Day or night, 365 days a year, moms come to the MOPS International Web site forums to vent, cry, laugh, celebrate and pray together. These moms post messages and form relationships on the forums @ www.MOPS.org.

Rachel Ryan, Media Manager at MOPS International, moderates the forums and says, “It’s incredible watching the moms encourage and support each other through the Internet and build community with moms from all over the globe.”

MOPS International provides forums to discuss “MOPS Issues,” find “Moms Like Me” and talk about “Mothering Issues.” Here are some inspiring stories of a few moms who participate in this vibrant online community.

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MILWAUKEE _ Mary Rotar was getting ready to head home for the weekend, when the call came late that Friday afternoon.

The 23-month-old girl with the rash and fever does have measles, the state health lab technician said.

“My heart just sank,” said Rotar, infection control officer at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin in Wauwatosa.

A measles outbreak, rare as it is these days, can be devastating. It’s highly contagious; someone sneezing across the room can pass it along, and the germs linger for as long as two hours.

Nearly everyone over 50 remembers having measles _ the fever, the red blotches and the sting caused by even a slight beam of sunlight. In its heyday in 1958, measles affected more than 800,000 across the country.

But a vaccine developed in 1963 worked wonders. By 2000, the disease had been declared eradicated in the United States.

There are occasional outbreaks, though. The last big one in Wisconsin, in 1989-’90, infected more than 1,100 people in Milwaukee and killed six children across the state _ four babies, a 10-year-old and an 11-year-old.

Rotar knew they would have to move fast if they were going to contain this one.

But how much exposure had there been?

The little girl had been admitted to Children’s Hospital the previous Monday. She was moved into isolation on Thursday when the doctors suspected measles. But in those three days in between, she potentially had been in contact with as many as 30 of the sickest, most vulnerable children _ transplant and cancer patients, kids with almost no ability to fight off infection.

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It looks like depression is proving to be one of the most serious problems that teens are experiencing today, and it has severe negative effects on their lives rendering them unable to function properly in some aspects of their daily lives. Some of the depression cases even lasted for nearly 2 months, according to the results of the research. The respondents to the aforementioned report were 67,700 adolescents from 12-17 years of age, 8.5% of whom suffered from major depression in the past year. The majority of the “depressed teens” are girls which accounts for 12.7% compared to boys ( 4.6% ). Also, according to the researcher, parents should seek professional help for their teens when signs of depression appears and treat the situations as if it was any other medical condition that requires immediate medical attention.

To read the resource article go here.

People with OCD may be diagnosed with other conditions, such as anorexia nervosa, social anxiety disorder, bulimia nervosa, Tourette syndrome, compulsive skin picking, body dysmorphic disorder, and trichotillomania. There is some research demonstrating a link between drug addiction and obsessive compulsive disorder as well. Many who suffer from OCD suffer from panic attacks. There is a higher risk of drug addiction among those with any anxiety disorder (possibly as a way of coping with the heightened levels of anxiety), but drug addiction among obsessive compulsive patients may serve as a type of compulsive behavior and not just as a coping mechanism. Depression is also extremely prevalent among sufferers of OCD.

The typical OCD sufferer performs tasks (or compulsions) to seek relief from obsession-related anxiety. To others, these tasks may appear odd and unnecessary. But for the sufferer, such tasks can feel critically important, and must be performed in particular ways to ward off dire consequences and to stop the stress from building up. Examples of these tasks: repeatedly checking that one’s parked car has been locked before leaving it; turning lights on and off a set number of times before exiting a room; repeatedly washing hands at regular intervals throughout the day.

Some of the symptoms are:

• Repeated hand washing.

• Repeated clearing of the throat, although nothing may need to be cleared.

• Specific counting systems — e.g., counting in groups of four, arranging objects in groups of three, grouping objects in odd/even numbered groups, etc.

• Perfectly aligning objects at complete, absolute right angles, or aligning objects perfectly parallel etc. This symptom is shared with OCPD and can be confused with this condition unless it is realized that in OCPD it is not stress-related.

• An obsession with numbers (be it in maths class, watching TV, or in the room). Some people are obsessed with even numbers while loathing odd numbers (they cause them a great deal of anxiety and often make the person uncomfortable or even angry) or vice versa.

• Twisting the head on a toy around, then twisting it all the way back exactly in the opposite direction.

