Women who experience premenstrual dysphoric disorder – a condition many degrees more severe than the more common PMS – face misunderstanding, misdiagnosis and restrictions on the lives they can lead.
For many type 1 diabetes sufferers, the lengthy approval process for artificial pancreas technology has led them to make their own devices. But it’s a move that could have complicated legal ramifications for their treating physicians.
As the spotlight turns to conditions in aged-care facilities, attention is also being drawn to the problem of young people with disabilities being forced to live in residences with an end-of-life focus.
As well as writing prescriptions for medicine, Australian GPs are being encouraged to follow the lead of New Zealand and Britain in “social prescribing”, where formal directions are provided on diet, exercise, meditation and more.
Suicide rates among the middle-aged are on the rise. And, according to experts, growing social fragmentation, income insecurity and life pressures are fuelling the trend.
Australian governments are to consider recording the height and weight of all primary school children in an effort to reduce rates of obesity, but critics warn such a scheme could prove to be detrimental.
The age at which menstruation begins is getting lower, with girls as young as 10 experiencing their first period. The emotional turmoil that can result from stigmatisation and a lack of education is a mental health issue.
While children with a disability or chronic illness are seen as being in need of support, their siblings may be left struggling to cope with their complex family dynamic.
While cost, regulation and an unsupportive healthcare system has marginalised homebirth in Australia, new hospital programs could see it become a viable option for women seeking alternatives to the traditional labour ward.
Endometriosis is an often excruciating condition that affects 700,000 Australian women. With a national action plan due next month, sufferers are finally hopeful better treatments will soon be found.
