How To Identify And Treat Depression In Young Adults And Teenagers?

As parents, we have often dismissed the problems our kids are facing on a routine basis. We tend to compare our problems, whether it be financial or otherwise with theirs. Teenage breakups, exam stresses, and so on, somehow do not warrant the same attention and focus as adult problems do.

However, nothing can be further from the truth. Leading psychologists point out that parents should never consider or compare their problems to their children’s’. This is because not only is the context different, but also the experience.

In this article, we speak to a depression therapist from In Focus, a leading firm specializing in teenage depression. We ask them some reasons for the same and how we can help someone who is going through it.

Depression in Young Adults: Does it need attention?

Yes, it does! In the past decade or so, the lives of teens have gotten that much complicated. Whether it is the advent of social media or the stresses in educational curriculums, everything seems to be much amplified than it was a few decades back.

However, what has changed is that the severity of the issue is now forcing young adults to look for remedies themselves. These remedies are not positive in any sense of the way. From engaging in actions like social media stalking to falling on intoxicants and other drugs, young adults, who are suffering from mental health issues need attention.

The entire digital and information ecosystem is such that issues of mental health are often judged upon. Sometimes, the judgment can start from the supposed safe confines of the home itself. Statements like ‘man-up’, ‘it will pass’, and ‘stop acting like a girl’, do a lot more harm than they do good. Depression in teenagers exists!

Why Young Adults are more Hesitant to open up about Mental Health Issues?

If you compare your maturity now to the same when you were fifteen, you will see how far you have come. For the benefit of everyone, let us list down some reasons why young adults are hesitant when it comes to discussing mental health issues-

  1. Equating Depression with Weakness-

Nobody wants to come across as weak. This is as true of adults as it is for teenagers. The entire discourse on mental health has been created in such a manner that feeling hopeless, not getting sleep, and being anxious is read as being weak. This leads a majority of young adults to hide their feelings in a cooped-up fashion over a long period of time.

  1. Fear of being Judged by Outsiders-

What happens when someone comes to know you are suffering from mental health issues? In teenage circles, you are ridiculed and isolated. No one wants to hang around you as they feel you are not cool enough. This is another reason why teenagers, who are strongly driven by peer pressure do not open up to mental health conversations.

  1. Lack of Resources for Addressing Depression concerns-

Therapy and counseling sessions do not come cheap. In other words, pocket money cannot pay off for the same. Even if teenagers realize that they have a problem, it is very difficult for them to address it on their own. They need money, access to the right therapists, doing research, changing habits, and so on. Without maturity or money, the task becomes literally impossible.

The Final Word

As a parent, we need to remember how we would get depressed and anxious about incidents in our teenage years. Teenage and young adults face mental health issues in the same way as adults do. Their reasons for the same might be different, but everything else remains the same.

What might appear trivial for a parent, might be the one thing, a teenager’s life revolves around. While it is good that we let our kids learn from experiences and mature, sometimes, they too need a helping hand.

Mental health issues like depression or anxiety are not something, which should be taken lightly. It is important that parents initiate conversations and healthy non-judgmental discussions on such issues. This will make the children open up about the same, leading both parents and teenagers to successfully address them.

 

 

 

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Here are 10 things you need to know about Pfizer’s and Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccines

COVID-19 vaccines

Just last week on Nov 9, Pfizer made known that its experimental COVID-19 vaccine was more than 90 per cent effective. Pfizer and German partner BioNTech are the first drugmakers to release such data. But fast forward to today, we have a new player in town and the name to note is Moderna. According to the company, its experimental vaccine is 94.5 per cent effective in preventing COVID-19.

With so much hype surrounding this topic, here are 10 things you need to know about Pfizer’s and Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccines.

Pfizer’s COVID-19 Vaccine

Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine

Image Credits: Nikkei Asia

#1: More than 90 per cent effective

As we’ve briefly mentioned in the introduction, Pfizer’s vaccine is more than 90 per cent effective. This means that if 9 out of 10 people were to get the vaccine, they would attain immunity.

This is terrific news for many because previously, health experts have revealed that even a vaccine with an efficacy rating of between 60% to 70% would be a huge thing to rejoice for! Some governments were also ready to approve a vaccine if it only has a 50% efficacy rating. 

But now, Pfizer is raising the stakes with a possible vaccine that could break the virus chain. In fact, Britain’s health minister Matt Hancock mentioned on Nov 16, “We’ll be ready to roll (the Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine) out as soon as it comes, we’ll be ready from the first of December…, but more likely is that we may be able to start rolling it out before Christmas.”

