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An increasing amount of evidence indicates an association between alexithymia and eating disorder symptoms. This possible association was evaluated in a non-clinical sample of late adolescents. Seven hundred and twenty nine adolescents completed the questionnaire and formed the final sample. Alexithymia was measured using the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale and eating disorder symptoms were assessed using the SCOFF questionnaire. The rate of alexithymia was 8.2%, without any gender difference. The mean SCOFF scores differed significantly between alexithymic and non-alexithymic subjects, and the share of SCOFF positive subjects was significantly higher among alexithymics. The results suggest that eating disorder symptoms are more common in alexithymic adolescents.

Prevalence of mental health problems among adolescents varies from 10 to 30%. Therefore, mental health promotion in school has risen as a very important developing area in public health services. The need is international. Despite the large number of projects and recommendations on the promotion of schoolchildren's mental health, the literature does not offer a comprehensive theoretical description of what mental health work with people of this particular age really is as a whole. The theory can be constructed by combining and comparing the viewpoints of the different parties--the employees, the schoolchildren and their families--as well as previous knowledge of the subject. The purpose of this research was to produce a description of the concepts used by employees when addressing the subject of promoting mental health in the upper level of comprehensive schools (grades 7-9). The description has been produced by analysing interviews with nine people who work with schoolchildren, as well as workgroup memos related to the development work. The respondents work in the fields of primary healthcare, specialised healthcare, the education authority and social services. The analysis was conducted by applying the grounded theory method. The research target was a Finnish upper-level comprehensive school with 446 pupils. Four key concepts were found: The concept of a school environment comprises the physical and social conditions in the school, the curricula and other instructions. Human resources comprise representatives of various organisations, their competencies and time-consumption opportunities. The schoolchildren and their families and also their friends are key operators and partners. The concept of work to promote mental health is related to enhancing the school's conditions, recognising problems and offering help, co-operation and joint agreement. The produced description clarifies the overall picture of mental health work in schools and facilitates the finding of key development areas.

This multicenter, open-label study with a duration of 85 days was performed to evaluate the antidepressant efficacy and safety of mirtazapine (dose range, 30-45 mg) in 12-18-year-old adolescents diagnosed with major depression. Twenty-four (24) patients (15 female patients and 9 male patients) meeting the DSM-IV criteria for major depression and the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D-17) score of 18 at baseline were enrolled in the study. The primary outcome measures were HAM-D-17, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Clinical Global Impression (CGI) scales. Any changes in symptoms of anxiety were measured using the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A). The average age of the 23 subjects, who were eligible for analysis, was 16.3 years (standard deviation (SD) 6.11, median 17.3). The mean daily dose of mirtazapine was 32.9 mg. Mirtazapine showed a marked efficacy on all rating scales and was well tolerated. Mirtazapine had a beneficial effect on sleep. A rapid onset of sleep and pattern of action was seen. No dropouts due to adverse events were recorded. The most common treatment-emergent adverse events were tiredness, increased appetite, and dizziness. The results of this study suggest that mirtazapine may be an effective treatment for major depression in adolescents.