NOTEWORTHY - Brief Article

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), August, 2000

A terrorist attack at the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, is possible, warns William Head, assistant professor of criminal justice, Indiana University, Bloomington, a consultant on antiterrorist security. "There is no doubt that terrorists see the Olympics as a prize to be obtained in terms of international attention, so it's likely that different types of terrorist activities such as bombings or anthrax scares, will be attempted.... Anytime someone feels slighted, there is a chance they will take the world stage created by a high-profile event to vent their anger."

High levels of credit card debt and the resultant stress may be bad for your health. Researchers at Ohio State University, Columbus, found that people who reported higher levels of stress about their debt showed greater incidences of physical impairment and overall worse health than those with lower levels.

Childhood is often thought of as a time of carefree existence, without the responsibilities and worries of adulthood. Yet, youngsters may have difficulty as they learn to negotiate their way in the world and are just as vulnerable to mental illness as adults are, maintains Graham Emslie, professor of psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. "Children aren't just little adults, and they may have their own versions of depression, manic-depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, or other anxiety disorders."

A brisk 30-minute walk or jog around the track three times a week may be just as effective in relieving the symptoms of major depression as the standard treatment of antidepressant medications, a study at Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C., found. The researchers studied 156 elderly patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder and assigned them to three groups: exercise, medication, or a combination of the two. After 16 weeks, all three groups showed statistically significant and similar improvement in measurements of depression.

Minor strokes occur more frequently than most doctors believe, and primary care physicians are not as thorough as they should be in evaluating these patients, according to two national studies sponsored by the National Stroke Association. About 5,000,000 adults have been diagnosed with a mini-stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA). Yet, just 37% of primary care physicians regularly consult a neurologist when diagnosing TIAs, 23% call for a head CT scan, and a mere five percent utilize an MRI procedure in evaluation and treatment.

Advertisements and television shows that portray extremely thin girls or women as role models may account for an increase in the number of younger people being treated for eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia, suggests David Waller, a specialist in eating disorders at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. Sexualizing thin, teenage girls wearing adult makeup and posing suggestively glamorizes unhealthy bodies and attitudes, especially for girls in the pre- and early teen years, he indicates.

The yearbook photo session has become an icon of the American school experience from kindergarten to college. It frequently represents an awkward, stomach-turning rite of passage captured in a flash and preserved for the ages in wallet-size photos. David K. Dodd, senior lecturer in psychology, Washington University in St. Louis (Mo.), says these pictures pinpoint the time in adolescent development when girls begin smiling more often than boys. "The greater tendency for girls and women to smile more than boys and men ... begins between the ages of nine and 12, is firmly rooted by age 14, and persists into adulthood."

Desire for independence is the key psychological difference separating religious and nonreligious individuals, an Ohio State University study reveals. Researchers examined 558 students and professionals to determine how importantly each rated 15 different fundamental desires and values, ranging from sex to idealism to vengeance. The biggest difference was that religious people expressed a strong desire for interdependence with others, while nonreligious respondents revealed a stronger need to be self-reliant and independent.