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Consumer anxiety jumps on tough budget

Consumer anxiety rose sharply in response to spending cuts and tax hikes announced in the federal budget, with women, low income earners and families hit the hardest.

Consumer anxiety jumped in the four weeks immediately after the May 13 budget was released.

The National Australia Bank consumer anxiety index rose almost three points to 64.5 in the June quarter - the highest level since the survey began 18 months ago.

The main causes for consumer concern were government policy in the wake of the budget as well as cost of living pressures, NAB economists said.

"The May federal budget has clearly impacted consumer anxiety," the report said.

According to the report, consumers expect the budget to impact their overall financial position, savings, investments and spending along with access to government benefits.

Anxiety was lowest in Tasmania and highest in Victoria but rose most in Western Australia, as their economy copes with the wind down in mining investment.

Women were more anxious than men, while low income earners, the unemployed and families with children also had higher rates of anxiety.

"NAB's survey indicates that on average the biggest budget impact is expected to be felt by females aged 18-29 followed by families with children and those earning less than $35,000," NAB said.

"This may reflect a number of budget measures which could impact families, low income earners and young people.

"These included tightening eligibility criteria for family tax benefits and stricter eligibility rules for unemployment benefits and Newstart youth allowances among some of the key areas of government savings."

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/aap/article-2693781/Consumer-anxiety-jumps-tough-budget.html

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Smoking cannabis DOES increase the risk of anxiety and depression

• Brains of users were less able to react to feel-good chemical dopamine
• Adds to past research linking marijuana to lethargy and apathy

Smoking cannabis does increase the risk of depression and anxiety, a new study has concluded.

U.S. researchers found the brains of users were less able to react to dopamine - the feel-good chemical that inspires a spirit of get-up-and-go.

The study adds to previous research suggesting marijuana can lead to people becoming withdrawn, lethargic and apathetic.

Danger: The brains of cannabis users were less able to react to the feel-good chemical dopamine 

Psychiatrist Dr Nora Volkow, of the National Institute on Drug Abuse in the U.S., used the stimulant Ritalin to see the effect cannabis had on the brain.

Like cocaine, Ritalin raises levels of dopamine in the brain.This made it ideal for the study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Of the 48 people in the study, half received the drug - while the other half acted as a control group.

Personality and brain scans showed the cannabis users had significantly blunted dopamine responses compared with the controls who had never taken the drug.

Previous research has suggested a lack of dopamine makes people lazy

This could contribute to drug-craving and negative emotions, a tendency towards depression and anxiety which are hallmarks of cannabis addiction.

Dr Volkow said the phenomenon cannot be unequivocally attributed to reductions in dopamine release.

They believe there is a downstream effect later in the process in an area of the brain called the striatum - the reward and motivation region.

Indeed, last year a study from Imperial College London found that long-term use of cannabis destroys dopamine.

Levels in the striatum - found towards the side of the brain - were lower in regular cannabis users.

Dr Michael Bloomfield, of Imperial College London, said: 'Dopamine is involved in telling the brain when something exciting is about to happen - be it sex, drugs or rock ‘n roll.

'Our findings explain why cannabis has a tendency to make people sit around doing nothing'

Commenting on the new study, the U.S. researchers said: 'Moves to legalise marijuana highlight the urgency to investigate effects of chronic marijuana in the human brain.'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2691837/Smoking-cannabis-DOES-increase-risk-anxiety-depression.html

Various Anxiety vs. Depressive Disorders

Anxiety and depression is rising among teenagers - and girls are suffering most, new study reveals

• The review looked at 19 studies conducted across 12 countries
• It found an increase in anxiety and depression in teenagers across Northern Europe, the UK and China
• The number of older adolescent girls suffering from mental health problems was double that off boys

Older adolescent girls across the world are increasingly experiencing severe anxiety and depression, a new Australian study has found.

The review, which has been published in the in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, looked at 19 extensive studies conducted across 12 countries and found that teenage girls in Northern Europe, the UK and China are specifically experiencing an increase in mental health problems.

The studies leader, Dr William Bor from the University of Queensland, told the Daily Mail Australia that a combination of cultural, schooling and economic factors are most likely to be leading to the growing problem.

The review looked at 19 studies conducted across 12 countries and found that teenage girls in Australia, Northern Europe, the UK and China are experiencing an increase in anxiety and depression

'There appears to be increasing school distress amongst girls as they negotiate their way through the last parts of their school careers,' Dr Bor said. 

'They face difficult choices and pressures and the modern education system appears to be more problematic for girls – so the issue there is the stress of making future decisions and how they cope with them.'

However culture is also believed to have a significant impact on mental health issues within young women, who are well known to struggle with identity and appearance issues.

'Culture has high expectation on girls in terms of appearance and weight,' Dr Bor said.

'There's a lot of speculation about the pressure on girls in terms of early sexualization and concerns they have about body image.

'However, there is also  a third factor around increasing economic inequality, and that may be increasing pressures at school as well.'

The studies leader, Dr William Bor from the University of Queensland said that a combination of cultural, schooling and economic factors are most likely to be the cause for the growing trend.

Due to the data coming from an array of countries, Dr Bor said the exact reasons for the difference in results across genders was not entirely clear, but are most likely tied in with education and cultural pressures.

'Boys are also affected but they're not as affected,' he said.

'You can see in the results that the trend in boys and girls is going up, but what is very clear is that girls have almost double the anxiety and worries as boys.

'We don't yet know all the answers here – each country has different pressures on their young people – and one of the odd things is that America isn't showing this increasing trend.

'We also have to account for why we are seeing a rise in China –so it's clearly not just a western phenomenon.'

Dr Bor recommended that parents, peers and medical professionals receive more education about depression and anxiety, including prevention programs being placed in high schools.

'The school factor is the common denominator and the most likely factor across the multiple countries.'

Dr Bor recommended that parents, peers and medical professionals receive more education about depression and anxiety, including prevention programs being placed in high schools, to increase the chances of successful prevention and early intervention.

'One of the greatest issues is that it could lead to higher rates of attempted and successful suicide - that's the greatest risk with anxiety and depression,' Dr Bor said.

'But having severe depression and anxiety in adolescence is also a predictor of having it in future life – about a quarter of kids go on to get the illnesses as adults so it is a risk factor for the future, and it also increases the likelihood of drug and alcohol abuse in adulthood.'

Although the study has no conclusive figures on the number of youth suffering from anxiety and depression in Australia, a population survey will be releases in 2015 with extensive figures.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2689466/Anxiety-depression-rising-teenagers-Australian-study-shows.html

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