Creating a Healthier Future through Prevention of Child Maltreatment

Excellent panel presentation on effects of and strategies to prevent child maltreatment. Experts describe harms including a long list of psychological, cognitive and physical health issues, brain development and epigenetic consequences, fatalities, legal, government and social costs of abuse and neglect. The lifetime economic burden in the US is estimated between a conservative figure of $121 billion (2008) and an estimated half a trillion dollars, per year. They discuss what can be done for prevention with public health and policy approaches, including eliminating risk factors, and resource allocation from cost-benefit analyses. Evidence-based prevention programs include home visitations by nurses, maternity ward education, and the Positive Parenting Program (PPP) which all promote safe, supportive, nurturing relationships (SSNRs).

Talks are followed by a Q&A. The presentations are also available on a PDF.

If you are a parent interested in self-help skills development, check out PPP’s practical step-by-step resources for parents.

Epigenetic Landscapes

A scientist learns his twin brother is in the hospital from alcoholism and drives from Calgary to Vancouver to visit him, along the way explaining the basics of epigenetics to the camera operator. Great concept, nicely produced and edited with handmade graphics and beautiful video comparing epigenetics to landscapes in the Canadian Rockies. Another entry in the Gene Screen BC 2010 genetic science video contest, winner to be announced Sept. 8 [edit: Epigenetic Lanscapes won 3rd place and the People's Choice award. Congratulations!]. SciVee pubcast DOI: 10.4016/20905.01.

[Image by net efekt.]

The Epigenetic Link between Child Abuse and Suicide Risk

Portion of a talk focussing on a study that looked at the epigenetics of people with histories of child abuse who died by suicide, and found increased methylation in some areas. Slides not available, but a fascinating talk on a hot topic.

Epigenetics as a Substrate for Gene-Environment Interaction

Epigenetics in neuropsychiatry. Part of McGill’s Integrated Program in Neuroscience Inaugural Retreat.

Connected Minds: Loneliness, Social Brains and the Need for Community

A recent release from the excellent RSA Vision lecture series: the leading expert in social neuroscience explains the subdiscipline.

[Image by mknowles]

The Next Big Thing: Predicting Personality

Panel on genetics, imaging, personality, literature and psychiatry. Includes the story of twins separated at birth who both ended up working for the BBC. Pop science and pop psych in Y2K. More: info and production credits.

[Image by kyz.]

Neuropsychiatric Phenomics: Implications For Future Diagnosis And Treatment

Neuropsychiatric phenotypes and genomics, informatics, diagnostics and the DSM, biomarkers and “psychiatry of the future.” Part of the longstanding, excellent Psychiatry Grand Rounds series (now available for the iPhone), featuring a member of the Semel Institute Consortium for Neuropsychiatric Phenomics. Video quality ranges from so-so to awful, but it’s a talk worth listening to. [Direct video link].