Hello guest! (Not a guest? Log in above!) As a guest you can submit help requests, create and reply to Forum posts, join our Chat Room and read our range of articles & resources. By registering you will be able to get fully involved in our community and enjoy features such as connect with members worldwide, add friends & send messages, express yourself through a Blog, find others with similar interests in Social Groups, post pictures and links, set up a profile and more! Signing up is free, anonymous and will only take a few moments, so click here to register now!
Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 11 (May 2010).
LGBT Mental Health
By Maria (Gidig)
Mental health is brought up in many topics we talk about in this era. A huge part of living in the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community is hearing about our own mental health. There is unfortunately a large difference between the mental health of LGBT people and that of ‘straight’ (heterosexual) people.
We have finally reached a point in our culture that identifying as...
Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 11 (May 2010).
The Truth about Eating Disorders
By Jessie (Asylum)
Eating disorders are characterized by abnormal eating habits resulting in insufficient or excessive food intake. There are many types of eating disorders including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder and eating disorder not otherwise specified. Like many other psychiatric disorders, there are misconceptions surrounding eating disorders and those living...
Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 11 (May 2010).
UK Elections
Casey (Cas*)
General elections in the UK will be held on 6 May 2010. Whether you're registered or not (and we hope you or your parents are!) it is important to know what is going on in the government. Do you know who is running and what they stand for?
First, let's have a quick lesson on the basics of political parties in the UK. There are many parties in the UK, including minor ones like the Green Party or the...
Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 11 (May 2010).
News that Affects You: April 2010 in Review
By Jessie (Asylum)
Absent in April? Would you rather spend your spring outside than indoors reading the news? In case you missed the headlines, here’s a glimpse of what people were talking about, or should have been, in April 2010!
Mental Health
Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 10 (April 2010).
Oscar Overview
By Brittany (.Brittany.)
The 82nd annual Oscar Awards were held Sunday March 7th, 2010. Whether it was for the gorgeous red carpet dresses, or just to find out who won the Oscar's, an estimated 41.62 million people watched as hosts Alex Baldwin and Steven Martin ran the show. Here are some of the night's big winners!
The Hurt Locker is an American war movie about elite soldiers in Iraq that have the most...
Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 10 (April 2010).
Choosing A Short Haircut
By Cheyenne (Desert)
It’s a big decision, one that takes a lot of time and planning. It’s also something that’s right next to irreversible. If you go through with it and change your mind when it’s over, you have months and possibly years to rectify your mistake. What decision am I talking about, you ask? Cutting your hair!
How many times have you had a friend with beautiful, long locks which they...
Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 10 (April 2010).
10 Points of Light
By Katrina
You may remember Take Back the Night's Avatar debut when it was featured as Cause of the Month in the November 2009 edition. In conjunction with Take Back the Night's first ever nationwide event, 10 Points of Light, we wanted to remind our Cause of the Month readers of the great work this foundation is doing each and every day, and to encourage participation in this event!
On April 29, 2010,...
Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 10 (April 2010).
Self Care
By Maria (Gidig)
Many of us have heard something about “self care” at least once. While it may seem like we already do a significant amount of self care by sleeping, eating, and even breathing, many people do not take enough time for themselves. Without self care, stress levels are much higher, relationships can be compromised, and depression creeps up. You can even physically feel better when you practice better...
Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 10 (April 2010).
Stand Up for Autism
By Marie (Rie)
What do you imagine when you hear the word autism? How do you personally picture a person with autism? Do you see the child repeating words over and over again? The teenager who has still never uttered a word? Do you picture the adult curled around rocking back and forth in a fetal position? Can you imagine visiting a country when you neither speak nor understand a word of their language?...
Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 10 (April 2010).
News That Affects you: March 2010 in Review
By Jessie (Asylum)
Missed March? Just downright dislike sifting through news reports you could care less about? Want the lowdown? Here’s a glimpse of what people were talking about in March 2010!
Human Rights
Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 10 (April 2010).
Earthquakes
By Casey (Cas*)
Earthquake! Wait, what? March was a month full of earthquakes, and now you're telling me that April will be too? Not necessarily, even though the world was shaken up after Haiti, this past month, it still hasn't gotten the chance to settle down.
It started in Chile. The first earthquake, 8.8 magnitude, hit February 27th. It was a massive earthquake, that caused Tsunamis to hit Hawaii and that...
Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 9 (March 2010).
Drugs and your Brain
By Maria (Gidig)
Many teenagers and adults do drugs everyday, whether they’re legal or not. But very few of those people know how exactly each drug works or the effects of drug use. It’s important and healthy to know what may happen inside your body, if you choose to use drugs. So here some of the most common drugs, and how they affect you, are explained.
Marijuana: Most commonly marijuana, also known...
Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 9 (March 2010).
Self Injury
by Emily (bringontherain)
Self injury is intentionally hurting oneself to the point of causing tissue damage or leaving marks for more than a few minutes. About 1% of the population, three million people in the United States alone, have intentionally harmed themselves at some point in their lives. This intentional harm can range anywhere from scratching to limb amputation. The most common forms, especially in...
Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 9 (March 2010).
News that Affects You: February 2010 in Review
By Jessie (Asylum)
From entertainment to new health studies, our world is a rapidly changing one. But the news can be so boring! When you find yourself thinking "what a drag, the news is on again," never fear! If you don’t like the news, can’t be bothered with the paper, and would rather not spend your time on CNN's website, check out this section for synopses of news events from...
Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 9 (March 2010).
Celebrating Women
by Casey (Cas*)
Every March, in the U.S., we celebrate women's history month. The international day for women's history also falls on the eighth of March. Why is women's history, and not men's, so important that it has its own month? Throughout history men have had more rights and acknowledgment than women. On the other hand, women were excluded from many history books and texts and weren't allowed to do many...