Life Support

Leading AI researchers now expect artificial general intelligence (AGI) – where AI meets or exceeds human intellectual capabilities – within three to five years. When AGI automates thinking, the economy will need to reorganise around what machines cannot do: feel.

We are already in the intimacy economy. But if we are to thrive within it, we must wrestle back our most valuable economic asset from technology: the messy complexities of being human. My generation are the begrudging harbingers of what will happen if we continue to outsource intimacy: we will lose the emotional skills a post-AGI economy will depend on most, rendering us unemployable. We knew social media was addictive and slowing our cognitive development, but officials took until this year to act. We can’t make the same mistake with the intimacy economy.

For anyone who has children, grandchildren or siblings nearing the transition to high school, there's some thoughts and advice here that could be really helpful to them. Also, parents don't have to worry too much about right or wrong choice.

The elective selection process can place too much pressure on students. The choices are framed as “making firm decisions about the future”, at a time when they are trying to work out who they are.

When young teens have a choice, they should consider:

• electives that align with their genuine interests and spark curiosity

• subjects that reflect current strengths

• units that might connect to possible futures without feeling like being locked into a specific career pathway.

Fascinating stuff!

In essence, birth is not just a physical event, it is a microbial one. Nature has orchestrated a system where the mother passes on the microbes and nutrients her baby needs to thrive.

As much as I dislike putting up yet another image of Pauline, her comments this week about domestic violence must be further analysed and debunked. This article provides facts and figures which better inform us and help us when we come up against people with Pauline-type of opinions.

For example:

Let’s be clear on this. All violence is wrong, and we should take multiple courses of action to address violence in all its forms.

At the same time, while both men and women are similarly likely to experience any violence in their lifetime, the patterns of these experiences differ hugely.

According to our national Personal Safety Survey, one in four women have experienced violence by an intimate partner or family member since the age of 15, compared with one in eight men.

One in five women have experienced sexual violence since the age of 15, compared with one in 16 men.

And one in five women have experienced stalking since the age of 15, compared with one in 15 men.

The overwhelming majority of this violence is perpetrated by men. We cannot ignore the gendered patterns.

If you are in a dv situation, or if you’re concerned about someone you know, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732. If you’re in immediate danger, call 000. For support for men concerned about their own behaviour or experiences of violence, call Men’s Line on 1300 78 99 78.

The World Health Organisation reports that globally, about 10% of pregnant women and 13% of women who have just given birth experience a mental disorder, primarily depression. In developing countries, this rate is even higher.

Yet there are few treatments that target the biological changes driving these disorders.

Our research aims to understand how the brain adapts during pregnancy and early motherhood to support healthy mood, with the goal of developing better ways to prevent and treat poor peripartum mental health.

We also hope this work will help reduce the stigma faced by parents who struggle to bond with their baby. Rather than personal failing, difficulties with bonding may reflect brain pathways that have not adapted as expected.

Given the profound changes the brain undergoes during pregnancy, it is perhaps unsurprising that this process does not always unfold smoothly. Parents and families deserve better understanding, support and treatment during this critical period.

There aren't treatments yet it seems but it's worth knowing what's happening.

cross-posted from: https://aussie.zone/post/34922554

An Australian teenager and her mother have become instrumental in the investigation of this network.

“A worrying trend is how victims are becoming perpetrators to try to escape their online bullies who have befriended and groomed them, and then forced them to hurt themselves.”

“A lot of times kids come forward and maybe [the police] don’t recognise the signs that it’s the 764 network, and so they don’t pursue it as aggressively as they should,” she says.

Spinks says there needs to be greater awareness for parents too. The Australian federal police cite warning signs including indications of self-harm, sudden withdrawal from family and friends and secretive behaviour about online interactions.

“One of the biggest, most dangerous misunderstandings is that this won’t happen to us, or this only happens to a certain type of kid, when in reality, it could honestly happen to anyone.”

Support is available at Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636, Lifeline on 13 11 14, and at MensLine on 1300 789 978.

Kenny Davis and Naomi Bonacci-Rocca were both younger than 10 when their caring responsibilities began at home.

They are two of Australia's 391,000 young people under the age of 25 caring for or supporting family members or friends.

It has had a massive impact on their schooling and friendship groups, and as they have grown up, their caring duties have not only continued but have expanded to include supporting other members of their family.

These are their words.

If you or anyone you know is a young carer a BIG HUG is coming your way. Also, these organisations can provide useful information or support:

Little Dreamers: https://www.littledreamers.org.au/

Carer Gateway: https://www.carergateway.gov.au/

Carers Australia: https://www.carersaustralia.com.au/

The main takeaway I got from this article is about being intentional with your time. I am not in paid employment anymore but this is just as important for me.

