A researcher from the UCD School of Psychology is looking for third level students who are aged between 18-25 to participate in a research project. The project will look at the attitudes of students towards seeking help for mental health problems. Interested? Read more below.
Young adults in Ireland are vulnerable to experiencing a number of mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety, and suicide. It is important that young adults experiencing these problems seek appropriate help in order to recover fully. This study seeks to understand Irish students’ attitudes towards seeking help for mental health problems, and which factors are important in promoting help seeking.
Participation takes approximately 20-25 minutes and all information provided is entirely anonymous. The results of this study will be submitted for publication in a peer reviewed journal, and may be used to inform future interventions to promote mental health service use among young adults in Ireland. This is not a SpunOut.ie research project.
If you experience any issues, or would like to contact the researcher for more information about this study, please email donnchadh.murphy@ucdconnect.ie.
To take part in the project click here
There are several different types of baldness, some of which can be temporary. However the most common form of baldness that men worry about is known as male pattern baldness. 95% of male hair loss is caused by this.
The fancy scientific term for male pattern baldness is androgenic alopecia. Bit of an unsexy mouthful eh?
Balding generally starts when a man is in his 20s or 30s. About 50% of men begin to lose their hair by the time they are 30, and 60% of men have lost hair by the time they are 60. It is a genetic condition, which means that you are born with the tendency to develop this type of baldness.
What causes it?
Basically male pattern baldness is caused by the male hormone testosterone converting to a hormone known as dihydrotestosterone (DHT) on the glands of the scalp.
DHT then shrinks and reduces blood flow to the hair follicles. With reduced blood flow and shrinkage, hair can no longer re-grow. So it starts to fall out. First the hairline recedes back, followed by the hair on the top of the head.
The amount of DHT you produce and your sensitivity to it is controlled by your genes. It used to be thought that the genes for male pattern baldness came only from the mother’s side, but we now know that they come from both sides.
Trauma can cause temporary hair loss also i.e. car accidents or severe emotional upsets. However, this hair loss is usually temporary and does not start with receding along the hairline as in male pattern baldness. Rather, the hair falls out fairly evenly all over the head in such cases. This type of temporary hair loss can also be caused by an underactive or over active thyroid, nutrient deficiencies and hair pulling.
What can you do about it?
We're all dissimilar. We come from diverse backgrounds and cultures. We like different things and we have different beliefs. And we also all have very distinctive body shapes and sizes!
Healthy body image
What do you think when you look in the mirror? Are you happy with what you see or do you spend ages worrying about whether you look the way you ‘should’?
Don’t get hung up on your body. It takes all sorts to make the world. There are millions of different types of people so accept yourself as you are. With all the bodily changes (and life changes) taking place during your teens and early twenties it’s easy to become obsessed with how you look. Your body goes through a lot of changes and all these hormones whizzing around can really affect your moods.
It can be really hard if you are developing faster or slower than your friends, but remember that everyone develops at a different rate. In the long run, it makes no difference when you start and it won't affect what you will be like as an adult. This body stuff is not a competition. Try to relax. If you are really worried talk to your parents, friends or someone that you trust.
Remember: you are who you are, there is no one in the world like you–which makes every one of us different. Each of us has a purpose. We have our own skills and talents, our own ambitions for life and our own sense of who we want to be.
You don’t have to follow trends to be ‘cool’ or to be part of the ‘in crowd’. Just because a singer, movie star, or even friends want you to look or act like them or do what they do doesn’t mean you have to.
You can be an individual, wear the clothes you want and choose whatever accessories you wish–as long as you feel happy with yourself, that’s all that counts.
Don’t let others put you down or try to change you. They’re not you! They don’t feel what you feel. You live your life and let them get on with theirs. Be happy with yourself and enjoy being your individual self.
Diversity is in the deaf population (all ages), and many people don’t realise this. Moreover, in Ireland, the media tends to give a very one-sided view of deafness. This means when you're a differently-deaf young person, you must constantly advocate for captioning-support in education and in the workplace, which can be exhausting. Here's a good piece about the ‘different ways of being deaf’:>> Different Models of Deafness.