#2: Uncertainty on the period of effectiveness

While Pfizer’s vaccine is more than 90 per cent effective, no one knows how long it will be useful for. In other words, we have no idea how long the immunity gained from the vaccine can last us. It could be days, months, or years. Looking on the bright side, maybe it could be forever?

Another unknown factor is its successfulness on the profile of COVID-19 patients. There is little or no evidence that the vaccine works on COVID-19 severe cases, such as people who require hospitalisation for the virus.

#3: Vaccinated people may still carry the disease
asians wearing masks at a train station

Image Credits: LA Times

Talking about uncertainty, there’s the variability that vaccinated people could still carry SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 and be infectious.

So even if one were to be injected with the vaccine and go about his or her day-to-day activities immune, he or she could still present a threat to others who aren’t vaccinated.

#4: Not a one-and-done deal

It will be delusional to think that it’s a one-shot all kill kind of super vaccine. A person will need at least two doses of the vaccine with a period of three weeks apart.

This could pose potential logistical and supply chain problems because supposedly everyone on earth requires that vaccine, then Pfizer will need to supply about 15 billion doses to meet the demand.

#5: Waiting time needed to get the vaccines

All good things must wait? Well, the economy is looking up for selected countries with the announcement of Pfizer’s initial trial results.

If approved, only 50 million doses would be available by the end of 2020. There’s also an estimate that only 1.3 billion quantities will be ready by the end of 2021. Mind you; there’s an estimate of 7.8 billion people in the world. With double doses needed, the supply vastly falls short.

Also, the need to store the vaccine at temperatures of -70°C or below poses a challenge for some countries, for example, in Asia, Africa, and Latin America who are already battling intense heat.

Moderna’s COVID-19 Vaccine

Moderna COVID-19 vaccine

Image Credits: The Guardian

#6: Has a 94.5 per cent efficacy rate

Based on an interim data from a late-stage trial, Moderna said on Nov 16 that its experimental vaccine is 94.5 per cent effective in preventing COVID-19. This makes them the second US drugmaker to report such outstanding results.

But it’s important to note that the announced rating came after studying only 95 participants out of a total of 30,000 participants. While a little hope keeps the world going, it’s essential to wait for the updated results from the ongoing phase three trial. The outcome can overturn within a few days.

#7: At least two doses of the vaccine needed

If you’ve read the article in full, you would have known that Moderna’s vaccine is similar to Pfizer’s in terms of the doses needed. There will be a few weeks of waiting time required between the first and second shot.

A news report has it that after taking the second dose, a notable proportion of volunteers went through severe aches and pains. To be exact, 10 per cent experienced fatigue that interfered with their daily activities, while another 9 per cent had severe body aches. In response, Moderna feedback that the symptoms were short-lived.

#8: Questions about safety linger
man taking a vaccine

Image Credits: BBC News

Similar to Pfizer’s, Moderna’s vaccine may have potential red flags. Apart from the side effects, as stated above, the public is not yet sure if there are other more severe consequences. For example, there is one possibility that it might cause cancer in the future.

BBC News reported that there are no significant safety concerns at the moment but highlights that nothing is 100% safe. But having said that, the public has nothing to worry about as Moderna can only apply for the US emergency use authorisation (EUA) after a two-month follow-up safety data.

#9: Does not require extreme cold storage

Compared to Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine which needs to thrive at extremely low temperatures, Moderna’s can be stored at just -20°C during shipping.

In terms of shipping logistics and distribution, Moderna’s vaccine is much more well-positioned. Once it reaches a distribution centre, the vaccine can be defrosted and stored for up to 30 days in a refrigerator at only 2°C to 8°C. Thus, overcoming one of the most significant limitations of Pfizer’s.

#10: Distribution may start as soon as next month

If the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) grants Moderna EUA for the vaccine, Americans would probably be in line to get their first vaccination by December. At the time of writing, Pfizer has launched a pilot delivery programme for its experimental COVID-19 vaccine in New Mexico, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Texas.

However, even if Moderna has no green light, at least 20 million doses will still be available in December. This means that about 10 million people, most likely front-line healthcare workers, will receive the vaccine shots.

