Daily roundup 5 February: Duchess of Cambridge, antidepressants, and mental health

The Duchess of Cambridge has encouraged children to be comfortable in their own skin as part of a campaign to safeguard children's mental health. The Daily Mail reports that Kate Middleton has said that adults should help children by giving them the emotional strength they need to thrive. Her message was delivered in a video recorded for Children's Mental Health Week.


A leading expert in psychiatric medication has said that the growing prescription of antidepressants to teenagers is doing more harm than good. The BBC reports that Professor David Healy questioned why they were being given the medication when clinical trial results were so poor. He said that in 29 paediatric clinical trials of antidepressants, every single one failed to produce an obvious benefit.


Almost half of children in England regularly feel sad or anxious, a survey has shown. According to a poll, carried out for Barnardo's, nearly half of children aged 12 to 16 in England feel sad or anxious every week, with school, their future, problems at home, bullying and their weight cited as the main issues of concern.


The National Day Nurseries Association has launched its annual practitioner's workforce survey. The survey asks practitioners about their roles, qualifications, hours worked and pay. The results will be published in the spring.


A plastics chemical linked to reduced fertility in men is present in the majority of teenagers, research has found. The Telegraph reports that more than 80 per cent of teenagers have traces of the chemical compound, Bisphenol A in their bodies, according to a study involving 94 young people. Previous research has suggested that it could be linked to decreased sperm counts and could affect the way some genes work.