Ninety per cent of young deaf and hard-of-hearing (hoh) people in Ireland have hearing families
Most deaf/hoh teens speak English at home and at school, especially if they wear hearing-devices and are from a hearing family (90% are). Some may socialise with members of the (signing) deaf community, maybe via sign language. For young people, it's a personal choice to mix with hearing and/or deaf people – or to have friends in both groups. Just like everyone else, young people with hearing issues need to find their identity and place in the world, and to meet others like themselves.
Most deaf/hoh teens are verbal and do not use sign language (ISL)
Digital hearing-devices give wearers some access to spoken words (speech) around them and to incidental sounds, wherever they are. Some young people wear hearing-devices since they were babies. Accordingly, they're highly likely to be verbal and to chat away like everyone else. Again, it's a personal choice if sign language (ISL) is learned, or not. This depends partly on the person's family and education setting – if they went to a school for deaf students, they're likely to be fluent sign language users, and may speak, too.
In school or college, we may be classmates of yours
Deafness is called the “invisible disability”, so you may not even realise we are deaf! Most likely, we'll tell you after chatting for a bit, or you'll realise if we sound slightly different when we speak. Ninety per cent of deaf or hoh students are mainstream-educated, so we're likely to be in your classes. If we ask to read your notes, it's no biggie, we just want to make sure we haven't missed any vital study points – or any exam dates!
Our world is not silent: we just hear differently to others!
You know when someone's talking, and you just can't hear what they're saying? Maybe they're too far away, or there's music or people in the background? That's how we hear, some of the time! In a quiet setting, we maybe can hear what you're saying. Any background noise makes things more difficult. But that's when most of us turn to our lip-reading abilities 
To hear music and phones, we pair ear-buds with our hearing-devices
Take it from us; Bluetooth is brilliant for pairing smart-phones and MP3 players with hearing-devices. That pesky background noise gets filtered out, and we hear straight from the source, whether it's Beyonce or our beloved. Heck, the lyrics are probably also on our phones or YouTube, so we can really get into the tunes.
Lip-reading rocks at parties, on the sports field and in forensic work
Legitimate eavesdropping can be hilarious, if you're certain what folks are talking about. At parties, you get to see who fancies who (reading body language too!) and maybe help a few lovebirds get together... And on the sports field, the opposition's tactics can be eavesdropped on – if they don't suss you out! Forensic lip-reading is a career option for the pros - but there's also money in lip-reading for scandal on live TV and footy events.
Hearing devices are worn for sports, dancing, and judo/martial arts
Never mind the medical 'advice' to not wear hearing-devices for sports, dancing, judo and martial arts! Most of us do, purely because we like to hear in our physical environments. GAA and rugby players have helmets with space and inbuilt padding for hearing-devices, while ballet headbands can double as device-retainers. And in several martial arts, the head is sacred – therefore it shouldn't be a target or have blows directed to it.
Careers and occupations are open to us, with new technologies
IDK know doctors, dentists, vets, pilots and software architects with hearing issues, who use technologies to level their fields of work. Our advice, if you're a young person with hearing issues, is to find YOUR passion and aim to study/work in YOUR field (within reason). Don't get boxed-in by parents' and teachers' ideas for employment. You're the one who has to do all the work in school, college and get inducted into workplaces!
Our goals, dreams and aspirations are the same as yours
Anything is possible, even if others try to put limits on your goals. Helen Keller is a shining example of how a person can maximise his or her own potential with the right environment and teaching. Like everyone else, young people who are deaf want to enjoy life, to have adventures, finish their education, to meet and share their lives with the right person, maybe to have their own families, and to see the world along the way.
Positive role models include Helen Keller, Marlee Matlin and Heather Whitestone
In Ireland, strong role models for young people with hearing issues are thin on the ground. But in the US, there's Marlee Matlin (the actress) and Heather Whitestone (Miss America, 1995). The profile of actress Katie LeClerc from the ABC TV series, “Switched At Birth” is also growing. And in the UK, there's Genevieve Barr, who featured in the BBC TV thriller, “The Silence” in 2010.
This information has been provided by Irish Deaf Kids.
Remember that in the Republic of Ireland the legal age of sexual consent is 17, and in Northern Ireland it is 16.
TV, movies, even friends. It might appear as if everyone is having sex. But let’s not forget that TV and movies aren’t real, and by no means reflect reality. As for your friends and peers around you, they’re not all having sex despite what they might want you to think.