Vaccines at a glance

Pfizer vs Moderna COVID-19 vaccines

Image Credits: BBC News

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Top 5 Strategies of Day Trading

Day trading is a well-known type of trading where the investor buys and sells the financial instruments within a time frame of a day but aims at making a profit using the small price movements. But, that’s possible with the best broker, after you learn about online investments.

It is a short-term trading style. However, it is not like scalping because you only take one trade each day and then close it at the end of the day.

The traders also like to pick a side when the day begins, act on the bias, and finish the day getting profits or losses. Moreover, day traders will not hold their trades overnight. It, therefore, suits forex traders because they have enough time to analyze, monitor, and execute a trade.

For those who think scalping is fast and swing trade is slow, then they should embrace day trading.

Types of day trading

In day trading, the investors try to maximize intraday profits, and to do it, he or she will use one or multiple types of day trading strategies.

Here are the strategies to succeed with day trading:

  1. News Trading

News Trading strategy is a traditional predominantly trading strategy focusing on the short term. The strategy works perfectly for day trades.

Those using this news trading strategy will pay less attention to technical and chart analysis. So, they will wait until the information has been released and assume the information drives prices in either direction. For such information, it can be a report on economic data such as interest rates, unemployment, or inflation. Further, it could also be random presidential tweets or breaking news.

Day traders, for them to do well with this strategy, they should have a better understanding of markets they want to trade.

Besides, the investor should develop insights on how to receive the news depending on the market in terms of how the price will be affected. So, traders should get alerts from different news sources to let them know the right time to enter the market.

On the other hand, the disadvantage of this strategy is because of events causing substantial movements of prices but they are rare.

  1. Breakout Trading

Breakout trading strategy is where the trader looks at the range of pairs made during certain hours during the day. Knowing that you can place a trade on either side but hope for a breakout.

The strategy is effective if the pair is at the right range which indicates that the pair will make a big move. You aim at setting yourself up and after the move takes place, you can catch the wave!

With breakout trading, you also have to determine the range where resistance and support hold strongly. After doing it, set entry points either below or above the breakout levels.

You have to target a similar amount of pips that will make up the determined range.

  1. Range Trading

Range trading is also known as channel trading. It is a type of day trading strategy where you should first understand the recent price action. While using this strategy, you should inspect chart patterns and identify typical lows and highs on the day. Also, keep a close eye on things that differentiate the points.

If the price falls off a resistance level or rising off above the support level, you should opt to buy or sell depending on market direction. And that’s what it refers to as “trading in a range” because every time the price hits high, it will fall back to the low or vice versa.

So, if you choose this strategy, you should buy it during the low price and choose to sell when the price is high.

Many range traders use stop losses to limit orders for them to keep trading in line by perceiving what you expect to happen to the market. Therefore, a stop-loss order would be the point at which the position automatically closes out especially when the price of the instrument drops below your entry point.

However, range trading needs enough volatility because that helps keeps the price moving but not much volatile to break the price out of the range.

  1. Countertrend Trading

This is another essential type of day trade strategy. However, after you determine the overall trend, look for those trades that move in the opposite direction.

In this strategy, you should focus on getting early as the trend reverses. It looks riskier but you can reap huge payoffs.

Since the strategy is about “counter-trend” so you should look at the opposite direction for a shorter timeframe like a 15-minute chart. For those traders who want to use this strategy, they should quickly spot where the trend will end and help them open an optimal entry point position.

Moreover, for this trend, it fights against the trend and sometimes works against a trader. It is risky to go against the opposite of the trend, but if you time correctly, you will reap huge rewards. The strategy favors those aware of recent price action and knows the right time to be against it.

  1. Trend Trading

While considering the trend trading type, you have to look at an extended time frame chart. It helps you determine the overall trend.

After you establish an overall trend, then get a small time frame chart. With that, you can consider many available trading opportunities depending on the direction of trade.

If you use shorter time frame chart indicators, you will have an idea of the moment you should time your entries. The first thing is to determine the overall trend where you have to look at a long time frame. So, the indicators can help you when confirming the trend.

After determining the overall trend, then move to a shorter timeframe but look for entries having the same direction.

The Bottom Line

Recently, day trading has become a controversial phenomenon, but it’s a viable way for you to earn a profit. However, both individual and institution day traders play crucial roles in the marketplace. They are responsible to keep the market’s liquidity and efficiency.

Day trading is a popular form of online trading for inexperienced traders. It therefore should be left to people with skills and resources who want to succeed.