Job insecurity can take a heavy toll on your mental and physical health.

There’s strong evidence from meta analyses – research where all the studies in that area are pulled together – that people are significantly more dissatisfied with work when experiencing job insecurity. The same study found job insecurity can also affect workers’ commitment to their organisation and undermine their job performance.

There’s also some evidence job insecurity can increase workplace bullying. When people feel really insecure, they’re more likely to lash out at others. The same study showed workers who’ve been bullied tend to feel more insecure in their work.

Our 2020 study, tracking 1,046 Australians over nearly a decade, suggested a prolonged period of job insecurity could even change people’s personalities: making them less emotionally stable, less agreeable and less conscientious.

The article then goes on to describe ways to help yourself lessen fear of losing your job.

But they reckon we can take action to make ourselves feel a lot better. Here's FDotM's interpretation. Neil the Seal gets some kudos!

Holiday care isn’t always an affordable or feasible option. So, many parents end up cobbling together a Frankenstein’s monster of working from home, ad hoc leave days, friend and family help and a whole lot of juggling to keep kids both occupied and cared for during these periods.

It’s easy for the holiday period to result in family disharmony and crankiness, rather than relaxation and connection.

So what can parents do to reset? If like many Australians you spent your two weeks band-aiding multiple issues, you can try an approach psychologists call “rupture and repair”.

A really useful article imo which has made me think I better get organised. It may also be useful for those of you with sick or elderly parents or other loved ones.

Their 'Quarter Life' series, which this article is a part of, is a good fit for this community IMO: https://theconversation.com/topics/quarter-life-117947

An excerpt from the article:

By a certain age, the story goes, you should have a few things locked down: a successful career, a loving partner, a couple of children running around in the house that you’ve purchased.

If you miss these markers, dread tends to set in. You may feel everyone else is moving forward, and that somehow you’ve fallen behind. This is one of the most common anxieties we encounter in life. It’s also one of the most misunderstood.

As a developmental psychologist, I want to offer a more accurate and liberating account of what’s actually going on. The feeling of being behind is real. The timeline producing it, is not.

Some psychologists call this schedule we set in our minds as a society, the “social clock.” In 1965, American developmental researcher Bernice Neugarten and colleagues described these age norms as a set of shared expectations about the “right” age to finish school, marry, buy a home or start a family.

These age norms may feel like natural law. But they are not. They are cultural conventions, and like all conventions they vary from place to place and shift from one generation to the next.

You won't be surprised with the answer.

A new global analysis reveals children and adolescents are eating low amounts of healthy plant-based foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans and legumes...

Between 20–25% of all deaths among adults are attributable to poor diets high in red and processed meat and sugary drinks, and low in fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds and whole grains.

Adhering to a healthy diet is associated with a decreased risk of major chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer.

... “dietary habits established during childhood can influence health throughout life”.

“We found that consumption of healthy plant-based foods remains low among youth across the globe..."

Children in the US had among the highest average daily intakes of healthy plant-based foods while under the age of 2 (2.7 servings/day). However, these healthy habits do not persist into childhood and adolescence (1.8 servings/day).

In fact, only high-income countries saw a decrease in the consumption of healthful plant-based foods with age.

The authors suggest that factors such as youth autonomy, food environments, or cultural norms may help shape children’s diets.

https://connectsci.au/news/news-parent/9712/Are-children-eating-enough-plant-based-foods?searchresult=1

It's a UK article, but most of the contents would apply here.

And the author is happier too.

My phone was my office, my income, my means of communication. Every time I checked it, there was something to action, a notification of something new, something that told me I was useful and productive, giving me dopamine hits that motherhood didn’t offer. It had become my coping mechanism.

The phone was also where I went to decompress, to have five minutes that felt like mine. But while social media appears to be the most stimulating thing in the universe, what felt like rest was actually just a further demand on my already stretched mind.

More than 8% of [Australian] adults are negatively impacted by gambling, on some level. And 1% of adults experience extreme gambling harm, meaning they’re gambling at very high risk.

And young people are being increasingly sucked into the world of gambling. About 90% of Australians aged 18-34 who regularly use pokie machines experience gambling-related harms. These include lost savings, severed relationships and other serious consequences.

Certain types of gambling – particularly pokies and online betting – are more harmful than others. And being exposed to these can readily lead to gambling addiction.

So what causes gambling addiction? And can it be treated?

The whole article is worth reading.

The main takeaways:

Between 2003 and 2024, Australians’ life expectancy and years lived in “full health” increased. But the time spent in poor health also rose: by 1.2 years for men and 1.5 years for women.

More than three in five (61%) Australians now have at least one chronic condition – such as asthma, arthritis or depression – and almost two in five (38%) have two or more.