You should only have sex when you are ready, and should never feel pressured into doing something that you don’t feel comfortable with. Check out our article on deciding when to have sex for more information. However, there may come the time when you feel pressured to go further than you’re comfortable with, and have to say no.
There are many reasons you might want to say no to sex. You might not feel ready to have sex. You might want to get to know the person better or be in a committed relationship before you make any big decisions. You may want to wait till you’re older and have more life experience. You may want to get to know the person better before you sleep with them.
You may have previously had sex, but are not comfortable having sex with a new partner yet or you want to abstain from sex for a while. Or you might want to say no to any sexual act that you are not ready for or makes you feel uncomfortable (link to article). Whatever your reason for not wanting to have sex, it is perfectly valid and ok to have made that decision. Even if you have had sex before, you have the right to say no.
In the heat of the moment, when hormones are raging, it can be difficult to stop something from going further than you want it to. That’s why it’s a good idea to have thought about what you’re comfortable with before a situation arises.
You may feel like you are ready for kissing and touching with clothes on, but that touching under clothes is a no-no. Or you may be ok with touching under clothes, but you’re not ready for oral sex or sex. Whatever your comfort zone, it is important that you don’t feel pressured to have sex you have the right to say no.
Whatever reason your partner has for not wanting to have sex, you need to respect it. They may not feel ready to have sex with you, and it is important that you do not pressure them to do anything that they are not ready for.
Respect their decision and resist the urge to make them feel guilty. Waiting might be frustrating, but the worst thing you could do is to have sex with someone who is not ready. Everyone has the right to say no.
Remember that in the Republic of Ireland the legal age of sexual consent is 17, and in Northern Ireland it is 16.
Er… you'd like to do WHAT in the bedroom? Blush!
There may come the time when your partner asks you to do something that makes you feel nervous or embarrassed, totally turns you off, feels taboo to you, or makes you flinch with horror. It can be difficult to say 'no' to them without hurting their feelings, making them question whether they can be open with you sexually, or frankly panicking and feeling at a loss as to how to reply.
Sometimes it's difficult to tell whether someone is joking or serious about a sexual request. Ask them whether they are serious and if either or you are under the influence of alcohol or, suggest discussing this when you are both sober. Your reaction should depend upon your personal preference, the nature of the request, and how it is made.
If someone asks you politely and respectfully, and their request isn't breaking the law, then bear in mind that they have trusted you enough to ask, and that what's unusual or taboo to you might seem normal and enjoyable to them. Everybody has different sexual preferences, and it's normal for you and your partner to have different sexual interests and fantasies.
Is what they've asked for: A bit unusual, or just something you’re not into?
If it is a bit unusual or makes you blush, you could say that you'd like to think about it for a while, but that you don't fancy it right now, which will give you some time to gather your thoughts and perhaps do some research on the subject. If you are neither put off nor excited by the sexual request, but it's important to your partner, then you might want to experiment and try it once.
It’s important to make an informed decision, and that you take your instincts into account as well, and never ignore a gut feeling. If it is something you're just not into, clearly let your partner know how you feel. Don’t say 'maybe' if you really mean 'not a chance!' Think about how you might feel about it after and don’t do something just to keep someone else happy. If they care about you they will respect your decision.
Work on a compromise that suits both of you
Perhaps you might be able to negotiate a compromise that suits both of you. For example, “toe sucking just doesn't do it for me, but I'd love a foot massage instead”. If someone has a serious fixation, rather than a passing fancy, this may not satisfy them, but it's up to you to decide if you're happy to fulfill their request.
How to say NO!
Your personal preferences are as valid as anyone else's, and you have a right to say 'no' (link to article) to anything that you don't like the idea of. You do not have to fulfill every one of your partner's fantasies, and some fantasies should never become reality anyway. Here are some tips on how to turn them down gracefully:
A young carer is someone under the age of 18 who is responsible for the needs of an adult who is ill, who has a disability or who is dependent on drugs or alcohol. As a carer, you may have to do a lot of household chores that the adult in your life would normally do, such as cooking, cleaning and grocery shopping.
You may need to help out with medical care, such as changing dressings or giving out medication each day. You may also need to take charge of looking after your siblings. Finally, you may need to provide emotional support to the person you are caring for.