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Affordable Home Security Devices for Modern Living

While it may appear so, your house can be a dangerous place. You’ve likely faced one of these problems—water leaking, electric malfunction, or the worst of them all, invisible gas leaking. When these things happen, you’ll have to react quickly to prevent further damage or even more dangerous complications.

Let’s not forget burglary, which is continuously rising around the world. In fact, the F.B.I stated in 2018 that there’s a burglary every 25.7 seconds in the United States. Whatever happens, from accidents to break-ins, the aftermath will cost you a lot.

If you don’t want to put out fires constantly, you should prepare your home in advance. In this case, the old saying “Better safe than sorry” fits perfectly. 

Thankfully, we live in a time when you can prevent this with some elegant solutions.

Smart Home is a Safe Home

There are many products designed to protect your home in various situations. They vary in quality and price. However, the best home security system needs to have these features:

  • Outstanding customer service
  • Smoke and CO monitoring
  • Easy to use equipment
  •  User-friendly mobile app
  • High-end technology
  • Customizable plan
  • Door, window, and movement sensors

Moreover, great price, no contract, and additional options are an advantage. However, don’t settle for less and do your research before installing anything. After all, it’s your property we’re talking about.

How Does a Security System Work?

A smart home security system connects to your Wi-Fi network and other internal networks, enabling you to control security devices using your smartphone with an app. You’ll be notified if any anomaly occurs, such as movement, the opening of the doors and windows, and so on.

Depending on the package you purchase, you may have additional options such as: 

  • Remote door lock
  • Garage doors openers
  • Surveillance
  • Lights
  • Gas leakage
  • Water sensors

Regarding window and doors sensors, they work on Z-Wave or Zigbee technology due to their low power consumption. On the other hand, security cameras use a Wi-Fi network that has better bandwidth, thus providing better video streaming. Quality security systems have both, and both can be set up to a customized setting.

Settings Customization

Regarding security systems, you can set up triggered reactions/rules for certain events, such as unlocking the doors if smoke or gas is detected or recording the video with a camera if the sensors identify movement.

You can choose between systems that store the recordings on the SD card, to a cloud, or the combination of both. On your app, you’ll be able to control the command center, create rules, receive notifications when the alarm is triggered, lock and unlock the doors, set up thermostat temperature, and even watch live and recorded videos.

Some systems come with a panel, usually fixed on the wall, that allows you to manage everything from there, as you would from your phone.

Budget-Friendly

Budget and quality can go together, but with some limitations. Various DIY kits are quite easy to install, and you can even upgrade them with additional sensors and components. If you’re thinking of buying an entry-level kit, beware of its limitations. They’re usually sufficient for only one or two wireless protocols and add-on components.

On the other hand, more expensive ones offer more wireless protocols and possibilities to upgrade. One of the many reasons to install security systems is a professional monitoring service. Some DIY kits don’t offer that option, so make sure to double-check beforehand.

Professional Home Security Systems

Without a doubt, we’re talking about some high—level security here.
Other than 24/7 professional monitoring, components, wireless connections, and console, professional home security systems offer various options you couldn’t achieve with DIY kits. Things like:

  • Door and window sensors
  • Door locks
  • Glass break detectors
  • Indoor/outdoor cameras
  • Light switches
  • Motion detectors
  • Water/smoke/CO detectors
  • Thermostats
  • Video doorbell

Moreover, you can have a company employee who’ll try to call you if your alarm goes off. Even before he calls 911. Other benefits of these systems include stability, professional set up, and maintenance. Moreover, you don’t have to do a thing except paying a bit more than you would for DIY.

Today, all of the security systems, even DIY ones, come with voice control options, such as Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri. You can unlock doors, open the garage, turn the lights on/of, and do a lot more.

Security Has a Price

If you go for the Do It Yourself version, you’ll have to pay a monthly or annual fee if you decide to activate monitoring. This is without the hardware.
The price with monitoring goes from $10-$29, depending on the provider. Some require a monthly or annual contract. On the other hand, professional services are more expensive.

Monitoring for such service can start at $29 per month with a three—year contract. And with hardware, backup, and installation, the price can easily go up to $3000 upfront and $60 monthly fee.

Which System Will Suit You?

The answer depends entirely on your needs and possibilities. For example, if you want more security and can pay more, then professional home security systems are what you need. On the other hand, if you’re on a small budget and want any kind of protection, you should go with DIY.

Keep in mind, safety comes first, and it’s better to invest in prevention than in fixing the problem afterward.

 

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