Almost one out of every 40 people will suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder at some time in their lives. The condition is two to three times more common than either schizophrenia or manic depression, and strikes men and women of every ethnic group, age and social level. Because the symptoms are so distressing, sufferers often hide their fears and rituals but cannot avoid acting on them. OCD sufferers are often unable to decide if their fears are realistic and need to be acted upon.

Most people with obsessive-compulsive disorder have both obsessions and compulsions, but occasionally a person will have just one or the other. The degree to which this condition can interfere with daily living also varies. Some people are barely bothered, while others find the obsessions and compulsions to be profoundly traumatic and spend much time each day in compulsive actions.

It is very difficult for parents to talk to their teens about sex. Therefore it is almost impossible to tell if their teens are, god forbid, addicted to sex.

Sexual addiction is not limited to “having sex” with the opposite gender, it can also involve pornography, masturbation and obsession about the act and the participants.

There are ways to spot if a teen is addicted to sex without interrogating them, parents can do this by just observing their kids. Some of the things to look for are pornographic materials, friends and their activities and how the teenager interacts with the opposite sex.

Although it’s illegal to buy alcohol in the United States until the age of 21, most teens can get access to it. It’s therefore up to you them make a decision about drinking. But why do teens drink anyway?

Experimentation with alcohol during the teen years is common. Some reasons that teens use alcohol and other drugs are:

* curiosity
* to feel good, reduce stress, and relax
* to fit in
* to feel older

From a very young age, kids see advertising messages showing beautiful people enjoying life — and alcohol. And because many parents and other adults use alcohol socially — having beer or wine with dinner, for example — alcohol seems harmless to many teens.

Conduct Disorder is a behavioral and emotional disorder that affects adolescents, the disorder causes teens to show a pattern of of negative behavior that violates the rights of others, the social norms, rules and regulations. A teen with conduct disorder can have a big impact on his family, friends and everyone around him, sometimes becoming a threat to their safety.

The most common and most observable characteristics of teens that have conduct disorder are as follows:

* bullies, threatens, or intimidates others

* picks fights

* has used a dangerous weapon

* has been physically cruel to people

* has been physically cruel to animals

* has stolen while confronting a victim (for example, mugging or extortion)

* has forced someone into sexual activity

* has deliberately set a fire with the intention of causing damage

* has deliberately destroyed property of others

* has broken into someone else’s house or car

* frequently lies to get something or to avoid obligations

* has stolen without confronting a victim or breaking and entering (e.g., shoplifting or forgery)

* stays out at night; breaks curfew (beginning before 13 years of age)

* has run away from home overnight at least twice (or once for a lengthy period)

* is often truant from school (beginning before 13 years of age)

Adolescents with this kind of disorder often get into trouble with the law and often fall behind in school even though he has no learning disability, though most teens most of the teens who have conduct disorder also have ADHD.

Because of the destructive nature of the symptoms, parents should consult a professional as soon as they notice the pattern of behavior described above in order to minimize the damages.

The most common treatment for conduct disorder is behavioral therapy, sometimes with accompanied by medication, which primarily addresses the teens lack of social and coping skills. The treatments would also be more effective if the teen is placed on a structured setting and/or treatment program that would be beneficial for easing their aggression.

Bullying is a very real threat that some adolescent students have to face everyday. Victims of bullying can suffer from long term emotional, academic, and behavioral problems. And it can also cause loneliness, depression, and anxiety as a bullying victim begins to believe that something is wrong with them. Victims can also have a loss of confidence and an increase in susceptibility to illness. It is not easy to spot a victim of bullying without really looking closely because most victims are afraid to tell anyone about their problems and would prefer to handle it on their own, which is a bad idea. Preventing Bullying in schools require the effort of the victim, teacher, friends and the families of both the victim and the bully. Here are some strategies that can help:

If a person voluntarily comes to someone for help then they need to listen. Sometimes this is all that the victim wants and needs. (Note that many schools seem to think that this is all that is needed and, while their technical policy does not say so, in practice they refuse to take things beyond this level.)

After investigating the situation, it may be that intervention is necessary with the bully or bullies. The situation needs to be addressed and hopefully a resolution to the problem can be found.

Inform the parents of the victim and of the bully. Discuss possible solutions with them. Arrange a meeting with them if possible.

Follow up in communicating with the victim, the parents and the teachers about the situation.

Monitor the behavior of the bully and the safety of the victim on a school-wide basis.