Being a young carer can be very tough. You may feel scared that the person you look after isn’t able to care for you, and you may resent the fact that you have to do so many chores. You may also have trouble keeping up with your homework or studying for your exams. Finally, you may feel very alone and like you can’t be a ‘normal’ young person. Some young people can also develop health problems from being a carer, such as back pain from lifting the person they care for or stomach problems and insomnia from the stress of caring.
What practical help is out there?
The Carers Association has a network of 16 resource centres across the country. You can drop into any of these for advice on financial entitlements, support groups and your rights as a carer. Click here to check out their website or phone 1800 240724. The Carers Association also hold an annual Young Carers Conference, as well as an awards ceremony for the Young Carer of the Year.
Your doctor is always there to listen. Remember that you may very well be eligible for a full medical card so doctor visits may be free for you. Your doctor may be able to refer you to a counsellor if you’d like to talk things over with a professional. He may also arrange for a social worker to work with you and your family, so that you get the supports you need. If you do see a social worker, don’t think that it means you will be taken away from your home; social workers only remove young people from the home if they are in danger living there.
Remember that the age of sexual consent in the republic of Ireland is 17 and the age of sexual consent in Northern Ireland is 16.
HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is a virus that attacks and weakens the body’s immune system (the body’s disease fighting system). HIV makes it difficult for your body to fight against infections and cancers that it would normally be able to fight off.
If a HIV positive person does not get proper treatment they may progress to AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome). AIDS is a disease in which the immune system breaks down and the body is unable to fight off certain infections.
According to the latest figures, 320 people were diagnosed with HIV in Ireland in 2011. Globally, there are 34 million people currently living with HIV.
How is HIV spread?
What are the symptoms?
There are four stages of an untreated HIV infection:
Stage I – Infection. This is when the person first develops the virus.
Stage 2 – Asymptomatic. During this stage, a person may feel well even though HIV is actually weakening their immune system.
Stage 3 – Symptomatic. Once the immune system has become weakened, a person develops symptoms of HIV such as tiredness, weight loss, thrush, stomach problems and mouth ulcers.
Stage 4 – Progression to AIDS. Once a person’s immune system has become extremely weakened and they have developed certain infection/s, they will be diagnosed with AIDS.
What treatment can you get?
How can you avoid getting HIV and AIDS?
Remember that the age of sexual consent in the republic of Ireland is 17 and the age of sexual consent in Northern Ireland is 16.
This is a viral skin infection. It is not dangerous, but it is normally spread by sexual contact in adults. It is also spread though objects that have the virus on them, such as towels, clothing or even toys. Some researchers think it may be spread in swimming pools also.
What treatment can you get?
Visit your doctor to have molluscum contagiosum diagnosed. The infection usually goes away by itself, but the growths can be removed with several different treatments such as freezing the lumps, heating the lumps or scraping them off. They can also be treated with medicines like podophyllotoxin, imiquimod, benzoyl peroxide or tretinoin. Some of these are the same medicines that are used to treat acne. Molluscum contagiosum is a virus, so once you have it, the symptoms may come back again.
My name’s Carolanne; I’m 15 of age and have been a diabetic for just over a year and a half. I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in April of 2011. I showed no signs of being diabetic: I had no thirst, I didn’t have to use the toilet often - everything was just normal! I had been sick on and off for the months prior to being diagnosed, but nothing out of the ordinary. I mean, it’s not uncommon for a teenager to have to get her appendix out or to catch a bug every now and then, so it was far from obvious what was wrong.
It was St Patrick’s Day in 2011 that we found out that there was something up. My Dad has type 2 diabetes, so he has a glucometer. My mam was messing with it that evening and I asked her to go ahead and check mine as I had never had it done before and I was really curious to know what it did. She did hers first and the reading showed that her blood glucose was 5.8, which was very normal. Then, terrified to have to go through a tiny pinch, I put out my hand and she did it. It counted down from five and I remember thinking that it was so cool! Little did I know that when it hit zero everything would change forever. My mam and I had eaten the exact same thing for dinner and although hers was normal, mine wasn’t, and my reading showed that my blood sugar was 16.8.
