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DÉJÀ VU? When relentless bullying at school pushed Massachusetts teen Phoebe Prince to commit suicide this year, many felt they’d heard this tale before. But how common is this tragic response to unkind schoolmates’ ugly behavior?

BY BRYCE R. COVERT

Despite all the media attention on bullying, teen suicides and antibullying legislation, the fact is that young people rarely commit suicide because of being harassed, says Carl Bell, MD, director of the Institute for Juvenile Research at the University of Illinois at Chicago and president and CEO of the Community Mental Health Council. Such deaths are more common among clinically depressed youth, Bell suggests.

But without a supportive environment, many youths are unable to manage the stress bullying creates. As a result, they find themselves experiencing feelings of hopelessness that are symptomatic of depression.

That stress, coupled with the depression it creates, according to a is found right in their own homes. 2008 Yale School of Medicine study, Family members can act as a child’s caused victims of bullying to be two to first defense against bullying, Zitoli nine times likelier to have suicidal says. And there are key signs that thoughts than other children. alert parents can spot.

Findings like these have pushed For example: If a child who has panicked state legislators, schools always been loving suddenly isn’t, and parents to find solutions to the that’s the first clue something is wrong, growing problem of bullying. But legis- Zitoli suggests. Other symptoms include lation may not prevent every child from children’s belongings disappearing and being harassed, says Andrew Zitoli, kids sporting injuries, which may mean principal of Millis Middle School in they’ve been in fights. Millis, Massachusetts. Parents can do a lot to protect their

Zitoli’s school is located about 80 children, Bell advises. He recommiles from South Hadley, the mends cultivating kids’ coping school where classmates bullied Phoebe Prince, the 15-year-old For kids, bullying skills. Teach them to use their emotional intelligence to help girl who committed suicide earli- need not them negotiate with others. er this year. Prince was a victim of technology’s pervasiveness, a lead to suicide. And build their self-esteem to empower them so they won’t problem Zitoli says has given feel angry or depressed if bullychildren a whole new venue for spread- ing occurs, he suggests. ing rumors and gossip. “I call cell And it’s also helpful for children to phones the weapons of mass destruc- participate in teamwork and activities tion,” he says. “Before [the new tech- that give them a sense of mastery and nology], kids could go home to safety. purpose, Bell says. Now if someone doesn’t like something “You don’t have to raise the toughabout you, they can call you a name est kids in America,” Zitoli says. and spread a rumor anonymously.” “Instead, teach them to be kind to

But often help for school-aged kids everyone and avoid the drama.”

It’s improving. But will AfricanAmerican HIV rates get better too?

Under the Obama administration, some abstinence-only programs are being replaced by comprehensive sex education—federally funded for the first time. One new effort, called the Personal Responsibility Education Program, channels $75 million a year to evidencebased programs teaching healthy relationships and other life skills.

But will these advances help stem HIV rates among black youth?

Not if the new programs don’t address the reasons kids have unsafe sex, says Cleo Manago, CEO and founder of the AmASSI Centers for Wellness and Culture in Los Angeles. “Sex education doesn’t go deep enough and is rarely taught in a way that’s relevant to students,” Manago told Real Health. “A lot of people know how sex is done. But they’re not being trained to value themselves despite the sexualized culture.”

In a 2006 AmASSI study of black men who have sex with men (MSM), 85 percent knew how HIV is transmitted. Yet this population experiences disproportionately high HIV rates.

In Atlanta, Dázon Dixon Diallo, founder and president of SisterLove, a sexual health organization for women of African descent, says we’ll only reduce HIV rates when we “normalize sexual health” from an early age.

“We must reach a point where talking about human sexuality is as normal as [discussing] diet,” Dixon Diallo says. “You teach kids how to brush their teeth and to look both ways before crossing the street. We have to do the same thing with sexual health.” —Diana Scholl

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Since 2000, the percentage of babies who contracted HIV from their positive mothers in Denmark when docs used standard HIV treatment. The moms took HIV meds during pregnancy and labor, they did not breast-feed their bambinos and the newborns took preventive HIV medications.

Source: HIV Medicine, online edition

Late-breaking News: The Real Viral Threat

With HIV meds, positive people live full, healthy lives. But what if you don’t know you have HIV?

