Anorexia has been blamed on skinny models and pushy parents – but more than half of the risk is inherited, studies show. Now the hunt is on to find which genes are behind it.

A 12-year-old nicknamed "little samurai" has raised nearly $600 for the Mental Health Foundation after a karate teacher who inspired him committed suicide earlier this year.

Very few parents or teachers are qualified to assess mental health. The overlap between mental health problems and "usual" teen behaviour makes any intervention more complicated.

The number of people seeking help for gambling problems has hit an all-time high but that is being hailed as a sign that those in need are better accessing services.

Depression and anxiety are about fear, says Sir John Kirwan. Here he highlights ways young people can overcome that fear.

Deborah Hill Cone writes: Are you ready? It's September 29 and ta-dah! Today is the day! I've decided I'm going to be a better person.

Ben Smith started cutting himself when he felt that nobody cared about him. He was only 14.

Binge-drinking, violence and suicide are all declining, but our teenagers are enduring an escalating epidemic of self-harm.

His own experience has taught him the importance of simply being available for his kids and willing to listen.

An exclusive extract from Stand by Me by Sir John Kirwan, his guide for helping parents and teens around mental health.

Nothing more could have been done to stop the shootings of Ashburton Work and Income staff, the first stage of an independent review has found.

The coroner will investigate after a Work and Income employee died six days after two colleagues were murdered in Ashburton.

Pregnant women suffer more from flu than other members of the population because their immune systems are hyperactive rather than weakened, a study shows.

If it's part of a balanced diet, and a generally healthy existence, then shouldn't we enjoy it? Food is so much more than just fuelling our bodies, writes Delaney Mes.

Got a problem? Sleep on it, goes the advice. Now new research has found our minds are more active when we might think while we're asleep.

A global survey has found New Zealanders relatively content with our lives as the world emerges from the financial crisis.

Teen cannabis smokers are 60 per cent more likely to drop out of high school than their non-smoking peers, and are more likely to use other drugs and attempt suicide.

No, I honestly wasn't. I decided the best approach was to look at it as a big adventure.

One person takes their own life every 40 seconds, equating to 803,900 deaths across the world every year, according to the first WHO report on suicide prevention.

It may be possible to train the brain to prefer healthy low-calorie foods over unhealthy higher-calorie foods, researchers have claimed.

I would like to dedicate this article about narcissism to a very special person: me, writes Katy Waldman.

Mental health concerns are one of the reasons why people use supplements, but are they really useful? We look at the top five that research suggests really work.

A NZ great-grandmother suffering from dementia took her own life with her husband at her side just hours after publishing a moving letter explaining her decision.

Experts on the process of ageing are recommending a dose of One Direction as part of their prescription for a happy and successful old age.

I'm speechless this week. (Doesn't happen often.) Last week I wrote about how I was suffering from depression.

A previously law-abiding mother has been jailed for faking the signature of the chief executive at one of New Zealand's biggest insurance firms.

Women who do not breastfeed their babies are at a higher risk of postnatal depression, according to a major study of more than 10,000 mothers.