Using data from a standard health monitor of 14749 adolescents (M = 14.32, SD = 1.23) from Gelderland, we examined whether adolescents with a mentally ill family member showed more depressive...Show moreUsing data from a standard health monitor of 14749 adolescents (M = 14.32, SD = 1.23) from Gelderland, we examined whether adolescents with a mentally ill family member showed more depressive symptoms than adolescents with a somatically ill family member. Hereby, the effects of gender, age, family composition and educational level on depressive symptoms were also investigated. Depressive symptoms were measured with the Major Depression Inventory. As expected from our hypotheses, we found that both adolescents with a somatically (H1) and mentally (H2) ill family member showed more depressive symptoms than the controls. We also found that adolescents with a mentally ill family member showed more depressive symptoms than adolescents with a somatically ill family member (H3). Further, when taken the mental and somatic group together, girls scored higher on depressive symptoms than boys (H4), and older adolescents scored higher on depressive symptoms than younger adolescents (H5). We found that especially older girls scored higher on depressive symptoms (H6). Furthermore, adolescents from a non-intact family scored higher on depressive symptoms than adolescents from an intact family (H7), and the lower educational levels were associated with more depressive symptoms compared to pre-university education level (H8). Results were significant but yielded a small explained variance. Based on this study, we recommend professionals to pay special attention to depressive symptoms of caregiving older adolescents, girls, adolescents with low educational level and adolescents from non-intact families.Show less
The history of child labour, compulsory education, mental illness and the Second World War are fascinating and many books have been written about these subjects. However, Wolter’s autobiography...Show moreThe history of child labour, compulsory education, mental illness and the Second World War are fascinating and many books have been written about these subjects. However, Wolter’s autobiography shows how all of these four themes influenced his life. Through this edition of his autobiography, these four themes will actually become a reality instead of just history.Show less
In the last decade or so, more and more evidence has accumulated to support an enactivist theory of mind. Such a theory has great consequences for how we view the mind and thus also how we view the...Show moreIn the last decade or so, more and more evidence has accumulated to support an enactivist theory of mind. Such a theory has great consequences for how we view the mind and thus also how we view the mind’s malfunctions; mental disorders. A new way of looking at mental disorders within the framework of enactivism means to see a mental disorder not just as a brain malfunction, but as a disorder in the subjects being-in-the-world; meaning the interaction between brain, body and world. The author explores what such a view would be and what consequences this would have for understanding, diagnosing and treating mental illness.Show less
