Past Programs
Family and Children - 2005
2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002
Getting the Regional Blues - postnatal depression and the rural mum
05/11/2005
Nambucca Heads is a beautiful seaside town on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales. But despite the tranquil environment, figures for postnatal depression in new mothers appear, at first glance, to be astronomical. Early research suggests half of new mothers suffer postnatal depression – five times the rate of their city sisters. The possible reasons for this includes the 15 per cent unemployment rate, poverty, limited medical help and a claustrophobic and watchful social environment. Liz Keen investigates the incidence, diagnosis and treatment of postnatal depression in Nambucca.
Missing the Point! - The mysteries of Autism
17/09/2005
One of the common first indicators of autism is the inability of the 18-month-old child to point with their index finger. Autism shapes behaviour and severely limits a person's ability to form relationships and communicate. But the complex causes of this disorder are obscure. We look at some of the research seeking answers, and a mother with a 3-year-old autistic son portrays life with this mystery.
Life on Ice - Behind the Psychology of Infertility
03/09/2005
For many people becoming a parent is at the very heart of the meaning of life.
Yet more than any other thing that we do in our lives, parenthood is one of our most uncertain and unpredictable achievements. And infertility is common. Behind the myriad of medical interventions available to the infertile, lie deep seated psychological challenges that pose a real threat to our mental health. Gretchen Miller talks to two fertility counsellors who speak of the ethical and emotional confrontations in their work with infertility.
The Imaginative Child
21/05/2005
The joy of playing with a pre-school child is the joy of make-believe. A teacup becomes a telephone; a rocking horse morphs into a dragon; the table and chairs construct a castle. 'How?' 'Why?' and 'What?' are the child's most frequent questions and their imagination is often the place where they find the answers. But does the young imagination play a more substantial role in a child's cognitive development? Does it give us tools for real world analysis well into adulthood? On All in the Mind this week Gretchen Miller explores the power of imaginative little minds.
Growing Up a Clone: The Psychology of Reproductive Cloning
05/03/2005
The prospect of human clones walking amongst us is a while off yet. Some argue that human reproductive cloning is inevitable, others suggest our moral sensibilities will hold us back even when the technology is ripe. But whatever our brave future holds for us, ethicists are already asking what it might be like to grow up a clone? Can we predict what the social and psychological impacts of being born a 'mini-me' will be - an exact genetic copy of just one other? From identical twins and stepchildren to the progeny of famous parents, Psychiatrist Stephen Levick and other guests join Natasha Mitchell, and embark on a remarkable thought experiment to find out.
Brain Injury in Children: A Neglected Epidemic?
12/02/2005
This week, what happens when little heads hit hard surfaces? When Byron was 4 years old he walked into the path of a car and was left severely brain damaged. 21 years later he's just graduated with a maths degree - against all odds. But new evidence is starting to challenge long-held beliefs about the incredible plasticity of young brains, and their needs years after childhood injury. Is brain injury a neglected epidemic among children and adolescents?