Cancer causes the most burden of disease, or years of healthy life lost to illness and premature death. Mental conditions and substance use disorders as a group are the second biggest cause of healthy life lost.

Dementia is now the leading cause of death in Australia, accounting for almost one in ten deaths in 2024.

Mental illness is rising among young people but supports aren’t keeping up

More cancer in young people but survival rates are increasing overall...While cancer remains the greatest contributor to disease burden in Australia, addressing modifiable risk factors such as obesity and smoking – coupled with cancer screening and focused research initiatives – will help reduce cancer incidence and deaths going forward.

Obesity has overtaken smoking as the leading contributor to disease... Among adults aged 25–34, obesity increased from 20% in 2011–12 to 29% in 2022–24.

Risky drinking is down, but we still drink more than our OECD peers... But alcohol is now one of the most preventable drivers of chronic disease. It contributes to more than 200 health conditions such as cancer, heart and liver disease, injuries and poor mental health [so this is within our control].

Health-care costs have risen, with more people skipping care

Carers are compensating for system gaps and are burnt out

[According to a study published on The Lancet], nearly 1.2 billion people worldwide were living with a mental disorder in 2023, and anxiety and depression accounted for much of the increase, making mental illness one of the leading causes of disability across the globe

Teenagers ages 15 to 19 now carry the highest burden of mental disorders, replacing middle-aged adults as the most affected group and raising concerns about long-term effects on education, relationships and future health

Mental health concerns are appearing more often during routine pediatric medical visits, with anxiety-related visits increasing about 300% over the last decade despite a slight decline in overall doctor visits

Brain imaging research found that people with anxiety disorders had about 8% lower levels of choline-containing compounds in important brain regions involved in attention, planning, memory and emotional regulation

Prioritizing sleep, exercising regularly, strengthening social connections, reducing chronic stress, and consuming enough choline from foods such as pastured egg yolks and grass fed beef liver are practical steps that help support long-term brain and mental health resilience

https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2026/07/09/anxiety-depression-global-mental-health-surge.aspx?sd=20221027&foDate=false&mid=DM1924053&rid=600947233

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(26)00519-2/abstract

They found women who had given birth and breastfed accumulated lasting protective immune cells, which were shown to reduce risk and improve defence against triple-negative breast cancer.

Understanding how reproductive history can reshape and remodel breast tissue and immunity could lead to new approaches to prevent and treat breast cancer, experts say.

Cancer treatment side effects can affect a person's genital, sexual, urinary, and reproductive health.

Women are "suffering in silence" from gynaecological side effects due to stigma and gaps in clinical care, experts say.

Experts are calling for screening for side effects, more training for clinicians and a greater investment in cancer care research.

Addiction reaches across every age, income and background. Around one in three Australians in their 50s and 60s drink at risky levels, and many older adults rely on prescribed medications that, if taken incorrectly, can be harmful. Research suggests addiction affects a broad range of professionals – often in ways that go unrecognised for years...

When we define people by their addiction, it’s harder for them to seek help and easier for other people to judge them.

Addiction is not the result of a simple choice. Neither is it an inevitable consequence of gambling or using a specific type of drug. In reality, it’s a complex health condition shaped by various factors – such as past trauma, genetics and social isolation.

Importantly, addiction can be managed through treatment.

If you or someone you know needs support, you can contact:

Lifeline on 13 11 14

Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636

The National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline on 1800 250 015

Gambling Help Online on 1800 858 858 or at gamblinghelponline.org.au

Counselling Online at counsellingonline.org.au

Being tax time I was reminded on radio today about the relation between financial health and mental health. Beyond Blue has some resources to help people better understand the link between money and mental health which may be of use to you or people you know.

Financial health and mental health are linked. Financial challenges can cause significant stress, which can impact our mental health and wellbeing. Similarly, the state of our mental health can make it harder to get on top of our finances.

'Something different' today for this community. Take a few minutes to enjoy the amazing artwork of these young artists. It will give you a boost of energy and inspiration.

This year more than 4,350 entries were received, a new record. All 70 finalists are on show at the Art Gallery of New South Wales until 16 August 2026

Social trends, public policy and advertising have placed smoking at the centre of mainstream culture before, but public policy has also helped push it back to the fringes too.

McElhinney is hopeful Australia can see a similar change again, but she knows it will be a difficult fight. She suggests that rather than simply focusing on how bad smoking is for our bodies, public health campaigns can be used to educate how “tobacco companies manipulate us through insidiously inserting themselves into culture”. The assumption being: if you can spot the tricks you might be less likely to fall for them.

Now taking on big tobacco isn’t as simple as banning glossy print ads, she says. “Over the past decade, subtle culture-led advertising has become best in class.

“As big tobacco continues to innovate and shapeshift, it’s hard for consumers and public health advocates to keep up.”