I didn’t know that that was very bad, but when my mam looked up at me I knew that I’d be paying a visit to the doctor soon. When I got to the doctor he sent me straight to Mullingar hospital to get a few tests. My dad and I headed to the hospital and we got there quite early if I remember. I had my blood pressure and temperature taken, which was standard procedure, and then it was back to the waiting room while I waited for a doctor to see me. I remember watching Ellen DeGeneres on a television that didn’t even have colour. It felt like an eternity, but eventually my name was called and the doctor came to speak with me. He took a few blood tests, but because I had eaten that morning my fasting blood sugar could not be taken. I remember the doctor telling me to lie down on the bed while he went to speak to someone and I lay down wishing for a bar of chocolate! When he came back he said that he had to do a few more tests, but that these ones didn’t involve blood, which I was happy to hear.
He told me to close my eyes and he started tickling my feet. I had to tell him which foot I thought he was tickling and if I could feel a soft touch or whether it was hurting me. Then he took out what looked to me like the fork you carve the turkey with at Christmas and he poked my ankles with it. The same questions were asked and I passed the test with flying colours. I thought then that they might say “Okay Carolanne, everything’s fine, you can head home”, but it was back to the waiting room again where Jeremy Kyle was now on.
Not long after this, the doctor I had seen came over to me. He crouched down on his hunkers and he said, “I think we’re going to keep you in for the night, Carolanne, but listen to me this isn’t the end of the world; diabetes can be very well managed”, and that’s when I knew that they didn’t even need the “crucial” test. They already knew as well as I did that I had diabetes.
The next day I was seen by various diabetic specialists who guided me through what I was going to have to do for the rest of my life. I saw the diabetic nurses whom I still see to this day. They showed me how a needle went in, and they gave me a cushion to practice injecting on. I was then seen by a dietician who gave me guidelines on the diabetic diet.
Then, the day I had been dreading came. It was the day I would have to take my first ever insulin injection. A nurse came in at about 9.30 that night and she handed me a green pen that had “Levemir”written across it. I held the needle like the diabetic nurses had shown me and then I pulled up my t-shirt to put the injection in. But I couldn’t do it. It was too hard. I remember saying to her “This is the bit I’m really not good at”. She laughed, told me not to worry and said that I should take a deep breath and put the needle in when I was breathing out. I did what she told me and it actually worked. To this day when I’m struggling to do my injection I do exactly what she told me that day.
Diabetes is most certainly not the worst thing someone can get, but that doesn’t mean it’s not hard. It’s the toughest thing I have to do every day. I explained to my friends that it’s tough because this is something I have to do for the rest of my life, and unless they figure out some miracle cure I’m stuck with it.
However, I do look positively on it as well. I manage it very well and I’ve been told on numerous occasions that I’m a model diabetic for the way I manage things. I take this as a massive compliment and I’m very proud of myself for getting on with it. Someday I hope to take up a career in research into illnesses and eventually maybe even diabetes.
Remember that the age of sexual consent in the republic of Ireland is 17 and the age of sexual consent in Northern Ireland is 16.
Sex can be fun, romantic, exciting and generally wonderful. At the same time though, it is totally normal to have some worries regarding hitting the sack with someone. Everyone worries about it a bit.
The team here at SpunOut.ie and comedian Des Bishop have launched a new initiative aimed at reacquainting ourselves with Sunday mornings.
‘Hello Sunday Morning’ encourages us to try life without booze for a few weeks, a few months or even a year, and to write about our experiences online at www.HelloSundayMorning.ie
Check out this video we made with Des:
‘Hello Sunday Morning’ focuses on encouraging people to realise their full potential and not to feel that you need alcohol to enjoy yourself. It is not an anti-alcohol initiative, nor does the campaign urge people to give up alcohol for good, but rather to take a break and see what happens and use that experience to inform your future drinking habits.
What is impressive about ‘Hello Sunday Morning’ is that it encourages people to change their lifestyles and have the power to control their lives. Alcohol takes too much of a grip on people and that can never be a good thing. You should be controlling alcohol – not the other way around. The research from the Australian example is clear; when you do take a break from alcohol, you feel better, you feel more in control and you end up – generally speaking – with a better relationship with alcohol.
We've asked a number of SpunOut friends to ‘do’ a Hello Sunday Morning (HSM) for the month of March (including Paddy’s Day!), they include:
Check out the the full list and follow them on twitter here
Fancy joining them? Sign up here www.HelloSundayMorning.ie and let us know how you're getting on by tweeting us @HSMIreland
Finally, check out these two cheeky chappies from Spin 1038 in their first vlog about HSM:
