD in 5-8% childrenAbout the same number of girls and boys have inattentive type ADHD.Boys predominate with combined or hyperactive types.Remember ADHD can be especially hard to pick up in kids who

notes: fatigue in depression

2011-09-15T13:26:00.027-05:00

I'm so enjoying Stahl's lectures on NEI that I will share my notes along the way. The following are a few notes from his talk on psychopharmacology of fatigue. Please note that this is NOT a comprehensive discussion of fatigue or of the medications mentioned! I'm just sharing a few notes from a fascinating talk:Fatigue might be the most common symptom in depression other than depressed mood its

yes-parenting

2011-09-03T00:58:00.005-05:00

Here is a slightly corny piece by a Mom describing her experiment with "yes-parenting." I don't condone taking it this far. However, I do think many loving parents say "no" more often than is helpful.

STEP-BD

2011-09-01T18:34:00.007-05:00

Yet another huge NIMH funded study worth remembering is the now 1/2 a dozen year old massive, stellar STEP-BD bipolar study run by Harvard professor Gary Sachs. Here are a few of its key findings that guide clinical work:Bipolar disorder is a terribly recurrent disorder, especially when it comes to depressive episodes. In 2 years over 50% recur. And, 70% of recurrences are depressive