During the past 20 years, the drugs available for treating HIV have advanced with what seems like lightning speed. But in at least one way, we’re still back in the old days: trying to convince people to be tested for HIV so they can make use of those drugs.

HIV meds work best if a positive person starts taking them before the virus has had time to damage the immune system. But if people don’t get tested for HIV until they’ve had the virus for many years, the chances of starting meds with a strong immune system—and having the drugs boost a person’s health—plummet. That’s why AIDS advocates and federal health agencies urge people to get tested.

But in many communities, including those populated by African Americans, the message isn’t getting through. Recent research showed that from January 1997 through December 2007, among nearly 45,000 people who started HIV care, more than half of them were late— meaning their lab tests indicated they should already have been taking meds.

Starting HIV medications after the virus has already damaged the immune system increases the risk of developing AIDS. Late diagnosis may also increase the risk for cardiovascular disease and certain cancers.

Get tested, get into care, and get well—now. —Laura Whitehorn

Wake up and get tested for HIV.

Pretty Poison

It’s time to face the ugly truth: Your cosmetics may be killing you.

Lead in lipstick, mercury in mascara, complications). And opt for cosmetics that who-knows-what in our latest must-have aren’t made using nanotechnologies. beautifier. Toxins come camouflaged Early studies show that some of these in a variety of ways and cosmetics are microscopic nanoparticles may be toxic. And no exception, says consumer advocate Stacy because they can penetrate human cells Malkan, author of Not Just a Pretty Face: unusually quickly and deeply, scientists are The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry. also concerned that nanoparticles might

It’s a dirty little secret that the Food and wreak havoc on the body. Drug Administration neither pre-approves Most important for your health, Malkan nor tests cosmetics. That’s left entirely to recommends keeping it simple: “Choose the companies themselves, meaning products with fewer ingredients and use potential dangers can go unstudied. few products overall.”

So it’s up to you to get educated. Avoid For more, visit cosmeticdatabase.com, the worst offenders, such as hair dyes and which ranks more than 25,000 of the most relaxers, nail polish removers and acrylics toxic products. Remember: Your health is (the chemicals in their composition have also a thing of beauty. been linked to cancer and reproductive —Margaret Rode

For Medicinal Purposes

Liquor may help stave off the onset of Alzheimer’s.

Researchers at the University of Valencia in Spain found that drinking moderate amounts of alcohol seemed to delay the start of Alzheimer’s disease, especially among nonsmoking women, according to study findings.

Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia in those 65 and older, and the disease affects more than 5 million Americans.

Although scientists aren’t sure what exactly in alcohol provides the protection, they do know that spirits, particularly wine, have proven vascular and antioxidant effects. The potent fermented grape juice increases your HDL (a.k.a. “good” cholesterol) levels and protects the lining of blood vessels in your heart.

But before restocking your wine rack, note that researchers say they need more studies to determine if the amount or type of alcohol people drink conveys any additional health benefits.

If further studies confirm a beneficial relationship, the findings could help doctors develop dietary guidelines.

Until then, here’s to your health! —Cristina González

20 20 out of The number of lipsticks the FDA studied in 2007 that tested positive for lead.

Source: The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics

Program Your Health

Let cool apps transform your phone into a cutting-edge fitness tool.

Getting healthy can be as easy as reaching for your cell phone. Turn yours into a tool for health with these helpful applications. For starters, try GE’s Morsel. Each day, this tiny taskmaster sends you one easy-to-do challenge, such as “Don’t put extra salt on anything you eat today.” And for weight loss support, use Livestrong’s Calorie Tracker to note calories, meals and workouts.

But that’s not all. Now you can access your medical records too. MedeMobile from Medefile allows subscribers to download all their health information into one comprehensive medical file, accessible 24 hours a day.

And there’s something for moms-to-be too. Text4baby, from the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition, offers pregnant women one text-message tip each day for the first six days of the service and three tips during their pregnancy. New Stay on moms get three messages each week until track with the their child’s first birthday. Tips cover Morsel topics such as how to help tots sleep app. through the night, and the advice is available in Spanish too.

Finally, refresh and restart with Mayo Clinic’s de-stressing Meditation app. It uses musical chords and visuals of concentric circles to teach breathing exercises and help clear your mind. —CG