Hot off the presses, here’s a report from the Government Accountability Office on the state of children’s mental health care. It reveals some major problems.

«Most children whose emotions or behavior, as reported by their parent or guardian, indicated a potential need for a mental health service did not receive any services within the same year,» the GAO wrote.

The report comes after Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), Rep. Rosa DeLauro (Conn.), and Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (Calif...

Breast milk contains more than 700 species of bacteria, which is more than previously believed, according to a new study.

Breast milk from overweight mothers or those who put on more weight than recommended during pregnancy, however, had fewer species of bacteria, according to the Spanish researchers.

They also found that mothers who had a planned cesarean-section delivery had fewer species of bacteria in their breast milk than those who had a vaginal birth, while mothers who had an unplanned C-section had about the same number of species of those who had a vaginal birth.

This suggests that a ...

Some kids can’t get enough of online games where they can pretend to run a candy factory or decorate cakes. But children who play with these games may eat more, and eat more junk food, even if the game features fruit or other healthful choices, according to new research.

Food industry critics have long bemoaned the fact that many popular food games for computers and other devices are actually «advergames», created by food manufacturers to market their products. Some argue marketing junk food to kids is unethical, even if it’s through tiny bits of entertainment software.

To find out if advergam...

Symptoms of a kidney infection. Left untreated, they can cause blood poisoning, loss of a kidney, or perhaps even death.

Many babies spend almost three hours in front of the TV each day, a new study finds, especially if their mothers are obese and TV addicts themselves, or if the babies are fussy or active.

«Mothers are using television as a way to soothe these infants who might be a little bit more difficult to deal with,» said senior study author Amanda Thompson, assistant professor of anthropology at the University of North Carolina, in Chapel Hill.

Other studies have shown that TV watching at such an early age can be harmful, she said, adding that TV can delay important developmental milestones.

The report w...

Social practices and cultural beliefs of modern life are preventing healthy brain and emotional development in children, according to an interdisciplinary body of research presented recently at a symposium at the University of Notre Dame.

«Life outcomes for American youth are worsening, especially in comparison to 50 years ago,» says Darcia Narvaez, Notre Dame professor of psychology who specializes in moral development in children and how early life experiences can influence brain development.

«Ill-advised practices and beliefs have become commonplace in our culture, such as the use of infant...

In Chicago, a hospital employee describes the emergency department as «knee-deep in flu and pneumonia cases.»

In Richmond, Va., Dr. Kenneth Lucas of the Patient First clinic says he’s seen a 30 percent rise in flu cases, which «hit the fan around Christmastime» and «really rolled in with the holidays.»

And in Rhode Island, where almost 10 percent of emergency room visits in the past week were due to flu-like symptoms, state Health Department Director Michael Fine predicts this could be the worst flu season in years.

This year’s influenza season got off to an early start, and according to these...

Washington is trying to help hundreds of American families whose dreams of adopting a child from Russia are in limbo after the passage of a controversial Russian law, a top US official said Tuesday.

Calling it «tragic» for the families and children involved, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said some 500 to 1,000 US families already had made progress in their adoption plans before the new ban came into force.

In many cases the families have met with the children they planned to offer a new home in the United States, and already bonded with them.

«We are continuing our conversations...

Most babies who wake up during the night should be allowed to self-soothe and fall back to sleep on their own, researchers say.

«By 6 months of age, most babies sleep through the night, awakening their mothers only about once per week. However, not all children follow this pattern of development,» Marsha Weinraub, a Temple University psychology professor, said in a university news release.

«If you measure them while they are sleeping, all babies — like all adults — move through a sleep cycle every one-and-a-half to two hours where they wake up and then return to sleep...

Here are some characteristics of the middle born child or children.

The middle or second born child or children often have the sense of not belonging. They fight to receive attention from parents and others because they feel many times they are being ignored or dubbed off as being the same as another sibling. Being in the middle a child can feel insecure. The middle child often lacks drive and looks for direction from the first born child. Sometimes a middle child feels out of place because they are not over achievers and like to go with the flow of things.

Being a middle child would mean they...