Daily digest May 11 2015

Depression risk to sexting children, warns psychiatrist

Cyberbullying and ‘sexting’ could be placing whole generations of children and young adults at greater risk of depression and other psychological problems, a leading psychiatrist has warned.

Natasha Bijlani, a consultant psychiatrist at the Priory Hospital, said online pressures - particularly over sex and nudity - could even drive an upturn in the number of young people who go on to self-harm, the Daily Telegraph has reported.

She added that the full impact of internet abuse and sexting - when intimate photographs are swapped between users - may not be apparent for years because psychological damage suffered in childhood can sometimes only manifest itself in later life.

Read more on the Daily Telegraph website

Police cars double as ambulances to ferry thousands to A&E

Thousands of patients are being taken to hospital emergency departments in police cars because ambulances are failing to show up, the Daily Mail has reported.

Figures obtained from a Freedom of Information request to London’s Metropolitan Police Force showed that officers took patients to hospital 931 times in the 12 months leading up to January this year.

Police admit that they are ‘extremely worried’ about the practice, which is becoming more frequent as 999 crews struggle to cope with demand.

Read more on the Daily Mail website

Healthy shoppers pay price as fruit and vegetable costs triple

Fruit and vegetables have tripled in price over the past three decades while the cost of ice cream has halved, according to a study that suggests that eating healthily is getting more expensive.

As reported in the Times, researchers called for VAT to be imposed on unhealthy food in order to subsidise vegetables, claiming that it would save thousands of lives.

An analysis by the Overseas Development Institute think-tank found that processed food and meat had got cheaper around the world, while greens had been getting less affordable, and warned of a global surge in obesity.

(£) Read more on the Times website