This week Dr. Gabriela Pavarini participated in the the Festival of Neuroscience in Dublin organised by the British Neuroscience Association to celebrate and share the latest thinking in neuroscience today.
Gabi co-chaired a symposium on mental health problems in children and adolescents and took part in a public event on supporting young people’s mental health.
Young Minds Matter
On Monday 15 April, Gabi spoke at ‘Young Minds Matter’, a public engagement event to highlight how to support young people’s mental health. Young people, parents, carers and teachers attended the event.
As children grow up through their teens and into adulthood, they go through big changes in their behaviour, emotions and feelings. This is natural but for many teenagers, school, their social and family life can be challenging. But for some, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and self-harm or suicidal thoughts are a few of the deeply troubling problems they may experience. So how do we spot the signs of mental health difficulties and what can be done to help vulnerable young people who need support? For those caring for them, difficult decisions have to be made. What is going on in a teenager’s developing brain? How do you diagnose a condition that may change as they mature? Are medicines the only answer, or are there other ways to help prevent emotional distress? We invite young people, their families, teachers and carers to join a discussion on this important issue. Find out what is going on in the brains of young people whose mental health is challenged and the treatment options available to them. Discover how new ways of thinking can help them manage anger, build confidence and improve their well-being. And our experts want to hear your views too.
The event was chaired by Elaine Snell, International Neuroethics Society and Gabi joined Paramela Santosh and Mitul Mehta, from King’s College London on the panel.
Symposium on Mental illness in children and adolescents
Gabi co-chaired a symposium alongside Mitul Mehta to discuss the neuroscience, ethics and practice in psychopharmacology of providing support and treatment for mental health problems in children and young people, convened by the British Association of Psychopharmacology and the International Neuroethics Society.
The panel:
Judith Homberg, Radboud University – Psychopharmacology in the young and developing brain
Ciara McCabe, University of Reading – Anhedonia and adolescent depression
Paramala Santosh, King’s College London – Child psychopharmacology and development: perspectives from real world clinical practice
Gabriela Pavarini, University of Oxford – Early intervention and moral development in child psychiatry
